When designing a game for use on a mobile device, we need to take into account a number of considerations relating to the form of the device, the way that the user holds it and interacts with it. We may also need to take other issues into consideration — mobile devices are usually far less powerful than desktop computers and laptops, so we need to be careful to ensure that our game will not slow down due to intensive processing of graphics. Following is a list of some of the issues that we need to consider when developing for mobile devices:
- Large or numerous graphics can quickly deplete a mobile device's memory capacity
- Too many onscreen actors can slow a game down so that it is no longer playable
- The player is unlikely to have a keyboard or mouse with which to control the game
- The mobile device may have a small screen, making it difficult for the player to see important gameplay elements and controls
- Mobile games can be stopped and restarted at any time, such as when an incoming call occurs on a mobile phone
The above issues might be considered to be a list of disadvantages; the points listed are overwhelmingly negative! However, we should also consider that mobile platforms also offer several advantages over traditional PCs:
- Touchscreens offer opportunities for increased and more natural and entertaining interactivity
- Many mobile devices include features, such as vibration feedback, that are not found on desktop computers and laptops
- Accelerometers are now common in many mobile devices; this enables us to determine at what angle the mobile device is being held
- Most mobile device owners have an app store account, which is associated with some form of instant payment
We can see that, although there are some obvious limitations to games running on mobile devices, there are also some exciting features that can be introduced into a game; both from the player's point of view (more fun) and the developer's point of view (more money)!
The previous lists are not exhaustive. There are many issues and benefits related to mobile device development, so do plenty of research and think carefully when planning games for specific or multiplatform use, and try to be creative and original.
The great news for us (as game developers) is that Stencyl doesn't care which type of mobile device we are developing the game for! In the vast majority of cases, we can simply use the instruction blocks that access mobile-device features such as touchscreen, vibration, and accelerometer, and Stencyl will correctly create the appropriate code at compilation time, regardless of whether the device is a tablet or smartphone or whether it is running iOS or Android. If the hardware isn't available on the device (for example, not all tablets have a vibration feature), the game will run on that device, and simply ignore the missing feature.