Game development is more than just creating games for PCs, consoles, and other programmable hardware. Today's digital world is filled with advanced gadgets and advanced technology that provide excellent portability, flexibility, and engaging experiences.
Creating games is a true cross-disciplinary experience for developers, necessitating both technical and creative abilities. However, all too often, a project's performance and visual requirements clash.
There are always new best practices to learn about and implement in the world of mobile game development. New technology brings new ways of doing things, and it can be difficult to keep up.
It is not difficult to develop a game. However, it is critical to create the game in such a way that it looks great and performs well on as many devices as possible. That's why we've put together a series of best practices for mobile game development in this blog. Read on to know the mobile game development overview,
Mobile Game Development Overview
The gaming industry is on a roll, with a market capitalization of around $300 billion. The majority of this is due to the introduction of mobile games and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from the sheer size of the industry, its effects are shaping entertainment and culture.
The mobile game market is extremely profitable, vast, and diverse. And mobile gaming has emerged in recent years. According to research, 3.24 billion people worldwide play mobile games. This figure is expected to rise in the coming years.
Revenue is expected to grow at a 7.36% annual rate (CAGR 2023-2027), resulting in a market volume of $419.70 billion by 2027.
#1 Divide your gameplay
Before you begin developing your game app, you must first plan the game mechanics and game content. Character control, enemy behavior, and other such actions are all part of the game mechanics.
The game mechanics are the same for each level and location. To create the best game app, you must concentrate on coding the game mechanics rather than the game content.
If you're creating a complex game, make sure to separate it into gameplay files and resource files that contain various game animations, objects, and positions.
#2 Minimalistic user interface
This is a common design technique for Android games. Many developers make the mistake of designing a long and frantic user interface to get the user to the gameplay.
This section should be kept as brief as possible. The player should be able to play the game with minimal effort the first time. The heavy UI interface causes most users to abandon games.
Technically, a developer is responsible for the device's UI options such as Menu, Back, and Home. These are the most common Android mobile and tablet platform options.
All of these options' behavior should be controlled within the game, as the user may accidentally press/touch them while playing the game.
There should also be a quick way to exit the game. Having a minimal user interface and fewer screen transactions saves a significant amount of time, which has a direct impact on gameplay sessions.
#3 Supporting maximum devices
Aside from different screen sizes, Android offers a variety of device configurations. The majority of developers only filter the device list by screen resolution, which is a bad practice.
A game developer for Android should always consider the target device configuration as well as the resolution.
When developing applications, developers should remember not to make assumptions about specific keyboard layouts, touch interfaces, or other interactive systems, unless the game is restricted to those devices.
Optimizing the application for memory and performance also aids in the support of more devices. The developer should not limit them to a small number of devices. Optimal use of disc space and processor opens up the possibility of expanding the support range.
With a few simple tricks, a single game application can support multiple devices. On Android activity launch, the developer should detect hardware information and use it to create some sort of rules that control the overall game quality and processing speed.
#4 Deep linking
When a player's timeline and their friends' Feeds see a story, it usually corresponds to a specific piece of content in your game. Perhaps a player is boasting about a high score on a level they completed or winning a weekly tournament.
When another player taps one of these stories in the Facebook App for iOS or Android, your native app is launched, and you are given the source URL that you entered when creating the story.
Rather than sending the player to a generic home screen for your game, consider whether it is possible to contextually parse the incoming link and direct the player to the specific item of content with which they interacted.
For example, if they are responding to a challenge story, let them play against the original sender of the challenge.
#5 Maintaining battery usage
Power efficiency is one of the factors that contribute to the success of an Android game. The Android hardware platform will most likely be a mobile device with a limited power source. As a result, energy-saving applications are always preferred.
Rendering and network connectivity consume a significant portion of the battery. From the standpoint of gaming, both rendering and connectivity are required. As a result, there is a good chance that the game consumes a lot of power.
Most game developers place a high value on visual appeal. It improves both graphic quality and battery consumption. As a result, it is best practice for the developer to always prioritize the technical quality of the graphical assets.
Assets should not be used to speed up processing or rendering because developers frequently use non-optimized assets.
Background services are another process that uses a lot of battery power. These are widely used for improved consumer connectivity or for some web-based services. Technically, this process pings frequently in order to maintain connectivity with the desired network. This frequency can be set by developers.
In many cases, a game becomes popular or has a higher user count than another, higher-quality game simply because of lower battery consumption.
If the developers can determine that connectivity has been lost, they can disable all of the receivers except the connectivity-change receiver using native APIs.
Once connected, developers can stop listening for connectivity changes and simply check to see if the application is online before performing an update; they can then reschedule a recurring update alarm.
By enabling a broadcast receiver, which will listen for changes in connectivity and initiate the download only once the application is connected to Wi-Fi, developers can use the same method to delay a download that needs more bandwidth to complete. Battery usage is greatly decreased as a result.
New Trends in Mobile Game Development
- Multiplayer Games
A mobile game with multiplayer functionality enables two or more players to share the same gaming environment using Bluetooth or a similar technology.
It enables for player engagement and provides real-world opponents. There are also multiplayer games that offer cross-platform play.
- VR Games
In terms of mobile game trends, VR development appears to be promising. Because of the increased use of three-dimensional environments, virtual reality gaming is expected to grow significantly over the next few years.
VR technology provides users with a distinct, intuitive, and exciting experience that makes them feel as if they are right there.
If you don’t know how to make VR game and want to create VR game for your business, our expert team of VR game developers at Vasundhara Infotech can help you out.
- Location Based Games
In location-based games, the progression of the game is determined by the player's location. GPS technology is frequently utilised to retrieve location information.
Future of Mobile Game Development
The advancement of technology has drastically altered the gaming industry. The mobile game industry is thriving, and there is a growing demand for mobile game development trends.
The mobile gaming industry is one of the most profitable and promising in the world. Innovative technologies have paved the way for mobile games to evolve in tandem with current technologies.
The future of mobile gaming is one of the most important global industries right now. In 2020, the industry generated a total revenue of $77.2 billion. Global experts predict that the industry will continue to grow. As indicators of future growth, they point to industry trends and advancements.
Conclusion
Following best practices for mobile game development is critical to the success of your game. You'll be well on your way to developing a hit mobile game if you take the time to plan out your game, design engaging and addictive gameplay, and create beautiful graphics.
Developing a mobile game is an exciting process that necessitates the collaboration of a team of experts. Choosing a game development company is a critical decision that can determine the fate of your mobile game.
However, we hope that this guide has helped you learn best practices to develop mobile games. Furthermore, to provide your users with a one-of-a-kind experience and to improve your business model, you can consider hiring Vasundhara Infotech, a top game development company with the experience and expertise to help you grow your business.
What exactly are you waiting for? Begin working on your next great game right away! Contact us today to take advantage of our expertise for your game projects.
