Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
limits. The internet is full of sites, offering technical support to those facing prob-
lems with mobile devices limitations. Android developers can, for example, refer to
Processing power
We mentioned it several times, we restate it here: don't expect the majority of
users to possess phones equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU. Half
Bricks' Jetpack Joyride slows down on 800 MHz CPU speed devices. Unless you
aim to make a tech demo to show the capabilities of a specific high-end hardware,
keep your system requirements as low as possible to have the opportunity to target
the broader audience. At 99 cents per download, it takes thousands of downloads to
make a game to recoup its development costs and eventually make a profit!
Mobile design constraints
There are a few less obvious design considerations, based on the player's play be-
havior with a mobile device. What are the circumstances that players use mobile
devices to play games? Usually they are waiting for something else to happen: wait-
ing to board the bus, waiting to get off the bus, waiting in line, waiting in the waiting
room, and so on. This affects several aspects of game design, as we will show in the
following sections.
Play time
The most obvious design limitation is play time. The player should have a satisfying
play experience in three minutes or less. A satisfying play experience usually means
accomplishing a goal within the context of the game. A good point of reference is
reaching a save game point. If save game points are placed about two and a half
minutes of an average game player's ability apart, the average game player will nev-
er lose more than a couple of minutes of progress.
For example, let's say an average player is waiting for a bus. She plays for three
minutes and hits a save game point. The bus comes one minute later so the player
stops playing and loses one minute of game progress (assuming there is no pause
feature).
