Edit: I've read this in the original thread but it needs to be brought up again because no one is following it.
I see a lot of games on here that are great but need a little nudge when it comes to user engagement on a console. I understand a lot of devs for OUYA have never made a game for a console and thats where I'm here to help. The following will adhere to any game on the market but my background is Unity 3D.
The following is a list of common practices on consoles. You do not need to adhere to all of these because some of them will not pertain to your certain game but I want to strongly suggest using them.
1. Loading Screens: Please have something that says its loading. Even if its static just make sure something says its loading. If you are using Unity Pro and are able to load stuff in the background then have an animation play. The animation should be 5-3 frames long. In case it your game lags in the background the lower frame count of the animation will help make it not so noticeable.
Exceptions: If your loading screen is less then 5 seconds this is not practiced.
2. Tutorials: Static screens can be used but it needs to be designed well. Do not just have an image of the controller with arrows saying what each one does. Make something that shows interaction. Give the player a lesson the game but DO NOT stop them after each action. Make a controlled environment where they can learn before playing the real game.
Exception: If you have controls that are super easy to figure out just embed them into the game. See Wizorb as an example of this.
3. User Input: Always give the user some feedback from your menu system or game. An animation just isn't enough during gameplay and changing the scene when they select something isn't enough. It makes your game feel very static. Have sounds that play so users know something happened.
4. Porting: Porting from some other platform is okay but get rid of the "touch here" text. You did the work to support the controller and include graphics for it so why didn't you take out the text? Porting takes some work and its not easy but if you want your game to look professional it needs to have this.
5. System Button: Utilize the system button on the OUYA controller. This may be hard for some people but you can program it to just be pressed once and bring up a pause menu. There is no other way to do this unless you dont utilize the rest of the controller(Example some RPG's use Triangle or Y to pause). There is no other button the controller for pausing so utilize the System Button.
If anyone has any questions just respond but remember these are guidelines that all consoles follow and you should too. Also there are always exceptions.
Thanks for this! I've read a couple of other similar guides that say things along the same lines, so good to have it re-confirmed that I'm doing things right
kinifi
Posts: 6Member
Comments
Website