Any point in developing a desktop only game?

[owen]

Hi all

 

This is a bit vague and just thinking aloud but I would really appreciate some opinions as this topic is bugging me.

 

If an HTML5 game works great in a desktop/laptop browser only - but is terrible on mobile devices - does that mean it's not worth developing?

 

I got quite far writing an HTML5 2D platformer but then I suddenly lost heart when I tried it on a couple of mobile devices and found that it performed terribly.  

 

I tweaked and optimised and improved it a little (performance-wise at lesat) however it got me thinking that I simply didn't have mobile users in mind when I started the project.  My game was a 2D platformer/shooter and I honestly think it works well for desktop users but as soon as you shrink down the screen and put on-screen touch controls you are left with a game that's awkward to control and eye-strainy to look at.  It just doesn't "feel" right on a mobile device.

 

So I made a decision to abandon the 2D platformer/shooter because it seemed a no-hoper for mobiles.  Instead I am starting something new, a 2D puzzler that is better suited to mobile.

 

The question still lingers for me though:  Is it possibly worth doing a 'desktop only' game or is there no point?   The thing is, I want to make use of a the hardware that a desktop user may have (graphics card, memory, cpu) and let them enjoy a game fully.  But I don't want to neglect the mobile users.  I'm conflicted.

 

Any thoughts?

 

BTW the game in question is here:  www.owensouthwood.com/mrgoggles

 

Thanks,

O.

 

 

 

[tsphillips]

Why do you want to make the game?  You might try to make money, just like making games, be building a portfolio to show other people, or some other reason.  Knowing why you want to make the game would lead to an answer.

 

Something else to consider -- do you want mass-appeal (lowest common denominator) or do you want to cater to a specific audience?  (An interesting read on this at Gamasutra: http://gamasutra.com/view/news/229398/Reclaiming_my_soul_or_Why_I_quit_making_freetoplay_mobile_games.php )

 

And... rather than think of mobile vs desktop, think in terms of what kinds of input and output devices you want to support.  Small screens?  Big screens?  Console controllers?  Mouse and keyboard?  Touch screens?  Cross-platform?

 

Answering the question in a more direct way, yes, it can be worthwhile to develop desktop-only games.  However, that only make sense if the answers to the above questions line up with a desktop-only product.

 

Tom

[owen]

Thanks that does help clarify my thinking.  I suppose I was trying to do a 'proof of concept' to prove to myself that I could develop a 2D platformer with the fundamentals of running, jumping, crouching, shooting, collisions etc. and get to grips with the Phaser framework.  With that in mind it didn't seem to matter about mobile users initially.  But then suddenly I realised, it did matter. 

 

I think with my next project I am going to specifically aim for mobile users to prove my capability on those platforms.  Part of this whole thing for me is to develop some kind of portfolio (or at least show some skill) to potential employers.  But mostly it's for fun, because I enjoy creating stuff and getting feedback.

 

Desktop only?  Yes, I get what you mean, it is worthwhile doing it but only for the specific purpose I set out with. 

 

Ultimately I want to write something I can put on the android app store so a desktop-only won't cut it in the long wrong, but is fine for practising the technology.

 

Thanks

Owen

[lidev]

I am asking my self the same question, does it worth it to develop a desktop/tablet (not smartphone) html5 game ? is there sponsors that will buy licence of my game if it's built to work smoothly only in desktop (or tablet) ?

[BlitZ]

I think that Desktop only games are starting to come back, there was the massive push for everything having a "Responsive Design" and thus every other game was designed for mobile use too. But at the end of the day, you'll still be limited on Mobile (Hardware?).

My upcoming project is a Desktop game that i won't be making for Mobile and i'm comfortable with that, because i know if i target desktop only i'll get the performance that my game needs to be a great one (Rather than just another sidescroller or space invaders clone).

This way i know i don't need to hold back on features in the game just for performance or usability requirements on mobiles and smaller devices