Status on the iPad game?

[Lützow]

ORIGINAL: Iain McNeil

The PVR texture compression on iPad reduces files sizes about 80% with generally no noticeable loss in quality for most art. For some areas where it was noticeable we left the uncompressed versions.

You can play any scenario from the base game or AK or AC by selecting the scenario tab at the top right on the new game screen.

Can we have lower graphics compression as an option with the next update? The newer generations of iPads shouldn't struggle here.

Like now it looks a bit blurred to me.

[Rudankort]

ORIGINAL: Lützow

Can we have lower graphics compression as an option with the next update? The newer generations of iPads shouldn't struggle here.

Like now it looks a bit blurred to me.

Does the map with units look blurred as well (on max zoom out), or only the UI?

[Lützow]

Map and units look blurred as well. In particular Allied defenders are hardly to distinguish from city graphics.

[Missouri_Rebel]

ORIGINAL: Lützow

Map and units look blurred as well. In particular Allied defenders are hardly to distinguish from city graphics.

That's a shame. Can you post some pics? Are you comparing this to the PC game? To me the biggest drawback to iOS gaming is the stranglehold on any options or mods. Maybe I'm wrong but it just seems so restrictive.

I own an ipad second gen but would love to have a computer in tablet form that acted as such. Are the windows tabs like that where you can digitally install games and apps like you can a laptop? I like the portability of the ipad but dislike the constraints how proprietary they are.

[Lützow]

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel


That's a shame. Can you post some pics?

Well, there is no screenshot option afaik and making pics with another cam won't give the right impression, I'd suppose. Playing on a 3rd gen iPad with retina display the zoomed view looks blurred. That's no show stopper but something which might by improved by lowering the compression rate.

I dunno why they even used an 80% compression, just could imagine it was for performance reasons.

[Rudankort]

80% is just a general figure for PVR, nobody measured exact rate for PzC, but we used the highest quality preset when converting, and I'm pretty sure compression rate is much lower than that.

When fully zommed in on Retina, all graphics is upscaled by a factor of two. That might explain why it looks blurry to you. When fully zoomed out, the graphics is shown pixel-by-pixel, and it looks very crisp on my iPad 3. No more blurry than on the PC.

[Lützow]

Rudankort,

as a web developer I'm familiar with device-pixel-ratios and understand why it looks blurred in zoomed out view on retina display. However, that was not my point. [;)]

My request is rather about how to improve this. From development side it shouldn't be too much work to either lower the compression or offer a second set of sprites. Given that PzC has a rather small size of just 635 MB, this would be still bearable

[Missouri_Rebel]

ORIGINAL: Lützow

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel


That's a shame. Can you post some pics?

Well, there is no screenshot option afaik and making pics with another cam won't give the right impression, I'd suppose. Playing on a 3rd gen iPad with retina display the zoomed view looks blurred. That's no show stopper but something which might by improved by lowering the compression rate.

I dunno why they even used an 80% compression, just could imagine it was for performance reasons.

Actually if you press the button on the top and bottom of the ipad it captures the screen.

[Rudankort]

As I said above, lowering compression is not really an option, bause we are already using the highest quality preset. However, providing an alternative set of sprites is not a problem. If there is a demand for such a feature, we'll certainly consider it. We'll be watching out for feedback.

[rodney727]

Hit home button and on/off switch that would take a pic of what you are playing. It would capture to the last pixel what you are playing

ORIGINAL: Lützow

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel


That's a shame. Can you post some pics?

Well, there is no screenshot option afaik and making pics with another cam won't give the right impression, I'd suppose. Playing on a 3rd gen iPad with retina display the zoomed view looks blurred. That's no show stopper but something which might by improved by lowering the compression rate.

I dunno why they even used an 80% compression, just could imagine it was for performance reasons.

[Lützow]

Ok, let's see how it works. Made a screenshot on iPad in zoomed view and a crop with Photoshop on my Mac afterwards.

[Lützow]

ORIGINAL: Rudankort

As I said above, lowering compression is not really an option, bause we are already using the highest quality preset. However, providing an alternative set of sprites is not a problem. If there is a demand for such a feature, we'll certainly consider it. We'll be watching out for feedback.

That would be nice. Just double resolution for retina. I'd would be even willing to pay for it as DLC.

[Missouri_Rebel]

I think the game looks quite a bit better than that pic above Lutzow. Enlarging it doesnt give an accurate representation on what is seen on the ipad screen. Although my second gen would probably stutter with too much of an improved size, an option for those with newer versions would be great and maybe something to help display the units in cities a little more clearly.

[Rudankort]

ORIGINAL: Lützow

That would be nice. Just double resolution for retina. I'd would be even willing to pay for it as DLC.

Now I'm completely confused. I thought above you were talking about using uncompressed graphics. Now you suggest to redo all units and tiles in double resolution?

[IainMcNeil]

Yes as Alex says this is not a blurriness or compression issue. You are asking for all the graphics to be doubled in size so that when fully zoomed in you get a 1 to 1 pixel ration on iPad. The images above are exactly as you would see them on PC if you took a screenshot and doubled the resolution. It is not a loss in quality or blurriness.

To get this 1 to 1 pixel density on iPad would increase the graphics memory a factor of 4 and unfortunately be impossible as the iPad simply doesn't have enough memory. It took months of effort to bring the game down to the point it would work on the iPad as it is It would also increase load times a factor of 4 and reduce performance throughout the game. Plus it would mean redoing all of the art for the game at 2 times the resolution which would be probably take around a year!

So while what you're suggesting would be nice its completely impossible for a variety of reasons