Games on OpenMoko
Please edit http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Wishlist:Games instead.
This is the page to centralize the suggestions for creating games on the OpenMoko device.
General ideas about games on OpenMoko:
- Every turn-based game should be possible with on screen buttons.
- As long as we don't have multitouch, we can only do one thing at a time. Action games should need only one main control action most of the time such as moving somewhere on a 2D plane, aiming in 3D, drawing a path, ... Special items and actions are possible but should only be needed from time to time. There is no solution for first person shooter type games where you move and aim independently.
- The finger getting into the way of seeing what's going on is a problem. Most games would probably need a stylus. Games with first person aiming can be controlled with a thumb in one corner of the screen, however you'd probably need one of them thumbstraps they make for the DS so that your thumb glides over the screen with ease.
- Kent Karlsson about multiplayer: "What do you guys think about creating a nice lib which makes it easy for games to support different multiplayer modes? Live connection over Bluetooth and/or GPRS (Perhaps mixed). Play by mail over email or sms. It would be awesome if we could switch between the modes as well for games where it makes sense. I realize that it won't be hard for any game to add the support, but keeping friends list and creating everything on a per-game basis is just plain unnecessary". Note: This is not just games, its any p2p stuff. A promiscuous mode offering anyone around by GPS+configurable server(s) or by bluetooth would be cool.
GPS can be used for location based games. An example is Tron (http://codeninja.de/tron/). If you find any more good ones, list them! I have links (of interest) to location-based/Alternate Reality games in my del.icio.us pages (http://del.icio.us/tallpaul/games+street)
What is not possible without magic tricks / an external controller:
- Classic first person shooters, action adventures, jump 'n' runs
- Emulators for classic systems
Existing game concepts that could be realized:
Simple Flash games like Squares2 ( http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/squares2.php ) are often very addicting and good for short (=mobile) playing sessions. Other examples: Bejewelled, Zoo Keeper,Flash Element TD (http://novelconcepts.co.uk/FlashElementTD/), ...
A classic shooter can work well with continous fire and touchscreen controls. An example is Kenta Cho's Java version of Noiz2: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/java/noiz2_e.html
Same is true for a 3D shooter with no/seldom used additional controls. For example a combat flying game like Hunt for the Red Baron ( http://www.smallrockets.com/pc/baron/ ). You can control the speed with a slider, shoot rockets and drop bombs with special buttons but those are things you only need from time to time. Most of the time you are shooting continously and aiming which can be done in the corner of the touchscreen (so it doesn't obstruct your view).
- Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan/Elite Beat Agents - Rhythm-based touching of circles and paths on the screen is a great concept and shouldn't be that difficult to pull off if you leave out some of the great presentation.
- Pac Pix - The necessary shape-recognition would probably be difficult to manage with a small budget but the general idea is quite cool.
- Kirby Canvas Curse - Again, not easy to do with a small budget.
Candidates for porting/cloning:
A port of Transport Tycoon Deluxe. Very possible, in fact the author of the Palm & GP2X ports of the game is already interested in OpenMoko.
we can use this opensource project - http://www.openttd.com Gloop Zero - A little like physics-based Lemmings. Get the liquid from one part of the level to another with tools like path-drawing, bombs, anti-gravity... (http://www.aeonflame.com/)
Plazmoids! - A space game with screen-size levels. Move your ship around by touching where it should go. Collect the plazmoids (asteroids) by catching them in your elastic tractor beam (lots of simple physics again), shoot enemies with a button or double tap. (http://www.clickgamer.com/moreinfo.htm?pid=4188§ion=PALM)
Legacy (and successor The Quest) - Classic first person turn based RPG. Movement and menus can completely be controlled with the touchscreen. (http://redshift.hu/)
Warfare Inc. - A full real time strategy game is no problem with a touchscreen. In fact, it's a lot of fun! (http://www.warfareincorporated.com/)
Heroes of Might and Magic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_of_Might_and_Magic) maybe can be port this Pocket Heroes for PocketPC (http://www.pocketheroes.net/)
Command & Conquer and Red Alert - FreeRA (http://members.home.nl/jorisenpetra/) or FreeCNC (http://freecnc.org/)
Acedior - A classic graphic adventure game. (http://www.fade-team.com/acedior.htm)
- Frozen Bubble
- GJeweled
Bridge Builder (Info at http://www.bridgebuilder-game.com)
- Pipe Dreams
- ScummVM
Gem Drop (http://www.tucows.com/preview/9259)
- that addictive Photo game where you have to spot the 5 differences in x seconds
Checkers, Chess, Minesweeper (interesting touchscreen variation: 3D Mines by Toyspring: http://toyspring.com/3dm/), Solitaire, Mahjong, Connect Four, Tic-tac-toe, Black Jack, Go
- Creating a Nethack port could be done. Tony said on the list: "I'm not entirely sure yet. I imagine I'll first do a text port with a "portal" view (in which you only see a part of the screen at a time), and a user-selected font size. Then I'd try a tiles-based port. It all depends on how readable the text is on the small screen."
MAME - Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. This versatile emulator turns a given platform into a powerful gaming system. It has been ported to WinCE and many UNIX flavors as well. It would be wonderul to have this on the OpenMoko. (http://www.mame.net/)
Thoughts about alternative gaming controls:
- Do USB controllers work with the unpowered USB? (Please answer if you know!)
- Bluetooth controllers should be supported. I am especially thinking about the Nintendo Wii remote.
If version 2 of the hardware has an accelerometer a [http://www.rubylane.com/shops/molotov/item/SUN1769 tilt maze ball game] is possible.