Forge Android App
Posted: 19 Dec 2013, 17:37
I'm starting up design and development on a version of Forge that will run as an app on Android phones and tablets. It will leverage the existing Forge game engine and card database, while creating a slick new UI that will provide a great game play and deck building experience on the go. The current plan is to use AndEngine for this, a free open source 2D game engine coded in Java with an active forum community. This will allow better performance of card rendering and animation, as well as an overall slicker visual experience.
I'm creating this thread to gather feedback as it's designed, and later to discuss ideas and issues after people start using it. To that end, can somebody please sticky this thread?
To answer the obvious first question, there will not be an IPhone/IPad version, at least at this time. Given that Forge is coded in Java and Android runs on Java, we don't have to rewrite any of the core card and game logic for the Android version, just the UI. IPhone/IPad only run on Objective C, so all of Forge would need to be re-coded. If somebody is up to that task, they can certainly feel free, but I will be strictly focusing on the Android version. The good news is that Android devices are becoming more standard, and many aren't that expensive. You can also load Android OS on other devices with a little work, including cheap tablets.
I'm currently working on mockups of the UI, and will post them when they are available. My initial plan is to focus on the game play screen only, as that will be the trickiest to make work on a phone-sized screen. At least at first, this app will be a simplified version of Forge that supports just constructed game play using random or imported decks (from desktop Forge). I'll then layer in deck building and other game formats after that once the core game play experience is solid, as that's the most important thing.
Meanwhile, I'd like to start this discussion with a simple question: should this version just be called "Forge" too, or should it have a different name (either with or without a reference to "Forge")? Any ideas are appreciated.
Thanks.
-Dan
I'm creating this thread to gather feedback as it's designed, and later to discuss ideas and issues after people start using it. To that end, can somebody please sticky this thread?
To answer the obvious first question, there will not be an IPhone/IPad version, at least at this time. Given that Forge is coded in Java and Android runs on Java, we don't have to rewrite any of the core card and game logic for the Android version, just the UI. IPhone/IPad only run on Objective C, so all of Forge would need to be re-coded. If somebody is up to that task, they can certainly feel free, but I will be strictly focusing on the Android version. The good news is that Android devices are becoming more standard, and many aren't that expensive. You can also load Android OS on other devices with a little work, including cheap tablets.
I'm currently working on mockups of the UI, and will post them when they are available. My initial plan is to focus on the game play screen only, as that will be the trickiest to make work on a phone-sized screen. At least at first, this app will be a simplified version of Forge that supports just constructed game play using random or imported decks (from desktop Forge). I'll then layer in deck building and other game formats after that once the core game play experience is solid, as that's the most important thing.
Meanwhile, I'd like to start this discussion with a simple question: should this version just be called "Forge" too, or should it have a different name (either with or without a reference to "Forge")? Any ideas are appreciated.
Thanks.
-Dan