Posts Tagged ‘iPhone’
Usability Fail – Worms (and Worms 2)
I’ve recently been getting back into both Worms and Worms 2 on the iPhone, largely due to the Bluetooth enabled multiplayer mode. Worms, for those who don’t remember was a hugely popular turn-based shooter in the nineties, and the 1995 original was the first game I bought on the PC!
Classic Worms
However the iOS port has made a huge usability sin with its misuse of icons. Today I’ll look at what the problem is, and how it could be resolved.
Erik Rothoff Andersson (Kick Ass) on testing with users & why you shouldn’t listen to what users say!
Erik Andersson is the creator of Kick Ass, the new iPhone game based on his hit web-app. Kick-Ass is an adaption of asteroids that allows you to attack your favourite (or least favourite) websites, destroying them with a selection of ships, while earning achievements.
The iOS game can be downloaded here, and the original bookmark-let is available to play for free
Kick Ass in action...
Today Erik tells us about his experiences with finding testers, getting user feedback, and why you should look at what people do, and not what they say!
Click to continue…
How to make an addictive social game
Unlike some ‘triple A’ game developers, web-based social game designers quickly recognised how important usability and user experience are to their success. With customers being able to easily access their content for free, without making a commitment to paying for their gaming experience up-front, it’s extremely important to attract and retain players in the first few minutes.
Today I’ll be looking at the first 5 minutes of a successful social game, and highlighting which elements have made this game successful. In the future we’ll look at some games which have missed the point, and hence lost a large proportion of their customer base. From this, we can learn how to make an addictive social game. Click to continue…
Usability Fail – Monkey Island 2
Just a quick one today, that I’ve been sitting on for a while. I recently played, and loved, the Monkey Island ports on the iPhone. In general the pacing is perfect for mobile gaming, and I am strongly hoping that they port Day of the Tentacle next!
However there was one area where the port to iPhone fell down, and became a usability nightmare. A main theme in Monkey Island 2 is swapping books at the library to solve puzzles, and the books are found using the card catalogue. The card catalogue is a collection of draws, as can be seen in the background here:
Note this picture is from the classic PC version
The usability of iPhone’s Game Center
Long time readers may remember that I was excited about the prospect of Game Center, Apples new social gaming hub. Much like Xbox Live, PSHome, or indeed iPhone competitors such as Openfeint, it offers achievements, and the ability to play with friends, compare achievements and start multiplayer games. Due to iTunes’ erratic behaviour, I’ve only just been able to upgrade to OS4.1 and get it, and my initial impressions are less than enthusiastic. Game Center seems to make basic usability mistakes that you wouldn’t expect from Apple, and it’s … odd. Almost like it was designed by the work experience guy. Here are some of the major issues I found.
