Reply With QuoteIf you didn't use a cross platform library/sdk i think the cost will be very high. ;-)
Next time i'll start a new project with SDL.. regretted i didn't do that.
Then again, SDL doesn't exist for pocketpc and palm. :-(
The cost of porting
What's the cost of porting a game to the Mac or Linux? Say, Super Elvis? What does the porter require? Just art/sound/data assets and access to the source code? What affects the price?
Cas
If you didn't use a cross platform library/sdk i think the cost will be very high. ;-)
Next time i'll start a new project with SDL.. regretted i didn't do that.
Then again, SDL doesn't exist for pocketpc and palm. :-(
Cas, I thought you were using Java for your games, surely that should make it platform independent?
My cost for porting Derelict was the price of the machine ($1200), the price of PTK ($195), and 10 days of work. The next time, it will be less because the game will have been written with the porting in mind, and I won't have to buy a machine or PTK again, so I'm betting less than two days of work.
Was the port worth your money and efforts Mark?..
(That's always pretty useful to know opinion of insider...)
Indeed I am using Java but what I really want to know is how much effort/money I'm actually saving. I have no intention of buying a Mac or learning a thing about GCC for Linux as life really is too short so if I did a port it'd be via a 3rd party like RedMarbleGames and I wondered how much that would cost.
Cas
I'd just like to add there's a lot more to porting than meets the eye... not only is there testing to do against various factors but there's also deployment to worry about. F'rexample, I've got no "Mac" presence on my site yet but I'd have to go and attract them all, all over again, as they are quite a different bunch of people to the PC folks. And as for Linux...
Cas
Cost of porting to Windows : $0 (designed from scratch to be portable - easier than it sounds, using the 2nd most portable language on earth, a portable compiler, and portable libraries)
Cost of porting to Mac : $600 used iBook, 4 hours to identify and fix an endianness issue, a couple more hours figuring out how to package the game.
Gabriel Gambetta
Google Zürich - Formerly Mystery Studio
We used Red Marble Games for the Puzzle Word conversion to Mac.
Couldn't have been happier.
Two thumbs up from us!
Sure it was worth it. If I hadn't done the port, I'd be wallowing in self pity right now, wondering why I'm only selling a couple copies a month. It hasn't paid for itself yet, though it's coming close, probably in the next month or so.Originally Posted by Andy
There are some BIG advantages to doing it yourself. I don't have to share revenues with anyone. If there's a bug in the port, I don't have to go to someone else to fix it. I can answer questions about the port authoritatively.
In some sense, princec is right - if it were going to take me 6 months to do the port, life IS too short. But ten days and $1500? Come on. Ten days and $1500 to DOUBLE or TRIPLE your income is a pretty damn small amount of resources, and well worth it, especially since alot of that work can be levereged into other games. Life is not too short for that.
Has anybody ported games to MAC which use TWO mouse buttons on PC?
The project porting costs can vary in a wide scale depending on the platform, original code, platform limitations and scopes and dozens of different issues which will pop up out of nowhere.
Sometimes it's even easier to rewrite a game (yes, we've done it) than to port...
I wouldn't dare to port D3D game from PC to Mac nowadays.
Just some random thoughts.
NO MORE SARCASM, JUST STRAIGHT CAPS FACTS.
this is sparta!!!!
Yes you're right... here had to make numerous mods to web site to support it all correctly plus got a Mac for testing, building installers, etc. We get lots of Mac users just because they can use most the free online Flash, Java, and Shockwave games. Even though relatively small % it's a very healthy size # of users since we've got good traffic.
Edit: sweet thing about using Flash (like Java) is was pretty easy to port to Mac. Good thing Gabriel suggested that idea in first place.
Last edited by arcadetown; 10-30-2004 at 03:03 PM.
The new Flash Player 8 recently presented just forces me to start game development in Flash. New gfx renderer will be at least 5 times faster, finally provide good font support and awesome scripted gfx effects...
Keep your eye on the different techs coming out, they are the future of casual gaming, bigger companies are already silently adopting them...
NO MORE SARCASM, JUST STRAIGHT CAPS FACTS.
this is sparta!!!!
Yes, Betty's Beer Bar. CTRL-Clicking instead of right-clicking must be extremely annoying but people buy the game anywayHas anybody ported games to MAC which use TWO mouse buttons on PC
Gabriel Gambetta
Google Zürich - Formerly Mystery Studio
Is that the same flash version as Flash MX2004??
I guess I need to start researching on business strategies for web games. I've been locked into the mindset of the PC world for so long, that I'm just not up to speed on how to actually go about making money with a web-deliverable product like a Flash game..
Are they just used as "teasers" to try out on the internet, then the purchased version of the game is on the PC?
Or do folks sell many games that are 100% web delivered? Are they time locked?
I need to search more through these forums, as I don't want to hijack this thread..(forgive my rambling)
I have designed my games to use ONE mouse button from startHas anybody ported games to MAC which use TWO mouse buttons on PC
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computer games - visual novels - dating sim games - mystery games
While I was impressed by the demo of the new Flash Player, my biggest gripe with flash (aside from speed) is it lack of connectivity to the outside world. Yes there are products that will wrap your flash file and give it all the OS access you could want and more, but all these products sap performance and are only just now taking their first, wobbly steps towards being cross-platform.
I'll stick with Director (Lingo ain't so bad ..
DGuy
As I understand it there is a large % of Mac users with multibutton mice. Particularly the sorts of people who play games. Would be nice to get stats on it but I expect any available would be unreliable to draw conclusions from.
Cas
The mac recently got here has only a single button mouse. Most mac games that require right mouse button use spacebar for that instead since single button mouse is standard. Apparently you can plug in most any usb mouse which could include right button. You'd probably want to code game to recognize right button and spacebar to support all possible users.
Hey, thanks! I thought that one went well too. Just a couple of comments about the posts so far. The cost to use Red Marble Games is worth it, in my humble (if utterly biased
Second, support -- Mac users do have distinct problems, and someone who really knows the Mac is helpful to have. Now, I don't want to overstate; I'm sure Mark and Gabriel have so much code in common between their PC and Mac versions that maybe they won't have problems, but still.
Third, it really doesn't cost that much. Many people are already offering 30-50% of revenues to affiliates in return for little more than another appearance on another web site, as compared to a port that opens up an entirely new market and doesn't cost much more than that -- and you don't come out of pocket at all to get the port going, so RMG shares in the risk that the game doesn't do well on the Mac.
Fourth, re 2-button mice, ctrl-click is the "official" substitute, but that's a pain, and space bar is to my mind a much better replacement.
As I understand it, CTRL-click is how it is done, but when Mac users have multi-button mice, the right mouse button simply simulates CTRL-click.
If you can plan for porting, you can at least try to avoid depending on right click, but if that is not possible, then Mac gamers who use CTRL-click should be kept in mind. Don't have the game require clicks and right-clicks, or clicks and CTRL-something_else simultaneously, because now your Mac gamers will feel at a disadvantage. This is especially true in multiplayer games.
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