Wind effects bullets over long distances. In our most recent game Snipe we decided that after the user has progressed far enough into the game they would be able to start testing their abilities in windy situations. At first this seemed like an easy answer -add arrows, generate wind, and let the user figure it out. Then the frustration took hold. Our beta testers hated wind! The complexity of judging wind became just that -too complex. At this point we have begun to realize a solid pattern, mobile games require mobile functionality.
Wind can come from all directions, likewise it can also move a bullet in all directions. It can help a bullet move in its current vector, or move it off target by inches. Users typically can not handle too much information on the fly, and don’t have fun when it gets too complex. Which of course dawned on us when the beta testers started using this new three dimensional element. How do you incorporate such a realistic item, without all the realism? Mobile wind became the base of all our new features. User’s liked having a new dynamic added to the game, but could not handle all the dynamics associated with the element.
From 3d to 2d we turned wind into a simple left and right issue. Wind can come from the right of the screen, the left, or not exist at all. This enabled the user to start learning a new process without the complications of learning the whole process. We encourage all of you who read this information to apply this thought process to your own mobile applications. It’s not a mobile app unless the features therein are mobile themselves.
