I have game (of cards based on Contract Bridge) written in Qt (QML) for KDE, now I'm supposed to port the entire game to Android (with Android apapted UI of course). At first I considered to use Necessitas (a Qt port for Android) but found that it is still under development and is currently in 3rd Alpha. I'm new to Android development (as well as game development), while I have experience working in Java, C++ and web technologies like HTML5, JavaScript.
Hence based on my skills, I considered using MoSync. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to use any existing modules of game already developed in Qt (while in MoSync its possible to invoke C++ code from JavaScript and vice-versa), and since I didn't worked on the Qt version of the game, I'll first have to refer to that code and then I'll be working on Android version of the same. So I need suggestion that from where should I start. Also, I have 1.5 months of duration to complete the project (without any working hour constraints), so also suggest me if its a good idea to work from scratch using Android APIs.
Please let me know if I need to elaborate the question even further.
Thanks.
I recommend taking a look at V-Play (v-play.net). It's a cross platform game engine based on Qt/QML .
If your game is already written in QML, you have the least porting effort because you can use almost all of your existing code, and use V-Play QML game components for handling multiple display resolutions & aspect ratios, animations, particles, physics, multi-touch, gestures, path finding and more (API reference).
You can also take a look at Benefits to find out if V-Play satisfies your demands.
Qt is more cross-platform than ever now. instead of porting, just modify it a little and continue with Qt, then compile for iOS, Android, etc.
Related
I am currently planning the development of a multiplatform app, and I am not sure wich way to do it fits my requirements best, since all possibilties I could think of failed to satisfy me.
First I want to write an app for android, which should feel like a normal typical android app. So I want to use the standard actionbar and android design look and feel in my other gui elements. After finishing the android app I am planning on developing an ios app, which should have a different design, so i am going to redevelop the gui for this anyway.
But I don´t want to rewrite the other code wich represents the intelligence of the app, independent from the gui. I came up with the following possibilities:
1. Java GUI With native library
Here I abstract all the code of my app in a C++ library (since as far as I know ios supports the usage of c++ libraries too) and develop the gui android typically in java. The library would than have a function to start and would inform the gui about every change via callback functions.
Pro
I can reuse all the code that would be the same on both platforms. I just would implement the gui seperately
The design of the android gui is straightforward as I want it to be. It looks like typical android because it is typical android.
Cons
I dislike the usage of JNI very much. Especially the signature and names of the callback functions (calling java functions from c++) are not checked at compile time and require a lot of manual work. If I rename a function and forget to rework the native part I only notice this mistake at runtime.
2. Build the GUI on the native side
Here I had difficulties finding out what is possible, especially for 2.2
2.1 Use Qt
I have only a few first step experiences with Qt in general but as far as I understood i would have the following pros and cons:
Pro
Reuse most parts of the code for ios and Android. I would than redesign the gui for each platform to make them feel natural. I can´t evaluate how much qt may even assists me at doing that
Cons
I have to copy the android gui by using other qt widgets. This is more effort and I don´t know if one can replicate the android gui elements (like the actionbar) so that the user wouldn´t notice it.
2.2 Using the android framework from the native side
I dont know if this is possible at all, I wasn´t able to find this information. Can I use the class "NativeActivity" and use the android framework to build the gui and use e.g. the actionbar? If this is possible somehow it would have the pros from 1. and maybe wouldn´t have it cons?
Do you have any feedback to my ideas or maybe even new approaches I didn´t think of? How do other multiplatform apps like WhatsApp solve this problem? Do they have redundant code for each platform?
Thank you,
Tobi
I would say that it depends very much on your application requirements. By my opinion, a better solution is to develop a separate application for each platform using recommended SDK's for that platform, and implement in native C++ only the time consuming data processing algorithms.
Application runtime on mobile platforms is not so straightforward as on desktop platforms. You should take into account background and foreground processing, specific application life cycling, accessing system resources such as network, file system, etc. And all these issues do differ on iOS and Android.
Regarding possibilities that you listed.
Qt/QML is ok only in case two requirements are met:
1.1 Your application is a foregroud application without any background operations.
1.2 You purchase a commercial Qt license because only commercial Qt can be submitted to Apple iTunes app store (even GPL apps are under
question).
Using NDK Native Activities on Android with cross-platform C/C++ backend. Android NDK API offers much less API then Android Java SDK, so a lot of things you will have to implement or wrap manually. It is a hard road.
Mixing Java code and C/C++ using JNI gives you more of Android SDK API. But you should remember that an Android activity's life cycle is not somewhat that you're used to deal with when developing on C/C++.
Approach that we are using
We've been developing an application with a huge amount of cross platform functionality that should work on Windows/Linux/Mac OSx/Android/iOS. We're using the approach as follows.
Cross-platform core is written in pure C++.
We have adaptors to GUI interface for each platform.
On desktop we use Qt as it reaches all desktop platforms with minor adapting to each platform.
On iOS the GUI is built using iOS SDK with Objective-C and C++ core is linked as a Framework. Still, we had to patch our core in some way for iOS background requirements and so.
On Android we wrap our C++ core in a background process and build all the GUI using only Android Java SDK. Foreground GUI activities interact with the core via local sockets, so we don't need to bother with activities life cycling in our C++ core. But the adaptor is a litle bit complicated.
Nevertheless, both mobile platforms often require workarounds and adaptations in C++ core which add a number of #ifdef'ed branches in code for each platform.
I'm developing an application separately for both Android and iOS using their native SDKs.
However, there's a some module in the application that should support basic 2D (it can also be 3D) abilities such as tilting, scaling, rotating of vector graphics + all kinds of optional fancy effects on simple textured planes for example.
I'd like to host this module inside some kine of a view and that its code will be shared between both the iOS and Android platforms, as much as possible.
I've been lurking around the web for all kinds of solutions.
First of all there's OpenGL, the problem is that I'm not familiar with coding for OpenGL and I wasn't able to understand if the code I will be writing with OpenGL will be shareable between the 2 platforms. It seems like no one actually had really tried to do it with NDK and such.
There are platforms like
a. Clutter (http://www.clutter-project.org/) - Which I couldn't find any example for its usage on mobile devices.
b. Platforms like Unity3D, though I don't think they could help me much because as far as I understand the whole application must run on their platform, and that's not what I'm looking for.
So, do you guys think that it is feasible to share 2d/3d code between the iOS and Android?
If so, is there any method you could recommend?
Or should I just go with each device's native method for 2d or 3d graphics?
Thanks!
Kivy: an open source cross-platform programming language for writing OpenGL-powered drawings, interfaces, visuals, anything, for Linux, Windows, MacOSX, Android and iOS. kivy.org
You can potentially drop using Android or iOS native widgets for Kivy widgets and you're apps will have the same OpenGL-powered interface on all platforms.
EDIT 9/27/11 1pm: I've done some more research. All in all, you should check out these 4 open-source frameworks for yourself and decide which one is best for you (I could list commercial frameworks, but those are easy to find):
Kivy (kivy.org)
Amazing GUI and Widgets library.
HaxeNME (haxenme.org)
Very nice 2D/3D API for making OpenGL graphics.
Amazing cross-platform support. The best of all the frameworks.
Unfortunately, no GUI or Widget library is built in though.
Qt Quick QML (qt-project.org)
Very nice 2D/3D API for making OpenGL graphics.
Similar to HTML, but for OpenGL. Already know HTML and JavaScript? QML (Quick Markup Language) includes basic necessities like text fields, radio buttons, check boxes, etc, which can be animated and controlled with event handlers. Animations, event handlers, etc, in your QML application are written in JavaScript; the difference is the JavaScript gets compiled instead of interpreted.
Qt Quick is really amazing; my personal favorite. Read up on Qt Quick QML then try the Animated Tiles app for Android to see Qt Quick's potential. The newest release of Qt (coming very soon) support iOS, Android, and Blackberry, and all desktop OSes. Windows Phone is a work in progress but will arrive soon considering that Qt Quick already supports Windows 8's Metro platform. Qt Quick is very nice, but it doesn't work on every single platform like HaxeNME does.
MoSync (mosync.com)
A hidden gem. This framework needs more exposure. The MoSync SDK provides a cross-platform OpenGL framework, an HTML/JavaScript framework similar to PhoneGap, a NativeUI framework for writing apps across platforms that use each platform's native UI widgets, and MAUI for writing C++ GUIs.
If you were gunna settle on just writing pure OpenGL, then I'd at least recommend checking out MoSync, as it provides a 1-to-1 implementation of OpenGL ES 1.0/2.0.
Also, if your app will be form based (not so much animated like a game), then PhoneGap might suit your needs. If you use the right features of HTML5, you can make apps that feel native (unlike the many horrible and discouraging examples out there). If you'd like to try an app made with PhoneGap that feels "native", try "Go 2012". The Go 2012 apps proves that if you use HTML5 correctly, you can take advantage of hardware acceleration across platforms (iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Phone (I tested it on all)). The animations (scrolling, etc) in Go 2012 are all CSS3 hardware-accelerated animations. Don't let the poor quality of most of the app in the PhoneGap showcase fool you!
Use OpenGL ES and write the code in C. Write a NDK wrapper for Android. Theoretically, your open GL C code should be reusable between the 2 platforms.
Have you ever herd about small company name Adobe
Try using Air.
People do not appreciate the hard work that Adobe did, but it is the most strong cross platform available in market!
It support:
Windows with DirectX access to speed up your app, both in 3D and 2D.
Linux
Android (2.2 and above) with OpenGL background
iOS with OpenGL
BlackBerry
And many more... If you wish to work on the high level, use Air!
I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this question so if it isn't please let me know and I will move it. I am looking to create a game for both Android and iPhone platform. I know Unity is a great game engine and my question is how well does it work for creating one code base to build for both Android and iPhone platforms? Time is a constraint on this project so I am very interested in how smoothly the process usually is when trying to build both applications and how much custom code must be written for each specific application. Any insite that people have on this topic would be much appreciated thanks.
Unity, as implied by it's very name, is designed explicitly to facilitate such multi-platform development in little time. You can for example define for each platform what the max size of each texture is, and it will automatically resize them for you when you build for that target platform - the build process really simple too. Since both your platforms are touch devices, it should be easy to have just one code base working seamlessly for both platforms (and more if needed), with very few custom code for each platform.
Unity has a no-questions-asked 30 day trial of the Android and (I think) iOS versions - I encourage you to try them and see for yourself how little time it will take you to have a proof of concept build for both platforms.
I've been working on a game engine runtime environment in C++ for my future games, and have started to consider android as a platform. I noticed that it was tightly bound to Java and uses Java VMs heavily.
But is it possible to sustain a full C++ runtime environment in Android NDK? I have nothing against Java and am prepared to use it if I have to, but performance is one of my prime concerns (I intend for my games to be resource-intensive), especially on phones.
And if a full C++ environment is possible, how exactly would I implement it in Eclipse Indigo CDT? Would I be able to create a compiled game executable for Android ahead of time for maximum performance? And would there be any additional plugins I'd need to install in Eclipse? Could I use MinGW for compiling my games, or would I need to use a different compiler? If I had to use Java in one way or another, would compilation of the C++ code even be required? These are all questions I'd like to answer to get a sturdy development environment going in the Eclipse IDE.
Please know that I'm still fairly new to Android development, and multiplatform programming in general. My goal is to create a game engine that'll take the most advantage of the new hardware out there, especially on phones!
Thanks for any advice you guys can give!
NativeActivity, added in Android 2.3 (API 9) might be what you're looking for in terms of writing Android games using only C++. http://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/NativeActivity.html
However since you say you're new to this you may want to start with one of the currently available Android game engines instead of writing your own right away. Mobile devices have a very different set of constraints than other platforms. A phone isn't very useful if the battery dies mid-afternoon, so starting a project with the stated goal of being "resource-intensive" is already getting off to a bad start. Few people will want to play your games for 20 minutes here and there if it means they won't be able to make a phone call in the evening.
If what you meant is that you are shooting for high-end graphics, keep in mind that devices have a wide range of capability in this area and targeting only the high end limits your audience. Different GPUs have very different strategies and performance characteristics and all have cases where they shine or lag behind. The most successful mobile games aren't the ones with the highest polycounts or the most complex lighting shaders, they're the games that achieve a consistently smooth framerate and have a distinctive style.
Have a look at some of the existing game engines for Android and try them out. Write a couple small games to take them for a test drive and see where they do and don't mesh with what you're trying to do. If you find yourself feeling limited with what's available, take what you've learned and try to write your own engine that fits with the types of games you want to make.
Here are some links to get you started. These engines power some very popular games on Android Market and many developers have found them useful:
http://www.andengine.org/ andengine is written in Java and is open source.
http://unity3d.com/ Unity is based on C# and Mono.
http://www.madewithmarmalade.com/ Marmalade, formerly Airplay SDK is based on C++.
The answer you want to pay close attention to is #adamp's. Ignore his answer at your own peril.
To address a couple of other points in your question, though:
Would I be able to create a compiled game executable for Android ahead of time for maximum performance?
No, insofar as Android does not use "compiled game executables". Your C/C++ code will be compiled into a Linux shared object (.so) file and packaged with other stuff (like your manifest) in an APK file. Compiling the .so will be ahead of time, though.
Could I use MinGW for compiling my games would I need to use a different compiler?
I get the distinct impression that you will claw your eyes out trying to do NDK development in Cygwin on Windows. I heartily encourage you to do your NDK development on OS X or Linux. At least set up a VirtualBox with Ubuntu or something in it to do your NDK compiles.
Regardless, the NDK comes with its own GCC compiler. AFAIK, MinGW is not a cross-compiler, and most Android devices are not running on x86 CPUs.
If I had to use Java in one way or another, would compilation of the C++ code even be required?
Yes. Now, for Honeycomb, you have the option of using Renderscript for OpenGL work -- that amounts to a C99 environment whose code you will not need to compile with the NDK.
I've tried a bunch of them, and one of the best I found that cross compiles instantly to a bunch of other devices and let's you program your goodies in HTML5/C++ combo (sweeeeet) is MoSync (http://www.mosync.com/) and another little known one that is a little more setup friendly is MotoDev by Motorola (http://developer.motorola.com/tools/motodevstudio/?utm_campaign=mhp01092012&utm_source=mhp&utm_medium=mws)
I've noticed there is some virtual machine images and tutorials you can use to prevent the setting up hassle.
I know C# rather well and just love Visual Studio as IDE. :) Yet now I want to start developing for android...
I found out about MonoDroid and wanted to ask if it has any downsides to it that would make Java more preferable, or should I uninstall Eclipse and dive straight into MonoDroid?
If I understand right, MonoDroid deploys/compiles native android applications and does not need any additional .net-like framework or anything?
Are there any significant limitations to what I can do with MonoDroid? For example, having the app run in the background or using some external .net libraries for image editing, etc. ?
I've been worrying about the same thing - productivity in C# instead of playing with an unfamiliar language, vs developing how the OS developers intended it to be.
Its easy to list pros vs cons -
pros (of monodroid, for C# developers)
familiar dev environment, can develop using Visual Studio
C# instead of Java
Reusable code assets - you can use a lot of code in your iphone project or Windows phone 7 project using monotouch and the WP7 SDK.
cons -
debugging could be difficult, due to lack of api documentation from Google. Will have to depend solely on monodroid documentation.
there could be a lag when it comes to latest cutting edge features - safe to assume that the monodroid team will require some time to wrap around the latest android features every time there is a new OS release
availability of libraries - I am not sure how you can use the open source libraries that would have evolved around the android platform, that could cut down on development time
Much of the documentation available is in Java: so if you run into difficulties with phone behavior when using MonoDroid you won't really find that much help or debugging information so you may want to stick with Eclipse.
There's a lot more than just a set of wrappers running under davlick, truth to be told, there is much more of a horizontal relationship between MonoDroid and Android;
When did using the same language as the OS developers become a big issue? There's lots of C++ programmers wondering how to use BSD or SVR5 and many C programmers who want to know what the heck to do on Windows++...
If you will write in c# anyway you will be have to wrap it into a Java code, so what's the point ? Also you may head with a very difficult issues while trying to understand the APIs who written for Java programming...
Here are some points that you can mull over:
Android applications are predominately written with Java. The Android SDK itself is natively written in Java.
Working in Mono may not provide all the functionality available in the Java SDK.
If you are a C# Developer you wont be able to find, in Java, some of the (cool) features available in C# (like Property Delegates etc).
Code written in .NET can be re-used for other environments - this may save a lot time that would have been spent learning a new language/environment (like Objective C), and coding in it.
.NET extends the Android development stack with it's existing libraries and API's.
I think both are good for certain reason. It will be very hard to say which one is preferable for Android development - in the end that is up to you too decide.
Also note that any release build using monodroid adds an additional 4mb to the apk filesize and increases app startup time with a few seconds.
For simple apps this can mean a 500-800% increase in filesize - whic is pretty bad in my book.