iPhone Game Development Thread

I feel that game designers aren't using the device to its fullest potential. They're treating it just like another Mobile device. The fact that ScummVM will work on it just proves that you aren't limited in terms of game design so really most of these developers are just being slack asses (YES I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU EA AND VIVENDI!)

As it stands its just a casual platform.. but once Steve Jobs announces Java Runtime on the thing I'm going to port Neuromancer to it, assuming that ever happens. If it does then the Ipod has a potential to be the preferred platform for hardcore mobile developers.

Would they HURRY THE FUCK UP ALREADY!

I get where Mr_C is coming from. Yeah there's no platform being used to the fullest, but with the consoles developers are experimenting, learnning and generally pushing the limits to try and get as close to the maximum potential as possible. With phones the vast majority are playing it far too safe and barely even trying to expand the potential. The audience is very different, which is almost an explaination of why noone is trying, but it's a bit of a vicious circle - if they never try to expand and experiment, they won't get any audience beyond their current one.

Personally, I'd love to have a Rogue-alike designed from the ground up for the screen size and restricted input device of a mobile phone. Such a game would make my trip to work a lot happier. Doubt that there's any commercial interest in the idea though. Is there a homebrew phone game scene? If so, where do I look for it so I can seek my dream game-to-play-on-the-way-to-work?

Edited by: Gibberstein

I'm glad others feel the same way as I do. There are a couple entertaining games but I feel like some games that have a price tag
really don't deserve it. I'd ideally like to see a lot more variety of publishers get in on the fray. 

If they implement C# and JavaME or even JavaRuntime then its possible that they can get the full potential the Ipod has. Until they do that though its only going to be a crap phone attached to a mediocre MP3 player but a fairly ok Media Center. You'd be surprised how good it is for movies, Blade Runner is a personal fav to watch on it. (Portable Cyberpunk lol )

I do desperately want to port to it. Most mobile game developers at present are hesitant and with good reason, only EA THQ and Vivdeni seem to be interested in it the rest are all like "Why? Only like 2% of people have them" they make more money porting to Nokias, Sony Ericssons, LGs, Motorolas..ect ect because people have them and actually play games on them.

The arguement is always "Casual gamers like Phone games" but what if a company said "well hardcore gamers have phones too".. I mean its true, we do. So why not try and develop something a little more ambitious (say something like old Dos games for example). It may actually fire the industry up and bring it out of the darkages..

Cool, Turnbase would work easy, I've also noticed Adventure games work great on them too.

If you know c, objective c will take a day to learn. It is also alot easier to understand and only the code that interfaces with the phone needs to be objective c (super monkey ball had the majority of its code still in a c++)

Apple dont care if you dont make apps for the iphone because there is allways some one willing to do it and make money form it.

Edited by: lodle

Orly? Have you seen the syntax? It's like they took C, put it through a blender, drank it, then excreted it back out, blended it again, and then served it to you.

And didn't they say the same thing about the PS3? We'll have to see when Android comes around for what game developers can really accomplish in an open free OS SDK embraced by far more phone companies that are part of the Open Hand Held Alliance than just the iPhone.