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Starcraft On Android - With Full Touch Controls - Is On The Way [video]

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Re: Starcraft On Android - With Full Touch Controls - Is On The Way [video]

#21

Post by Dylan16807 »

optymizer wrote: post #7

I appreciate the technology demo, but anyone who has played 'serious' SC games knows that you have to use the keyboard. How are you even supposed to select a group of units in a messy battle? I suppose you can connect a keyboard to it.. but then, why bother? I think mouse-only games would make better candidates for successful ports.

I could buy this argument if you were talking about almost any game except starcraft, with its arbitrary selection limits. And if you want groups it's pretty easy to do that with software buttons.

Re: Starcraft On Android - With Full Touch Controls - Is On The Way [video]

#22

Post by illuminate »

deltasquared wrote: post #11
lini wrote: post #2

If porting Intel compiled binaries (dll/exe) to ARM is as easy as this article makes it look, then Microsoft has some explaining to do about Windows RT and legacy apps compatibility.

Well people managed to port mips binaries (from nintendo 64 games) to x86 in 1999. I remember using UltraHLE: http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/n64/ultrahle.html That was interesting because the typical PC of the time was not exactly speedy.

An emulation is by its very nature not a "port".

Re: Starcraft On Android - With Full Touch Controls - Is On The Way [video]

#23

Post by bytefactory »

Dove wrote: post #10
optymizer wrote: post #7

I appreciate the technology demo, but anyone who has played 'serious' SC games knows that you have to use the keyboard. How are you even supposed to select a group of units in a messy battle? I suppose you can connect a keyboard to it.. but then, why bother? I think mouse-only games would make better candidates for successful ports.

I agree. The control in the demo looks cumbersome. I've come to the conclusion that touchscreen devices have a lower information throughput than traditional desktop machines. Relative to a mouse, the touchscreen is inaccurate, unreliable, and (using it) blocks your view more. You can't rely on there being a hard keyboard, and if there is one, you can't rely on it being big and comfortable enough to use at high speeds…

Apparently they've got Caesar III running on the emulator too!

Re: Starcraft On Android - With Full Touch Controls - Is On The Way [video]

#24

Post by sliverstorm »

jedberg wrote: post #19
sliverstorm wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Problem one: A mouse still offers more granularity than your finger Problem two: Starcraft is not the best "quick game for a fun little diversion". Maybe I've got the wrong idea here, but IMO RTS is the Monopoly of video games, and I don't play Monopoly on the bus.

I'll grant you point one, but I can't agree with number two. We used to play Starcraft as our after lunch activity in the reddit office. It was a great quick diversion.

Office activities are a tad different from casual sidebars in day-to-day life. You don't always know how long you will be free.

Re: Starcraft On Android - With Full Touch Controls - Is On The Way [video]

#25

Post by Shorel »

sliverstorm wrote: post #15
jedberg wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I first started playing Starcraft, I only used the mouse. It was still fun to play. I can definitely see playing a quick starcraft game on my tablet as a fun little diversion while I'm on public transit or something.

Problem one: A mouse still offers more granularity than your finger Problem two: Starcraft is not the best "quick game for a fun little diversion". Maybe I've got the wrong idea here, but IMO RTS is the Monopoly of video games, and I don't play Monopoly on the bus.

Age of Empires is the Monopoly of RTS in the sense that a single match can last for hours and hours.

In Starcraft most matches are decided in 15 minutes. That's one of the reasons for its success.

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