Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

Agreed that keypads are no match for an analog joystick either. I find the accelerometer + physical buttons (or proximity sensor) to be an acceptable substitute for most games. But I really don't like the idea of using valuable screen real estate for buttons.... Maybe it's just my perception but that video makes the controls look incredibly painful and inaccurate for a fps.

Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

@capn: sure, just launch appstore from her ipod touch and search for citadel. It's a free download (82mb), you won't need a credit card for this.

@cfh11: it's certainly different; but it's much less painful than going from mouse+keyboard to a console gamepad (even with dual analog sticks). For one, your finger movements on the screen approximates the type of freedon (angle and speed precision) better and easier than trying to manipulate analog sticks on a gamepad (don't even talk about non analog hardware keys).

Anyway, imho, part of the allure and enjoyment of new games (and apps) is to learn and experience their new mechanicsn(ui, ux, content, etc).
I wouldn't knock something new without trying it out.

Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

wow really pretty.
i would love too see this on my n900.
but tech demo didn't says something.
we remember our great bounce tech demo?
looked great and that was all:(

Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

I disagree, although joysticks as on a playstation controller are nowhere like a mouse and keyboard, they are certainly better than tilting on on-screen controls... yuck...

Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

Hey bud! No appstore on the device just iTunes. It's pretty vanilla, and there aren't a lot of apps.

It's not a big deal. I was just curious to try it out.

Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

I'd also point out that it covers up part of the screen (of course whether developers place anything behind there is another question).

Personally I think for portable gaming the Nintendo DS or PSP route is the way to go but that's my opinion.

Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

Some of the graphics on the iphone look like PS3 on the iphone 4 e.g streetfighter iv.

The citadel demo is nice but at roughly 100 mb for a demo its pretty huge. Also moving around by clicking ahead on the screen is annoying. Would prefer a mouse.

Very nice graphics though.

Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

I actually think that the screen has a better capability for precision control for FPS compared to a mouse (if you can drag anywhere on the screen). Yes, I play with a keyboard and mouse combo exclusively....

The benefit of the directional control is that it's analog, unlike the keyboard and touchscreen surface offers fine precision control similar to a mouse. But as they are just your fingers, you have far greater dexterity.

The downside is that your hand potentially occludes your vision, but I suspect good players will adapt accordingly.

It would take much getting used to, but so did the keyboard/mouse combo when it began to catch on. I can see playing like this on a flat surface (ie. not holding the device).

Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

I remember playing the original Unreal when that first came out for the 3Dfx cards and thinking how sweet the scenery looked.

But one thing is going through my mind at the moment. It may look sweet and play like a dream in it's current form, but that's only a small area of the game world and it hasn't been populated with enemy NPCs as yet. Once things get busy you can pretty much expect a performance hit. Would be interesting to see how it fares up as a finished game though.

Re: iPhone 4 Epic Unreal Engine
 

Something tells me that mobile performance is only going to get better. ;)