Android taken seriously as gaming platform

[novox77]

When I go to the market and look at the list for top paid games, the list does not look impressive at all. Well it appears that game makers did notice Android's rise in popularity, and I think we're about to get our first "real" game:

Angry Birds

I haven't played the game. I think it's been iPhone and iPad exclusive. It's had 11 million purchases for the free version, and 6.5mil for the paid ($.99) version. But I am very happy to hear that the game will be ported to Android. It will give the platform much needed credibility for gamers. Even if Angry Birds is not the type of game you'd play, this gives assurance to gamers that developers do have Android in mind when they create their next hit game.

I'm still pissed I can't play Plants vs. Zombies on my Evo.

 

[Rob_A]

There are already many good games on the market. Imo, Angry Birds is good but it's not the first. To name a few;

Hyperjump
Falldown 3d
All gameloft games
Wordfeud
Moblox
Bistro cook
Bms (snowboarding)
Drill panic
Nintaii
Diamond miner
Baseball stars 2010

 

[B Allen]

I'm not a huge mobile game player, but I completely agree on the lack of games (or I should say quality games - at least IMO). Like you said though, hopefully the increased spotlight on Android will allow for more of these developers to at least port over their iOS offerings. Some of the casual games that I had on my iPhone are the only thing I miss (Peggle, Solitaire City, Flight Control, PvZ, etc.).

I believe that half the problem is that there is no standardized hardware specs, so developers face the challenge of programming for different screen sizes, CPU and memory restraints, etc. It's fairly easy to program for an iPhone when the only thing that has really changed is processor and memory.

 

[novox77]

I believe that half the problem is that there is no standardized hardware specs, so developers face the challenge of programming for different screen sizes, CPU and memory restraints, etc. It's fairly easy to program for an iPhone when the only thing that has really changed is processor and memory.

It means there's more work involved, for sure, but nothing insurmountable. Fragmentation of PCs are much worse, yet software developers find a way to get their stuff working all the same. Android first needed to prove that it could become mainstream. And it's definitely that now. And probably it will become the dominant platform in a year or so.

 

[SprintFun]

With the PSx emulator you can play TONS of awesome games.

 

[B Allen]

It means there's more work involved, for sure, but nothing insurmountable. Fragmentation of PCs are much worse, yet software developers find a way to get their stuff working all the same. Android first needed to prove that it could become mainstream. And it's definitely that now. And probably it will become the dominant platform in a year or so.

That's sort of what I'm thinking as well. I'd expect to see some kind of 'recommended/required requirements' page when downloading the app to make sure my phone could support it - sort of in lines with the way software works for PC's.

From what I recall reading, it seems like up to this point the vast majority (over 90%) of downloads from the Android market are free software. Once devs see a market for selling their apps, then we're likely to see a lot more support. Given its current popularity, Angry Birds could be that app that kick starts it.

 

[Willyg44]

Gameloft games look pretty awesome. I only downloaded Let's Golf so far for my X, and other than the sound not working, it's a great game, and looks good.

 

[reddragon72]

It means there's more work involved, for sure, but nothing insurmountable. Fragmentation of PCs are much worse, yet software developers find a way to get their stuff working all the same. Android first needed to prove that it could become mainstream. And it's definitely that now. And probably it will become the dominant platform in a year or so.

That was something that was being discussed on another board for dev, and I tossed out the idea that simply giving options in the game to "tone" down the graphics like PC games can do will help a lot. It will give devs the ability to go crazy and the end user the ability to setup the game to run perfect on there machine. Remember it is not just the hardware that can limit the games it is also the third party software that manufactures put on there devices that make a difference in play ability. So with that the issue of running on ever phone is solved.

Gameloft games look pretty awesome. I only downloaded Let's Golf so far for my X, and other than the sound not working, it's a great game, and looks good.

I currently have all of them for my Vibrant and they are very nice, and I think with the smoothness the Vibrant produces with these games that we are in for a treat with round two of games when they start coming out. But for your sound, I am not sure, as mine is working.

 

[JediJesus]

using a wii controller and the nes and snes emus we have tons of games to play.

 

[mattdanielc]

not a big fan of emulators - games that were designed for gamepads don't suit mobile phones. I can't exactly take a wii controller with me wherever I go - and when I'm at home I've got far better things to do with my time.

So for me android made games are all I will deal with - and I'm happy with the amount there is - and their quality. Of course it's not good as the iphone games... but give it time and we will hopefully catch up!

 

[Stavut]

I'd also appreciate some more attention to the Android game development, we have some great games but compared to the selection of the Apple App store, Android lags a bit behind. I'm sure it's all a matter of time, however I don't think we'll see great changes before paid apps become available to all countries, and market conditions become more favorable to developers (the 24 hour return policy might scare some away).

Until then I find it sad that hardware-wise Android phones blow Iphone 4 (Galaxy series, upcoming dualcore phones etc) out of the water, yet the software simply won't meet the demand before changes occur.

Edited: It would be interesting to see a study of how much damage the Android market has already suffered due to people who are unable to access paid apps and gotten used to piracy, and thereby pirating channels are operating more fluently on Android than what could have been had Google been able to implement global payment options.

 

[monkeyhat]

As a new Android user, I really think Google need to sort out the Market before people will start taking the platform seriously for gaming. I haven't used iTunes for apps so it might be the same - but there appears to be so much rubbish on the Android Market that good stuff is drowned out.

Every time I look under new games or apps, I see another hundred or so misleadingly labelled, copyright-infringing, potentially-scamming apps. If I were a games publisher or developer looking to launch something new, I'd certainly feel less than optimistic about putting my content among that lot.

I realise that the Market offers great opportunities for small coders to get their work seen, but I think it's currently being abused. Surely a few simple measures like limiting the number of titles someone can release each week, and better tagging what's new / decent (perhaps aggregating reviews from a number of Android sites) to go alongside the fallible user ratings, would make the whole thing feel a bit less like an unregulated cowboy setup.

As it stands I only pick up games I've read about on sites like this, using the QR code if possible. It's not all negative - I'm currently loving Crush The Castle and Moblox, and looking forward to Reckless Racing and Angry Birds!

Cheers!

monkeyhat.

 

[brunorange]

just use appbrain.com very easy to use (and with their fast web installer app) you can send apps to phone for automatic download. Before you install read user reviews etc.