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Release Date for Android version

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?
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Comments

  • ginger_hammerginger_hammer Member Posts: 160
    There hasn't been official word on Android release date but I would assume that it will be at the same time as the other platforms.
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    A update on the release date would be welcome... Why is Android the only one to still be TBA? It is platformist!
    ginger_hammer
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    Your words are wise @cermaic_golem. I am just impatient is all =) However, I would assume that most android tablets which will be used to play the game uses android of a newer date, they get updates at a steady line by their manufacturers (asus, samsung etc.)?
  • PurposelyCrypticPurposelyCryptic Member Posts: 2
    I'm assuming the biggest hurdle is probably having it run properly on all the various chipsets out there, with varying processors and hardware-acceleration-capabilities (if used - vaguely remember BG2 having some form of openGL support...), as well as the resolution-scaling of the various graphic resources, since (and correct me if I'm wrong), the game still has the sprite-based infinity engine at its core, which is a lot more troublesome to adapt to different resolutions than modern 3d graphics which are dynamically rendered - or I could just be talking out of my rear, my experience in mobile development is pretty much limited to basic flash-type games.
    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)
    Aristillius
  • fooflamfinnfooflamfinn Member Posts: 18
    @ceramic_golem: So true. This has been one of my biggest frustrations with Android. I e-mailed a developer once because she had a really amazing app for kids, but it was iOS specific. She was very friendly in explaining why she would most likely never develop for Android, and part of it was along the lines you mentioned. I've read blogs from other developers who state the same thing. I don't know how many times I or my wife would see an interesting app, or advertisements for one online/on tv, and come to find out it's iOS specific only.

    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.
    Anton
  • lars_rosenberglars_rosenberg Member Posts: 15
    edited October 2012
    Android fragmentation is very limited for tablets: all decent tablets have at least Android 4.0 (older tablets probably have no market share). The only important exception is the first Kindle Fire.
    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.
    AristilliusAnton
  • ceramic_golemceramic_golem Member Posts: 10

    I am just impatient is all =) However, I would assume that most android tablets which will be used to play the game uses android of a newer date, they get updates at a steady line by their manufacturers (asus, samsung etc.)?


    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.
    Anton
  • bigdogchrisbigdogchris Member Posts: 1,336
    edited November 2012
    The PC version is the only version they can give an exact release date on because they are the developer and publisher, and do not have to get it certified before release.

    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.
  • everygamereverygamer Member Posts: 2


    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).

    Honestly, if the device is running Android 2.3, it likely won't run the game very well anyway. They should build for Ice Cream Sandwhich (Android 4.0+ devices) as this will provide the best performance and represents most tablet devices sold in the last year. The only reason they might try to build for Android 2.3 is because all the old 1st Generation Kindle Fire's are running a modified version of that OS. The newer 2nd generation Kindle Fire (HD and HD 8.9) are running a modified Android 4.0. When I say modified, they have modified the user interface not the core platform or libraries so the game code should run without issue.

    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 :) and if not, then on my wifes iPad, and if not on the Microsoft Surface (intel platform) I will likely pick up in the spring. ;)

    Anton
  • everygamereverygamer Member Posts: 2
    edited November 2012

    I am just impatient is all =) However, I would assume that most android tablets which will be used to play the game uses android of a newer date, they get updates at a steady line by their manufacturers (asus, samsung etc.)?


    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.
    Hi Ceramic,

    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
  • alisia4378alisia4378 Member Posts: 1
    I love the customization offered in Android but now I am wondering if I should have opted for the IPad. I currently own a Asus Transformer TF300BT running Jellybean. With IPad 2's dropping in price would I be better off investing in Apple and their supposedly more stable app environment?
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873

    I love the customization offered in Android but now I am wondering if I should have opted for the IPad. I currently own a Asus Transformer TF300BT running Jellybean. With IPad 2's dropping in price would I be better off investing in Apple and their supposedly more stable app environment?

    Yea, I have the same tablet and long considered ipad2 before i bought it. But Im pretty happy with my choice, all apps seems to be very stable so far, and I have come to despise apple by principle :p Do you have any negatice app experiences with the pad?

  • DakotaRevolverDakotaRevolver Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2012

    A update on the release date would be welcome... Why is Android the only one to still be TBA? It is platformist!


    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.
    Actually, your argument is flawed, and incorrect.
    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.
    Post edited by DakotaRevolver on
    SerraChet
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    Is it really less profitable? How do you mean? Curious here.

    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)
  • kedenskedens Member Posts: 2
    It has been confirmed that they are targeting November 28 on all platforms. Android included..

    “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.
  • DakotaRevolverDakotaRevolver Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2012

    Is it really less profitable? How do you mean? Curious here.

    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)

    Well, there are several factors, but, generally speaking, Android users don't like to spend money on apps, and prefer the free market, whereas Ipad user are the opposite. There have been several surveys and studies to support this, and developers pay attention to that stuff. Keep in mind, "less profitable' doesn't mean "unprofitable".

    Edited for spelling.
    Aristillius
  • kedenskedens Member Posts: 2
    There was a time when it looked like Android users were not willing to buy apps. Especially early on this was the case... very few users had multiple paid apps. However, in the past year Android has almost leveled the playing field. The same firm that did the initial research found that the numbers between Android and iOS regarding paid app purchases, are much closer after repeating the research. I think the issue had less to do with Android users being less willing to pay for apps and was more an issue of supply and demand. For a very long time there was quite a shortage of quality PAID apps on Android and the Android Market was an atrocious joke. Those issues have more or less made a complete turnaround since the early days of Android and more and more solid games and apps are coming every week. While Google Play still needs a plethora of work done to it yet, it is miles ahead of where it started out.

    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)
    Aristilliusdiggerb
  • DakotaRevolverDakotaRevolver Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2012
    kedens said:

    There was a time when it looked like Android users were not willing to buy apps. Especially early on this was the case... very few users had multiple paid apps. However, in the past year Android has almost leveled the playing field. The same firm that did the initial research found that the numbers between Android and iOS regarding paid app purchases, are much closer after repeating the research. I think the issue had less to do with Android users being less willing to pay for apps and was more an issue of supply and demand. For a very long time there was quite a shortage of quality PAID apps on Android and the Android Market was an atrocious joke. Those issues have more or less made a complete turnaround since the early days of Android and more and more solid games and apps are coming every week. While Google Play still needs a plethora of work done to it yet, it is miles ahead of where it started out.

    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)

    Like I said "...there are several factors, but generally speaking..."

    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.
    Nordom
  • bigdogchrisbigdogchris Member Posts: 1,336
    Trent updated, saying that the Android version is having issues

  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    Oh no :( I have a feeling we wont see BGEE in the googleplaystore in 2012...
  • Son_of_ImoenSon_of_Imoen Member Posts: 1,806
    edited November 2012
    Funny reply on that tweet: "@TrentOster thanks 4 reply! I'm already going through BG 4 the umpteenth time to relearn controls! Thank you for bringing it back #cantwait" - I go 'what? There's already a BG 4 he's been trying out? Does that guy live in the future?'. Then I realise he meant BG for the umpteenth time. Stupid people who are too lazy to type out their words. *Old Son_of_Imoen grumbles in a corner about the youth of today.
    AristilliusEzzaam4Futbol
  • zarffynzarffyn Member Posts: 175
    Per @TrentOster on Twitter:
    "The Android build is still in the works. It needs more lovin'. We are looking into December for Android."
  • TanthalasTanthalas Member Posts: 6,738
    @Son_of_Imoen

    To be fair to the guy, on twitter, its not always a matter of laziness but a matter of saving space to write more.
    diggerb
  • AristilliusAristillius Member Posts: 873
    Alrite, hopefully the trouble Oster is talking about isnt too serious...
  • Son_of_ImoenSon_of_Imoen Member Posts: 1,806
    Tanthalas said:

    @Son_of_Imoen

    To be fair to the guy, on twitter, its not always a matter of laziness but a matter of saving space to write more.

    Maybe I was too rash in my conclusion. I now remember having read with twitter there's a maximum of 140 characters?

  • zarffynzarffyn Member Posts: 175

    Maybe I was too rash in my conclusion. I now remember having read with twitter there's a maximum of 140 characters?

    Yes, 140 characters, including spaces and punctuation.

    Twitter teaches you to either have poor grammar, or be really, really succinct. ;)

  • mlnevesemlnevese Member, Moderator Posts: 10,214
    zarffyn said:

    Maybe I was too rash in my conclusion. I now remember having read with twitter there's a maximum of 140 characters?

    Yes, 140 characters, including spaces and punctuation.

    Twitter teaches you to either have poor grammar, or be really, really succinct. ;)

    Both :)

  • PanaccoPanacco Member Posts: 1
    I bought the PC version just so they would bother to make an Android one
    diggerb
  • hummer010hummer010 Member Posts: 95
    @Panacco, me too, kind of. I'm still not sure how I'll feel about BG on my tablet. I bought the PC version because I know I'll like the PC version. When they release it on Android I'll buy it. If they release a linux version I'll snap that up too. Good Indie games need to be rewarded.

    I've bought torchlight 3 times. Hopefully I can buy BG 3 times too.
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