You’ve probably heard by now that Flash CS5 is coming with iPhone support. I know several artists that are extremely excited, and I’ve been doing some fiddling around with Flash game development, and I’m getting excited too. I came across this interesting story from some developers who have already created a game using Adobe Flash CS5 that has been able to reach a top 10 download position in several countries.
The game is Alchemist (iTunes link), and the original article can be found here.
The developers state that even though they have never developed a mobile game, that they were able to make a high quality app that is almost indistinguishable from a native app in actual use. That being said there were a few negatives:
- Performance is not as good as a native app so they don’t suggest using frame heavy engines, and Papervision 3D (a popular 3D graphics engine for the Flash platform) was unusable.
- The game will need some optimization to run on the iPhone, don’t expect a web game to run straight out.
- No way to integrate social gaming support used in native apps.
- No support for in app purchases.
Despite these negatives the developers felt like the whole experience was “a breeze from start to finish”, and will allow anyone with Photoshop, and basic Flash knowledge to build a high quality app.
I look forward to playing with this thing.. I have to admit Flash game development is pretty fun, it’s nice to see results so quickly… need to get my Photoshop abilities up to snuff though 🙂
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5 replies on “Flash CS5 iPhone Game Developer Calls Development A Breeze”
Have you actually played Alchemist? I got the game and was rather disappointed at the performance. It's pretty bad. It reminds me of games developed with the “Unity” engine. Now, to be fair, the developers have released an update that they claim has improved performance. I'm skeptical, but I will look at it again. However, I'm leery of games produced this way.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell what “engine” was used to develop the game unless the developer puts that info in the description. I really wish Apple would force developers to submit what “engine” was used to develop the game. Xcode, Unity, Flash CS5, etc… It would make deciding on a purchase that much easier.
With all the sub-par games being developed under engines like Unity and Flash CS5, checking out free versions is becoming more and more a must for patrons of the AppStore. I used to purchase games buy checking out YouTube first. Now, even checking YouTube isn't good enough as I found with Alchemist.
Interesting Dave, it worked well for me, but then I am using an almost empty 3GS.
See, that's the problem with reviewers. They look at software with the “best” possible scenario. I'm using an iPhone 3G and it runs poorly. Mind you, not nearly as bad as some Unity software. 3D Penguin Bowling is totally unplayable and it also uses the Unity engine. Yet, I just get Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and it runs beautifully.
Explain how a game as big as GTA runs great, yet a game as simple and small as 3D Penguin Bowling or Alchemist run so poorly.
Unfortunately, it's programmer laziness. Instead of learning the native environment of the iPhone OS, they use tools that either they are more familiar with or will produce the product quickly. With Macs this isn't so much of an issue since they run so fast. However, with mobile devices, you have to assume that the user is running the slowest possible device in order for their experience to be pleasant.
See, that's the problem with reviewers. They look at software with the “best” possible scenario. I'm using an iPhone 3G and it runs poorly. Mind you, not nearly as bad as some Unity software. 3D Penguin Bowling is totally unplayable and it also uses the Unity engine. Yet, I just get Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and it runs beautifully.
Explain how a game as big as GTA runs great, yet a game as simple and small as 3D Penguin Bowling or Alchemist run so poorly.
Unfortunately, it's programmer laziness. Instead of learning the native environment of the iPhone OS, they use tools that either they are more familiar with or will produce the product quickly. With Macs this isn't so much of an issue since they run so fast. However, with mobile devices, you have to assume that the user is running the slowest possible device in order for their experience to be pleasant.
I think it’s a little harsh to blame programmers’ “laziness” – I’m an AS3 guy and the last thing I think I am is lazy, but I have ideas I’d like to take to market and don’t have the time (and possibly even the intelligence) to get my head around Objective-C. I admit Flash apps running under what I assume to be emulation are always going to be a bit slower, so it’s then down to me to make sure they are optimised as much as possible for the platform – and as hardware improves, which it inevitably does, the differences between native and emulated performance will become less.
I also think the onus is on the developers to ensure that they have tested their apps in worst-case environments wherever possible, so you don’t leave your users disappointed.