ipad game design -- develop liverpool dec' 2011

iPad game design

it’s different?

Gareth Jenkins@36peas

iPad specific vs.

iPad supported

What is iPad specific?

• Game designed using the iPad as the primary interface to the game mechanic

• Game design accentuates the positives of the device instead of adapting to the negatives

What does the iPad look like as a game

controller?

is it...

...or...

?

Neither -- it’s an iPad

• Multi touch

• Accelerometer

• Microphone

• GPS

• Networked / connected

• and a whole bunch more

Isn’t that an iPhone?

No...

It’s an iPad.

It’s bigger.

Multi-touch interfaces don’t

work when you can’t see what you’re interfacing with

Also, it’s not a phone

• The demographic is different

• The device lifetime is different (though at this stage unknown)

• It’s more likely a shared device

• Your player is likely sat on the sofa, not the shitter

So what to do with it?

• Take advantage of the space available

• Think about appropriate gestures

• Think about the gaming context (remember this isn’t a phone)

• Think outside the phone box

• iPad specific does not mean exclusively iPad

• Think about potential users:

• Avid Apple fans

• Feature users of the iPad

• “Core” gamers

• iOS / iPhone gamers

Some examples

original action concepts

All the action is on a single iPad screen

The play surface is big enough to allow for

emergent play

And because it’s a single screen, the player can

view and interact with the entire play surface

Independent areas of action and interaction

More examples

Different types of gestures, interfaces

and actions

tap and drag to pan/scan

multi-touch to select

drag to draw paths

tap to trigger actions

lefthand

right hand

lefthand

right hand

lefthand

right hand

iPad supported

Adapting a game

Adapting IP

It needn’t be complicated

Few iPad exclusives

** hyp

Innovative touch interfaces

(that happen to work well on iPad)

Are you making a game that’ll work on

an iPad?

Are you making a game for the iPad?

iPad game design

iPad game design

Follow me on twitter -- @36peas

Questions?

Where to start?

Just start

• Use the iPad itself for:

• playing other games (duh)

• screenshots & notes

• content creation

• Start simple

• Use a framework

• Cosos2d

• Unity

• whatever

• Talk about it

• Twitter / blog / whatever

• Join in with others -- game jams

iPad game design

it’s different?

Gareth Jenkins@36peas