Mobile 3D

Blades & Magic looks as one of the most promising mobile games ever

ngocthan@mobile3dworld.com — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:10:00 GMT

German developer Fishlabs is working on something that looks as the best mobile RPG ever - Blades & Magic. Apparently, the game will boast an awesome graphics with 3D battles and cut-scenes, and will enable players to add up to 42 different warrior and magic skills for their characters. Plus, it will feature the online multiplayer mode, although we don’t have this confirmed yet.

Fishlabs also said there will be two versions of the game: a normal version for standard handsets, and the supercharged version for certain Sony Ericsson phones, as well as the BREW platform. I keep wondering where NGage and Nokia high-end devices fit here? Some Nokia smartphones feature a dedicated graphics chip and can certainly produce the same graphics details, if not better, as Sony Ericsson handsets. Guess, the German developer relies on Java for 3D effects.

Anyhow, Blades & Magic will be officially revealed at the Games Convention show in Leipzig next week when we’ll have more details. In the meantime, make sure you check more screenshots after the jump.

Q&A: Jim Blackhurst, Producer, Tomb Raider Legend

ngocthan@mobile3dworld.com — Fri, 25 May 2007 10:33:00 GMT

With Tomb Raider's 10th Anniversary approaching, Eidos have chosen to release a full 3D version of console title Tomb Raider: Legend for mobile. Games on Deck talks to Jim Blackhurst, Tomb Raider: Legend's producer, about the project.

Games On Deck: Could you let us know a bit about yourself, what your role has been on this project, and what you have worked on in the past?

Jim Blackhurst: I'm the Producer on the Tomb Raider: Legend project which means that I essentially project manage all aspects of the development, with particular focus on games design, scheduling and communication with the development teams working on the console and PC version of the game.

I've been producer on quite a few of Eidos' more recent mobile titles including two Hitman Games, Championship Manager 06, Pandemonium and a soon to be released game for Xbox Live Arcade. Prior to working at Eidos I was Creative Director at Hailstorm Entertainment, a Mobile games development studio based in the UK. I've been working in mobile games for over seven years now (which is about as long as it's possible to have been working in this field!)

Jim Blackhurst

GOD: Tell us about Tomb Raider: Legend for mobile.

JB: Tomb Raider: Legend for mobile is really pushing the boundaries of where we are at with mobile gaming right now. When you see the game running on one of the hardware accelerated handsets, it's not an exaggeration to say that we are up there in terms of quality with the PS1 versions, and in some respects that's an understatement.

The game has been designed from the ground up to scale well across different handsets, and although we don't support older handsets without the power for 3D gaming, on those handsets that do, we've worked really hard to produce a game that is great fun to play regardless of the number of polys being thrown around or the FPS.

One of the most exciting aspects of the development was being able to work closely with Crystal Dynamics, the developer of the console and PC versions. They were able to provide us with some really detailed art and design assets which allowed us to set the mobile game right inside the universe created by the core products. Crystal Dynamics even wrote the story for us, which meant that the mobile version of Tomb Raider: Legend really is just another platform alongside the PS2, Xbox 360, PC and the handhelds.

Tomb Raider Legend for mobile

GOD: Why do you feel like the mobile platform represents a good fit for this game?

JB: The core essence of Tomb Raider is technology agnostic. Exploration and discovery, two of the key pillars of any Tomb Raider game, don't require the very latest console technology and cinematic experience in order to be present, you can feel the immersion in the environment in even the simplest of platforms. The fact that we were able to leverage the power of the latest mobile devices to create awesome full 3D worlds was really only half of it, the feeling of presence in Lara's world, and the fun and adventure that goes with it, was already there.

GOD: How does the title tie in with the console and PC games (Legend, and the upcoming Anniversary)?

JB: Tomb Raider: Legend for mobile, is essentially the same game as you see on the Xbox 360. We may not have the same incredible visual depth and graphical quality, but when it comes to the story, the goals, the motivations behind Lara's latest adventure, It's right there.

GOD: How does the title take advantage of the mobile format?

JB: We've been especially careful during the development of Tomb Raider: Legend for mobile to pay attention to the particular play patterns exhibited by mobile gamers. This translates to smaller levels, with frequent automatic save points, as well as simplified controls that allow the player to navigate the 3D spaces on a phone keypad.

Tomb Raider Legend for mobile

GOD: How big was the team working on Tomb Raider: Legend?

JB: We had a full team working on Tomb Raider: Legend for mobile, which at certain points during development, and across all the mobile platforms we were working on was in excess of 20 people. This doesn't include the QA team who spent months testing every aspect of the game or the folks at Crystal Dynamics who were there helping us along the way.

GOD: How have you collaborated with the teams working on the console and PC versions on the mobile version?

JB: We were given very early access to concept art and draft storylines from the team at Crystal Dynamics and were kept "in the loop" as these evolved into the production assets. The mobile game and the console game were developed largely in parallel, which meant that we were in sync when it came to receiving assets. An example of this would be the story. As the story line was being developed at Crystal Dynamics for the console versions, they were also creating a version for the mobile game that took into account some of the unique features of our game, such as the shorter levels.

Lara's look, her 3D mesh, textures and animation were all produced with very close support from Crystal Dynamics, we were even given access to the motion capture data that was used in the console and PC versions.

GOD: How did you replicate the controls of the console/PC versions on mobile?

JB: Controls are one of the biggest areas of difficulty in developing mobile games, we spent a long time prototyping different systems until we found one that really worked for us. You can imagine the difficulty when you consider that on some phones you can't register multiple key presses, this presents significant problems for developers wanting to implement run and shoot. In the end we went for a control method that allowed the player to explore the levels and interact with the environment, but we kept them on a pretty tightly defined path this removed all the frustration of 3D navigation on small screens with tiny buttons, while still preserving the sense of exploration and adventure coupled with awesome atmospherics and tension.

Tomb Raider Legend for mobile

GOD: In a more general sense, how do you view the mobile gaming market? Where do you see its place among other, dedicated portable gaming platforms?

JB: It's an amazing place to be right now, 3D gaming is becoming mass market and the horizon of possibilities is expanding every day in terms of mobile design and production. We really are having our own PS1 moment in the evolution of mobile gaming right now, where the hardware platform is in place for premium quality mobile games, and consumer demand is there too. It's exciting times!

(Source: http://www.gamesondeck.com)

Is 3D the future of mobile gaming?

ngocthan@mobile3dworld.com — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:39:00 GMT

With 3D graphics, video games came of age. 3D opened the door – literally – to another dimension, an imaginative universe that gamers could inhabit and explore, rather than a world they passed through on rails. As soon as 3D technology became available in mainstream games, developers and gamers embraced it so fully that 2D became a niche almost overnight, albeit one revived years later on the relatively weedy mobile phone.

However, things are moving on. If you've obtained a contract phone at some point over the last 12 months, the chances are you own a gaming machine more powerful than every portable console up to the Nintendo DS, capable of producing 3D graphics that would look at home on an original PlayStation.

Surprised? No wonder: 3D games are struggling to find a place in the mobile gaming mainstream. While a few developers like Polarbit and Fishlabs are working almost exclusively with 3D, and others are adopting it with increasing confidence – Glu, I-Play and Digital Chocolate, which is reworking its 2D classic Rollercoaster Tycoon for 3D, as pictured, for instance – many developers are reluctant to change gear.

Before we start to search for the reasons, we need to chart the landscape, beginning with the foggy territory of mobile platforms.

Technically speaking

Java 2 Runtime Edition is the platform on which almost all games in the UK are made, and, unfortunately, it's also the feeblest. Although 3D games in Java are improving, it's the Vauxhall Corsa of platforms: affordable, ubiquitous, and indifferent.

Symbian is a more powerful platform, for more powerful phones, and so its games are larger and more expensive than Java's (similar is the BREW platform in the US). If you don't own something like a series 60 Nokia, you're pretty much out in the cold; but if you do, you have access to some stunning 3D graphics.

In the UK, mobile gaming takes place almost exclusively on these two platforms, but there are several obscurer alternatives.
Aside from the relative weakness of the Java platform and many of the handsets for which games are being made, there are several other problems for 3D mobile gaming to overcome. Glu's Chris White and Digital Chocolate's Trip Hawkins provide an insight into the economics of 3D development.

"3D titles are more expensive to develop than 2D titles," Chris White explains. "We've seen team sizes double on recent 3D projects, with art and design being the most resource intensive areas."

And not only do 3D games cost more to make; the target audience (those with sufficiently powerful handsets) is much smaller than that for 2D.

On top of this, 3D mobile game creators have to deal with the perennial difficulties that all mobile game developers face: fragmentation and control. Not all handsets are born equal, and programmers are constantly under pressure to produce games that both impress on high-end handsets and run adequately on older models.

As White says, speaking from experience: "a great high-end version really puts pressure on us to ensure the low-end version is equally amazing."

Digital Chocolate's Trip Hawkins expands upon the point: "3D development is more expensive, and mobile phone operators need to devote special merchandising attention to 3D games so they don't get mixed in with everything else."

Then there's control. Most current 3D mobile titles are racing games, for the practical reason that only three or four buttons are required to steer the car, brake, and in some cases deploy powerups. A console title like Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, which makes use of all 14 buttons and the analogue stick on an N64 controller, would be massively diminished on a current handset.

Analogue controls and 3D games grew up together, and it's difficult to conceive of one without the other. The graphical capabilities of mobile phones will inevitably reach a uniformly high-end state, but, short of a complete revolution, the issue of control will always loom over mobile gaming.

3D or not 3D?

Despite these setbacks, 3D is a selling point, and ambitious developers are always keen to add a third dimension. However, this sometimes works to the detriment of the product. 3D Worms Forts, for instance, dispenses with deformable terrain in order to create perspective depth, and the result is a weaker game than its humbler predecessors. THQ exchanged a gameplay dimension for a visual one.

Writing about an early 3D game called Breathless in 1995, Amiga Power journalist Stuart Campbell declared, "this would be rubbish in 2D, so it's rubbish in 3D". At a time when the desire to be technically impressive can cloud a developer's judgement, this is still a useful principle to bear in mind.

Given all these difficulties, one feels compelled to ask the question: is it worth it? Should developers learn to accept the limitations of the mobile phone and confine themselves to simpler, smaller games that make best use of the hardware? As I-Play's David Gosen remarked in a recent interview , "it's not about Halo or GTA: Vice City on the mobile. It's about games that fit the device. If you understand the constraints of the mobile then you can build an excellent game to fit."

Digital Chocolate's president of studios Ilkka Paananen gave us his own insight into the merits of 2D: "Over 25 years of the PC increasing in processing power, it took a game like The Sims to come along and break through to the mass market, with a 2D isometric graphics engine. Not 3D."

Hawkins illustrates the point neatly: "As a point of comparison, consider that 3D goggles appeared in movie theaters 50 years ago. Movies were good enough without it, as well as being simpler and more convenient with no goggles. So it never caught on."

Certainly, there's evidence that 3D graphics are no longer a minimum requirement in order for a game to succeed. The use of cell-shading in home console titles like XIII, The Legend of Zelda: Windwalker and Okami show that there's demand at least for the look of 2D, if not the feel.

2D still has a place in the 21st Century

The graphical arms race is singularly a Western phenomenon, and in terms of technology, we can learn a lot from the Japanese.

In 2003, Disney announced that it would make no more 2D animated films because the bulbous 3D characters of Toy Story and Monsters Inc had made them obsolete.

In the same year, Hayao Miyazaki unveiled the majestic Spirited Away to UK audiences and put Disney's entire output to shame.

In the field of gaming, meanwhile, the most stridently Japanese hardware to have appeared in the last couple of years – the DS and the Wii – are also technically the feeblest, and they have comfortably wrestled sales from their more muscular competitors.

During the early '90s, when Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto was asked to use exciting new pre-rendered 3D graphics in his game Yoshi's Island, he refused. Instead, he created a childish, crayon-drawn identity for his platform masterpiece, apparently to make a point: beauty and power aren't the same thing.

The ethos at Digital Chocolate, meanwhile – a purveyor of many well-received 3D titles – emphasises the greater importance of mobile's social element. "To make mobile a first-rate platform," Paananen says, "we believe mobile gaming needs something that will connect users to each other emotionally." The real third dimension is social, not spatial.

I-Play's Leighton Webb described the commercial dimension of the issue.

"The console industry has consistently demonstrated how to leave 'dollars on the table'," Webb says, "by leaving existing technology behind too soon because the minority hardcore niche and occasionally bored developers want deeper, more challenging, supposedly graphically superior experiences."

3D on track for now

Still, progress is inevitable, and mobile can't afford to bow out of the race entirely. Blade's Peter Jones exclaimed with disbelief in a recent interview: "there are still so many mobile game development studios that don't do 3D. I mean, for God's sake, what are they thinking?"

Remaining loyal to 2D is all very well, but no developer can afford to let the river of progress flow around them. They have to swim, or they'll sink.

But ultimately, 3D is just another tool in the game maker's toolbox. "There are genres that benefit from a fully 3D world," says Chris White, "but 3D shouldn't be used for the sake of it. On the DS, no one cares about rendering technology, just whether the game is fun." And everybody we spoke to agreed.

The righteous path, as with all technology, is to use what you have wisely, and in the field of games for developers to make sure that gameplay is the central consideration. The message we're getting is that developers are well aware of what makes a great game, and what significance 3D holds for the industry.

In the end, whether to use 3D must be an artistic choice, rather than one driven by a perceived necessity to keep up with the times. And the encouraging – and, perhaps, surprising – thing about mobile gaming, is that its artists have the power at their hands to make that choice.

(Source: http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk)

Gemini Mobile Launches World's First 3D Community Platform for Wireless Phones

ngocthan@mobile3dworld.com — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:20:00 GMT

Allows Millions of Users to Chat, Photo Share and Shop in a 3D Environment SoftBank Mobile Ships Handsets with New Platform.

November 6, 2006

SAN MATEO, CA – Gemini Mobile Technologies™, a leading developer of wireless software, today announced a new software platform to power mobile communities. The Gemini platform, called eXplo™, is the foundation of a new 3D interface from SoftBank Mobile Corporation in Japan, named S! TOWN™.

S! TOWN gives users their first experience with a rich graphical community to chat, communicate and shop across their wireless devices. SoftBank Mobile’s new S! Town-enabled phones are available today throughout Japan on their Sharp and Toshiba phone models.

Gemini also announced that its industry-leading multimedia messaging software, the HyperScale® Messaging Center, and its HyperScale® core technology are the engines behind an additional new SoftBank Mobile service, Arrange Mail™. Arrange Mail, powered by Gemini’s software, takes messaging to the next level by enabling consumers to compose, send and receive rich text and graphical messages on their existing SoftBank handsets.

"We are pleased to launch S! TOWN, the 3D community platform for wireless devices," said Ted Matsumoto, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of SoftBank Mobile. "S! TOWN and Arrange Mail are revolutionary services that will give our customers a new way of interacting and communicating in their daily lives. We expect these services to be a forerunner in the marketplace by changing the way wireless users interact with one another and their devices."

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to help SoftBank Mobile deploy next-generation mobile communications services," said Scott Driggers, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Gemini Mobile Technologies. "As more people worldwide rely on the wireless phone as their main communication medium, they demand richer and more intuitive ways to interact with their devices. Our eXplo platform is a bold new way of giving users the ability to explore and discover new content and communities via their phones. As wireless devices become increasingly essential to people everywhere, we will continue developing innovative software that powers new generations of wireless connectivity."

Today's announcement adds to Gemini's customer wins worldwide. The company's scalable messaging platform has been adopted by carriers including SoftBank Mobile in Japan; SmarTone-Vodafone in Hong Kong; FarEasTone in Taiwan; Nextel International in Central & South America; and Sferia in Poland to provide seamless services to their users. In addition, Gemini has an OEM relationship with Lucent Technologies and recently announced agreements with Ericsson China and Italy's Italtel, expanding its distribution footprint worldwide.

Gemini eXplo™: Powering Mobile Communities
Unlike current offerings that were primarily developed for the Internet and transported to wireless devices, eXplo™ was developed from the ground up to be an engine that powers mobile communications on wireless devices. Based on Gemini’s HyperScale architecture, this powerful platform unifies media, content and communication into a single platform for the first time, providing users with a rich 3D mobile experience. Gemini's eXplo, offers several features for wireless phones including:

Explore 3D worlds on their phone by walking around or jumping from place to place
Meet and interact with other users
Personalize an individualized space, be it a game room or a snowboarding venue, suited to their preferences, and invite friends to visit virtually
Share photos instantly with friends
Communicate via different types of messaging such as Instant Messaging
Shop for goods from music to videos
Play games by exploring new zones on their device

With the declining revenue from voice and the increasing potential of data revenue, eXplo gives carriers a new opportunity to offer a sticky social application. The new software accelerates time to market, reduces customer churn, and gives carriers a new channel to generate incremental advertising revenues. For content and commerce providers, such as stores and game developers, eXplo™ provides a new revenue stream and ability to add users rapidly at a low cost.

Gemini expects to announce new carriers and content providers for eXplo in the coming months.

About Gemini Mobile Technologies
Gemini Mobile Technologies, headquartered in San Mateo, California, is a leading developer of wireless software. The company's HyperScale® Technology is the foundation for its two products: a messaging platform, the HyperScale® Messaging Center, and a community platform, eXplo™. Customers include Lucent Technologies, Nextel International and SoftBank Mobile. The company's development efforts are distributed across China, Japan and the United States and it has offices in Asia and Europe. For more information, visit www.geminimobile.com.

America's Next Top Model™

ngocthan@mobile3dworld.com — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 19:11:00 GMT

Do you have what it takes to be a top model? Is your beauty fierce and your strut fabulous? If you're a fan of the hit show "America's Next Top Model™" (ANTM) then you're going to love the exciting new mobile phone game based on it. In the ANTM mobile phone game you can train and manage one of the participants from the show and make her into your very own top model. You'll be her coach and help her to prepare for the high-stress and high-stakes world of modeling. Are you "modelicious"? Play the ANTM mobile game now and see for yourself!

For more information, please go to ANTM corner

V-girl, Find Your Virtual Girlfriend!

ngocthan@mobile3dworld.com — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 17:28:00 GMT

Would you like to try out a new and innovative 3D game for your mobile phone? To get started all you need is a handset. By logging in the game on a 2.75G/EDGE or 3G handset, you can watch me and chat with me. Who knows what might end up happening?

I'm not just another pretty face. I am supported by artificial intelligence. I act just like a real girl - I laugh, I flirt, I chat - I can even blow you kisses! I will listen to your problems and as we get to know each other, I might even reveal my deepest secrets to you. I can send you MMS/SMS messages too. Let's get to know each other. Download me and let's get started! C U soon!

i-Citizen Virtual Mobile Community

ngocthan@mobile3dworld.com — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 19:25:00 GMT

World community of i-Citizen, Meet new people and make new friends!
The wondrous virtual world of i-citizen.
Highly addictive i-citizen is set across 3 continents and five major cities. For the first time in history of mobile telecommunication you can interact with other people across the globe and share your thoughts and feelings as if you are really there. Global community of i-citizen allows you to meet new people and make new friends. Make yourself a character and invite one or more of your friends to Paris, New York, London or maybe even Tokyo, go to a café, bar or a cinema and watch a video or even listen to music.

While you are there why don’t you see if you can meet any would be celebrities that walk around the cities and chat to them. You can even tell the world about yourself and promote any ideas that you have. Doesn’t it sound amazing; well these are just a few simple things that you can do with i-Citizen.

I-Citizen will be released by Micazook in early 2006.

(Source: http://www.micazook.com)

Is Mobile 3D finally on the move?

ngocthan@mobile3dworld.com — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 09:08:00 GMT

Two years ago, experts predicted that by 2005, 3D games on mobile devices would be everywhere. They were premature – yet recent stirrings suggest the sleeping giant is finally waking.

Read full article here