When Will Turn-Based Strategy Games Get a Turn?
Despite periodic lulls from time to time, the Windows Mobile gaming scene is pretty lively for the most part. Whatever type of game you're into, chances are you'll find 20 versions of it for Windows Mobile. However, one genre is glaringly absent from the wide breadth of gaming opportunities available to the Windows Mobile user (and no, I'm not talking about the fact that there is still not a single Hockey game for the platform, although this is also troubling!). I'm referring to the almost complete lack of turn-based strategy games...games like Master of Orion and Civilization.
The lack of Windows Mobile TBS games parallels a similar trend in game development for other platforms, a trend whose most notable characteristic is its mild obsession with the production of real-time strategy games, multiplayer games, and super-duper "the-graphics- card-needed-to-run-this-game-will-be-available-in-ten-years" games. I'm a bit puzzled as to why this lopsidedness has persisted so long, especially when sales of games that break with the recent trend demonstrate the endurance of a market for these neglected genres (For PC, games like Galactic Civilizations II and Oblivion come to mind). Is the lack of TBS games for Windows Mobile a result of the same trend?
The dearth of Windows Mobile TBS games is even more surprising when one considers certain peculiarities of PDA game development. For example, a turn-based game with bad graphics has an easier of time of being a fun game than does a real-time strategy game with the same problem. For example, in chess the graphics are mere symbols, important only because they represent pieces subject to rules that can be manipulated strategically. For this reason, adding great graphics to chess doesn't really do much. By contrast, if chess pieces are placed in a real-time strategy context, graphics become much more important. How much fun would Age of Empires be if the animated sprites were static chess pieces instead? The fact that turn-based strategy games can be high quality and yet still not require super-duper graphics makes them extremely well-suited for PDAs, which often don't have advanced graphics capabilities. What's even more important, however, is that the lower quality graphics tolerable in TBS games means that these games should be less expensive to develop, a fact which is especially crucial in the small budget world of PPC development.
What do you all think?
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This is, unfortunately, true of all strategy games - not only turn-based ones. There are only few titles (Warfare, Argentum, Buglord, AOE or the unofficial WCII ports - see http://www.smartphonemag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=760&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 ) and, needless to say, their quality / playability is still a far cry away from the desktop versions.
Some of the initiatives on the TBS game area are promising, however. Pocket UFO, the attempts at FreeCiv ports etc. Sean's o'Connor's Risk/Stratego implementations (see http://www.smartphonemag.com/blogs/menneisyys/052006MIPSGames.asp ) are also pretty good.
As far as scroller shoot'm'up games are concerned, I disagree. There are very few really good titles (the free GikaDiver, SkyForce; and, probably, 4Pockets' Particle Wars). For example, big names like Resco have only been able to come up with an, in my opinion, mediocre scroller-shooter title (Resco Guardians) and the River Raid clone scroller in Arcade Park by HeroCraft HiTec isn't very good technically either. The rest of the genre is even worse (IMHO).
Sorry, forgotten to add DarkLaga to the shooter list.
Just so we're clear, I'm not saying that there are no Windows Mobile TBS games out there. Perhaps I should have been more specific and said that there is a notable lack of what I'll call "grand scale" TBS games, for lack of a better term.
While I really enjoy the games of both Sean O'Connor and Max Tillberg, their excellence does not change the fact that there are still no Master of Orion or Civilization equivalents for Windows Mobile. And I think it's probably beyond dispute that games like these represent a huge portion of what the TBS genre has traditionally consisted of.
I would also emphatically argue that games like Pocket 4000 A.D., while a step in the right direction, do not mark much real progress on this front. I was unbelievably excited about Pocket 4000 A.D. when I heard about it because I thought that we were finally seeing the migration of Master of Orion to the PPC, but was sorely disappointed with the game itself. I don't want to slam the game or anything but I really think it's a TBS game only in the strict sense that it is turn-based and that it has an appearance that we traditionally associate with "grand scale" TBS space games (no offense Eric, I know you think very highly of the game).
And while I agree with you Werner that RTS games haven't yet attained the quality of their PC counterparts, they've still come a lot closer to doing so than have any comparable "grand scale" TBS titles. It's a real shame that the FreeCiv title I think you're referring to (Pocket Humanity) is no longer being developed.
Eric, I see your point about side-scrolling shooters and I think you're probably right (but what do I know?). Your assertion about how much work goes into TBS games compared to RTS games might also be right, but I still don't think it's patently incorrect to assume that a game with high-end graphics probably costs more than a game with shoddy graphics and a comparable level of complex and compelling gameplay.
Perhaps your also right that the lack of grand scale TBS games can be attributed to most PDA gamers not wanting a multi-hour gaming experience. I guess, I must not represent the average gamer either =)
Lat,
Perhaps we should also ask why no one has made a hockey game for Windows Mobile?
Until someone does, if you're really itching for some PDA pucking, it's possible to play the PalmOS game World Hockey Championship on a Pocket PC using the Style Tap Platform (www.styletap.com), which allows Windows Mobile users to run many Palm OS programs on their Windows Mobile devices. It's not ideal, but I guess it's better than nothing =)
I've never heard of Barren Realms...I think I'll Google it right now...
I agree!!!!! We desperately need a Civ3 clone. Actually, I just want something in that genre; it doesn't even have to be that great visually. The closest I've ever seen was the now defunct Pocket Humanity project. It's a shame that development of it has stopped.
All I can say is more power to you! In response to your question: yes, there is a need for a Civilization-based game on the Windows Mobile platform. How big is that need? Depends on who you ask. I think the need is great and have said so repeatedly but others haven't really taken up the call.
In terms of graphics, there was an earlier attempt to make a Civ-clone game and it was called "Pocket Humanity." Towards the end of its brief life I believe it got permission to use the graphics and tilesets used in the open source Civ-clone called "FreeCiv" You could probably get the same deal if your game was going to be free but I don't know if you would be able to if you were planning a commercial game. Either way, it's probably worth looking into.
Also, I think you mean that your going to get a WM6 Professional device, right? Will it have a touchscreen?
Finally, when your at the stage where you need beta testers, look no further =)
Visitor: this conversation is getting a little off topic...why don't you start a new thread in one of our forums and copy and paste our correspondence into it so far?
Thanks,
Ben
Rafael: I was not aware that FreeCiv was available for Windows Mobile. I will definitely have to check this out. Thanks for posting!