Release Date for Android version
Nachti
Member Posts: 89
Since the shipdate got delayed 2 months, theres enought time to make the simultanously release on all 3 platforms possible.
can we get a eta please?
can we get a eta please?
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Android is a more difficult platform for developers. You can pretty much count on Windows and OSx and iOS users all using OS versions less than than three revisions old. Android is pretty heavily fragmented in terms of distribution among users, with the majority of users still on 2.3 and and earlier versions (http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html).
Granted, many devices on that chart are phones and don't matter for this game, and most tablets released in 2012 are either shipped with 4.0+ or upgradeable. But plenty of early tablets used modified 2.2 / 2.3 / 3.0 and even the up-to-date ones frequently feature modifications like HTC Sense and Samsung Touchwiz, which can cause weird issues on their own.
Because of the variety of sizes, resolutions, and tweaks applied by users and manufacturers, Android development requires the programmer to account for more problems than iOS. Screen sizes and proportions: there are small 7" 840x480 v2.3 tablets, and there are Chinese iPad knockoff tablets 9.7" 2048x1536, there are the traditional-resolution 1280x800 in 10" through 7", weird form factors like the Toshiba 13" 1600x900, and plenty of other size/resolution/proportion combos.
There are also dozens of different CPU and GPU combos, system button types (hardware, capacitive and software), screen touch types (resistive, capacative, a couple of IR/optical, some without touch - thumbdrive computers etc). Gimped devices with too little SSD storage forcing people to put their apps on memory cards. Plenty of users root and make simple changes which create problems for developers (DPI hacks, etc), and some users make complex changes which turn their devices into edge cases not worth supporting.
Compare to iOS, where tablets only have one screen proportion, two resolutions, and barely a handful of internal chipsets, etc - it's way simpler. I say this as someone who uses a couple of Android devices, and doesn't even own any iOS stuff. I think Android has great potential, but until more than 3/4 of users are on a current or recent OS version, Android will always be tough for developers.
Google doesn't have the resources to get every device official AOSP/Nexus support, which would fix Android's biggest problem. Device manufacturers don't have much motivation to keep everything they make up to date for two years or more because it requires either lower profits or higher prices, at least temporarily. And that's ignoring the extra upgrade hoops 3g/4g devices must jump through when sold by mobile carriers.
Hope this helps. My advice for Android users is stick to the Nexus product line or AOSP-friendly devices, if you value your free time.
Also, since a Mac version is being done, I would think porting to iOS is probably easier than moving to a whole new unix-type is.
And as mentioned, OS fragmentation doesn't help any (writing this on my nexus7 atm (jellybean), but have a 1st-gen transformer (Ice cream sandwich) and an old viewsonic gtab (Honeycomb) sitting here too - pretty chaotic)
I just hope this game actually gets made for Android! I'd hate to see the PC/iOS/Mac versions come out and we're still here waiting for some Android love.
The resolution is 1280x800 for 90% of them, and only newer tablets have a higher resolution.
The hardware shouldn't be a a problem... I've never heard of game incompatibility due to specific SoC on Android. However the common SoC are Tegra 2, Tegra 3, Exynos and TI OMAP.
I think most recent name-brand Android tablets will be capable of playing this game, there are just a bunch of older and cheaper ones which may never be compatible. My concerns about fragmentation are really more long-term.
The thing with Android phones and tablets is that it's rare for manufacturers to support them more than a year at this point, even if the hardware is perfectly capable of handling the newest version. Look at the Atrix phone, just recently got snubbed for a 4.0 upgrade despite having hardware around the same level as the nexus phone from 2011. In tablets, look at the Galaxy Tab 7.7 : gorgeous screen, speedy processor, and it was only upgraded to 4.0 in the autumn of 2012, apparently to be left there forever - even as the current versions are 4.1.2 and 4.2.
The big brands have been decent about providing updates within a year or so - Samsung, ASUS, Lenovo, Toshiba, but they lag behind and there's no guarantee of support beyond a year in terms of OS updates. The support really isn't there for other devices, in the long-term, so the safest route is Nexus for now (the alternative is rooting and dealing with the hassles and risks of custom ROMs).
Baldur's Gate is a game which has fostered a strong community for over a decade. It isn't unforeseeable that the game will be supported for many years, and that Android as an OS will continue to be updated for years (typically one major update plus some minor ones, each year). Just because most of today's name-brand tablets can run the game doesn't mean they'll be capable of the same three or more years from now, even if the hardware is perfectly capable of running the essential meat-and-potatoes parts of the app. All it would take is for the developers to decide the next API level has enough goodies to justify the resultant lockout for older devices. That's why even the standard 1280x800 crop from 2011 have a cloudy future for this (aside from Xoom?), in my view.
BG:EE in The App Store for iPad and Mac need to be certified before they can be released. The best they can do is submit the game for certification review a week or two before the expected release, and hope it passes by that date, then patch in any changes that took place between submission and launch date.
The Android version was the last version to be 'OKed' by license holders to produce, so it's the version furthest behind. I wouldn't expect the Android version to ship until after the PC, iPad, and Mac versions ship.
As to platform development on Android versus iOS or Windows, they could have looked at porting the game to a development platform like Unity 3D, this platform allows for games to be developed and published to multiple platforms (Windows, Mac OSX, iOS, Android, Xbox, PS3, etc). Though I make that sound easy, it wouldn't be, it just might be worth the effort in the end for distribution.
It will be interesting to see what the Android publish looks like, I expect it will run nicely on my ASUS Transformer Prime
There is a little bit more to the release versions 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 etc with the devices. I agree with you with the phone vendors, updates to those devices are very slow, but that has less to do with the manufacturer and more to do with the phone providers (Verizon, AT&T, etc) that certify and in some cases layer things on top of what the manufacturer provides before they get pushed to the customers. So in those cases its Google > Manufacturer (they layer on the UI) > Provider (they layer in apps and limitations).
With the tablets its a little different story, there is only a Google > Manufacturer path in most cases as the majority of tablets are wifi only with a few exceptions. ASUS has a track record of releasing updates within 30-60 days, and have continued to update the ASUS Transformer (now considered long in the tooth from Nov 2010) to the most recent versions. Samsung who is the number one tablet maker in the Android space (not counting Amazon Kindle Fire) generally updates within 3 months or so but the delay has more to do with the customizations they layer into the UI adding some development time. The Galaxy Note 10.1 having things like the split screen / multi-app feature is going to require some development after each Android release for implementation.
Lastly, the versions such as 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2 not being distributed equally, part of that has to do with hardware. Mattering on the hardware makeup of the devices they might not get all of those versions. Again this is more in the phone market (not tablets) so it shouldn't be an issue for the game development for tablet devices. The majority of 10" tablets for Android have moved up to Jelly Bean or will shortly. At the end of the day the fragmentation doesn't really matter. If the game is developed for 4.0, it will work on any version past 4 be it 4.1, 4.2 or 4.X. The fragmentation issue only comes into play in deciding how far back you are going to go, not what version is going to come out tomorrow.
Everygamer
I am a 3rd year student working on a BA in game design.
I've taken several classes on tablet gaming, it is a major part of the curriculum at most schools now as it it assumed to be the wave of the future.
It is not harder to develop for Android, this is a common misconception, it is less profitable, and this is why most devs develop for Android last.
For your comment to make sense, you would have to assume that all PC's are the same resolution, chipset, screen size, OS etc. In fact, there is way more variation in the PC medium than in the tablet, yet PC versions always come out first.
Edited for spelling.
I think android tablets have a huge potential market for a good RP game - there is no competition except FF3 (which by the way is a very good seller, check googleplay)
“We are targeting November 28 for all platforms. Since we have approvals, etc, we can’t 100% control the date on iOS, Mac and Android.” - Trent Oster, Beamdog
goo.gl/8LPtW - DroidGamers.com story on the subject.
Edited for spelling.
In my opinion one of the major issues has been the simple fact that Android lacks a large library of killer games / apps. In time as more developers give it a chance and the OEMS focus more on One or two devices a year the situation will improve. I know a big factor that lowers profits for Android ports is the crazy amount of tech support needed. I think these developers need to focus on support for just the more recent devices and not worry about the plethora of old devices.. it seems the newer devices tend to have far less variation in specs.. The open nature of Android that makes it so versatile, is also the thing that makes it so complicated for developers. The issues are getting better and progress has been made. We still need to Google to improve Google Play even more, and perhaps take more control of the OS... and we need more devs to give it a shot. Time will tell, we can only hope for the best.
(Please excuse any typos or mistakes, I did this on my phone)
And, Android is NOT harder to develop for. This is NOT why devs develop for it last. It never was the reason (perhaps initially, for a year or so, but a knowledgeable person could debate that). Stop propagating the myth.
As stated in my above post, in different words, I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing app and game development for the last 3 years. I'm telling you, it's not harder to develop for Android. This is a misconception.
At least, not harder than developing for PC, which is in fact WAY more difficult, for all the reason people SAY Android is more difficult (different platforms, processors, resolutions, etc.) Yet, companies always develop for PC first. Why? Because it's the most profitable.
Why do they develop for Android last (typically?) because it's the LEAST profitable. It doesn't matter if it's gotten better or not (as you claim. There are as many studies saying otherwise, do some research) least profitable is least profitable.
If you are a game developer, and you are deciding which platforms to release, in what order, you are going to release the least profitable one last. It doesn't matter if it's only SLIGHTLY less profitable, less money is less money.
You can cite stuff you've read that other people have posted on the internet until you are blue in the face. It doesn't make it right.
Edited for spelling and grammar.
"The Android build is still in the works. It needs more lovin'. We are looking into December for Android."
To be fair to the guy, on twitter, its not always a matter of laziness but a matter of saving space to write more.
Twitter teaches you to either have poor grammar, or be really, really succinct.
I've bought torchlight 3 times. Hopefully I can buy BG 3 times too.