In terms of multiplayer, this guy's completely right. Games need to cater to short attention spans, limited bandwidth, and one-thumb interaction (I would also add async gameplay to the list of things that should be embraced). I don't think this article is saying anything profound, but it certainly isn't wrong.<p>In terms of single player games, I don't think the same logic applies, and in my opinion we've gone way too far in the "short attention span" direction. As long as a game makes it easy to save and resume, immersive hours-long experiences with detailed graphics can be really fun to consume in bite-sized pieces. Nintendo's been doing it for decades with their portable devices (Zelda, Mario, Pokemon, Metroid), and it's clearly a successful approach.<p>It's a shame that smartphones are orders of magnitude more powerful than the Game Boy, yet mobile app stores are overflowing with single-level "infinite churn" games that amount to Tetris with micropayments.
Another game that is "hardcore" on mobile is Hearthstone. While that may not necessarily qualify for comparison to Vainglory/Clash Royale since it's both desktop and mobile, the UI ("physical" board) and game design (short turn limits, automatic resource allocation, RNG vs. manual card selection) are both highly optimized for playing on mobile devices.<p>Although as a counterpoint, Blizzard is taking atypical monetization strategies with Hearthstone that may be causing problems. It is freemium as most games are nowadays, but <i>very</i> expensive to make a competitive deck with required cards, with <i>zero</i> catchup mechanics (a new feature with freemium games to provide retention). Blizzard is also refusing to balance cards which promote stagnant gameplay, which makes the game incredibly stale. (<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/4207ye/the_we_wont_balance_existing_cards_attitude_will/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/4207ye/the_we_...</a>)<p>And let's not get started over the 9 deck slots issue.
As a big PC gamer I've basically abandoned mobile gaming as it feels like everything out there is trying to get my money by means ranging from insidious to annoying. This is compounded by the fact that browsing the google play games store is a showcase of shamelessness where different developers are releasing essentially identical clones of whatever's popular, it's kind of depressing.<p>The only mobile games I can bring myself to recommend are Andoku Sudoku, The little crane that could, and crossy road (which even includes monetisation schemes without feeling intensely annoying).<p>Suggestions for others would be appreciated
Conflicted. I'm a gamer and I'd love me some more good games like starbase orion, but eventually if I have more than five minutes of time to kill or need some stress relief I'm usually within reach of a computer.<p>I'd like more serious games, but anything that's not consumable in tiny bits (say, like Out There or Grand Prix Story) I'm not gonna play, not because I don't want to, but because I've so much better gaming platform to play on games and those games will never have a chance to work on mobile because complexity (From The Depths) scale (War Thunder) or user interface (Kerbal Space Program, any builder like StarMade really)
I think there are various definitions of "mobile".<p>Mobile, for me (as a Vainglory player since the launch in the US), means I can play anywhere. Not that I need to be able to play a game in 5 minutes while taking a dump.
What an odd analysis, and I basically entirely disagree.<p>I picked up Vainglory when I got my iPad Air 2 and have absolutely fallen in love with the game for almost ALL of the reasons that the author dismisses it.<p>Background: I'm nowhere near a hardcore gamer and I never played LoL or DoTA, so I'm a newbie to MOBAs.<p>But I think Vainglory is fantastic. When I gush about it to friends, the two things I bring up are:<p>1) The game adapts to touch beautifully. I've always found that wildly clicking the mouse while scrolling with your other hand is awkward in these sorts of games. Being able to physically direct your character with your fingers gives the game a much more intimate feel. You feel connected to the match.<p>2) The 20-30 minute play time is perfect! So many PC games require this multi-hour-long commitment that I was never really able to give. But knowing I can sit down and play a full (exciting) Vainglory match in 20 minutes is easy. The pacing is perfect - you get to experience all stages of hero development from weak to strong in what I think most people would consider to be a very reasonable amount of time.<p>Anyway, I just think this guy is off-base.<p>(And if any HNers want to play some Vainglory with me / form a team / start a guild, let me know! :)
OT, but Supercell's business model is certainly interesting. They make a lot of games in independent teams, and 'soft-launch' only the best of them. If the games don't meet the goals (whatever they are), they are canceled. There are now a handful of games that have been canceled after soft-launch. I think Clash Royale will pass the test (having played it), and will easily hit top 10 in global most grossing list.
I'm confused. The author is talking about "hardcore" gaming, but then comments about the time commitment being too high.<p>By definition, isn't extended time commitments part and parcel with hardcore gaming? A hardcore MMO player is one who spends quite a bit of time raiding or PVPing - not one that logs on for a few minutes a day to do their daily quests or maybe level an alt.
To me big problem with Vainglory is not that the matches are long, its that your locked into the matches.<p>Quite often within minutes of starting match you find out your team-mates have no interest in playing strategically or are actively trolling you. At that point you can be pretty sure the match won't be fun and you'll lose.<p>However the game expects you to keep playing for the next 20-30 minutes till your team inevitably loses. I know eventually you can trigger a surrender vote but it didn't seem like they were ever successful.