I am considering submitting my monster truck racing game to the Australia/New Zealand PAX Indie ShowCase, which is Australasia’s biggest gaming conference in November.
I can understand having built a desktop/console game and showcasing it at a conference no problem, just get some big screens and give each player a console controller to play, all good.
But now what do you do if you’re showcasing a mobile game? My game is currently not controller compatible, (And I won’t have time to convert all the menus and screens etc to be controller compatible before the submission deadline in July).
So does anyone know a good way to showcase a game that runs on mobile devices? I was thinking having two large monitors, each wired up to a tablet so people could watch whatever the player on the devices were doing.
Has anyone seen this done before at a conference, or do you have any better ideas on how to showcase a mobile game at a conference?
That’s what do regularly. We have tablets on stands, each connected to a large screen. We also make special builds of the game for instant game play so players can jump right in. (And easily return to a default state for each new player) If your game relies on network connectivity, I would suggest having a way around that part (like a local server). Conferences and conventions usually provide wi-fi to presenters / vendors but they are rarely reliable.
Hmm… I’m concerned about the Wifi/data thing, since I’m using Gamesparks as my backend. I guess I could always hook up each tablet with a 4G data account to avoid any wifi issues. Thanks for the heads up.
Also glad to hear connecting a tablet to a big screen is not a crazy idea
Be aware that PAX is in Melbourne. Melbournes cell data network is patchy, even in the CBD. And especially so indoors. You might get away with it, but it’s worth having a backup plan.
Never would have thought that decent Internet access was something I would miss when crossing the ditch.
In its current state, yes. One of the plans is to implement caching etc so the device doesn’t need to be connected to the internet, and it can que up requests, but once again, thats just going to be too much work to pile in before the submission deadline
I totally expected that too. But I got more reliable connectivity in New Plymouth then I do here. There is no cell coverage inside my home in a perfectly normal Melbourne suburb. Sure I’m used to walking outside waving a phone in the air on the grandparents farm in the sticks. But in suburbia? Home broadband speed is also slower. You might be okay, but I wouldn’t rely on it.
You can continue working on the app after the submission deadline. In fact, you would be stupid not too.
We ran into challenges as well using carrier over wifi. Thinking it would back up plan, didn’t take into account that everyone else was doing the same. If your game has a persistent connection or communicates often, frequent brief dropouts / connection errors looks bad. (Especially when being interviewed, sigh…). Having a local only build of the game you can switch to in a pinch can help keep things moving.
Also, as a side note, Enjoy! It can be stressful, but very rewarding. It’s a lot of fun watching people play your game an react to it. Often online interactions with players skew toward people who spend a lot of time online and/or connect with you for questions or problems. Fewer people who simply enjoy a game are less likely to reach out to the developer. Irl if they like they’ll tell you. Have fun! (And post pics)
