Forge for Android v1.6.15.003
Posted: 23 Apr 2017, 08:11Installation Instructions
Download and install https://releases.cardforge.org/forge/fo ... ligned.apk
MINIMAL REQUIREMENTS UPDATE: Starting with version 1.6.10.001, Forge for Android requires Android 4.4 or newer. If you are running an older version of Android and are unable to update to a newer one, please stay on version 1.6.9.005 and do not update. In case you have already updated and Forge no longer works for you, here's a link to the download for version 1.6.9.005 (you will need to manually remove your current "res" folder in your Forge installation directory and replace it with the "res" folder from assets.zip). Download here: https://releases.cardforge.org/forge/fo ... 1.6.9.005/
IMPORTANT: If you are experiencing a critical issue with the game (such as hanging, crashing, being unable to update, etc.), please provide the contents of your Forge.log file immediately after the game crashes/hangs. You can find this file in the "data" folder of your Forge installation. Without this file, it is impossible for us to help you.
Please note that manual intervention is required if you are running Forge for Android v1.5.61.003 or earlier. You will need to manually redownload the APK file from the link provided above and install it. After you do it once, the further updates will be pulled in automatically, as they used to.
NOTE: If you haven't already turned on the "Unknown sources" setting on your device under Security, you'll be prompted to turn it on if you want to continue with the install. This is not something you need to worry about, as it's only necessary because you're not installing from Google Play. You can always turn it back off after the install finishes, though you'll need to turn it on again whenever you want to install updates.
NOTE 2: If you've previously installed Forge and you're just installing an update, you can just install as normal. You shouldn't have to uninstall first, though if it fails, an uninstall and reinstall would be the first thing to try. Either way, rest assured that your card images, decks, preferences, and quest data will not be lost.
When running the app after installing an update or for the first time, resource files that are needed for the app to run will automatically be downloaded. This shouldn't take more than a minute or two and the splash screen will report progress while they're downloaded and unzipped.
By default, Forge does not come packaged with card images. There are two ways to pull in card images:
Automatic
Open the Setting screen and click the Files tab. Choose either of the first two options for downloading LQ pics, based on whether you want to conserve disk space and download only one picture per card as opposed to one picture for every set each card appears in. A dialog will appear and after pressing Start, the pictures will be downloaded. This process may take awhile, so please be patient.
Manual
Open the SD card on your device. If possible it's easier to do this with your device connected to a desktop computer, but otherwise you can use a file explorer app and navigate to "/storage/emulated/0", which should just be My Files > All Files on the standard Android explorer. Navigate to Forge/data
Note that you can similarly copy over decks, quest data, and preferences from a desktop version of Forge. The following mappings apply (based on a Windows user with default AppData locations)
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Forge\Cache\ > Forge\cache\
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Forge\ > Forge\data\
If you either don't have access to your computer or want other decks to play (particularly until deck editing support is added), you can also download and unzip decks from the Forge Decks forum into Forge\data\decks\constructed\.
Running the App
If everything worked properly, you should see a splash screen while resource files, cards, decks, and fonts are loaded, then be taken to the home screen shown in the first screenshot above.
From here, you can tap Settings to adjust your preferences if desired, such as picking a theme (all Forge themes are supported). If you transferred your preferences from a desktop install of Forge, you can probably skip this step. Note that, in addition to the home screen button, you can access the Settings screen from anywhere by pressing the Menu button on your device.
Tap New Game. You'll be taken to a familiar screen where you can configure a name, avatar, deck, and human/ai for each player. Then you can just press Start to play a match. Alternatively, from this screen you can click the drop down menu in the upper right to access other game modes like Draft, Sealed, Quest Mode, Gauntlet, or the new Planar Conquest mode.
Missing Features
The mobile Forge is mostly feature complete, but there are some missing features at this time.
Card animations when changing zones
Combat animations
Spell resolve animations
Scroll indicators for scrollable panes
Syncing data with desktop Forge
Mana symbol buttons appearing above touch keyboard when editing search field
Quest Tournaments are playable but with a few caveats and only with Simulate AI vs. AI Results enabled (so, you will not be able to watch the AI vs. AI matches).
There are currently very few active contributors to the mobile Forge specifically, so if you have technical knowledge required for it and the desire and time to help, you are welcome to join in!
Bug Reports
Please post bug reports and questions to this thread only if they apply to the UI in some way. Cards not working correctly or the AI not behaving properly are issues that would be shared by both the desktop and mobile versions of the game and should thus be posted in the appropriate thread (likely the Bug Reports (snapshot builds) thread since mobile Forge is on a more dynamic update schedule and typically includes changes not yet available in the current desktop release: viewtopic.php?f=52&t=6333 ).
Known Issues
It's been reported that some tablets must be set to run in portrait mode, otherwise the app opens with a black screen.
If the screen is locked and the device goes into standby mode (especially for a prolonged time), or if you switch into another application for a while and then back to Forge, the game assets may become corrupt after you unlock the screen again (all the ingame elements will be shown as black). If that happens, the only way around it is to fully restart the game. It is possible to remedy this in the majority of typical cases by enabling the "Minimize on Screen Lock" option in Forge preferences.
If Forge is freezing after clicking the Constructed screen, apparently switching to the Default theme or manually copying over files from Forge\res\skins\default to the other skins folder that aren't already there, like the image with the avatar tiles, will fix it.
Credits
Special thanks go to:
DrDev for developing Forge for Android (he is the original creator of this port) and maintaining it practically as a sole developer for a very long time.
Max Mtg and everyone who helped out with the large project to breakup the Forge project into modules.
KrazyTheFox for helping set up a Maven build process for the Android app.
moomarc and others who have created all the amazing skins used by both this app and the desktop application.
All the developers and other contributors who have scripted cards or developed card rules, game, and AI logic.
Everyone who has followed this project and offered feedback or ideas.
Download and install https://releases.cardforge.org/forge/fo ... ligned.apk
MINIMAL REQUIREMENTS UPDATE: Starting with version 1.6.10.001, Forge for Android requires Android 4.4 or newer. If you are running an older version of Android and are unable to update to a newer one, please stay on version 1.6.9.005 and do not update. In case you have already updated and Forge no longer works for you, here's a link to the download for version 1.6.9.005 (you will need to manually remove your current "res" folder in your Forge installation directory and replace it with the "res" folder from assets.zip). Download here: https://releases.cardforge.org/forge/fo ... 1.6.9.005/
IMPORTANT: If you are experiencing a critical issue with the game (such as hanging, crashing, being unable to update, etc.), please provide the contents of your Forge.log file immediately after the game crashes/hangs. You can find this file in the "data" folder of your Forge installation. Without this file, it is impossible for us to help you.
Please note that manual intervention is required if you are running Forge for Android v1.5.61.003 or earlier. You will need to manually redownload the APK file from the link provided above and install it. After you do it once, the further updates will be pulled in automatically, as they used to.
NOTE: If you haven't already turned on the "Unknown sources" setting on your device under Security, you'll be prompted to turn it on if you want to continue with the install. This is not something you need to worry about, as it's only necessary because you're not installing from Google Play. You can always turn it back off after the install finishes, though you'll need to turn it on again whenever you want to install updates.
NOTE 2: If you've previously installed Forge and you're just installing an update, you can just install as normal. You shouldn't have to uninstall first, though if it fails, an uninstall and reinstall would be the first thing to try. Either way, rest assured that your card images, decks, preferences, and quest data will not be lost.
When running the app after installing an update or for the first time, resource files that are needed for the app to run will automatically be downloaded. This shouldn't take more than a minute or two and the splash screen will report progress while they're downloaded and unzipped.
By default, Forge does not come packaged with card images. There are two ways to pull in card images:
Automatic
Open the Setting screen and click the Files tab. Choose either of the first two options for downloading LQ pics, based on whether you want to conserve disk space and download only one picture per card as opposed to one picture for every set each card appears in. A dialog will appear and after pressing Start, the pictures will be downloaded. This process may take awhile, so please be patient.
Manual
Open the SD card on your device. If possible it's easier to do this with your device connected to a desktop computer, but otherwise you can use a file explorer app and navigate to "/storage/emulated/0", which should just be My Files > All Files on the standard Android explorer. Navigate to Forge/data
Note that you can similarly copy over decks, quest data, and preferences from a desktop version of Forge. The following mappings apply (based on a Windows user with default AppData locations)
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Forge\Cache\ > Forge\cache\
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Forge\ > Forge\data\
If you either don't have access to your computer or want other decks to play (particularly until deck editing support is added), you can also download and unzip decks from the Forge Decks forum into Forge\data\decks\constructed\.
Running the App
If everything worked properly, you should see a splash screen while resource files, cards, decks, and fonts are loaded, then be taken to the home screen shown in the first screenshot above.
From here, you can tap Settings to adjust your preferences if desired, such as picking a theme (all Forge themes are supported). If you transferred your preferences from a desktop install of Forge, you can probably skip this step. Note that, in addition to the home screen button, you can access the Settings screen from anywhere by pressing the Menu button on your device.
Tap New Game. You'll be taken to a familiar screen where you can configure a name, avatar, deck, and human/ai for each player. Then you can just press Start to play a match. Alternatively, from this screen you can click the drop down menu in the upper right to access other game modes like Draft, Sealed, Quest Mode, Gauntlet, or the new Planar Conquest mode.
Missing Features
The mobile Forge is mostly feature complete, but there are some missing features at this time.
Card animations when changing zones
Combat animations
Spell resolve animations
Scroll indicators for scrollable panes
Syncing data with desktop Forge
Mana symbol buttons appearing above touch keyboard when editing search field
Quest Tournaments are playable but with a few caveats and only with Simulate AI vs. AI Results enabled (so, you will not be able to watch the AI vs. AI matches).
There are currently very few active contributors to the mobile Forge specifically, so if you have technical knowledge required for it and the desire and time to help, you are welcome to join in!
Bug Reports
Please post bug reports and questions to this thread only if they apply to the UI in some way. Cards not working correctly or the AI not behaving properly are issues that would be shared by both the desktop and mobile versions of the game and should thus be posted in the appropriate thread (likely the Bug Reports (snapshot builds) thread since mobile Forge is on a more dynamic update schedule and typically includes changes not yet available in the current desktop release: viewtopic.php?f=52&t=6333 ).
Known Issues
It's been reported that some tablets must be set to run in portrait mode, otherwise the app opens with a black screen.
If the screen is locked and the device goes into standby mode (especially for a prolonged time), or if you switch into another application for a while and then back to Forge, the game assets may become corrupt after you unlock the screen again (all the ingame elements will be shown as black). If that happens, the only way around it is to fully restart the game. It is possible to remedy this in the majority of typical cases by enabling the "Minimize on Screen Lock" option in Forge preferences.
If Forge is freezing after clicking the Constructed screen, apparently switching to the Default theme or manually copying over files from Forge\res\skins\default to the other skins folder that aren't already there, like the image with the avatar tiles, will fix it.
Credits
Special thanks go to:
DrDev for developing Forge for Android (he is the original creator of this port) and maintaining it practically as a sole developer for a very long time.
Max Mtg and everyone who helped out with the large project to breakup the Forge project into modules.
KrazyTheFox for helping set up a Maven build process for the Android app.
moomarc and others who have created all the amazing skins used by both this app and the desktop application.
All the developers and other contributors who have scripted cards or developed card rules, game, and AI logic.
Everyone who has followed this project and offered feedback or ideas.