Blizzard Investigating World of Warcraft for iPad
Blizzard is looking into bringing its games to Apple's iOs platform.
Blizzard's Greg Street recently told Eurogamer that the company was currently looking into the potential for MMO gaming on Apple's iOS.
A similar statement was made earlier this year about bringing Diablo 3 to the current crop of consoles. Eventually Blizzard began hiring console developers for the upcoming hack-n-slash title slated for a Q4 2011 release. That said, does that mean Blizzard plans to do the same with iOS?
"Everyone I know here has an iPhone or an iPad so we're huge fans of the hardware," he said. "If we could make the right game changes to make that work, it's something we'd be interested in. It's not something you're going to see in the next week or two, but it's the kind of thing we're always looking at."
As with recent talk about porting the MMORPG to the consoles, the biggest issue in the PC-to-console transition would be in the controls. It's bad enough that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 aren't well-equipped to receive mouse and keyboard input (although the PS3 is capable), the iPad 2 doesn't even come close to a PC-like environment.
"That's a really big topic," he admitted. "The one [issue] that comes to mind is that WOW is designed for use of a mouse and a keyboard and we haven't yet seen a console solution that lets us replicate it easily. I suspect that we would also want to own a lot more of the back-end than most console companies would be willing to let us have. Right now we're being pretty successful just supporting the PC and Macintosh. We'd love to do it if it ever made sense - I'm sure we would."
Bringing World of Warcraft to the iPad could mean using an optimized, scaled-down version with lower-resolution graphics in order to fit within the limited mobile hardware environment. This may also mean that the MMORPG would require its own servers to keep the gameplay experience even. Then again, David Perry has already proven that World of Warcraft can be streamed inside an Internet browser using his Gaikai service. The issue with controls still resides, but at least the game's visual quality and performance isn't compromised.
As for an iPad specific World of Warcraft client, currently the only natural means of input would be through a Bluetooth keyboard. So far Bluetooth mice aren't available for the tablet.
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Trust me, you need a physical keyboard and mouse to play wow effectively.
we need to save the World......of Warcraft
I wonder if this is successful, how likely it would be for Blizzard to publish other titles (starcraft 2) to play via cordless mice/keyboard of course...an minimal settings. I don't think i would Jump on right away, but i would definitely be interested - especially as iPad capabilities to connect to TVs (for travel) evolves...
Aha! That explains it.
WoW = crappy game that has lots of followers.
i[product] = crappy hardware that has lots of followers.
It all makes sense now.
I'm glad I don't play WoW anymore...although I would have just added another note into the guild app section "must play on pc with keyboard/mouse"
With the next generation of hardware they probably could run WoW on a portable device. Mind you it is a 6 year old game. The control scheme would suck, but maybe not too terribly as with the touch screen you could directly hit the action bar. It could work.
Tablets as they are currently are a fad, and the iFad is just that as well. Apple is selling millions of these intentionally limited pieces of garbage, because people don't shop the competition. My windows tablet (Acer W500)runs circles around the iPad in every department except battery life, I only get 5 hours of video playback on a charge.
It may not have access to the iTunes crap store, but it does have the ability to run pretty much everything useful or entertaining ever made courtesy of Windows. It can use a keyboard and mouse, it has expandable storage, and HDMI output, it has everything you would expect a real computer to have because its a real computer.
/flame on apple lovers, defend your crippled device
With the next generation of hardware they probably could run WoW on a portable device. Mind you it is a 6 year old game. The control scheme would suck, but maybe not too terribly as with the touch screen you could directly hit the action bar. It could work.
Gives a whole new meaning to the term "clickers". XD
I'm facerolling my pali. Literally.
Tablets as they are currently are a fad, and the iFad is just that as well. Apple is selling millions of these intentionally limited pieces of garbage, because people don't shop the competition. My windows tablet (Acer W500)runs circles around the iPad in every department except battery life, I only get 5 hours of video playback on a charge.
Tablets are the future and are here to stay. Traditional OS like windows and linux are designed with a computer user mindset for work.
Hate apple as much as you want to, but they change the game when they design the iOS for the computer illiterate.
I spend years trying to teach my mother how to read email on a normal computer and failed for two reasons. 1. She can't hold the mouse still and click at the same time, and 2. She can't remember the steps.
With the iPad she can since it's 1 step and she doesn't have to fight with the mouse to click on anything.
Tablets are the future and are here to stay... With the iPad she can since it's 1 step and she doesn't have to fight with the mouse to click on anything.
You are correct Tablets are here to stay, but not in the form of an iPad. One you use a W500 or 110W you will know why I say this, and when the next version of windows is released this will become even more true.
I guess touching the "Outlook" button on a windows tablet is too much work, its much easier for mom to touch the "MobileMe" button.
The fact that they are Apple fans explains why the game has been dumbed down so much...
To chime my 2 copper
I've done WOW over iphone using VNC, the game has an option of "click to move" where you click the the field and your character moves to that spot (its how botters code). Course was down to a staggering 2fps and the interface was pretty much useless.
WOW on ipad is possible. Look at Order and Chaos. They copied everything from WOW, down to the character models and made an android game... Perhaps blizzard can copy their UI?
I can't help but imagine a few new YouTube videos starring idiots playing WOW and walking at the same time, ala Woman Falls into Fountain at Mall
I knew it. The only reason to make the sub-85 game easy enough to beat everything with one or two buttons is if you want people to be able to do it on a mobile device while only using only one or two buttons.
What I don't understand is what's the lure of playing World of Warcraft or any other PC game in your iPad if you have to sit down, place it on a desk, and use a keyboard and mouse? Does that not defeat what the iPad is supposed to do? Why not simply use a laptop or desktop?
neverdyne +100
I am still in awe with the amount of people that sit in the same room as a PC/Laptop/'Mac derivative' playing with their iPads...
It takes special effort to compromise WoW's visual quality and performance.
Just watch the iOS players become an easy target for raids.
uhh just to point this out put it was already done on an iphone the app was called everyair look it up on youtube it was a remote desktop app
Trust me, you need a physical keyboard and mouse to play wow effectively.
What do you call someone on an iPad who keypad turns? lol.....
My windows tablet (Acer W500) runs circles around the iPad in every department except battery life
There you go... another fan boy praising another Steve...
you will know why I say this, and when the next version of windows is released this will become even more true.
I've heard this since Windows 3.11 and I'm really glad I no longer have to listen... now I can choose something else. M$ is no longer getting a single euro from me.
I think a good way they can make the controls work is use the tilt feature of the iPad to move, like tilting it toward you makes you walk backward, tilting it forward makes you walk forward, side to side is strafing. Then place all the moves on either side, so you can press them with your thumbs. Easy classes such as DK's and Pallys could use this easily.
Im wondering if WoW will have such a strong impact in the later ages. I mean, 99+% of the games have a rather short lifespan, but even the long ones eventually fade... and this one you pay for
.
Providers are going to love this... all that data addicted iphone WOW players will have to buy...
Tablets are the future and are here to stay. Traditional OS like windows and linux are designed with a computer user mindset for work.Hate apple as much as you want to, but they change the game when they design the iOS for the computer illiterate. I spend years trying to teach my mother how to read email on a normal computer and failed for two reasons. 1. She can't hold the mouse still and click at the same time, and 2. She can't remember the steps.With the iPad she can since it's 1 step and she doesn't have to fight with the mouse to click on anything.
The solution is a separation of the new and old users. We keep the internet and you newfags stick to facebook. How about that?
The fact that they are Apple fans explains why the game has been dumbed down so much...
No. The company was bought by Activi$ion... Do you follow the news?
I'm glad I don't play that game...
I know how I am.. It would consume my life.
I'l wait for Diablo 3 for that to happen.
Actually games like wow which ties action to keystroke such as 12345 etc can indeed be implemented via a touch interface. Consider the right side of the tablet is an input interface, which is gesture based: for example:
1. left to right diagonal downward
2. left to right diagonal upward
3. right to left diagonal downward
4. right to left diagonal upward
There will be 4 separate actions. If you add even more gesture like circle, half circle, middle left to right, middle right to left etc there will be even more gesture types. Or even invoke multi touch like combining two figures, hold on left, and diagonal left to right downward etc.
To make even more gestures, partition the tablet area to upper-right, middle-right, lower-right and accept bind those gestures into those areas to different commands.
Then there is the movement problem. Once again, multi touch gesture should be used and the left side of the tablet can be reserved for that. Implement some gesture to move forward, backward, turn left, turn right, strifle etc.
The middle part of the tablet can be used to implement simple, most commonly used command, such as single tap to execute a single command.
This will mean though, you have to put down the tablet on a surface in order to really execute movement and other command at the same time. Make the touch interface input area customizable on any part of the tablet to suit user preference as well.
Actually games like wow which ties action to keystroke such as 12345 etc can indeed be implemented via a touch interface. Consider the right side of the tablet is an input interface, which is gesture based: for example:1. left to right diagonal downward2. left to right diagonal upward3. right to left diagonal downward4. right to left diagonal upwardThere will be 4 separate actions. If you add even more gesture like circle, half circle, middle left to right, middle right to left etc there will be even more gesture types. Or even invoke multi touch like combining two figures, hold on left, and diagonal left to right downward etc.To make even more gestures, partition the tablet area to upper-right, middle-right, lower-right and accept bind those gestures into those areas to different commands.Then there is the movement problem. Once again, multi touch gesture should be used and the left side of the tablet can be reserved for that. Implement some gesture to move forward, backward, turn left, turn right, strifle etc.The middle part of the tablet can be used to implement simple, most commonly used command, such as single tap to execute a single command.This will mean though, you have to put down the tablet on a surface in order to really execute movement and other command at the same time. Make the touch interface input area customizable on any part of the tablet to suit user preference as well.
There is no way in hell you could raid or PvP seriously on that.
Questing as a Hunter, while you rock and tilt it back and forth - maybe. To actually involve multiple movements, along with attacks and commands? Forget about it. Also, can you imagine making macros and etc based upon tilts? You'd be shaking your iPad like you're trying to abuse your newborn baby.
A device that cannot even display flash properly and an operating system that is notoriously awful for video games of any type. The graphics adapter on the ipads are garbage even for tablets, infact the iphone 4 has a better one but is also garbage. If you want graphics, gaming and the freedom to use your device as you see fit buy a pc, if you want bullshit, itunes, DRM and to be locked out of your own hardware buy an ipad. Pull your heads out of your ass blizzard doing business with apple will cause your employees to commit suicide. Ipads were made for ignorant people and only ignorant people will continue to use them.
Trust me, you need a physical keyboard and mouse to play wow effectively.
Eh, most people I see playing WoW repeatedly slam '1' over and over...sometimes they'll through a '2' or a '5' or somethin in there. At least this is what I watched as someone played an 'epic raid'.