If you'd like to check it out, it is currently used in Prolix. We haven't implemented the ability to post on Twitter yet, but that will be coming very, very soon.

If you'd like to check it out, it is currently used in Prolix. We haven't implemented the ability to post on Twitter yet, but that will be coming very, very soon.

Completely agree with you on both counts. I think Apple have been caught napping on the sheer success of the iPhone as a gaming platform and as a result dont have these key tools in place to really take advantage of the lead they now obviously have in the mobile gaming space.

The basic fact is most of the great games on the iPhone right now are ones that are single player offline that use the accelerometer/touch controls in a simple/effective way. Unfortunately though that simply isnt enough to become a gaming platform that compliments all gaming genres.

Puzzlers, RPGs, Racing games etc... yep they're all easily replicated on the device but where it falls over in in genres that need precise movement and more complex UI. The main obvious one is FPS, the second is arguably platformers with fighting games perhaps 3rd.

What the iPhone absolutely needs right now is a unified control scheme that is married to some additional hardware. We've all surely seen the icontrolpad.com prototype and that is a huge step forward. Its a step Apple should be taking for all developers to then use going forward. Support a controller device, have an API that perhaps lets you assign touch screen areas to be mapped to a specific button and then you have an optional extra that lets serious gamers play games the way they are meant to be played.

We all know Quake/Doom are coming to the iPhone, imagine playing those with an actual controller... I think John Carmack would be pleased.

The next step from there is online gaming. Yes support local bluetooth and Wifi but get online gaming working as well. For that of course a unified social network for matchmaking is the key.

I guess we will see if Apple are serious about the iPhone as a gaming platform soon enough. The sheer amount of Game app sales will surely have it on their radar by now?

Completely agree with you on both counts. I think Apple have been caught napping on the sheer success of the iPhone as a gaming platform and as a result dont have these key tools in place to really take advantage of the lead they now obviously have in the mobile gaming space.

The basic fact is most of the great games on the iPhone right now are ones that are single player offline that use the accelerometer/touch controls in a simple/effective way. Unfortunately though that simply isnt enough to become a gaming platform that compliments all gaming genres.

Puzzlers, RPGs, Racing games etc... yep they're all easily replicated on the device but where it falls over in in genres that need precise movement and more complex UI. The main obvious one is FPS, the second is arguably platformers with fighting games perhaps 3rd.

What the iPhone absolutely needs right now is a unified control scheme that is married to some additional hardware. We've all surely seen the icontrolpad.com prototype and that is a huge step forward. Its a step Apple should be taking for all developers to then use going forward. Support a controller device, have an API that perhaps lets you assign touch screen areas to be mapped to a specific button and then you have an optional extra that lets serious gamers play games the way they are meant to be played.

We all know Quake/Doom are coming to the iPhone, imagine playing those with an actual controller... I think John Carmack would be pleased.

The next step from there is online gaming. Yes support local bluetooth and Wifi but get online gaming working as well. For that of course a unified social network for matchmaking is the key.

I guess we will see if Apple are serious about the iPhone as a gaming platform soon enough. The sheer amount of Game app sales will surely have it on their radar by now?

No one wants to charge the gamer directly, but not only does the gamer have to put up with advertising in some of these, but the dev has to pay for some of them (and I'm not just talking development time, though that is a cost, too). Those costs DO trickle down to the gamer as well when it comes time to price the game.

This mixed reaction to the features found here is one of the reasons I, as an iPhone developer, resist pursuing any of the solutions. Can I justify higher costs/time for something that many gamers don't want or aren't satisfied with? A unified platform would help in both regards.

Anyway, in the end I just want to make a fun game, but I _would_ like to pursue this in the future. Hopefully, things come together nicer in that future.

No one wants to charge the gamer directly, but not only does the gamer have to put up with advertising in some of these, but the dev has to pay for some of them (and I'm not just talking development time, though that is a cost, too). Those costs DO trickle down to the gamer as well when it comes time to price the game.

This mixed reaction to the features found here is one of the reasons I, as an iPhone developer, resist pursuing any of the solutions. Can I justify higher costs/time for something that many gamers don't want or aren't satisfied with? A unified platform would help in both regards.

Anyway, in the end I just want to make a fun game, but I _would_ like to pursue this in the future. Hopefully, things come together nicer in that future.

I can't stand that every single tab I press in that amateurish UI gives me a "loading from server" indicator... All the other two platforms I've seen (AGON Online and Scoreloop) run much smoother and look better... why would any developer want to put OpenFeint into their game?? They're all free, choose a better one please!

I can't stand that every single tab I press in that amateurish UI gives me a "loading from server" indicator... All the other two platforms I've seen (AGON Online and Scoreloop) run much smoother and look better... why would any developer want to put OpenFeint into their game?? They're all free, choose a better one please!

If 3 of my friends sign up for one, and 3 for another, who cares? What I care about is if they own the GAMES I have, not the social network used. If they have the games I have, and that means we're all signed up for several networks, all I care about is that we can game together.

So bring on the matchmaking! That's the only feature I NEED, and it seems to be the last to come.

If 3 of my friends sign up for one, and 3 for another, who cares? What I care about is if they own the GAMES I have, not the social network used. If they have the games I have, and that means we're all signed up for several networks, all I care about is that we can game together.

So bring on the matchmaking! That's the only feature I NEED, and it seems to be the last to come.