Quality of/Desire for Android Games?

[modred11]

Hi, I don't have a G1 (or other android phone, as I'm hearing about others in the news now) but I've been thinking of making a game for android, but even looking on Cyrket it's hard to tell what sort of games are already available (it'd be nice if there were like tags or something... or more results when searching for common phrases like "platformer", "Real time strategy", "tower defense", etc. as I'm sure there are more games of those types then show up).

I'm wondering what opinions people have of the available games basically, if people are contented with them or what.

I've been getting the (to me) strange feeling from like lurking here and like reading blog posts from game devs that like people seem to think of the iPhone for games not the G1 (/other Android handset), is that like a general feeling? Do people not want games for Android?

[aliciaadorada]

IMO, I don't care for games too much other than your classics, like solitare, snake, etc. I mostly just like to download apps for socializing, enhancing stock apps, tweaking of features, etc.

[crazythunder]

yes,we need games. hell, i'd be happy to play centipede using the tracball.imo, i think all the g1 games are pretty lame. even winmo had some better stuff out. papijump etc are decent, but shortlived.

[ArabSolja]

I would love to see you make a great game. Like a 3D racing game that actually uses the power of the G1. I am most definitely NOT an iPhone fanboy; however, I would like to see some games of the iPhone caliber (powerful, long-lasting) on the G1 that are FREE. Don't get me wrong, there are fun games for the G1, but I know it can do better. P.S> love this phone

[Synergy]

Personally, I find the iPhone to be more of a toy when compared to the G1. The G1 is more of a portable computer. But that's not to say we don't want games. I haven't been too impressed by many of the games on the market, but then again I've only downloaded a handful and bought even less. I would much rather prefer a handy and unique app that does something useful than a game, but games are always goods. One thing I think you should focus on is graphics. Poor graphics are a big turn off for me when I download games. I think its a direct indication of the amount of effort and care a developer put into their application.

Adding on some stuff:
Tower defense games are all over the place. Platform games... I don't think i've seen too many. RTS, maybe one? I don't know if that Arpichelago thing counts.

[aic173]

I would go ahead and say the iPhone is better for games. The quality and quantity of games on the iPhone seem so much better overall (they even have a Metal Gear game!). The production values are much higher and more and more developers are getting on board with the large install base of iPhones and iPod Touches. There are some high quality G1 games but no where near the amount of the iPhone. I hope, in time, we will see better and more games overall.

Personally I am hungry for a AAA title or top notch game for Android. I would love a game with a slick look and feel but I'm waiting for them! There are some games that have this like Abduction, Jewel Lust, Pac-Man, Bonsai Blast, and Buka. I'm still waiting to see a high caliber game though!

[modred11]

Thanks for all the replies, wow it's nice to get a bunch of replies within an hour, and the input is really helping me. Thanks a bunch.

It seems like a lot of the issues people have with Apps in the Market are to do with lack of updates and stuff, am I right about that?

Do you think if an App's description linked to a website with more information (like screenshots/videos of it) which supported feature requests/feedback better, would you click the link? I was thinking it would help to ask the users what new features they want rather then just decide that type of stuff myself.

Does the market even support hyperlinks to websites? Maybe a link within the App for feedback or something would work?

[scrannel]

Both the iPhone & G1 are toys. Maybe (for the G1) Cupcake will change this. I have a friend who is an iPhone app writer (several games) and he's just started writing apps for G1 as well. I would wonder if you might be limited by on board memory on the G1? My friend is stoked by the 3.0 on the new iPhone, and I've seen a whole game series he's written for it -- awesome, really.

[liamw]

modred11:

I think that in some cases people release something that seems promising and then never update it but this is not something I have come across too often.

You can add a url to an apps listing in the market which can link to the developers home page, a lot of devs already do this but I wish more did especially for paid apps, so we can get an idea of how the game looks.

I normally only visit the link if the description mentions it having any information on the game/app on the linked site.

[Scythe]

I'd love more quality (keyword) games on the market. It doesn't have to be a 3D shoot-em up, but I'd like something along the lines of a Mario game, or a shooting side-scroller (ala Metal Slug, and I know Alien Blood Bath is okay, I just want better graphics).

Most market game sprites look like they were built in Paint, which is a huge turn off.


On a side note, perhaps I should port over my Bomberman game to Android, since it was built in Java anyway. Hmm, maybe make it networked...