Since the announcement at WWDC 2008, the iPhone is now suddenly on the gaming map. Having a  multi-touch screen and a accelerometer for input, the iPhone seems very suited to two of Blizzard's most popular games, Diablo and Starcraft. I picked these two games because of their popularity, ease of use, and that the iPhone's hardware is powerful enough to support these games. These are just my thoughts on how these two games can be implemented on the iPhone, as they are not news or actual ports to the game.

*all images here are just renders and are not real

Real Time Strategy - Starcraft

  Having the multi-touch screen lends well with RTS games as most of the unit commands can be executed on the screen. Selecting units is as easy as touching units on the screen, and then touching the appropriate action. Since Starcraft is runs in a 4:3 aspect ratio and the iPhone goes around 16:10 aspect ratio there would be black block around the game. This space does not need to go to waste as it can serve as extra icons that can be used in absence of the keyboard. This can also be fully configurable to have different icons represented as icons to increase available functionality. Sub-menus also allow more functional icons in view by touching a list icon that will display a translucent drop down menu right next to it.

Zooming in and out should also be implemented to help the player precision actions. This can be done by the standard pinch and reverse pinch that users are already accustomed to. Another feature important in RTS games is the group select and this can be accomplished by keeping two fingers on the screen without movement for 1.5 seconds, this will activate the selection box and then it can be resized and moved to wherever you want it to be. Releasing the finger will select the units, while de-selecting units can be accomplished by shaking the iPhone.

Action Role Playing Game - Diablo II

The simple point and click gameplay can easily be adopted to the iPhone.  The two mouse buttons can be represented as the green and red buttons on the left of the screen. The user uses the left thumb to touch the buttons while the right thumb is used to drag around the screen to select monsters or move. In order to see what is underneath the thumb, a magnifying display is shown right above the contact point, very similar to what the iPhone already implements in the native applications. The user can also use standard touches to use the potions on the bottom of the screen. Selecting the different powers just involves touching the skill icon below to expand the list of skills available. The user can toggle running and walking by shaking the iPhone.

The iPhone's interface is suited for almost all types of games imaginable. It will just need creative thinking to implement these new types of input to suit the game.

How the Iphone Stacks Up:

The iPhone definitely is the powerhouse of the 3 systems, coming in with the fastest processor at 620mhz, and the most amount of RAM at around 128. It also is the lightest weighing in at only 133 grams. However the PSP has the iPhone beat at the screen size, edging the iPhone's 3.5 inch screen by .8 inches. Although screen size is not the only deciding factor in displays, but resolution as well, that is where the iPhone beats the PSP on the horizontal resolution by 48 pixels horizontal. Wireless access is another winner for the iPhone due to the fact that it has GSM/EDGE and wi-fi, giving the user more options to connect online.  Finally, the iPhone is more than just a gaming platform as it also serves as a Smartphone.

Comparison Chart

Feature	Nintendo DS	Playstation Portable	iPhone 2.0
Processors	67 MHz and 33 MHz	333mhz	620mhz (unofficial)
Mass	275 grams	260 grams	133 grams
Dimensions	5.85 x 3.33 x 1.13 in	6.7 x 2.9 x 0.9 in	4.5 x 2.4 x .48 in
Screen Size	2x 3 in	4.3 in	3.5 in
Screen Resolution	256 x 192  each	480 x 272	480 x 320
RAM	4 MB	32 MB + 4 MB embedded	128mb (unofficial)
Storage	256 kB of Serial Flash Memory	Memory Stick Duo up to 4GB	8/16/32 GB internal
Wireless	802.11b/g	802.11b	802.11b/g GSM/EDGE Bluetooth
Input	Touch Screen and Buttons	Buttons	Multi Touch Screen
Speakers	Stereo	Stereo	Stereo
Media	Carts	UMD	None
Media Capability	None	Video and Music	Video and Music
Web Browser	Opera on Game Cart	Sony Built Browser	Safari

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After a month of using the Wii Fit, four doctors in Australia tell us what they think

What do you think of the Wii fit so far?

• Desiree: It’s fun and useful!  It gives you a chance to assess your health-age while enjoying the process
• Siegfried:  It’s fun and challenging. Makes exercising a lot less boring
• Edmond: Its okay, but I usually just use it to check my progress in exercising
• Adrian: It was an interesting toy. “Creative calisthenics.” But don't get me wrong, I wouldn't replace real sports for it

Why did you buy it in the first place?

• Desiree: It’s an addition to our newly acquired Wii console
• Siegfried: We wanted to start off with exercises again. We used to be in a gym. We thought it might be interesting to try it
• Edmond: I bought it so that I can exercise while playing
• Adrian: To burn calories at the same time have fun

• Desiree: Hoola hoop, yoga, tightrope. I found that the Hoola hoop helps increase your cardiorespiratory reserve. On the other hand, the yoga games help improve my flexibility
• Siegfried: I like playing the muscle workouts and yoga. I’m quite familiar with a lot of the exercises in the muscle workouts and yoga so they are a lot easier for me to do
• Edmond: I only play the aerobic games at this time. Weight loss thru calorie-burning exercises are my priority
• Adrian: I’ve tried the muscle workouts and balance games. The muscle workouts I found quite difficult. There are movements that need to be learned differently from the way you exercise in the real world

    Testing video games has always been perceived as just playing games. Yes, you are playing a video game, but you are playing it for the purpose of finding bugs, reporting them, then verifying fixes for your bugs. You are not a video game tester to play for fun, but to break the game. Another misconception about testing video games is that it is very easy. But in video games testing, expect to work long and tedious hours trying find bugs before the game ships. Video games testing can also become very repetitive, especially in trying to reproduce a bug in a level where it only shows 1 in every 10 times.

If you are still reading this, then you are probably interested in what makes a good video games tester, so I created this list just for you. 

1. A burning passion or even slight interest in video games. People who have no interest in games won't last long
2. Be able to write concise and understandable bug reports. That means being specific in pointing out where to find the bug and how to get there
3. Be an effective verbal communicator, especially when tying to describe a bug to your co-workers
4. The ability to shower everyday, and keep good hygiene. Please do not add to the smelly video game tester stereotype
5. Be a good planner. The ability to schedule and prioritize your tasks will help keep you sane, and keep your job
6. Be courteous and act professional to the people around you. They are you network in the industry that will help you land your next big job 

    Now that I have scared away anyone who is not up for the challenge, there are also benefits of being a video game tester. You become part of the video game industry that is filled with people who are passionate about what they do. It also opens the door to creating contacts, and knowing what needs to be done to get into other positions within the industry.  Most testing methodologies and terminologies are used in video games testing, which means that your skill set is transferable to other non-game industry testing positions.

   Being a video game tester is hard work, and is usually seen as bottom of the barrel in most games studios. However, that does not mean you are stuck being a games tester forever as there many opportunities to move up the proverbial barrel. You just need to be professional, create your network, and further enhance your skill sets. From there, it is just as matter of time for you to rise to the top.

Halo 3 and Gears of War have successfully integrated the narrative cooperative single play into their multiplayer experience and vice versa. Seamlessly weaving each person as part of the story and most importantly the experience during the whole game. This has blurred the lines between the online world and the singleplayer world successfully outside of an MMO context. These two games have been very successful in the market, received rave reviews, and are considered classics. However, why are not more games going into this kind of gameplay?

For a couple of good reasons...

1. It is already hard enough creating a interactive narrative where the players actions are often unpredictable, now multiply that by x number of players
2. Game engines are built to handle single player and multiplayer differently, cut-scenes, events, special single player objects
3. How do players handle saving progress, and how do you sync two different players who progressed differently in the game
4. When the player is actually playing single player alone, AI is usually there to help out, but it is not a simple task to create AI to help out the player
5. Finally, Budget, Halo and Gears of War have multimillion dollar budgets to solve these issues, lots of engineers, designers, and testers are needed to make sure the experience is properly defined

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