how hard would it be to make a mobile port of kart?
- Thread starter Mocha112
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lnferno
Blazing Creator
I'm pretty sure the primary issue for those experienced with this stuff (aka Jimita, who created the SRB2 Android port, IIRC) isn't making it but actually making it able to be controlled well.
I struggle with controlling SRB2 Android as is, with Kart requiring tight controls, and such... I don't see a mobile port being all that playable.
I struggle with controlling SRB2 Android as is, with Kart requiring tight controls, and such... I don't see a mobile port being all that playable.
ERROR2401
Member
I would think somehow changing the controls, such as making the range of the joystick movement essentially 2D, but not completely, possibly, for movement. I've played my fair share of non-mario kart driving/racing games, and so I might not even mind if the controls on the android port be very similar to base SRB2, but that's just me.
metlallic sonciic
Foxfan20321
what i mean is, tracks would have to be wider, controls would have to be simplified, and basically everything that makes srb2k fun [i.e. the tight drifts and outrunning spbs] would either have to be removed or numbed down.
SilverVortex
True,
let me give you a comparison of srb2 to kart, and compare why they work entirely differently when potentially optimized for mobile devices for the heck of it:
srb2 is a "hold forward and jump" kind of game. maybe there's some camera movement somewhere along the way, maybe a press of the spin or custom buttons, but there's nothing beyond that kind of complexity. holding down multiple buttons is a niche case scenario, and only really really applies when you're using an addon, which granted, is quite a lot. the only required keys for maingame gameplay, aside from enter, escape, WASD and arrow keys, are the spin and jump buttons. simple and to the point just like most sonic games are.
srb2kart is a "hold multiple buttons at the same time" kind of game. you're required to hold the acceleration/brake key to move at all times, and taking turns tightly requires you to hold an extra key in and of itself. in srb2kart, at the minimum there are five mandatory keys needed to play the game, even if you happen to leave out things like enter, escape or the arrow keys needed to confirm, go back/pause and steer respectively. these keys are also used variably throughout gameplay, with some keys needing to be pressed anywhere from almost never to at a moment's notice.
even if, theoretically, the future porters could implement auto-acceleration and gyro-steering, that's still four more buttons to take care of.
basically, the problem with an android srb2kart port isn't that it isn't possible or even doable, not by a long shot.
it's that it wouldn't be as fun to play as the native pc versions. at all. whatsoever.
srb2 is a "hold forward and jump" kind of game. maybe there's some camera movement somewhere along the way, maybe a press of the spin or custom buttons, but there's nothing beyond that kind of complexity. holding down multiple buttons is a niche case scenario, and only really really applies when you're using an addon, which granted, is quite a lot. the only required keys for maingame gameplay, aside from enter, escape, WASD and arrow keys, are the spin and jump buttons. simple and to the point just like most sonic games are.
srb2kart is a "hold multiple buttons at the same time" kind of game. you're required to hold the acceleration/brake key to move at all times, and taking turns tightly requires you to hold an extra key in and of itself. in srb2kart, at the minimum there are five mandatory keys needed to play the game, even if you happen to leave out things like enter, escape or the arrow keys needed to confirm, go back/pause and steer respectively. these keys are also used variably throughout gameplay, with some keys needing to be pressed anywhere from almost never to at a moment's notice.
even if, theoretically, the future porters could implement auto-acceleration and gyro-steering, that's still four more buttons to take care of.
basically, the problem with an android srb2kart port isn't that it isn't possible or even doable, not by a long shot.
it's that it wouldn't be as fun to play as the native pc versions. at all. whatsoever.
I'll Begin
🐑✨
I wouldn't say it's impossible to make the controls work on a mobile device, you'd just have to program some rather complicated assists to do it.
Mario Kart Tour manages to control quite well on a touch screen and honestly feels great in landscape mode, but it helps that you auto-accelerate, can optionally (and honestly, recommended to) auto-drift, the game will also by default has steering assist to help orient you in the correct direction, and you also can't drive off the track unless you have a Mushroom or are currently invincible. Tilt controls are also an option but I don't personally use them.
Implementing those assists into SRB2Kart wouldn't necessarily require changing the map layouts, but it would require going through and adding barriers with a distinction between on-road and off-road (if such a distinction doesn't already exist – it's been almost a decade since I've done mapping for Kart) for the huge amount of courses the game currently comes with, and crucially, it would require significant changes to the user interface/user experience both in-race and in the menus to make it more touch friendly, something that not even regular SRB2's mobile port has really nailed down at the moment.
Is any of this impossible? No, it's just a monumental task to do in one's spare time, and something that would have to be factored in to the game's development to really be viable.
Mario Kart Tour manages to control quite well on a touch screen and honestly feels great in landscape mode, but it helps that you auto-accelerate, can optionally (and honestly, recommended to) auto-drift, the game will also by default has steering assist to help orient you in the correct direction, and you also can't drive off the track unless you have a Mushroom or are currently invincible. Tilt controls are also an option but I don't personally use them.
Implementing those assists into SRB2Kart wouldn't necessarily require changing the map layouts, but it would require going through and adding barriers with a distinction between on-road and off-road (if such a distinction doesn't already exist – it's been almost a decade since I've done mapping for Kart) for the huge amount of courses the game currently comes with, and crucially, it would require significant changes to the user interface/user experience both in-race and in the menus to make it more touch friendly, something that not even regular SRB2's mobile port has really nailed down at the moment.
Is any of this impossible? No, it's just a monumental task to do in one's spare time, and something that would have to be factored in to the game's development to really be viable.