Is mobile gaming in downfall?
Every platform has ebbs and flows, They have some monster hits and then hit a rash of shovelware, it's all in the lifespan of a digital platform. Mobile has been a juggernaut thanks to the largest install base of any platform and that came with an influx of casual users. These non-gamers were a different animal than game developers were used to and it took a bit of time to not only get to used to creating content and mechanics for them but also to learn how to leverage touch controls. What you saw last year was a sweet spot where we had some very strong midcore titles earning a ton of money per day and it made the news consistently. You were also being inundated with one of the most expensive marketing blitzes as mobile games overtook console games for ad space for the first time. Now we're a few years in and we've learned a lot thanks to analytics. Being able to study the data makes the games better over time, for us and for the players. Mobile genres that are monetized correctly can be consistent earners if the developers know what they're doing. Even though most mobile games do not succeed there's a very large contingent that do. The problem with mobile is discovery. There's so much content that is released on this platform that no one ever is even aware of. It's unfortunate because gamers can't find the right games for them. There's plenty of deeper, immersive games out there but they're not always featured or have social hooks that make others aware of. If discovery is figured out mobile could have another strong upswing overall. VR is actually a mobile benefactor. Over the next year you're going to see VR from the the mobile viewing side first and foremost as people curious about VR will find it the most accessible of the available kits. 3D photos will help mobile VR initially, giving it some immediate content to play with for the masses. To play an HTC Vive room scale VR (the best VR experience available today) you're going to need to know someone who owns it as the requirements are not going to be met by many people once they start looking into it. With Apple having a headset in the works and Samsung all over Android VR both platforms are about to have a whole new software subset to offer, so VR will actually enhance mobile going forward. But it's going to be a slow process.
Why do some indie game developers dislike the mobile platform?
I dislike both Android and iOS for one thing. My games compile on Linux, Windows, and OSX without any changes. It just works. But lots of platform-specific work was required to make them work on Android or iOS.I guess it is not that of a problem anymore nowadays (both SDL2 and things like Unity can target mobiles) but still, I wish they made it easier to port old program to these systems rather than forcing the developers to learn their APIs. More exotic mobile platforms such as Raspberry Pi or OpenPandora have this better.I am also not that into mobile gaming myself. I prefer to play complex games, which are often much more comfortably played on a keyboard. But even if the interface is not that complex, I like to fully concentrate and immerse myself in the game world, and the PC platform is much better at achieving this goal than mobile. Big screens are great. Even though the board game Go is a perfect example of a game that is extremely complex despite very simple rules and interface, there is a good reason why the traditional gobans (Go boards) are so large.
What is the best mobile game?
If by most popular, you mean a game with the most registered users and most daily active users (DAU), it's probably a game you've never heard of, let alone play:King of Glory - WikipediaBased on the data released by Tencent, GAD platform, King of Glory has a whooping 200 million registered users, and 50 million daily active users. Pay penetration is 22% (an absolutely insane number). Compare this to Clash of Clan with over 100 million registered users, or the recent hit Pokemon Go with 20 Million daily active users…(League of Legend, the game's “spiritual predecessor” has 12 million daily active user) King of Glory is definitely way up there.In fact, the game got so popular, China's state-owned “People's Daily” had published 2 opinion pieces back-to-back to crash it. (It's probably someone from Politburo who wants to crack down on Tencent, but the fact that they're using a game to do it, speaks loudly of the impact of this mobile game).Of course, King of Glory is basically a League of Legend Mobile port. BUT! before you diss it as another shameless copycat, you must understand that King of Glory might be based on League of Legend (just like League of Legend is based on DOTA), the developer had done a LOT of changes that improve the core game and make it more suitable for mobile gameplay.The first thing they did is to make the game shorter. Remember those hour long LOL battles you have to sit through? King of Glory average match time is about 10–15 minutes. Perfect for your morning commute, or lunch breaks.And the game has a diverse cast drawing inspiration from Chinese history and mythology, making it a lot more friendly to Chinese users.They had worked wonders with the controls, making it smooth and easy to access with touch screen.But I think what really makes this game so successful is their effort of making the game more friendly and enjoyable for female gamers. 54% of the game's user base are female gamers, compare to League of Legend’s mere 10%.At the end of the day, Timi studio (KoG's developer) did a great job of revamping an old formula and bringing it to the mobile space. King of Glory wasn't a great game at the very beginning, but Timi had never stopped improving it, and here we are today.I'm sure Riot is feeling the burn, thinking why they didn't release their own mobile game.
Are mobile games less complex than computer games?
Most mobile games have far less money spent on them than AAA console or PC games.In AAA, a lot money is invested in asset production (art, sound, music)And then there are the licenses, and intellectual properties and then the promotion. But there is also a significant amount of engine code, custom code and game script.Mobile games might be ten or one hundred times less expensive to develop. They have less art, less engine code and a much smaller team. So from that angle they are certainly less complex.But in one way, mobile games might have an advantage. AAA games, to be successful tend to be parts of mega-franchises, which are surefire hits before they are made. Risks are rarely taken. They are mostly the "Same Game as Last Time, only BIGGER and BETTER". This risk-averse design can be boring and repetitive.Mobile games, can afford to take risks, and explore new ideas. So, I think there's more chance of finding something innovative and intellectually stimulating in a small independent game, than in a hyper expensive franchise title.
What is the best way to develop mobile games?
Depends. Android or iOS or both?Both? What is your skill? Advanced or beginner? Can you and are you willing to become advanced programmer?Do you have programming preference? C++? Java? Do you have budget to buy game engine license?How advanced and complicated is the game?based on your answers, there are several optionsGo Native: learn the native mobile language. This is usually harder and single platform only. But you can start cheaper and be able to optimize your code if you get good at it. Little or no programming: tools like GameSalad (very simple and limited), or GameMaker (more advanced) can help you make multi platform game with little or no programming. Both have some fees invovled for full versionAdvanced: popular choice is Unity, and there is also Unreal Engine. Both have considerable learning curve, and come at a high price of you want the full commercial version. Perhaps it's good idea to try something like GameMaker. See youtube tutorials. Then see how far you get.
Funny and/or entertaining websites?
preferably some sites like oddee or listverse or maybe just some super funny youtube channels. or even something like addictinggames or fmylife almost anything. i'm just really bored and need some new sites to go on. *list as many sites as you can, but please also tell what's on that site. thank you. :)