Gamasutra Member Blogs: From Space Sims To Passing On Android 2

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Member Blogs, our bloggers write about diverse topics, such as the challenges of designing a space sim, passing on Android for other mobile ecosystems, and more.] Member Blogs can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while invitation-only Expert Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- are written by selected development professionals. We hope that our blog sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information, check out the official posting guidelines. This Week's Standout Member Blogs Why Blizzard's New Tradable Store Pet Is No Big Deal (Michael Hahn) Earlier this week, Blizzard introduced a pet guardian cub in World of Warcraft. This pet costs the same as all the other pets, except it's limited to a one-time use and it is Bind on Equip (BoE). Michael Hahn expains why this isn't a cause for alarm. Illyriad: The Journey From Concept to HTML5 (Ben Adams) In this interview, Illyriad CEO James Niesewand about the HTML5 MMORTS Illyriad, from initial concept to release to adoption of HTML5 and continued development -- as well as advice for developers of persistent HTML5 games. Challenges Of Designing A Space Sim (Sean Lindskog) The golden age of big budget space sims is over -- the major publishers that used to make them no longer do. Sean Lindskog says indie/small developers have taken up the slack, though, and have an opportunity to create games for a niche audience without having to compete against big budget studios. Passing on Android (Conrad Kreyling) Conrad Kreyling of independent Unity3D development house Muse Games shares the reasons why his team's decided to forgo Android in favor of what they call "more consistent and controlled mobile ecosystems". Building for Consoles in Unity (Dan Miller-Schroeder) Last week at Unite, the Unity team gave an overview of considerations developers need to take into account when targeting console platforms like XLBA, Wii, PS3, and when using input devices like Kinect. Dan Miller-Schroeder breaks it down for you.