Port progress & nightly builds

dhewg · Post by **dhewg** » Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:21 pm

Hi,

recently the port has seen a few changes - either to fix bugs, to improve current features, or to add new ones.

There're still some rough edges, but it would be nice to get some feedback on how its working on all the various Android devices out there. We can only test on a very limited selection.

Apart from the usual minor fixes, the NEWS file lists the bigger changes, while the README.Android describes the new input system.

WARNING: The APKs are unsigned, which means that you can't directly update ScummVM when you have another version installed (The market release, the official 1.2.1 release, or some unofficial package). You have to uninstall and reinstall in that case, which could mean that you might lose your savegames. It is hightly recommended that you set the savegame path in the option dialog to the SD card. If you moved your savegames already to SD, you won't lose them during the uninstall procedure. Once you have a nightly installed, you can upgrade that with another nightly without losing anything.

If you're still up to it, grab a nightly build (the 'master' link), and report your findings. The download link is updated once a day.
All kinds of feedback is appreciated

When replying, please mention:
1) The manufacturer and model of the used device
2) The Android OS version
3) If using a "custom rom"

When ScummVM crashes on your device, please install "alogcat" from market. You can mail the log output directly via eMail, shoot that at dhewg@wiibrew.org

Thanks and have fun!

apa-sf · Post by **apa-sf** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 3:31 pm

Thank you for the update - it is definitely an upgrade.

Used phone: SE Xperia X8, Android 2.1 update 1

1) GUI is looking sharp (pixel-to-pixel gfx without any stretching).

2) I use correct aspect ratio mode - proportions in games seems to be OK, but pixels are not square. After turning on the new feature 'linear filtering' graphics definitely have improved. Only in Sam-n-Max the cursor seems to be not filtered (I am playing Sam-n-Max and Full Throttle). Performance seems to be OK in both games.

3) drag&drop works quite convenient in Full Throttle making it playable on a phone without a keyboard and multitouch.

4) pointing and clicking for me is far easier in the new touch pad mode.

5) definitely choice between control modes should be left - wack-a-rat minigame in Sam-n-Max is FAR more easier in direct mode but touchpad mode is better for other standard parts of the game.

6) suggestions:

- touch screen modes switching during a game without a scummvm restart (if technically possible).
- maybe an option to create some left/right click fields on-screen? For example small partially transparent boxes in screen's bottom corners?

LordHoto · Post by **LordHoto** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 3:47 pm

apa-sf wrote:2) I use correct aspect ratio mode - proportions in games seems to be OK, but pixels are not square. After turning on the new feature 'linear filtering' graphics definitely have improved. Only in Sam-n-Max the cursor seems to be not filtered (I am playing Sam-n-Max and Full Throttle). Performance seems to be OK in both games.

Since the original DOS games (mostly) did not use any square pixels either, it should be correct that it looks like the pixels on your device are not square when you enable aspect ratio correction mode. Sam and Max for example used a resolution of 320x200 on a 4/3 monitor, but 320x200 would be a 16/10 aspect with square pixels. What ScummVM now does is to scale the screen to (a multiple of) 320x240 to have a correct aspect on displays with square pixels.

clashfan · Post by **clashfan** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:25 pm

I have currently have existing savegames. When I set the savegame path to sdcard, I loose my current savegames. How do I avoid this?

apa-sf · Post by **apa-sf** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:56 pm

On Xperia X8, android 2.1 update 1:

Broken Sword 1: movies sound is choppy,
Goblins 1: cursor seems to be slightly choppy (it is definitely more convenient in Full Throttle or Broken Sword 1.

dhewg · Post by **dhewg** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:13 pm

apa-sf wrote:5) definitely choice between control modes should be left - wack-a-rat minigame in Sam-n-Max is FAR more easier in direct mode but touchpad mode is better for other standard parts of the game.

6) suggestions:

- touch screen modes switching during a game without a scummvm restart (if technically possible).

that will come once we have an android specific options dialog.

apa-sf wrote:- maybe an option to create some left/right click fields on-screen? For example small partially transparent boxes in screen's bottom corners?

hm, maybe. do we need those though? the touchpad input is by far the most flexible at the moment, and should cover everything.. i think

dhewg · Post by **dhewg** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:14 pm

apa-sf wrote:On Xperia X8, android 2.1 update 1:

Broken Sword 1: movies sound is choppy,
Goblins 1: cursor seems to be slightly choppy (it is definitely more convenient in Full Throttle or Broken Sword 1.

did that work better in other versions?

dhewg · Post by **dhewg** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:16 pm

clashfan wrote:I have currently have existing savegames. When I set the savegame path to sdcard, I loose my current savegames. How do I avoid this?

is your device rooted?

clashfan · Post by **clashfan** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:55 am

dhewg wrote:
clashfan wrote:I have currently have existing savegames. When I set the savegame path to sdcard, I loose my current savegames. How do I avoid this?
is your device rooted?

Not rooted. Just running stock moto droid.

apa-sf · Post by **apa-sf** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 10:42 am

dhewg wrote:
apa-sf wrote:5) definitely choice between control modes should be left - wack-a-rat minigame in Sam-n-Max is FAR more easier in direct mode but touchpad mode is better for other standard parts of the game.

6) suggestions:

- touch screen modes switching during a game without a scummvm restart (if technically possible).
that will come once we have an android specific options dialog.

apa-sf wrote:- maybe an option to create some left/right click fields on-screen? For example small partially transparent boxes in screen's bottom corners?
hm, maybe. do we need those though? the touchpad input is by far the most flexible at the moment, and should cover everything.. i think

Yes touch-pad input is very flexible but sometimes the "right-click" emulation is not perfect. For example if I have to do 4-5 right-clicks to change cursor mode in Sam-n-Max it takes a bit of time, often during this process I am holding tap-down to short.

I think that option for buttons simulation in the screen corners would be welcomed by some people. It was nice in the original "touch-pad" modded version of android port. Although there was also a flaw - boxes emulating buttons were VERY small and as they were not marked on the screen it was not so comfortable to guess and pin-point them.

dhewg · Post by **dhewg** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:45 pm

apa-sf wrote: Yes touch-pad input is very flexible but sometimes the "right-click" emulation is not perfect. For example if I have to do 4-5 right-clicks to change cursor mode in Sam-n-Max it takes a bit of time, often during this process I am holding tap-down to short.

I think that option for buttons simulation in the screen corners would be welcomed by some people. It was nice in the original "touch-pad" modded version of android port. Although there was also a flaw - boxes emulating buttons were VERY small and as they were not marked on the screen it was not so comfortable to guess and pin-point them.

you're probably right that some might like that. but then the boxes also might get in the way and you cant click things beneath. then we need a way to move those. or, as you mentioned, let the user configure its size. and then there're people like me, who don't want to have something drawn on the original game screen.

there's currently no way to issue a right click with a trackball or a dpad. before the overhaul there was a key modifier for right clicks (the search or camera button). what about i reintroduce that? it solves 3 problems at once (and is less work

)

dhewg · Post by **dhewg** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:50 pm

clashfan wrote:Not rooted. Just running stock moto droid.

I don't think there is a way - at least i don't know of any. Per android design, the app itself is the only instance that can access its data (which is where the savegames are if you don't set a savegame path), and there is no filemanager-like thing in scummvm to copy/move those files. the root user can access everything, but you can't gain root privs without rooting the device - which is something i won't recommend for this purpose...

apa-sf · Post by **apa-sf** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 7:06 pm

dhewg wrote:
apa-sf wrote: Yes touch-pad input is very flexible but sometimes the "right-click" emulation is not perfect. For example if I have to do 4-5 right-clicks to change cursor mode in Sam-n-Max it takes a bit of time, often during this process I am holding tap-down to short.

I think that option for buttons simulation in the screen corners would be welcomed by some people. It was nice in the original "touch-pad" modded version of android port. Although there was also a flaw - boxes emulating buttons were VERY small and as they were not marked on the screen it was not so comfortable to guess and pin-point them.
you're probably right that some might like that. but then the boxes also might get in the way and you cant click things beneath. then we need a way to move those. or, as you mentioned, let the user configure its size. and then there're people like me, who don't want to have something drawn on the original game screen.

there's currently no way to issue a right click with a trackball or a dpad. before the overhaul there was a key modifier for right clicks (the search or camera button). what about i reintroduce that? it solves 3 problems at once (and is less work )

Hardware right-click button is also a quite good option. Personally I would not mind if I could setup the camera button as a right-click.

dhewg · Post by **dhewg** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 4:29 pm

starting with the upcoming nightly, you'll find a new MIDI driver in the options dialog.

please test, i'm not sure it works as expected on all devices.
it's called "Embedded Audio Synthesis". just set your "prefered audio device" to it and give it a try.

teasers:
http://static.hackmii.com/dhewg/7th.ogg
http://static.hackmii.com/dhewg/atlantis.ogg
http://static.hackmii.com/dhewg/dott.ogg
http://static.hackmii.com/dhewg/eco.ogg
http://static.hackmii.com/dhewg/gk1.ogg
http://static.hackmii.com/dhewg/lsl1.ogg
http://static.hackmii.com/dhewg/mi1.ogg

Haplo · Post by **Haplo** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:49 am

First of all, thanks for your efforts. The Android port works really great.

Are there any plans for configurable mappings for the function keys? In v1.2.1 it mentions Shift+Numbers are used for F1-F10. I presume it is still the same in the latest nightly build (I couldn't really say by looking at the source code). Unfortunately this does not work with all the phones, for example the ones that don't support multi-touch. Or for example on Huawei phones (Android 2.2.x) it is not possible to press Shift+Numbers. After switching to the numbers keyboard the Shift Key changes to ALT, and pressing it switches the keyboard to symbols.
Many games (such as Discworld) use the function keys to access in game menu, and without it it is not possible to save.

Thanks a lot!