What's the smallest size "D-pad" style buttons could be for an iPhone?

RushDawgRushDawg Member Posts: 86
edited November -1 in Working with GS (Mac)
I'm making a 2D shooter with D-pad buttons for control. The buttons are currently 50x50 in size and are in a d-pad style arrangement in the bottom left of the screen.

Are these too small for an iPhone? How big should they be?

Comments

  • xyloFUNxyloFUN Member Posts: 1,593
    A few days ago, I was wondering about that too!

    My discovery was that the iPhone 4 is incredible and very sensitive so that a small button is all it takes to trigger an event.

    If I were you, I'd make a test build and have your friends try it out. There is no way around testing like this. :)
  • FranzKellerFranzKeller Member Posts: 517
    a scrolling shmup? great!

    dont make that dpad too small - good control can make or break so many games
  • JohnPapiomitisJohnPapiomitis Member Posts: 6,256
    I dont know if you ever noticed, but same games dont even have button graphics, they say just touch the screen there to do this or move that way. Sometimes its really cool, other times it sucks lol. Like xlyo testing is the only way to know for sure what will work for you game.
  • UtopianGamesUtopianGames Member Posts: 5,692
    I think 48x48 is the smallest they should be after playing around with my PacMan template but they do take up a bit of room if you lay them out properly so it's hard to get the size and look of layout right.

    Darren.
  • RushDawgRushDawg Member Posts: 86
    Thanks guys, I guess I'll just have to test it out.

    Darren, how are your buttons arranged and what shape are they? I use circular buttons very close together in a cross-style pattern.
  • UtopianGamesUtopianGames Member Posts: 5,692
    I think circle is best for close buttons as you can get them that little bit closer so your doing the right thing imo.

    Darren.
  • mrmoggymrmoggy Member Posts: 5
    There's a saying when it comes to iPhone games: "If your game requires a D-Pad, you're doing it wrong". By using something like a virtual d-pad and buttons, it immediately brings down the perceived quality (at least to me) since it shows a lack of understanding of what makes iOS unique as a platform.

    Advice: Your game is a shump, so have the player's sliding movement on the touchscreen move the ship (constrain the x & y of a touch to your ship's x & y positions while maybe offsetting it a little bit to prevent your finger from blocking your view) and have the ship auto-shoot. Look at games like Space Invaders: Infinity Gene & DonPachi on the app store for example of good shump design on a handheld.

    That being said, buttons are good for things like activating power ups and pausing the game.

    Good luck on your game :)
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