Zelda: Four Swords Adventure - Phone as second screen

[Ivan Gunn]

So i'm trying to make a multiplayer game in the same vein of Multiplayer Four swords, or FF: Crystal Chronicles both for Gamecube/GBA but I would like to be able to make it for PC/Xbox/PS4/Switch and use a mobile phone as the second screen.

I can make the base game fairly easily, but no idea on where to start to make the mobile app to compliment it. Any help would really be appreciated

If you haven't played either of those game, You have a multiplayer main game.
But your GBA was used as not only your menu/map, but a place to do personally challenge , go into places like caves or buildings and only your GBA would show the gameplay and not the main screen. and you could swap between the two fairly easily

The picture included should help explain: (Imagine that but with PC and Cell Phones

 

[2Dcube]

PC - mobile should be possible with a server, but might be complicated initially to set up. Do you have experience with servers?

Mobile to mobile could be done with a local bluetooth connection.
If you have an iPad as well as an iPhone, you could test with the iPad being the main screen.
Or an Android tablet and android phone.

 

[RangerX]

You know, there are bad design ideas that didn't become an habit in the industry for good reason. lol
(sorry I couldn't resist)

Spoiler: clickety click

Good luck with you project

 

[Ivan Gunn]

PC - mobile should be possible with a server, but might be complicated initially to set up. Do you have experience with servers?

Mobile to mobile could be done with a local bluetooth connection.
If you have an iPad as well as an iPhone, you could test with the iPad being the main screen.
Or an Android tablet and android phone.

No I don't have much server exp but it's there a tutorial that might be able to help me out on getting started

 

[Electros]

So i'm trying to make a multiplayer game in the same vein of Multiplayer Four swords, or FF: Crystal Chronicles both for Gamecube/GBA but I would like to be able to make it for PC/Xbox/PS4/Switch and use a mobile phone as the second screen.

I can make the base game fairly easily, but no idea on where to start to make the mobile app to compliment it. Any help would really be appreciated

If you haven't played either of those game, You have a multiplayer main game.
But your GBA was used as not only your menu/map, but a place to do personally challenge , go into places like caves or buildings and only your GBA would show the gameplay and not the main screen. and you could swap between the two fairly easily

The picture included should help explain: (Imagine that but with PC and Cell Phones

I own both Four Swords and Crystal Chronicles - they are brilliant games to play with friends (and start arguments).

I think though you could have issues even getting the game released onto any of the platforms you mentioned - not from the technical side, but platform holder perspective. Nintendo was able to do this as they owned all the respective IP and HW. Would Microsoft / Sony / Nintendo certify a game release that was dependent on additional non-first party HW?

The other aside is the GBAs you linked up for those games had D-pads, buttons and shoulders, on phone you would have to take up a chunk of the precious 2nd screen with virtual controls - and gamers on those platforms probably prefer the physical controls.

 

[Ivan Gunn]

I own both Four Swords and Crystal Chronicles - they are brilliant games to play with friends (and start arguments).

I think though you could have issues even getting the game released onto any of the platforms you mentioned - not from the technical side, but platform holder perspective. Nintendo was able to do this as they owned all the respective IP and HW. Would Microsoft / Sony / Nintendo certify a game release that was dependent on additional non-first party HW?

The other aside is the GBAs you linked up for those games had D-pads, buttons and shoulders, on phone you would have to take up a chunk of the precious 2nd screen with virtual controls - and gamers on those platforms probably prefer the physical controls.

That is a very good point. So about the second screen. Honestly the plan is to only have it serve for information, and light interaction. For things like personal challenges and individual boss battles (a gauntlet you have to survive while teammates fight off a horde of enemies)
I see the phone as more of an companion app to the game. I would make the game playable without it but in a really really downgraded way.

And in my mind the game would still be played with a traditional controller but with your personal screen sitting on the table, or in your lap, or even work on a wrist band, and anything like inventory management or light mini games would all be done via touch

My hope was just to find out if this idea is possible and how I could give it a crack

 

[Taddio]

Try it for PC - Mobile, first.
Not too sure Microsoft would be too stoked if you needed an IPhone to play an XBox game, but anyway, that's another story!
Seems like a lot of work and swearing ahead of you, in any case.
I don't know the type of game you make, but if the player data is on your server, you could make an app to manage stuff, check acheivements, all sort of things (like the battlefield 1 app they made, it was a cool companion app).
But putting it all together, syncing all the stuff to different platforms, with each their own twists...will buy if you ever get through it, I promise! Really like the idea, but seems to me it's like playing a whole symphony as a one-man-band!

Add on: just thought of something else. Some mobile side-game that would give you some props in the main game. Like Final Fantasy (can't remember which one), you had a little chocobo game installed apart from the main FF game which would give you some Gils or stuff in the FF game. GM is going out of the sandbox soon, so it's something that will be easier to implement as well.