How Microsoft can save Xbox games for Windows Phone: Part 5

Xbox for Windows Phone is a key selling point for gamers, but the implementation leaves much to be desired. This editorial series has covered a lot of ground so far, including the need for streamlining the Xbox Live certification process, Microsoft's failure to appreciate the importance of Xbox to Windows Phone, the demand for multiplatform game engine support, and the need for better PR and a download code system.

This week we tackle software and online features that Xbox Windows Telephone badly needs.

Gamers must exist able to back up and restore their save data.

Xbox 360 relieve data tin be copied, retained, and restored. Why not Windows Telephone likewise?

Call back how the inability to dorsum up and redownload delisted games undermines users' ownership of their games? Much similar that, Windows Phone gives users admittedly no style to support or restore their games' save data. If you switch phones or even only delete a game for space, your salvage file will exist completely inaccessible on the new device or later redownloading the game. Information technology's like that data never belonged to you.

The lack of save file exporting is problematic with all games, just especially Xbox Live ones. Some games are just really long – I've put 70 hours into Final Fantasy and nevertheless haven't quite completed it. Other games require excessive grinding for their Achievements: Carcassonne, Angry Birds Space, and Flight Control Rocket are all fine games just immense time sinks for Accomplishment hunters. Some players just don't desire to brand that time commitment when they tin can't exist assured of retaining their relieve files through thick and thin.

This tin be easily fixed by creating a partition on the phone'due south storage for game save data and then requiring all new games to store their saves in that sectionalization. Deleting a game would not delete its data inside the partition. Instead, users would be able to manually browse, delete, and copy this data at volition -  only as they can on the Xbox 360 and many other platforms. Being able to copy save data could potentially lead to the unscrupulous unlocking of Achievements, but tying the data to the owner's Gamertag (as with Xbox 360) would prevent such adulterous.

Update: My Samsung Focus died, causing me to lose that 70+ hour Last Fantasy save forever. How frustrating.

Cloud saving should be mandatory in all Xbox games.

Skulls of the Shogun's cloud support is an exception rather than the rule.

Y'all probable wouldn't know information technology from looking at the Xbox Windows Phone game lineup, simply the platform already has a expert solution that allows users to access their data from any device: cloud saving. Storing a copy of the user's local save data on the cloud and then restoring that copy when local data can't be plant easily solves the trouble of save file volatility. A handful of games already use deject saving: the Game Room titles, Total House Poker, Gun Bros (poorly), Wordament, AlphaJax, and Skulls of the Shogun. I might've missed a few, only that's approximately nine games out of a lineup over 150 titles strong.

Cloud saving has actually been bachelor to Windows Phone developers since 2022. The Build Conference in 2022 and 2022 had sessions chosen Championship Managed Storage dedicated to didactics developers almost Xbox Live'due south cloud features. Every Xbox game, whether on Xbox 360, Windows Telephone, PC, or fifty-fifty (argh) iOS has admission to both a read-but storage area (good for quickly changing variables without going through a title update) and per-user area for saving players' data.

Taking advantage of that per-user data is really very footling work for developers, so why don't more than Xbox Windows Phone games practice just that? Information technology can but be one of two things: developers either don't know they have cloud access or they don't realize that save data retention is a serious problem on Windows Phone. Either way, Microsoft can solve the trouble by but making cloud save back up a requirement for developers instead of an choice. Games already undergoing certification would demand to be exempted, but over fourth dimension a cloud salve mandate would profoundly benefit all mobile Xbox gamers.

Xbox games need global leaderboards.

I've got Windows Phone friends, but people who don't would see a blank Leaderboard in games similar Zuma'southward Revenge.

A leaderboard is a score nautical chart, much like you'd run across between play sessions in an actual arcade game. The appeal of Xbox Alive'southward online leaderboards is that gamers can compare their operation against other players on a worldwide scale. Every decent online leaderboard also allows results to exist filtered to testify only scores belonging to the user'southward friends.

When a player get-go buys a Windows Phone device, starts upwards an Xbox Live game, and looks at the in-game leaderboard, he or she is likely to see a completely blank leaderboard. That doesn't hateful nobody else plays that game. Instead, it reveals a huge trouble with leaderboards in Xbox Windows Phone games: they're friends-simply.

When developing the Xbox Live APIs (application programming interfaces) for Windows Telephone, Microsoft patently plum forgot to create an API for global leaderboards. In that location is literally no way for game developers to provide an extensive leaderboard inside the Xbox Windows Phone system. Okay, there are actually a handful of exceptions: the Game Room titles, Full House Poker, Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp, and Wordament all take global leaderboards because they connect to special servers that are attainable from all platforms.

But other games don't become that special server access, and so their leaderboards are restricted to users' friends lists. If you don't have any Windows Phone Xbox Live friends or none of those friends ain a particular game, y'all won't have anyone to compare your scores and progress with. A global leaderboard API would be easy to create (they already exist on Xbox 360 subsequently all). Microsoft needs to prepare 1 and make it mandatory, merely like it is with Xbox 360 games. But then volition Xbox-enabled leaderboards really become useful to all Windows Phone gamers.

Xbox Live messaging lags inexplicably behind the Xbox 360.

Without a doubt, the Xbox 360 offers the almost advanced peer-to-peer messaging system of any abode panel. Its cross-game voice chat has all the same to exist rivaled by Sony, though that could change with the Playstation 4. Advanced equally the 360's party conversation and messaging systems are, Windows Phone sadly doesn't compare.

Outside of a game, the Games hub and Xbox Live Extras app both allow users to send and receive text messages to other Xbox Alive users, whether they own a console or a phone. That's adept, only Windows Phone inexplicably tin't record or even mind to phonation messages – many 360 owners' preferred form of messaging. Considering the abilities of a smartphone include vocalism recording and downloading audio files, there really is no excuse for voice letters not to be supported.

A few more outside-of-game quibbles: Windows Phone users should be able to toggle push notifications for incoming Xbox Live messages. Sending and receiving Xbox Alive text messages should be almost as fast as SMS text messaging; the current interface is slow and cumbersome. A alive tile that displays the number of unread messages (and subsequent integration with the notification center nosotros all hope for) also makes perfect sense.

Xbox Windows Telephone needs universal in-game chat and messaging.

AlphaJax allows players to chat with each other. Carcassonne does non.

Considering the scarcity of RAM in some Windows Phones as well as data usage concerns, it'south probably also much to inquire for cross-game vocalism chat similar the 360 enjoys. Just that doesn't mean players shouldn't be able to communicate with friends from inside a game.

Consider the scattering of Windows Phone games with some grade of online multiplayer: Battleship, Pool Pro Online, Carcassonne, Wordament (sort of), AlphaJax, and Skulls of the Shogun. Of those titles, only Pool Pro Online and AlphaJax have an in-game messaging arrangement. If you want to communicate with another actor while engaged in ane of the other games, you lot'll take to use Fast App Switching to enter the Games Hub, send the message, and resume your game. Even then, the recipient won't be notified in-game that he or she has a bulletin. A setup so cumbersome just kills the social aspect of online gaming.

There are two ways to tackle this problem. Microsoft could simply require developers of games with online multiplayer to incorporate a chat interface of some sort. That should be obvious to any game maker, only information technology likewise takes some effort on their office. To ease things, Microsoft could at least provide universal conversation and messaging APIs – whatever it takes to maintain a standard without scaring off developers.

Requiring in-game chat back up is a good start, but it doesn't solve the problem of communicating with someone who is playing a different game. Then let'south take the in-game chat API idea a little further and create a cross-game messenger that users can access from inside whatsoever Xbox Windows Phone title. Basically, this messenger would human action like a slimmed-down version of the Guide button on an Xbox 360 controller. Simply let users send messages and check their messages from within any Xbox game, and all of a sudden you inappreciably even need a game-specific chat interface.

Absolutely, Windows Phone lacks an Xbox-specific button. But Microsoft could either make a long press of the Domicile button actuate the messenger or only require developers to add together it as an option to their games' suspension menus. Either way, Windows Phone would be much closer to replicating the panel's sublime Xbox Alive social features.

Nearing the finish line...

All those online features and nosotros all the same haven't covered the need for ameliorate online play. Come back next week, habitually cool readers, when we'll tackle that subject and more.

If you enjoyed this commodity, please comment on information technology and tweet it to everyone who would benefit from it. These problems won't alter until the right decision-makers realize their importance. Allow'south practice our best to make a difference together!

Oh Dear

New report reveals Microsoft's time to come AR strategy; HoloLens 3 is dead

Business organization Insider has today published a follow-up report with more than details most Microsoft's canceled HoloLens 3 augmented reality headset. The partnership with Samsung is said to include a headset with a gear up of screens inside, powered by a Samsung phone in your pocket.

Keeping it affordable

Review: Surface Laptop SE is the new standard for Yard-eight Windows PCs

Starting at just $250, Microsoft's first foray into affordable laptops for the education market is a winner. With a gorgeous pattern, excellent thermals, and a fantastic typing experience, Microsoft would do right to sell this directly to consumers as well. Permit'south only promise Intel tin make a better CPU.

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-microsoft-can-save-xbox-games-windows-phone-5

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