Idea: Defcon on iPod Touch?

[Eran-]

I've seen various web sites and forums about this idea, but what would you people think about an idea to make Defcon to iPod Touch?

After all, Defcon is 2d, and has simple controls. Creating this game to iPod would not be an impossible idea. And - the most important thing - it would be seriously fun to be able to play it wherever you are...

[xander]

Defcon taxes a normal PC, which has a lot more power than an iPod touch. The iPod just doesn't have the power (nor, quite frankly, a large enough screen).

xander

[Wasgood]

It does work on an EEE pc does it not?

[Feud]

After all, Defcon is 2d

If I remember correctly, Defcon actually uses a 3d engine that is only viewed in 2d.

[Wasgood]

I really would like to know why

[bert_the_turtle]

It doesn't use a 3d "engine". It uses the OpenGL API, which is commonly used for 3d stuff, but has 2d functions as well. To the "why", by using such an API, you get hardware accelerated and smoothed scaling (for the map) and rotation (for the units) basically for free, both looking at the implementation time and the runtime cost.

[alex.sayers]

I remember posting about this aages ago.

The iPhone/iPod Touch would be an excellent platform for Defcon. Playability-wise it would be fine. The controls fit perfectly: pinch for map zoom, tap for unit control etc. The screen would be large enough, since it actually has 640x480 resolution thanks to its high pixel density (although granted you would be panning and zooming more than on the PC). Compared to other games available on the app store now (basically accelerometer racers) it would be a treat.

Technically, I reckon it would manage. There are vector rendering functions built in to the SDK (ie. it renders SVGs at the OS level - hardware accelerated). The iPhone even runs OpenGL (ES)! In terms of data transfer a 3G connection should be plenty (provided Introversion haven't done something horrible with the protocol, which I'm sure they haven't).
People around here often say that it taxes modern PCs... I'm not sure why that would be the case, unless Introversion screwed up their resolution scaling (which I'm sure they haven't). A fullscreen vector image is reasonably CPU-laborious to render, but so long as you only re-render sectors with movement, it's fine. If you pre-render around the field of view, panning is smooth. If you scale the resolution (ie. render in more detail the further in you zoom), there should be no problems with zooming right out.

I think an iPhone version would be fantastic, even if the graphics have to be simplified (which I'm not sure they would have to be). One thing: Defcon would stretch the iPhone to its limits, meaning bye bye battery and hello burning hot casing.

[All American Mobster]

Defcon taxes a normal PC, which has a lot more power than an iPod touch. The iPod just doesn't have the power (nor, quite frankly, a large enough screen).

xander

Basically sumed it up. There was a suggestion for it on the PSP and there wasnt enough battery for it. and the screen would be too small



-$tanley

[sultan111]

This would be an ultra advanced version of Lux Touch. Awesome.