Do you want to make your game portable? Write it in C. With Alchemy you can even target Flash and iPhone at the same time.
Well, I did my share of console work, and I have seen weird and/or obscure changes in requirements for a console, but nothing remotely of the scope that Apple is doing. And it was always targeted at the RESULTING GAME, not at the tools used to make the game.Originally Posted by tolik
I wonder if they'd be allowed to do that since it sounds very anti-trust.
It's possible they'd get away with it in the US, but European regulators have been known to come down hard on companies trying to destroy competition. Just look at what has happened with Microsoft recently with the browser thing. And even Google appears to be in their sights at the moment.
If Apple shut off the supply of processors to their competitors, you can bet it would be on.
Time to buy some shares in buttered-popcorn stocks methinks.
What happened? I think Microsoft got their way at the end.
Which makes sense, Europe was about 13 years late on this and now people are used to having a web browser with the OS. You can't just come out and say "ok i know you had a browser 13 years now, but this isn't good, so remove it".
I can't answer for Chris, but it seems to me if getting your games approved on consoles were quite as uncertain as getting your apps approved on the iPhone, very few if any game developers would be willing to spend millions of dollars on their game titles. Can you imagine spending that much on a game only to have the console manufacturer decide, out of the blue, that they don't want your kind of game on their platform anymore?
Also, although I can't say so for certain, there don't seem to be any barriers preventing the use of cross-platform middleware on any of today's consoles. The same can't be said for the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad.
I don't think it went all their way. They got hit by some pretty hefty fines and still had to include every other browser as an install option. I imagine that MS wasn't all that happy about that.
Absolutely. But that's the point. The bureaucrats in the EU aren't necessarily going to be still about Apple trying to stifle competition either.You can't just come out and say "ok i know you had a browser 13 years now, but this isn't good, so remove it".
Perhaps there's a new sheriff in town, a new prosecutor attempting to mark territory, but whatever the case. The EU isn't looking like it's going to ignore anti-competitive behaviour.
Exactly...
All the TRCs and such that get modified are targeted at the actual software, not the dev tools used.
The way consoles raise the barrier to entry is by having strict guidelines for becoming an official licensed developer and the cost of the dev kits to test the games. These procedures are usually set at the beginning of a hardware cycle. I've never heard a case where any console maker randomly started banning cross-platform middleware in the middle of a cycle. But please correct me if I'm wrong.
Chris - this happend at least 3 times during the projects I've worked with and had total cost implications of hundreds of thousands dollars to all parties on small projects... I could imagine the impact on bigger ones...
PS. Same stuff on Facebook nowadays.
NO MORE SARCASM, JUST STRAIGHT CAPS FACTS.
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Given the choice between risking millions of dollars on a console game that is judged according to console manufacturers' manifest standards of what's acceptable versus risking the same amount on a console game that is judged according to Apple's manifest standards, which would you rather risk?
Judging from what i see on App Store, i would vote for Apple :-P.
Initially i was against the whole idea of screening because i thought that Apple would deny otherwise good games based on what i've seen and heard from these forums about portals. But then in practice i saw that there is a very low barrier to the store and when i got an iPod i saw that you probably have to try to not get accepted.
There are things Apple do not like. For instance, they don't like Flash, Java and similar tech. They don't like themes about politics, celebrities and in general questionable stuff. These aren't new actually, they were known for quite some time. Go against these and you're not going to be fine, as many people figured out even after their app was accepted.
Fortunately for games things are a bit easier and Apple really doesn't mind if you put Lua or whatever in your game. Flash, Java and the whole "we're going to put Java in iPhone even if Apple doesn't want it" attitude is what Apple is after (note: something like this was said by Sun's CEO). Its platforms they don't want. Enabling people to run other software outside their App Store and browser (which is understandable, App Store is a cash cow after all).
People are taking my "it's like consoles" analogy way out of context
I don't understand this insistence on arguing the technical/dev side of things. This is very clearly a **MARKETING** move by Apple... Apple will continue to fight tooth and nail against supporting any framework that allows trivial re-deployment to other platforms.
If this whole situation "doesn't make sense" to anyone, it's because they are ignoring the importance of content exclusivity. It's the only truly understandable argument for it IMHO. The technical/quality reasons are all just misdirection if you ask me...
Last edited by vjvj; 04-25-2010 at 12:14 AM.
Exactly - look at the iPhone ads that are on TV. Every single one pushes the "There's an app for that" and how great it is that they have all these apps.
That's not so good a selling point when all those apps are also available on every single Android device.
"Running flash games, there's an app for th.." oh no, wait, there's no app for that
Make your own Flash RPG
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14 month dev cycle for a console game versus 3 month dev cycle? I'd sure go for an iPhone. Oh wait, iPhone? Pfff, I'd skip that straight to Facebook.
NO MORE SARCASM, JUST STRAIGHT CAPS FACTS.
this is sparta!!!!
Yes but what is typical dev cycle/time for a FB game ?
(not talking about alpha versions but a stable release).
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I agree that Apple's motives have to do with making it more difficult for software to be ported to other platforms, but what actually concerns me as a developer is the technical/dev side of things. I just can't think of any platform less reliable with regard to getting published than Apple's iPhone and its siblings.
The question wasn't about console games v.s. iPhone games. The question was about which policies are less friendly to developers.
No one can't answer this question until someone actually release a stable Facebook game. Based on the current data, typical time is infinite.Yes but what is typical dev cycle/time for a FB game ?
(not talking about alpha versions but a stable release).
Scharlo A.
Big Blue Bubble
Nintendo recently started enforcing the policy that prevent developers from using ANY open source libraries (including LUA for example) in the Wiiware games.
Scharlo A.
Big Blue Bubble
Lol true, mine was a silly question. All the FB games are in an infinite "beta" stage
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Yes, but this is because of problems with the various licenses they come under - not just "because we want to".
What problems does the MIT license (which LUA is under) have?
I don't know - try emailing Nintendo and ask them.
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