Penumbra App

**thelonepiper** · 04-13-2009, 01:03 AM

There really should be a Penumbra application for the iPod/iPhone. It would be really fun to play these games wherever I am at any time. Not enough people know about the series, and in my opinion, that's really sad. If there was an app, then lots of people would quickly become fans of the game. Plus, I can imagine developers having fun utilizing the accelerometers in the iPod/iPhone.

**WindexGlow** · 04-13-2009, 04:17 AM

I think penumbra should be released for the wii, ps3, and xbox360.
It should also have a holiday where giant tuurngait floats are used in the parades.

**Yuhaney** · 04-13-2009, 02:06 PM

Penumbra on iPhone? Don't get me wrong, but how's that gonna work?
First, you'll have to grap a barrel and then move forward and at last, throw the whole thing...
Not gonna work with one screen.

Idea is good though...

**eliasfrost** · 04-13-2009, 03:38 PM

I agree with Scraper. That and the fact that the scaryness would be killed.

**Klayman** · 04-13-2009, 06:23 PM

This will help to advertise the game but that doesn't mean that people will gona like it. I don't have Ipod or Iphone but I think making Penumbra for them to be similar that on PC is impossible. Even with simple graphics.
+ It is too much work for the bit of money they get from it... I think

**Yuhaney** · 04-13-2009, 07:55 PM

(04-13-2009, 03:38 PM)nackidno Wrote: I agree with Scraper. That and the fact that the scaryness would be killed.

Yeah, that too.

And what Klayman said about graphics, that's true too.

**Kedjane** · 04-14-2009, 10:24 PM

A Penumbra for iPhone would probably be awesome. Could be, at least.

The main problem would be that I don't think the team doesn't have the time or resources to develop it right now, but they probably could get right on it after the release of Lux Tenebras. Developing an iPhone game doesn't take that much effort (depends on how good you want it to be, naturally), on another forum I'm visiting frequently a guy has been developing his own iPhone game for about a month or two and it's coming along rather nicely. iPhone games have recently skyrocketed in popularity and quality, it began about december last year and since there has been tons of great fun titles with 50+ hours gameplay, further replayability beyond that and such while costing only 7-45 swedish kronor (1-5$ I think).
Releasing a Penumbra app could be a great way to advertise the rest of the series (perhaps through a "Visit Frictional Games" button on the main menu) and if the game itself is good it could become popular through recommendation and positive reviews by Penumbra fans not to mention I've heard the sales for the games that make it onto the top lists are quite amazing. I don't know how much profit there would be, but I'm sure it would be more than the cost of making the game.

However it would ofcourse not be able to be a direct port keeping the 3D environments and puzzles (the problems would probably be the controls physics rather than the graphics though). A live action game like Hysteria Project, but perhaps with limited time for the choices, clicking objects on the ingame screen instead of text bars appearing in a "choice screen", more puzzles or some other neat feature to keep it fresh. When I saw Hysteria Project pretty much the first thing I thought was Penumbra. Making a live action game only really requires a video camera (the quality doesn't even have to be that great considering the size of the iPhone screen), some post-processing program for making the image look less home-video and pretty basic programming skills.
Other than that they could make it a third person isometric view puzzle/action game like Imprisoned! or whatever (just an example, I haven't played it and each area looks very small) where you walk around in the Shelter or whereever Lux Tenebras might be set. Walking around, finding keys for locked doors, solving simple puzzles, perhaps hitting/shooting some sort of enemy every now and then. Tap to walk/use/pick up/attack, tap a menu button to bring up the inventory/menu), perhaps use the accelerometer in some puzzle.
There's lots of ways they could make it, don't know which one is the best but I know at least I'd buy a Penumbra app.

**graykin** · 04-14-2009, 11:31 PM

Well, they made a Flash game based on Portal. Maybe someone could do the same thing with Penumbra, since I'm not entirely sure an IPhone thing would be plausible. Yet again, a Flash Penumbra doesn't seem too plausible either...

**dragonmaster** · 04-15-2009, 05:28 AM

It would be a cool idea, but i don't think the iPhone and iPod touch will be able to handle Penumbra for a long time. Even my old Powermac G5 could barely handle it at all.

**Kedjane** · 04-15-2009, 02:01 PM

(04-14-2009, 11:31 PM)graykin Wrote: Well, they made a Flash game based on Portal. Maybe someone could do the same thing with Penumbra, since I'm not entirely sure an IPhone thing would be plausible. Yet again, a Flash Penumbra doesn't seem too plausible either...

Frictional Made a flash game based on Portal? If we're thinking about the same one... really?

(04-15-2009, 05:28 AM)dragonmaster Wrote: It would be a cool idea, but i don't think the iPhone and iPod touch will be able to handle Penumbra for a long time. Even my old Powermac G5 could barely handle it at all.

The actual thing, no, but have you seen Cube for iPhone? Now that game has 3D graphics. Also preview shots of Dexter The Game and Assassin's Creed for iPhone look great. If a Penumbra game was released with that kind of graphics I'd be happy about it.
Gameplay could look like Dementium for the DS (although the iPhone can handle way better graphics):
[Image: screenshots_dementium.jpg]