Android Chess and Reversi

[abik]

I just posted two applications on the Android Market:

Chess for Android,
Reversi for Android.

The first is a simple chess application, consisting of a chess engine together with a GUI. The latter is a standalone Reversi engine and GUI. The applications are simple, still have various shortcomings, but they are free More details on http://aartbik.blogspot.com/

 

[mikeeh]

Thanks! I see that you are employed by Google!
And you are local to the bay Area

I'll give them a try once I get home and open up my replacement G1

 

[abik]

The downloads of Chess and Reversi for Android exceeded all my expectations, and I received a lot of email in my inbox (most of them very nice, a few strange ones too ). The number one "feature" request was for ..... a checkers application. So although this is, obviously, a completely different application, I am going to give that a shot (please keep in mind that this is mainly "spare time" development).

 

[Shel]

Aart
First, thanks for your excellent programs for the Android. I really appreciate them.

I tried to find an e-mail link for you, but didn't succeed. Hope you don't mind my post, slightly off topic.

One of the major complaints about the Android is that applications need to be stored on internal memory for them to work. Once users have filled up their internal memory, they can no longer add programs, without having to delete some other program to make room.

On a Palm I had, years ago, it had a similar problem.

One clever software developer came out with a program which worked as follows:

When a user would install a new program to their device, they could launch this program (Let's call it AppMover, for simplicity) and have AppMover copy the original app to memory card, create a "shortcut" with the same icon as the moved app, but perhaps an arrow on it, just to let users know it's only a shortcut,installing the shortcut to internal memory and then deleting the moved app from the devices internal memory. Shortcut would take up very little internal memory.

When the user clicks on any AppMover shortcut, AppMover kicks in, copies the program to internal memory and launches the program.

Once user quits out of the launched program, AppMover again moves or copies it back to memory card (might not even be necessary, as it's already there), deletes the original program and leaves shortcut again in internal memory.

Net effect... internal memory only uses VERY little memory for the shortcuts to each moved app, and the end user experience is the same as if they had all of these programs installed on their devices memory, instead of on a memory card.

Only programs which wouldn't work with this setup would be programs which would need to run all of the time, in the background, on your Android device.

Do you feel a program such as this could be developed for the Android?

I really believe this would be THE killer app... it would allow users almost unlimited memory, only limited by the size of their memory card, and how many programs they have installed which need to be running at all times.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, both as a developer and as a Google employee...

Thanks!

 

[drustvold]

Love the chess app, thought it kicks my butt.

Couple of creative tweaks you may want to think about, and i think this is reflected in the comments, is to make the board and pieces larger. Couple of way you could do this, one is to just zoom the board to the edges of the screen and shrink the text read out to fit. That would give about 10% more room and make playing easier (and like 20% in landscape if the game was made fullscreen).

Also for the text read out (of moves) I'd bump up the font size a bit more maybe 2-4pts (or better make it a setting).

Also adding an undo option would be nice.

I also noticed that the pieces are a little fuzzy, I'm sure you could get a graphic artist (such as myself) to make some clearer pieces for free, lol.

All in all I give it a thumbs up!

 

[lkosova]

Very nice app and this developer is very nice at getting back at request as I have e-mailed him acouple times.(e-mail is under comments where you downloaded the app.) If not sure go to "my downloads" and rehit this app it will bring up "do you want to uninstall" and scroll down the the e-mail is there.

Yes, larger pieces/squares are needed. Even my 9 year old had a hard time moving pieces around. Game gets harder as you increase the time allowed.

I would like to save the games to the sd card so I could e-mail it to print out the moves later.

Great job though and keep up the good work.

Larry

 

[abik]

Thanks for your kind comments, all. Please keep in mind that I am not part of the Android team; I just implemented a few applications using the SDK in "spare" time. I don't even have the phone yet but did all development on the emulator (and as a unfortunately consequence, I cannot even read the posted comments on the Market, just the emails I receive). What you suggest, Shel, seems reasonable (if it is not possible already), except this would best be done as part of the Android operating system, not as an application. As for the feature requests, I am writing these down and see which ones are doable. For the record, here are the most popular feature requests so far (feel free to add your own).

Related to Chess or Reversi for Android:

• preserve game when app is suspended
• load/save games, FEN/PGN support
• undo last move
• trackball support
• chess clock
• larger squares
• 3D board, choice of board/piece sets
• over the phone two-player mode

Other:

• Checkers application (working on that)
• Go application (not likely)
• Pool, dominos application (not likely)

 

[abik]

By popular demand, I decided to implement Checkers for Android first. I have to wrap up some red tape first, but expect the application to be on the market in a few days.

For sneak previews:

http://aartbik.blogspot.com/
http://en.androidwiki.com/wiki/Checkers_for_Android

 

[abik]

Checkers is now available at the Android Market:
http://www.android.com/market/

Hope you guys enjoy this game too!

 

[derkk]

I LOVE the chess app (and checkers), but given the size of the pieces, I really really really need an undo. When you're trying to move a queen or rook across the board and need to hit a VERY specific spot on the board and miss that...it can be game over real quick.

Recommended move would be really nice as well. You could use the same code the computer uses to do the recommended move and maybe offer an option of 1-5 recommended moves per game (this could be your difficulty levels)

I'd pay a few bucks for these changes alone

I pay a couple more for the 3D board/pieces options. Keep up the good work!

 

[abik]

Thanks for your kind words! Adding an undo button is high on the feature request list and I hope to get to it soon (keep your eye on http://aartbik.blogspot.com/ for posting on updates). In the meanwhile, perhaps you find the keyboard entry useful, assuming you are comfortable with the common chess notation (use e.g. e2e4 for pushing the king pawn, e1g1 for castling king side, etc.).

 

[abik]

It's been a while since I posted. Since then, I added trackball support to all the applications (chess/checkers/reversi) and "free play" and an undo button (up to 8 plies) for chess. See the Android Market for latest versions and http://aartbik.blogspot.com/ for news on updates. Hopefully useful additions.

 

[furrbrain]

Love the chess app.

I'd like to see a highlight for the previous move. From and to squares a highlighted color.

Otherwise fantastic program and the over the phone play (or IP to IP for unlimited dataplans)

 

[prakhy]

Hi Abik,


I have plans use the engine on android mobile platform by building UI interface using android framework. can you please let me know the chess engine used for this game.


Regards
Prakhy

 

[alostpacket]

Love the chess app but it wipes the floor with me.

 

[freeupli]

Thanks! I see that you are employed by Google!

 

[DenieD_UK]

Great chess app, if you don't mind me asking... what did the latest update do?

Is there someway of getting patch notes for these?

Also would it be possible to view moves previously made (like stepping through a game.. possibly even saving the game)?

 

[c4akarl]

Hi Abik,

My congratulations to your Chess for Android app. Thats of course the best chess program on the market.

I have now published my first android app on market.
My program, Chess for All LITE, is a PGN-Viewer/Editor application.

I am now looking for a chess engine and(or) connecting to a chess server.
You are an experience developer of chess apps for mobile devices, can you give me some tips how to do that.

Thanks,
Karl

 

[pellemannen]

If you have grown tired of installable apps, and have Flash player insalled, you can try ReversiLounge - Play Reversi Online at ReversiLounge!. Nice graphics, good multiplayer gameplay with little fuzz. There is a rumour that they will release an Android Flash version of this game before or after the summer.