I think you're confusing two different issues. Whether or not the beta can be made available on the Amazon Marketplace, and whether or not the final version can be are separate problems. Amazon provides no system for beta testing, so you may be left out of the beta. That doesn't mean you'll be left out of the final release. It's entirely possible they could release on the Amazon app store as well. I would imagine that depends most on their contracts, rather than technical stuff.
Unfortunately they are the same issue.. I just expressed both near term and long term concerns together and made a plea to consider we Kindle Fire users.
I have been active since the first grouping of Community Beta tests for Android as a beta tester.. and that was due to the availability of the testing app on Amazon. With a move to Google Play I no longer have that opportunity.
I don't know how many Kindle Fire users are represented within the sample, or how much general interest there is for the platform as a development target. The platform and store that makes Beamdog the best profit is obviously the priority.
I want Beamdog to complete the Droid port regardless of the availability on Amazon's store. I was just taking the opportunity to share my perspective as a Kindle user. I am fortunate in that I have multiple Android tablets in my home that ultimately I could play this on. The Kindle Fire however is the one I prefer.
@LrdApoc I don't think Overhaul has much choice about the change to Google Play beta system, because Testflight (the current beta system) is removing support for Android very shortly. If Overhaul doesn't move to GP before that happens, then no one will be testing Android at all.
There are other possibilities for Android beta testing systems, though I personally have no experience with any of them so I can't say how they compare etc.
Wow someone with 2 brain cells. People are actually "sheeple" mate. This has been pushed back so many times for so many reasons i lost count. This forum post on "how do you droid" is obviously an attempt to divert attention from the fact they pushed it back again.
Our next step is to move over to the Google Play Store. We've been working to make sure that everything still works with the new distribution channel. A few things have been revealed that we're working to remedy, and we're also looking for a way to extend the demo to give people a little more freedom to play around.
Also remember that the 1.3 patch is for Android as well; there are things in it that are specifically targeted toward tablets, and we need to make sure they don't break anything on the existing platforms. It's all connected, I promise you.
At this point, I would be willing to go down a "steam greenlight" type of road. The only thing I really care about is save files. I'll play a buggy BGEE (which relative to gemrb, will feel bug free) as long as save files aren't inadvertently corrupted.
I'd even play that Kangaxx bugged game where he spawns everywhere.
Yeah it sucks that we've been waiting for close to two years for the Android port, that development stretched out first because Beamdog wanted to make it available for as broad a selection of Android devices as possible and the folder structure was less straightforward than other platforms, then because of legal wranglings over the ownership of the Baldurs Gate brand, then further still due to contractual obligations to release BG2. Things got better for us in January as we got the beta but things have slowed down again as Beamdog have focused on 1.3 while they work on transferring beta system from (the now defunct) Testflight Android testing platform over to the Google Play platform. Despite all the waiting I would still rather continue to wait for Beamdog to get it right and then release than see the game inadequately tested and hit some game-breaking bug then be forced to wait again for it to be patched.
Granted, Beamdog could have pushed on with Android beta testing, attempting to reach a point where they could have comfortably released BG before the Testflight cutoff (while ignoring the demands of customers who have already paid for the game), but that could well have resulted in a rush job where some bugs had been missed in order to hit the deadline and rush jobs are rarely good jobs.
If we got to the Testflight cutoff and Beamdog couldn't comfortably release our port then we would have to wait while they moved testing over to the Play store and we'd see similar grumblings to those seen in the "Regarding Android" thread that ran over Christmas where people complaied about Beamdog failing to do what they hoped to do (that's "hoped" not "promised").
To sum up I would much rather wait and see the Android port done "right" than done "now".
Definitely agree that waiting for a game to be done right is better - see for example Stick of Truth.
At this point, though, I've been waiting so long for BG:EE on Android that I'll probably skip it and wait for BG2:EE. Better game, and I honestly don't know if I can face Candlekeep again :-p
I would just like to know how we went from: "We don't have hard dates for other than PC. Mac, iPad, Android are all the 15th or later. We hope to have all done before Christmas." -Trent 9:50 PM - 12 Nov 2013 To the later half of March trying to find a new home for testing the app.
I have been paying close attention to the game since before I knew it was going to be an android release. Going back a few years ago when BGEE was just a count down timer on a website. When I found out BG was coming for Android it was like prayers had been answered. Now I just feel like I am being toyed with.
Guys, relax, things take time. They're working on multiple fronts to update and publish software, which is a much more complex thing than it sounds on the surface.
Yeah, I feel as if people forget that beamdog isn't a big software company with hundreds of employees, I'm sure they're all working as hard as they can on this, but good things take time.
Guys, relax, things take time. They're working on multiple fronts to update and publish software, which is a much more complex thing than it sounds on the surface.
I understand that things take time. I want to see the job done right. Also, the reality is they never made any promises about when it would be released. Beamdog has just done a disappointing job of managing their customer's expectations while making it abundantly clear that android is at the bottom of their priority list. It seems like they take the android team off of android to work on theother platforms and updates but even when BGIIee was released it didnot seem like more than 1 or 2 people were ever working on android.
Don't get me wrong I am going to buy the game and Iam sure it will be great. I want to give them my money right now. It is just disapointing the way it was handled.
I am a little surprised by the apparent priorities of beamdog, I mean an Android release is a cash cow... I would have thought pushing out a stable release with future over the air updates would be the order of things, I mean they could use all those android purchases to hire some staff to work on the patches or their new products.
There is no real money in a patch, pushing 1.3 out early doesn't really help the business.
I have to say that this is among the most civil complaining I've seen on the Internet. Doubly so when one considers how many delays the android port has seen. Such is the strength of the (forthcoming) product.
Guys, relax, things take time. They're working on multiple fronts to update and publish software, which is a much more complex thing than it sounds on the surface.
Yes, well on the front of this page it says "Android: Coming soon". It doesn't say "Android: 'Tis com-pli-cat-ed". If it did, we would perhaps adjust our expectations accordingly
I'm dissapointed that this takes so long, and atm I don't really know what to expect anymore. I will of course buy the game when it is released, and I do appreciate the work they put into this, but communication has not been working well (in my opinion).
Yes, well on the front of this page it says "Android: Coming soon". It doesn't say "Android: 'Tis com-pli-cat-ed". If it did, we would perhaps adjust our expectations accordingly
I'm dissapointed that this takes so long, and atm I don't really know what to expect anymore. I will of course buy the game when it is released, and I do appreciate the work they put into this, but communication has not been working well (in my opinion).
Ive been testing the beta, release 1 was good, by the 4th release it was excellent, im sure there were bugs, (1 I know of was slow down on Nexus 10's), but I think it was releasable with patched to fix as and when thy boiled up.
All I can say whn it is released it will be fantastic, Ive played it on -
Kurio Kids Tablet (worked ok but slow, but then I expected it to be unplayable on this)
Nexus 10 - Worked great till last patch, but it was still playable
Nexus 7 - 1st patch had slowdowns with some spells, after that its literally flew
Hudl (Tesco) - Played brilliantly, I couldn't believe how well it worked on a slightly under-powered tablet as the game ran it so well
Samsung Glaxy S3 - Played brilliantly so much my mate who has the iPad version is going to buy it again on android when it coms out so he can play it on his S4
all I can say is yes im totally depressed its not been released yet, but it will be BRILLIANT when it is available...
You know what? I feel bad for the person doing the Android coding. Not because it's Android; just because they've been stuck staring at the same (general) pile of code for a while now. I just hope they've got some other eyes as back up in the office, especially for testing (besides us). Just doing Oracle coding I can say my eyes start seeing weird things when staring at the same queries/data for a while...
You know what? I feel bad for the person doing the Android coding. Not because it's Android; just because they've been stuck staring at the same (general) pile of code for a while now. I just hope they've got some other eyes as back up in the office, especially for testing (besides us). Just doing Oracle coding I can say my eyes start seeing weird things when staring at the same queries/data for a while...
Suprised this hasnt been announced yet but be on the look out for a google+ invite to the baldurs gate group. The invite is for beta testing the expanded play store beta/demo version for android. They are having some issues with downloading, having devices be approved, and scope. As always please be patient as they have mentioned amending the download. This started less than 24 hours ago on the play store so again, be patient.
Suprised this hasnt been announced yet but be on the look out for a google+ invite to the baldurs gate group. The invite is for beta testing the expanded play store beta/demo version for android. They are having some issues with downloading, having devices be approved, and scope. As always please be patient as they have mentioned amending the download. This started less than 24 hours ago on the play store so again, be patient.
How many years do you have to wait for an already released game before you're allowed to stop being patient?
In seriousness, how are they sending out the G+ invites? I don't want to be left out.
Suprised this hasnt been announced yet but be on the look out for a google+ invite to the baldurs gate group. The invite is for beta testing the expanded play store beta/demo version for android. They are having some issues with downloading, having devices be approved, and scope. As always please be patient as they have mentioned amending the download. This started less than 24 hours ago on the play store so again, be patient.
I wasn't sure if we can talk about it, hence my post yesterday -
Google+ has some odd limits on the number of invites you can send before it stops you, but if you want to ensure you'll get an invite, make sure you have a Google+ account set up; it won't let us invite anyone that isn't part of the network.
Comments
I have been active since the first grouping of Community Beta tests for Android as a beta tester.. and that was due to the availability of the testing app on Amazon. With a move to Google Play I no longer have that opportunity.
I don't know how many Kindle Fire users are represented within the sample, or how much general interest there is for the platform as a development target. The platform and store that makes Beamdog the best profit is obviously the priority.
I want Beamdog to complete the Droid port regardless of the availability on Amazon's store. I was just taking the opportunity to share my perspective as a Kindle user. I am fortunate in that I have multiple Android tablets in my home that ultimately I could play this on. The Kindle Fire however is the one I prefer.
There are other possibilities for Android beta testing systems, though I personally have no experience with any of them so I can't say how they compare etc.
http://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/02/28/android-developer-missing-testflight-testfairy-covered/#!zqSP9
This has been pushed back so many times for so many reasons i lost count.
This forum post on "how do you droid" is obviously an attempt to divert attention from the fact they pushed it back again.
Also remember that the 1.3 patch is for Android as well; there are things in it that are specifically targeted toward tablets, and we need to make sure they don't break anything on the existing platforms. It's all connected, I promise you.
I'd even play that Kangaxx bugged game where he spawns everywhere.
Granted, Beamdog could have pushed on with Android beta testing, attempting to reach a point where they could have comfortably released BG before the Testflight cutoff (while ignoring the demands of customers who have already paid for the game), but that could well have resulted in a rush job where some bugs had been missed in order to hit the deadline and rush jobs are rarely good jobs.
If we got to the Testflight cutoff and Beamdog couldn't comfortably release our port then we would have to wait while they moved testing over to the Play store and we'd see similar grumblings to those seen in the "Regarding Android" thread that ran over Christmas where people complaied about Beamdog failing to do what they hoped to do (that's "hoped" not "promised").
To sum up I would much rather wait and see the Android port done "right" than done "now".
At this point, though, I've been waiting so long for BG:EE on Android that I'll probably skip it and wait for BG2:EE. Better game, and I honestly don't know if I can face Candlekeep again :-p
To the later half of March trying to find a new home for testing the app.
I have been paying close attention to the game since before I knew it was going to be an android release. Going back a few years ago when BGEE was just a count down timer on a website. When I found out BG was coming for Android it was like prayers had been answered. Now I just feel like I am being toyed with.
Don't get me wrong I am going to buy the game and Iam sure it will be great. I want to give them my money right now. It is just disapointing the way it was handled.
Only 1 of them is a coder working on the #Android port.
There is no real money in a patch, pushing 1.3 out early doesn't really help the business.
It doesn't say "Android: 'Tis com-pli-cat-ed".
If it did, we would perhaps adjust our expectations accordingly
I'm dissapointed that this takes so long, and atm I don't really know what to expect anymore. I will of course buy the game when it is released, and I do appreciate the work they put into this, but communication has not been working well (in my opinion).
All I can say whn it is released it will be fantastic, Ive played it on -
Kurio Kids Tablet (worked ok but slow, but then I expected it to be unplayable on this)
Nexus 10 - Worked great till last patch, but it was still playable
Nexus 7 - 1st patch had slowdowns with some spells, after that its literally flew
Hudl (Tesco) - Played brilliantly, I couldn't believe how well it worked on a slightly under-powered tablet as the game ran it so well
Samsung Glaxy S3 - Played brilliantly so much my mate who has the iPad version is going to buy it again on android when it coms out so he can play it on his S4
all I can say is yes im totally depressed its not been released yet, but it will be BRILLIANT when it is available...
Im not sure if we can talk about it or not though...
#Keepthefaith
In seriousness, how are they sending out the G+ invites? I don't want to be left out.