Another week another update.
One of the problems holding couch-based-video games back is the controller.
Who wants to buy extra controllers (usually for $50 each) that just lie around, getting in the way when not playing your games? Not too many I think, which is why I've developed a Wifi-controller for Go Team Yeah.
As an aside, I made a quick prototype of Go Team Yeah last year, bought some wireless 360 controllers and almost started with it. The problem was that AppGameKit handles controllers too simply - checks once for their existence and then never again. This would be a poor user experience if people want to join after the game has started or if their controller drops out (batteries and all) halfway through, so I put it on ice.
Two things made me realise that an alternative was possible: One, I discovered a game called
Bombsquad on Amazon TV that does uses an wifi controller app already. Its really fun, and made by one Pixar employee in his spare time. Kind of sickening really.
Two, Batvink wrote an absolutely amazing AppGameKit networking tutorial in
Newsletter 147. Networking is one of those things I'd been putting off for years as it seemed a bit complex, but that tutorial and code made me realise it can be so, so simple. Send strings and parse them on the server? Sign me up.
So Go Team Yeah is designed to be played using iOs and Android devices as controllers.
Using a phone as a controller has its own set of interesting problems - I hadn't realised how much feedback you get from the button and thumbstick
positions of a real controller. I increased the size of the buttons, then again, and this morning my 7 year old son was still missing them during a playtest so I made them huge. Right now the thumbstick is static but I plan to make it float (so it appears wherever you put your thumb). Since AppGameKit doesn't support that right now, so I'll have to write my own virtual joystick code.
Latency is and always be an issue, and I've done a ton of work to mimimise it and optimise the data being sent. The gameplay needs to be slightly slower to allow for it.
Ultimately a flat-glass screen is no substitute for a real controller but I think this is a pragmatic approach. Many more potential players will have smartphones laying around than game controllers.
Also: think about the kind of games you can make where ever player has their own controller with a display? Hidden information can be a great mechanic; Think of a 4 player, 2 team game where everyone can see the game on the TV but everyone is keeping track of their own inventory or abilities on their phones. You and your team-mate could be huddled at one end of the couch, collaborating tactically. Ah, possibilities...
Twitter: @itanican
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Website: www.push-down.com
