Slashdot Mirror
DS Ideas To Maximize Dual-Screen Gameplay?
Thanks to IGN Pocket for its feature suggesting a range of game ideas to make the most of Nintendo DS' dual-screen touchpad features, since, as the introduction argues, the forthcoming DS "offers the most vast number of opportunities for unique game design types than any handheld or console in quite some time." The theoretical, not in-production suggestions include a Total Control Boxing title where "the touchpad of the Nintendo DS gives developers a lot more room to explore and move the controller in an analog space", a touch-screen based version of previously mentioned Ragdoll Kung Fu ("Like shiny shirts are the new black, physics is the new jumping"), and double-character platform gaming ("The large touchpad and double-screen system means that doubled playing fields could easily be the norm rather than an abnormality.") What gameplay ideas would you like to see the DS innovate with?
I don't know - a Metroid game where the map showed up on one of the screens while I manoevered on the other is pretty cool. Mind you, it doesn't take a lot of skill to press the "start" button, but still. I think that Nintendo should be focusing on innovation and new ideas instead of bigger & better (like Sony).
Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
Well it has 802.11, a touch screen, and can do 3D graphics. I'd settle for this:
- Make a cool multiplayer game. Mario Kart or Quake or something.
- Make it easy for servers to be set up like Quake is today. Don't make me pay $$$ per month just to play on line.
- Use the touch screen as an on-screen keyboard so I can choose servers, chat, and/or touch an icon depicting the weapon I wanna use.
Neat new interfaces is cool and all, but if they can get this going I'll be playing on-line from my recliner. I think that'd be awesome!
"Derp de derp."
I don't know if many of you have seen it or not, but somewhere there is a Windows app that places a small cat on your desktop. If you click and drag on it, you pick up the cat by the scruff. When you let go, the cat drops until it lands on a window.
Imagine a Lemmings style game like that? You can pick up a Lemming, let it drop, and it does its own thing. Sounds simple enough, but when you have 30 of them on the screen, you have to move quick to pick them up and get them out of danger.
That little idea could be evolved a bit into an interesting game.
"Derp de derp."
Another thing I'd like to see is some serious AI improvements, and not just a 'ok the player is doing insanely well, time to make the game impossible' a la Max Payne 2. I wanna be able to team up with an AI as good as Metal Gear Solid's (I like game the game a lot, did you notice?) BUT instead of having both screens to myself, the second screen would be for my buddy. So while I played on my screen I could use the touch pad to point out directions and orders to by buddy like we were real soldiers "go here", "attack this", "cover this area", etc. This would eliminate silly things like ammo symbols appear over people's heads when they shout 'I need ammo!' since I could just double tap the ammo symbol on mine/his screen to communicate with him. Kinda like Brute Force, only not Microsoft par quality.
My last idea would be a RTS on the handheld. It'd be insanely difficult to do, let alone play, but think about it. With two screens you could FINALLY watch your army while watching your base, no more losing a match because you were too busy killing an enemy outpost while the enemies were destroying your BASE. Two screens would TOTALLY innovate RTS games, since you could no longer risk playing 'turtle' style since even a newbie would be able to launch hit-and-run attacks while mining resources as well as you. Recon would take a new level since doing so before usually ment seeing a couple red dots on the minimap and having them disappear before you could click and see what it was. Flanking (long overlooked in games) would because vital in large army combat with fog of war in RTSes. You could send one part of your army to keep the enemy busy in a chokepoint while a second part snuck around and pincer attacked them in the rear from view of the second screen.