A question about virtual controls on touchscreens.

[Tanukitsune]

It feels odd to just ask this question, but seeing how a big chunk of the ol' Thumbers here are programmers, I just have to ask something about virtual controls on touchscreens.

I always assumed that there is no "universal code" for these controls and assumed that creating these virtual controls was up to the developer. I just wanted to know how far off am I before opening my mouth and sounding like a fool.

I hope I'm right, seeing how most touchscreen game controls are pretty bad and only a handful of them feel like the controls are tight. Of course, it's possible that there is some sort of "default touchscreen control code" that comes with the dev kit and the games with really great controls are just creating their own controller code anyway.

[Sno]

The issue i've always had with touchscreen controls is just the lack of tactile feedback, the click of a button or a key, the resistance of a stick, the weight of a mouse, etc.

I've always felt that is why touch controls feel so clumsy and loose.

[Twig]

Depends entirely on if you use a framework or not. Sometimes those frameworks come with baked-in virtual controls that you can customize to varying degrees.

But if you start from scratch, I'm pretty sure iOS (or Android!) doesn't supply anything for you at that level. I've never started form scratch, though. I only started mobile programming literally a month ago when I started my job. And we don't use virtual controls. I mean, besides typical UI buttons, but that's not what you're talking about, so...! U:

[I_smell]

Touchscreen buttons typically start off on the wrong foot just because you're not pressing down on anything like you are with a physical button.

I wanna answer the main question, but y'know what I bet there's someone more educated than me around here somewhere.

[Tanukitsune]

Depends entirely on if you use a framework or not. Sometimes those frameworks come with baked-in virtual controls that you can customize to varying degrees.

But if you start from scratch, I'm pretty sure iOS (or Android!) doesn't supply anything for you at that level. I've never started form scratch, though. I only started mobile programming literally a month ago when I started my job. And we don't use virtual controls. I mean, besides typical UI buttons, but that's not what you're talking about, so...! U:

Are the User Interface buttons what you call the menu buttons and similar?

Maybe I_smell and Sno are right and they just don't work right because they lack physical buttons. I got Gunman Clive on the iPhod one day and couldn't beat it, but when I got it on PC on the Greenlight bundle, it was almost too easy!

But at the same time, I've the first one credit run I did on a bullet hell game was on a Cave iOS game, they control ridiculously well.

[Sno]

The Cave games are dramatically toned down for the iOS versions, they're nowhere close to authentic.

My issue with touchscreen controls is that you don't necessarily know where you stand with your input, given the lack of physical feedback. If you're dealing with a virtualized joystick, unless you're specifically looking at it, you may not have a sense of where the center is or how far out from it you are.

Touchscreens are awesome, there's a lot of games that work great on touchscreens, but i roll my eyes whenever i see a virtual d-pad or something. Just... No. No thanks.