When it comes to iPad, video games are already flooding the iTunes store. In addition to the 25,000 iPhone and iPod Touch games that are compatible with Apple’s new device, there are already over 800 iPad-specific games that take advantage of the new hardware. Australian game developer Firemint is taking advantage of iPad in a new way by introducing 3D support to its best-selling Flight Control HD game.
While gamers will have to wait until later this year to check out the Nintendo 3DS portable device – which will bring stereoscopic 3D gaming to the masses minus any glasses – Firemint’s game offers a 3D level that can be played with any Anaglyph glasses (those are the red and blue ones that come packed in with games like Disney Interactive Studios’ Toy Story Midway Mania and G-Force).
"There has been a lot of activity around new 3D technology recently, with the releases of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland and the announcement of new 3D TVs on the horizon,” said Robert Murray, CEO of Firemint. “We wanted to play with that a bit, which is what the 3D map in Flight Control HD is all about, just a bit of fun. The Flight Control world is set in the golden era of flight, it's got a pop culture retro aesthetic to it. The idea of red/cyan 3D just seemed like a wonderfully retro interpretation of modern 3D technology, it suits Flight Control very nicely.”
Murray’s not sure where the idea came from initially. The team’s art director built a 3D mockup of Flight Control one day.
“We already had the glasses in the studio due to previous experiments,” added Murray. “When we saw the 3D mockup of Flight Control we all thought it was really fun, so we added it into the game. We don't expect people to play the game in 3D very seriously, it is more of a gimmick than anything else and that's why we don't mention it in the description on the App Store. It's a little surprise to discover, I think people who have the glasses will take a look at it, be amused and maybe somewhat inspired by the potential, but they won't predominantly play the game that way, it's just a cool bonus."
The 3D map works by creating a stereoscopic effect from two superimposed but offset color layers, when viewed with inexpensive red/cyan anaglyph glasses such as the ones available from amazon.com for about a dollar a pair. 3D has taken center stage in Hollywood recently with all the box office success. That has begun trickling over to video games, as the upcoming 3D Gaming Summit April 21-22 at the Universal City Hilton shows. Avatar’s Jon Landau and Resident Evil: Afterlife director Paul W.S. Anderson are keynoting that summit, which is being sponsored by Sony Computer Entertainment America, NVIDIA, Panasonic, RealD and others.
Firemint’s Flight Control HD currently holds the No. 4 slot in the top paid iPad games on iTunes.com. Firemint’s Real Racing HD, its second iPad-specific offering, is in the pole position on that chart. Murray said Real Racing HD is also the top-grossing game for iPad since launch.
“It's an incredible result for us as an independent medium-sized studio,” said Murray. “We bet big on Apple's iPad by developing new features and content for both games, and creating worthy showpieces for a beautiful device. It's a fantastic feeling to see that leap of faith being rewarded by iPad owners who are embracing our games.”
Murray added that both iPad games sold a small number of copies before iPad was available in stores, as well as selling in countries other than the U.S.
2 Comments
April 8, 2010
I feel very delighted to know that Flight Control HD is live in the App Store right now, and on everyone's iPad this weekend.But I would like to know in this all new iPads have Flight Control?If this is so then what's the point of having it in the App Store?
ds r4
April 9, 2010
it's AVAILABLE to everyone, it doesn't come with the iPad.