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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperDesignTouch Controls for Mobile Platformer
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Author Topic: Touch Controls for Mobile Platformer  (Read 6411 times)
jeffgmelton
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« on: May 16, 2014, 07:18:19 AM »

I am trying to think of a mobile platformer that has really good touch controls and drawing a blank.  I have seen a few that overlay a transparent dpad overtop of the screen but in my experience that does not work very well.  Games like Canabalt simplify the controls by getting rid of the left right movement and only using jump.  To me this is a step in the right direction but how would one implement the up,down,left,right movement and jumping using a touchscreen without a virtual dpad.  Are there any good mobile platformers that do this and do it well?
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The Translocator
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« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2014, 12:25:51 PM »

Touch to the left of the player->move left
Touch to the right of the player->move right
Touch both->jump

 Shrug
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qbicfeet
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« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2014, 02:57:48 PM »

The recently released Kero Blaster has some of the best controls I've seen in a mobile platformer/shoot-'em-up.

Quote

The left/right buttons is your standard virtual D-pad (well, just without up/down) and you can slide your thumb from one button to the other in order to change direction, instead of having to remove your thumb from the screen and tap and hold again.

The jump button is also everything you would expect, but you can also climb ladders by touching and holding down the button while next to them (which removes the need for up/down buttons (unless you want your player to be able to drop through platforms)).

While your hypothetical game might not feature a weapon or anything, the way the shooting in Kero Blaster works deserves a mention - instead of having to hold down the "gear stick" in whichever direction you want to shoot, it locks itself in that direction until you tap it again! This makes things a lot easier for the player and you only have to care about moving and jumping, only occasionally switching the shooting direction.
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cliffclavin
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« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2014, 08:52:27 AM »

This is such a ridiculously tough issue.  Classic platformers are so dependent on "tight" controls.  I am yet to see a proper platformer play well on a touch device.  The genre has to be bent a bit.  If anyone has a link to a good example platformer I would love to be pointed to it.
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Danny Hayes
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« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2014, 09:07:57 AM »

I think the best "platformer" on iOS is Rayman Jungle run, and that's only because it's a platformer on rails where you have touch controls for jumping, gliding and punching and all the running is done for you.





I think true platformers on the level of Mario or Super meat boy are just impossible with a touch screen, but simpler platformer-likes can be executed pretty well in cases.
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Blink
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« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2014, 01:18:16 PM »

Ew, no! Virtual buttons will never work. Rayman is the closest thing to a success so far because it eliminates half the controls.

The best game is Axle, but it's not out yet. It solves the issues by reverting to traditional touch controls with a scroll-like movement system, and then tapping the other half of the screen for jump. The game is really close to being finished, so I'd keep an eye out for it in the next three months, but until then the next closest thing is Night Sky. Sadly, it's got this awful momentum system where you have to repeatedly ramp up the speed by swiping again and again. Axle gets around this by having smaller spaces you navigate and making significant use of tapping to stop.

I'm probably doing a terrible job of explaining this, but when Valve employees agree that the controls feel good - you know there's something there.
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s0
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« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2014, 01:40:36 AM »

i have never played a mobile platformer (not counting autorunners) that was anything close to comfortable to control...
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Danny Hayes
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« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2014, 02:21:04 AM »

Ew, no! Virtual buttons will never work. Rayman is the closest thing to a success so far because it eliminates half the controls.

Yeah that's what I mean, it's not a true platformer but it comes close to having ok controls. For mobile.
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JasonPickering
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« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2014, 03:54:52 PM »

so i think a platformer could be done, but it does need to have the controls tweaked. I did see one that was not an autorunner, but basically had a button for running left, and a button for jump. by dividing the screen up it worked really nicely, and the levels were laid out so that you never really needed to run to the right.

you can also look into other stuff, we dont have buttons but you could maybe look into gyroscope tech and swipes and stuff. the stuff is there, we jsut need to figure out a way to use it. You basically need to make it so the player can touch exactly where they need to. if you can make it so your controls are decent and dont require a lot of thumb movement it should be possible. there was also an

about it.
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Rainforce15
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« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2014, 01:22:58 AM »

Anybody got any experience with l/r movement based on device tilt and touch for jump?
Might write a test program for that later today...
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Sik
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« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2014, 08:13:46 AM »

Doesn't that introduce the problem of input lag? (even if just because the player may not be able to tilt fast enough in twitch areas, not to mention any filtering needed to eliminate noise)
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JasonPickering
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« Reply #11 on: June 21, 2014, 02:12:21 PM »

well I guess it really depends. do you need a game that has super twitch controls. I guess its all about the type of paltformer you are making. if you are making something twitch heavy like a super meat boy, perhaps auto-running would be best.
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JasonPickering
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« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2014, 06:14:59 PM »

Just a heads up but they released a free version of the keep game called pink hour. I was skeptical but the controls are pretty good. The buttons are huge which it needs to have
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s0
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« Reply #13 on: June 23, 2014, 04:34:45 AM »

Anybody got any experience with l/r movement based on device tilt and touch for jump?
Might write a test program for that later today...

tilt controls make games kind of a hassle to play on the go (particularly on the bus) which is obviously bad for mobile games.
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Blink
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« Reply #14 on: July 13, 2014, 11:57:24 AM »

Anybody got any experience with l/r movement based on device tilt and touch for jump?
Might write a test program for that later today...

tilt controls make games kind of a hassle to play on the go (particularly on the bus) which is obviously bad for mobile games.

Having worked in mobile for a few years now, I don't think tilt will ever really work. It's always going to feel like a gimmick, and we won't get natural controls out of it until we have 1:1 motion, tilt, position, momentum - the whole thing. On mobile, it's always best to stick to just touch.
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JasonPickering
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« Reply #15 on: July 13, 2014, 05:03:49 PM »

have they ever made a game like LocoRoco for the iphone?
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joeyspacerocks
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« Reply #16 on: July 22, 2014, 11:21:28 AM »

The platformer I'm writing for iOS uses two controls. Left side of the screen acts as a movement joystick, but relative to where you first touch.

When on ground you rock your thumb left/right to move left/right.  When in water it acts a multi-directional joystick so you swim in the direction you move your thumb.

Tap anywhere on the right-side of the screen to jump. Currently the game has no shooting, so no need for a fire button.

It feel pretty responsive so far, but it's always hard to be objective about these kinds of things during development.
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baconman
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« Reply #17 on: July 29, 2014, 02:42:01 PM »

You should play I Am Level.
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indie11
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« Reply #18 on: September 03, 2014, 09:23:49 AM »

I was wondering if anyone here has made a platformer game in "PORTRAIT" mode.

If so, how did you arrange the controls( left,right and jump)?
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ActiveUnique
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« Reply #19 on: September 04, 2014, 05:24:40 AM »

On-screen controls moves far away from the tactile presence of a keyboard. Touch-screens with bumps would give you a sense of how far you move your finger. I'm sure those exist, but they're not commonplace.

I think if you'd adapt tapping + swiping combinations with a sticky-key effect, and slowed down the pace of a platformer to accommodate the encumbering delays of every single input's complexity. It may be possible to pull off a 100% bullet time feel within a game. (disclaimer: I only suggest original ideas I have no interest in playing, so take this with a grain of salt)

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