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The gaming industry is one of the most popular and fast-growing industries in the world today. Modern technologies including the internet and the latest forms of communication (including 5G) are further booting its growth and prospects. The games can now also be ported so that they can gather even more attention and gain more profits. For instance, many popular games of the past years and decades were released for consoles.
One example is GTA (Grand Theft Auto). Later the game was also launched for personal computers, laptops, and mobile operating systems. Video game porting brought much more profits and popularity to the game. It is one of the leading and most popular games now. Read the article and go through the information given below to find out more about game porting and how it works.
Porting a Game: The Different Stages
Earlier the games were launched in a single format and could not work in other formats. For instance, a game that was developed for a computer could not be played on a gaming console. When a game is ported, it means that its technical specifications are altered so that it is suitable for the other/newer operating systems or formats as well. The porting process is divided into various stages listed and described in the brief below.
1. Planning and Analysis
The original game developer does not work on porting the same game, in many cases. Porting is completed and accomplished by outsourcing software specialists. However, the specialists are not aware of the original architecture of the product and the game.
Hence, they obtain more data and information regarding the game and analyze its different elements. Through the analysis, the specialists can get an idea of what alterations they need to make a game suitable for another format and platform.
2. Coding Architecture
The source code of a game is not only acquired but is also altered in the necessary areas so that the gaming experience can be provided on another platform. However, if the game was originally developed and created in the universal software engine such as “Unreal Engine” or “Unity”. porting becomes easier.
A game that has been developed on a more advanced and bigger engine like Unity can be easily improvised to work on different platforms and operating systems. The best development engines also provide the different tools that are needed for efficient and hassle-free porting of the games.
3. Testing of Games on Another Platform
Testing can find bugs and other kinds of errors that an existing game may have. Sometimes, the specialists may compromise with testing to hasten the process, which is an improper way of doing things. Because it is not the original development team of the game, it is not aware of its different elements and the way it works.
It is the reason many companies may outsource their games to specialized testing services before a game is ported. The performance level and compatibility are also checked and evaluated in detail. The game should provide the same performance and efficiency levels on the other platform as well.
How Does Game Porting Work
As stated, the different gaming platforms and devices possess unique characteristics. The specialist has to carefully evaluate the features before they can port a game to a Nintendo Switch or PC, among other platforms.
Porting the Game to a PC Platform
Many games were released earlier for the consoles and Play Stations only and could not be played on computers and laptops. One such highly popular game was Half-Life. However, Half-Life along with many other games was ported later and could be played on personal computers as well. Many gaming lovers also switched to computers from PlayStations to enjoy their popular games.
A console game is controlled and played typically through a gaming pad. However, games on computers are controlled through the mouse and the keyboard. These and many other settings are updated to ensure that gamers have a smooth experience of gaming on a new platform.
Porting a Game to Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch has become quite popular as it offers many features like the costlier Xbox and the PS, albeit at a much lesser cost. Because Nintendo Switch was purchased by more people due to its affordability, the gaming companies also decided to port their games to the new platform to gain greater popularity and revenue. Some of the most popular games that were ported to Nintendo Switch include Diablo, Alien, and Doom.
Porting requires the specialist’s attention to elements including control settings and features of the user interface. Another essential element of porting to the Nintendo Switch is the resolution settings. As you may be aware, the Nintendo Switch allows connections to different monitors and screens.
Therefore, the specialist will have to ensure that the resolution of the images and graphics is of excellent quality when ported. There should also be an appropriate balance between the different elements of the game, including its performance and visuals.
Porting a Game to Android/iOS
The process through which a game can be ported to an iOS or Android platform is the most elaborate and time taking. The code must be written in unique programming languages as each of the operating systems has different programs. Furthermore, smartphone games operate through sensors and there are no buttons.
These features are to be accommodated in ported games as well. Smartphones require graphics of lower level, and which have enough simplicity to accustom themselves to lower capacity. Likewise, other gaming elements including visuals, image resolution, and performance are to be adapted as well for the new platform.
Important Tips for Game Porting
It is important that the game created can be easily accustomed to the different operating systems and formats. Below are some important tips that can be used for creating more versatile games that can be easily ported.
- Creating versatile and sustainable codes.
- Modernizing the gaming controls.
- Attention to aspects including visuals and performance.
- Running multiple bug and security tests.
- Updating the gaming engines timely to their latest SDK version
Conclusion
Porting a game can ensure that an old and popular gain can be revived and can reach out to many more audiences and gamers. It can improve the revenues of game developers and gaming companies as well. You can always contact the specialists to effectively code your game and make it available on all kinds of platforms including consoles, IOS, Android, computers, and Nintendo Switch, among others.
Bio:
Yuriy Denisyuk is Game Production Lead at Pingle Studio. He’s responsible for successfully managing the Game Production pipeline. Yuriy is this lucky person who plays the best games for work in order to keep up with trends and create new ones. He likes writing, reading Manga, fantasy, and professional literature in his free time.