Ossian Studios - The Shadow Sun Interview

skavenhorde said:

I googled it and you can create an account with gift cards. Funny I never heard of them for itunes. They don't have them at the 7/11s that's for sure, but maybe at the Mac dealerships. There are quite a few of them around here. I'll check that out. Thanks, Thaurin.

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It seems that other people in Taiwan are having a problem finding gift cards there. I'm not sure if they sell them at all. But it should still be possible to create a US account with a fake address and get US iTunes gift cards on eBay or through a friend in the US.

DArtagnan said:

Until that time, I'll consider serious gaming on a smartphone as a fad that will last only as long as the gamers insist on forgetting what they're actually doing.

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Here we go again. For CRPGs, I would tend to agree. But I can see other types of hardcore games that would work better or just as well on iPad, besides the arguable hassle of having to hold a mobile device for hours on end.

Adventure games have been a great fit on touch screen platforms from the beginning, for example. Those games can typically hold your attention for 20-30 hours. There are some very nice turn-based strategic titles out there that work wonderfully. The Settlers HD was a dollar for Thanksgiving. Certainly a joy to play with a touch screen! Personally, I like Puzzle Quest the best on iPad and I have it on iPhone and Xbox, too.

Just a few examples. But CRPG? Hmmm, I'd guess the PC wins on most counts there, unless some sort of play mechanic is built in that you don't typically see in (PC) CRPGs but works well like in the examples above.

Thaurin said:

Adventure games have been a great fit on touch screen platforms from the beginning, for example. Those games can typically hold your attention for 20-30 hours. There are some very nice turn-based strategic titles out there that work wonderfully. The Settlers HD was a dollar for Thanksgiving. Certainly a joy to play with a touch screen! Personally, I like Puzzle Quest the best on iPad and I have it on iPhone and Xbox, too.

Just a few examples. But CRPG? Hmmm, I'd guess the PC wins on most counts there, unless some sort of play mechanic is built in that you don't typically see in (PC) CRPGs but works well like in the examples above.

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Adventure-based crpgs (like hero's quest) might work well. Im playing one late 90s crpg (it has party and seperate combat screen) on my notebook right now cant remember the name but it could work very well on touchscreen.

EDIT: The name was Shannara.

Here we go again. For CRPGs, I would tend to agree. But I can see other types of hardcore games that would work better or just as well on iPad, besides the arguable hassle of having to hold a mobile device for hours on end.

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Arguable hassle?

Do you think there's a single person in the entire world who enjoys holding such a device for hours?

Can you name a single hardcore game (as in, not a "cute" little game) that you HONESTLY can't imagine being superior on a PC, if tailored for that platform? Tailored as in made with decent PC visuals, mouse/kb controls, and so on.

How about naming a hardcore game that's actually worse on a PC, even when converted properly to a PC interface.

Thaurin said:

Adventure games have been a great fit on touch screen platforms from the beginning, for example. Those games can typically hold your attention for 20-30 hours. There are some very nice turn-based strategic titles out there that work wonderfully. The Settlers HD was a dollar for Thanksgiving. Certainly a joy to play with a touch screen! Personally, I like Puzzle Quest the best on iPad and I have it on iPhone and Xbox, too.

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Are you seriously saying that a modern adventure wouldn't work better on a PC? I know nostalgic adventure games with nostalgic production values are "cute" on an iPhone - but a modern one with all bells and whistles?

Turn based strategy better on an iPhone? Try to imagine those games when tailored for the PC.

I know they're cheap and I know it's nice to play games lying in bed - but I'm talking about the ACTUAL game, and not the comforts of not sitting in front of a screen and having to pay full price.

Just a few examples. But CRPG? Hmmm, I'd guess the PC wins on most counts there, unless some sort of play mechanic is built in that you don't typically see in (PC) CRPGs but works well like in the examples above.

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They "work well" when forgetting what they'd work like on a PC.

Then again, I don't enjoy holding such a device in my hands for hours, and I don't enjoy a tiny screen when trying to invest myself.

I can concede it working with cute games, as I mentioned - but not games that require hours of investment and precise controls.

I get that there's something cool and cute about these devices, but ACTUALLY better in terms of hardcore gaming? I just don't see it - and I've tried!

I have 52" screen and three consoles plus monster PC that are all plugged into it. Why would I pay 600€ to play games through 4" screen on a handheld device? The only reason I can find is if I travel much but since I dont there is none.

My nokia n85 has som interesting games too like open world style fishing sim but I dont play them because the little time i spend with that device I rather spend it surfing the net than playing small games.

DArtagnan said:

How about naming a hardcore game that's actually worse on a PC, even when converted properly to a PC interface.

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Puzzle Quest? Or maybe that's not hardcore enough? Not tailored for PC enough? I don't have it on PC, but I can imagine it being more fun on the couch or in bed with an iPad than a PC/notebook.

I can see games like the Broken Sword or Monkey Island special editions being more cosy than on PC. It's just really fun to be tucked away somewhere with these kinds of game!

Are you seriously saying that a modern adventure wouldn't work better on a PC? I know nostalgic adventure games with nostalgic production values are "cute" on an iPhone - but a modern one with all bells and whistles?

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An iPhone screen might be a bit too small, but let's consider an iPad. It's big enough to be about equal in size with a small comic book. I can imagine reading a comic book would be more enjoyable on paper than on PC.

Take the 2D hand-drawn high-resolution adventure games. Sure, they're not 3D and whatever, but why would they need to be? Most fans would probably prefer the 2D graphics, anyway. So I don't consider them "cute" but full games.

But that's not even the full potential of the iPad, since it it certainly can offer much more. TellTale's screenshots of the upcoming Back to the Future adventure game look very good, so I hope that will be good. Sam & Max had some performance issues, but otherwise looked close to identical on the PC.

Turn based strategy better on an iPhone? Try to imagine those games when tailored for the PC.

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Battle for Wesnoth was first on PC. I can imagine it being more enjoyable on iPad (unless you really need that 52" screen).

I know they're cheap and I know it's nice to play games lying in bed - but I'm talking about the ACTUAL game, and not the comforts of not sitting in front of a screen and having to pay full price.

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Hey! I enjoy many games on Xbox 360 and PS3 because of this reason! Of course it counts. It's the controls, as well as location/body position that you play with which make a big difference. How can you dismiss that so easily?

Then again, I don't enjoy holding such a device in my hands for hours, and I don't enjoy a tiny screen when trying to invest myself.

I can concede it working with cute games, as I mentioned - but not games that require hours of investment and precise controls.

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Holding such a device for hours might be the biggest problem, but the iPad's screen size is big enough to be immersed. Or maybe you are of the opinion that bigger is always better? Than you should find the biggest TV you can find, because gaming on a 60 inch TV will always be better than on your 24 inch monitor!

@Thau

Bah, I don't have the stamina today to go through all this again.

If you think gaming on a smartphone can really compare, then I think that's great for you and those who agree.

Personally, I think there's not even the slightest itty bitty contest - but I find "gadget-gaming" cute and it can pass the time, and that's ok.

DArtagnan said:

Bah, I don't have the stamina today to go through all this again.

If you think gaming on a smartphone can really compare, then I think that's great for you and those who agree.

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Hahaha, I win! This is unprecedented! But what I wanted to say is that a 2D adventure game doesn't need or especially benefit from high-end PC graphics beyond what the iPad is capable of displaying. So why would that be better on PC?

Couchpotato said:

Dont lose hope he stated on the forums that a game will eventually be made for the pc from the funds earned from the ipad version.

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Do they mean to say that they will eventually make a PC port or that they will simply make a completely different game on the PC with those funds?

I wouldnt be surprised if we saw a PC port. The game (like most iDevice games nowadays) is being developed with Unity so as long as the game doesnt rely too much on touch screen BS it should be relatively simple to port over.

Theres no way Im going to shell out 500$ for this.

Thaurin said:

Hahaha, I win! This is unprecedented! But what I wanted to say is that a 2D adventure game doesn't need or especially benefit from high-end PC graphics beyond what the iPad is capable of displaying. So why would that be better on PC?

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It wouldn't be better - but I don't think a 2D traditional adventure game is taking advantage of the PC - and as such isn't tailored to its strengths. I'm saying that 2D adventure games are nostalgic and they'd work on most any platform that can display that kind of visual approach. Still, for those rare games - the PC certainly isn't worse. The same is true for Tetris or similar non-taxing games that don't need a cerebral interface or complex interactions. However, I think the interface is invariably easier with a mouse/keyboard - but the difference is ultimately negligible in a game of this kind.

Well, personally, I would prefer sitting on the couch or on my chair - rather than holding an iPad/iPod for such a game, but that's another matter.

I actually think consoles are better for such games, because they don't require much in the way of interaction or advanced mechanics. They do well on a big screen, which is why I have my projector hooked up to my consoles

TheGameSquid said:

Do they mean to say that they will eventually make a PC port or that they will simply make a completely different game on the PC with those funds?

I wouldnt be surprised if we saw a PC port. The game (like most iDevice games nowadays) is being developed with Unity so as long as the game doesnt rely too much on touch screen BS it should be relatively simple to port over.

Theres no way Im going to shell out 500$ for this.

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For now who can say.My money is on a port with added content maybe.