Category Archives: Android

Train2Game News Port iOS Games to Android

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MarmaladeCross-platform game development SDK  Marmalade Technologies Ltd announced today that all iOS game developers can now use the Marmalade SDK to bring their games to a market of over 1 billion additional devices worldwide.

Marmalade Juice, the new iOS to Android porting tool, will be included in all Marmalade licenses and from today, for a limited time, the annual Community license is free.

The full release of Marmalade Juice will be welcome news to millions of game developers who, until now, have taken a single platform approach, finding themselves locked into the iOS ecosystem and unable to maximize the wider market opportunity for their app. Now, using Marmalade Juice, developers have the ability to recompile their Objective-C code for Android, providing a clear and cost-effective route to stores including Google Play and the Amazon App Store. Once their games are compiled into Marmalade, developers have many of the benefits of working within the cross-platform SDK such as maintaining a single codebase and the option to target further platforms in the future.

Justin Ng, Engineering Manager, Storm8: “Working with Marmalade Juice has made the process of bringing games to Android almost invisible. The Marmalade toolset integrates well into our process and because everything is still developed in Xcode, there was a minimal learning curve. Using Marmalade Juice was incredibly easy and allowed us to focus on what we love – building hit games for our more than 50 million monthly active users”.

Harvey Elliott, CEO, Marmalade Technologies Ltd: “Adding Marmalade Juice to our powerful SDK means that at last developers have an easy way to extend from iOS to the now dominant Android market, using technology from a company that has grown up with mobile gaming. The release of Marmalade Juice underlines the long established aims of Marmalade in ensuring that operating across platforms can be a sustainable strategy for the developer and the industry as a whole.”

Marmalade Juice now comes included with all Marmalade SDK seats at no additional cost. To celebrate GDC 2014, Marmalade Community licenses will be free for a limited time, so all qualifying iOS developers can unlock their games to Android for free. Developers should use code: GDCFREE here: www.madewithmarmalade.com/free.

Train2Game News Free Android optimisation eBook

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Intel SoftwareRight now you can claim a free copy of Iggy Krajci and Darren Cummings’ eBook ‘Android on x86: An Introduction to Optimising for Intel Architecture’.

This fantastic resource gives developers a guide to the unique opportunities that arise from x86 architectures, as well as an overview of best practices for x86 app development so far.

Not only geared towards those interested in developing for Android devices featuring Intel architecture, it also includes a rather handy summary of the history and evolution of the operating system itself, from its humble origins through to the present day and Android KitKat 4.4.

You’ll also get a useful overview of the current mobile device and operating system landscape and an introduction to some of the business considerations for Android developers.

The real meat of the eBook goes into great depth about how you can make performance optimisations for Android applications on x86 architecture. It gives you helpful tips and guidance on using development tools such as the Intel Graphics Performance Analyzers and the Intel Power Monitoring Tool, and how you can get the best out of them with step by step walkthroughs.

If you’re completely new to Android and x86, or just looking to brush up on your knowledge, this is a really useful resource that is currently provided completely free of charge. It’s available from the Apress site in a variety of digital formats and this useful post on Intel Developer Zone has the steps to follow if you need any help claiming your copy!

Source: Develop

Train2Game News AppEngage Network

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To prove the value of an engaged user, Midverse Studios is offering developers who implement the AppEngage Network up to 100,000 installs for free.

The offer is available to all Android developers (Google Play and Amazon) who implement the AppEngage SDK within the next 30 days.

With the AppEngage Network, Midverse is pioneering a Cost Per Quality Engagement (CPE+) model, leaving behind the increasingly expensive and decreasingly effective Cost Per Install (CPI) model. The mobile platform provides incremental in-game rewards to users based on players successfully completing tasks across a number of in-network games. Through these cross-game incentives, the AppEngage Network keeps players involved across multiple apps, creating a reason to try new titles and to continue playing them well after the first play session.

“CPI is broken, with developers paying a premium for users who are encouraged to install their apps by other ad networks, but then immediately delete or never even play their games,” said Rizwan Virk, co-founder and CEO of Midverse Studios.  “With the AppEngage Network, we’re delivering users who stick around long enough to get hooked and actually want to play your game.”

Developers currently using AppEngage have increased monetization by at least $.01 in average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU).  That means an app with 100,000 daily active users (DAU) will have a revenue increase of at least $1,000 per day.

Midverse’s 100,000 Free Users promotion will run for a limited time.  The number of free installs is based on the developer’s DAU and how many users their application shares with the Network. Complete terms and conditions for the offer are available at http://www.midversestudios.com/100kpromo_terms.

Train2Game News: Extreme Motion Android Challenge

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Extreme RealityExtreme Reality, the only company to bring full-body motion analysis and control via a device’s native or peripheral camera, today announced the call for submissions for the Extreme Motion Android Challenge 2014.

The contest, open to Android game developers, gives participants a chance to win prizes of up to $8,000, and a meeting with gaming pioneer and the founder of EA Trip Hawkins, for the most innovative uses of motion control in an existing or new Android game.

Games submitted by the deadline of May 20, 2014 will be evaluated by a panel of judges led by Trip Hawkins. The grand prize winner of the contest will receive $8,000 and a meeting with Trip Hawkins and three additional winners will receive $1,000 respectively.

With Extreme Reality integrated into an Android game, all a player needs to do is place their Android device on a table with the device’s camera facing them, take two steps back, and the motion of their body will be captured and analyzed in real-time, enabling their motion to control the game. Similarly, an Android device can be tethered to a larger screen, such as a TV, so a player can enjoy the same level of immersive motion control offered by console systems.

“No longer limited to gaming consoles or other hardware, motion control is adding an entirely new and exciting experience to games on any platform,” said Sarit Firon, CEO of Extreme Reality. “We look forward to seeing the innovations in motion gaming created by participants in the Extreme Android Challenge, from adventure to sports to fitness or dance games.”

Developers can sign up now by submitting their project proposals at http://www.xtr3d.com/android-challenge-2014/. After their concept has been approved, they will receive the Extreme Reality Android SDK that enables them to easily incorporate motion control into their game. The Android SDK will be sent by March 17 to start development until May 20when they will submit the game to Extreme Reality. Evaluation of the games by the judges will begin May 25, and winners will be announced on May 30.
The judges will review the following six aspects in their scoring:

  • Motionization – Best utilization of motion control to enhance the game experience
  • Graphics and Audio – The level of visuals and audio in the game
  • Gameplay – The storyline and mechanics that underpin the game. Is it fun to play?
  • Stickiness – Does it have lasting appeal? Is it addictive? Would you finish the game? Would you play it again?
  • Polish – Is the game ready for prime time?
  • Usability – Is it easy to use with minimal explanations? Is it intuitive?

This would be a good challenged for some Train2Game student studios and give you access to some powerful software. There is also the chance for some healthy prize money and to meet someone who could offer invaluable advice.

Train2Game News: Play to help beat Cancer

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Play to cureA new iOS and Android game allows players to help Cancer Research UK scientists fight cancer in real life.

Play To Cure: Genes In Space is a free game in which the player has to collect a fictional substance dubbed Element Alpha. This represents genetic cancer data, which might underpin certain types of cancer.

By playing the game and collecting Element Alpha, players are actually helping analyse significant amounts of genetic data, which would take Cancer Research scientists hours to do.

The game is actually a cleverly disguised data analysis tool, so by mapping a route through an asteroid field and then collecting the Element Alpha in it (while dodging and shooting asteroids), players are actually sending back data analysis to the Cancer Research labs.

Play To Cure: Genes In Space can be downloaded free on the iOS App Store and the Google Play store.

You can enjoy the trailer for Play To Cure: Genes In Space below.

Train2Game News: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas out now on Google Play

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GTA San AndreasRockstar Games is proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now available for select Android and Amazon Kindle devices. Upon its original release, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas took the groundbreaking series to new heights, delivering three detailed cities and an entire state for players to roam.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas features a vast open-world covering the state of San Andreas and its three major cities – Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas. In addition to enhanced visual fidelity and over 70 hours of gameplay, the game has received several technical upgrades and has been specially tuned for use with mobile devices. Upgrades and enhancements for all mobile versions include:

  • Re-mastered, high-resolution graphics, including lighting enhancements, an enriched color palette and improved character models;
  • Context Sensitive Actions: automatically vault over low walls and objects;
  • Full suite of aiming options: auto-aim, free-aim, and touch targeting;
  • Dual analog stick controls for full camera and movement control;
  • Three different touch control schemes and customizable controls;
  • Physical controller support for compatible devices;
  • Cloud save support for Rockstar Social Club Members;
  • Updated checkpoint system.

Five years ago, Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Now it’s the early 90’s and Carl’s got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster. On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is available for £4.99, and can be purchased on the Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore and the iOS App Store. Coming soon to Windows mobile devices.

Train2Game News: The New Budget priced Tablets

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UbiSlateUK-based company Datawind have released the UbiSlate 7Ci Android tablet which costs just a mere £30.

They certainly work and in reality they are quite good office devices. So if you want to stay in touch, keep up with social media or look at your favourite web site they are a nice pocket sized device.

These budget priced devices started life as a low cost access unit for India and demand just grew and grew. Earlier this year they appeared on mainland Europe and more recently something very similar was on offer in TESCO Europe for €34, around £30.

So here is our first top tip to using one – get the extra memory. You can add up to 32G and it is worth doing it.

Secondly download the Android cleaner App. This one stop App helps move Apps to the extended memory, cleans up the on-board cache and just makes it work better. This highlights a drawback of such devices as the RAM is tiny.

At this point it would be very easy to attach such a device as it’s simply not the same as a higher level spec/cost tablet. However, what can you expect from a tablet costing £30. Certainly it won’t play memory hungry games, but if you are building/testing the next Angry Birds what a great place to try it out.

Where this device shines is the everyday things. You can do email, Facebook, watch Youtube, listen to radio and your music, watch a movie (best only with extended memory card) and play Angry Birds. Installing the free office style package covers excel, word etc.

Consider you are working on a pitch document. Normally, you have to carry your laptop. I don’t know about you but carrying a laptop around always makes me a little nervous. With one of these tablets you can copy the document to the small tablet. You can even put it in your pocket for safety. What’s more, now the cost is just £30 who is going to try and steal it?

Audio is more than acceptable and the video is OK for the everyday things of life. Android has a BBC iplayer App, SkyGo App and there is even a Freeview TV Guide App so it can become a TV when everyone is watching something boring.

So overall it’s a great little device if you use it for the purpose it was designed for. Try and convince yourself it’s a Windows Surface and you will be disappointed.

Train2Game News: Warner Bros mobile game sale

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WB InteractiveIn celebration of the holidays, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces mobile games priced at £0.69. For a limited time starting today, the following games will be discounted on the App Store:

·  LEGO Batman: DC Super Heroes
·  Batman: Arkham City Lockdown
·  Man of Steel
·  Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters
·  LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
·  LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
·  Harry Potter: Spells
·  Scribblenauts Remix
·  Bastion
·  AdvenChewers
·  Midway Arcade Games
·  Tapper World Tour

LEGO The Lord of the Rings is also available on the App Store for the low price of £1.99.

Additionally, for Android users, Batman Arkham City Lockdown, Man of Steel and Scribblenauts Remix are available on GooglePlay and in the Amazon Appstore for Android for £0.69.

If you are looking for an entertaining game to play over the holiday season you are spoilt for choice!

Train2Game News: Mobile Game Creation App Released

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IMG_0146Independent Polish developer Incuvo have released their innovative game creation app Createrria.

This is the first application that allows players to create and publish their own games, free to download, Createrria is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod with an Android version to follow next year.

Createrria turns the fun and joy of making games in to a game itself. Become an instant game designer by creating the games you always wanted to play or construct your own improved version of world famous franchises! Want to tell a story or create an awesome action game? No problem. Have a great idea for a puzzle game or platformer? Go right ahead. Createrria offers quick and easy tools to create any game you want without any technical or programming skills. With just a few taps you can craft your own games and share them with your friends.

“Nowadays you can create almost anything on mobile devices; Take photos, paint, compose music, even shape virtual pottery – you  name it. But until now there hasn’t really been a good app for game creation. We want to change that with Createrria. And remember, this is meant for players, not developers.” commented Jakub Duda, Incuvo co-founder.

“I often start Createrria early in the morning just to check new crazy game ideas that appeared in the community the previous night. It’s a great feeling when players surprise you with new creations.” said Wojciech Borczyk, Incuvo’s second co-founder.

Want to create that great 8-bit classic? Then the Pixel Art Theme is for you. How about a Grimm fairy tale with a twist? The Fable Theme is what you’re after. Featuring a variety of powerful and easy-to-use tools, all the graphic styles in Createrria comes with its own set of backgrounds, terrain, items and enemies!

Already the recipient of critical acclaim including making the final of the ‘Game Connection 2012 Best Project’ Createrria will unlock the game making dreams of aspiring creators everywhere.

You can view the trailer for Createrria below

Train2Game News: Assassin’s Creed Pirates out on mobile

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AC PiratesToday Ubisoft announced that the next game in the award-winning Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed Pirates, is now available on iOS and Android.

The year is 1716, the dawn of the Golden Age of piracy in the Caribbean. Players take on the role of Alonzo Batilla, a young and ambitious Captain who is embarking on an epic quest to find La Buse’s legendary treasure. Along his way Alonzo will cross paths with famous buccaneers including Blackbeard, Bellamy and Hornigold and find himself caught in the middle of the ancestral fight between Assassins and Templars.

In Assassin’s Creed Pirates, players will be tasked to manage their crew, upgrade their ship, recruit new crew members and engage in massive and brutal real-time naval battles to become the most feared pirate in the Caribbean.

Ubisoft Paris has developed a brand new mobile engine to bring groundbreaking 3D visuals to Assassin’s Creed Pirates. This engine is responsible for the breathtaking moving waters, lush islands, and gorgeous graphics that set new visual standards for mobile platforms.

This is definitely becoming a trend with the big franchise games to have a smaller mobile game. It shows that the big developers even see the mobile market as a strong and healthy platform.