Android game maker?

Ask and answer questions about making games and related topics. Unrelated topics go in that other forum.

Moderators: marionline, SDHawk

Post Reply
User avatar
Alurith
Slime
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 5:04 am
Location: Mount Juliet, TN

Android game maker?

Post by Alurith »

I know that there is an experimental player, but was wondering if it would be possible to get a working creator running? I did it with the old 2006 dos build, using dosbox, but it's so...limited, compared to now.
Still working on a game called Unfamiliar Nostalgia.
TMC
Metal King Slime
Posts: 4308
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 9:19 am

Post by TMC »

While Custom can be easily compiled for Android to produce an .apk (and I could upload it for you if you want to try), we've put zero work into making it usable. Actually I've probably never even tried running it. At the minimum, you need a full keyboard attached to your cellphone (using e.g. bluetooth). In that case it might work, though I suspect a couple changes will be needed to where Custom places and looks for files. But is it really practical? The touchscreen will be probably be pretty useless for drawing unless you have a tablet, so you'll be doing everything with the full-size keyboard. But it seems that some people do want to use smart phones as PCs by plugging in monitors, keyboards and mice (e.g. the Ubuntu phone).
Last edited by TMC on Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Bob the Hamster
Lord of the Slimes
Posts: 7658
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:34 pm
Location: Hamster Republic (Ontario Enclave)
Contact:

Post by Bob the Hamster »

I was thinking about this last night. I am wondering if it can be configured to run in portrait mode with the keyboard always visible. Then the user could install a third-party keyboard like "Hacker's Keyboard" that has arrow keys

That means smaller screen area, but it might work
User avatar
Foxley
Metal Slime
Posts: 832
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 5:54 pm

Post by Foxley »

Using a version of CUSTOM w/ Hacker's Keyboard on a tablet would be pretty cool actually. On a phone it'd be... well, a little silly. But I'd definitely use it on a tablet!
TMC
Metal King Slime
Posts: 4308
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 9:19 am

Post by TMC »

Either portrait or landscape mode might offer a practical aspect ratio on a tablet if our dynamic resolution support is good enough (it still needs heap of work), but wouldn't the keyboard be a bit small in portrait mode? Another problem that the SDL 1.2 Android port pretty heavily abstracts awa the actual screen resolution, so I suspect it doesn't allow dynamic resolution changing if you change from portrait or landscrape or bring up an on-screen keyboard leaving who-knows-howmuch free space on the screen. (We can always work around that ourselves, but it's more work.)

Also, currently the graphics editors only run at 320x200 which will probably be a problem.
User avatar
Alurith
Slime
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 5:04 am
Location: Mount Juliet, TN

Post by Alurith »

Mind if I bump this, to ask the same question, 6 years later, instead of starting a new topic?

A lot has changed about the way we use cellphones, over the past 6 years.
Last edited by Alurith on Wed Mar 31, 2021 7:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Still working on a game called Unfamiliar Nostalgia.
User avatar
Bob the Hamster
Lord of the Slimes
Posts: 7658
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:34 pm
Location: Hamster Republic (Ontario Enclave)
Contact:

Post by Bob the Hamster »

Welcome back!

We haven't worked on the Android port of custom much, so no it isn't available yet, but I do know how I would want it to work.

Ideally I would want a virtual keyboard to hide/show based on landscape/portrait orientation,and I would want the mouse pointer to mimic the realative style used by SCUMMVM on Android (maybe with a toggle to normal absolute touch mode in the sprite editors)

No eta though. I think the SDL2 port is higher priority anyway
User avatar
Alurith
Slime
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 5:04 am
Location: Mount Juliet, TN

Post by Alurith »

What does SDL2 bring to the table?
Still working on a game called Unfamiliar Nostalgia.
Post Reply