b2720531 wrote:
If the game is freely distributable by the author then what is the problem? The code for the emulator is already open source. What I need is basically a game that would be fun. This way it can be distributed through the app store. There are already some like that out there.
Your use of the term "app store" makes it sound like you're referring to iOS, where you package a game with an emulator that runs only that game. That's fine so long as the game's controls can translate well to pure touch control. An overly literal virtual gamepad, where buttons on screen are mapped directly to game buttons, doesn't work so well because a player concentrating on action in the middle of the screen can't see whether or not his thumbs are lined up over the areas where the emulator will recognize a press. It's not as much of an issue on a physical controller because of tactile feedback: the player can feel the edges of the buttons and directional pad and use that to line his hands up. Even the widely panned Turbo Touch 360 controller had a recessed touch area (for finding the edges) with ridges on the cardinal and diagonal directions, as well as traditional buttons for A, B, Select, and Start. But on a completely flat sheet of glass, the only gestures that a player can reliably do with thumbs without looking are taps and swipes. What sort of virtual D-pad had you planned on including?
Or were you referring to the Mac App Store, where users are expected to plug in a keyboard? Or some non-Apple platform entirely?