Feedback on 2.2.1pre (Beta)

[sev]

All,

We've just published a Beta Android release with the following changes:

• Rewrote a major portion of the port from scratch
• Support for new engines and games, matching the ones in the current official version of ScummVM
• Fluidsynth support
• Cloud saves support
• LAN file access support
• Keymapper support
• Fixes for any reported major issues
• Improved folder navigation
• Tested on modern Android devices

Now we need your feedback on the release before we go to production. Please, post your findings here.

[Sandman1973]

I've just had a go with some IF games using the beta from Google Play.

I have two Android devices:
A Gemini PDA - which has an attached/built in keyboard.
A Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite - a tablet using onscreen keyboard.

I also have a variety of game/format types to try.

I've a few questions and observations:
- The games I've tried have all loaded up and run. So that's good.
- The on screen keyboard appears for the tablet, but this appears over the bottom part of the screen - where you'd expect it. But this covers the text and entry area. Any chance the "game area" could be shrunk so the keyboard could appear under it and not on top of it?
- It might be useful to allow the screen to be rotated too to play these in portrait mode?
- Is it possible to offer a font/text configuration for IF games so that it could be altered? Or would changing the graphic options already do that for me?
- Save and Restore seems to be a bit hit and miss. Mostly miss so far. Some will save something. Then it will crash or fail when restore is used. Some don't even save. The only game I've got to save and restore so far is "Fish!" Magnetic Scrolls. The in game response to save for Fish asks for a game name too (I'm not sure if you can affect that - but it is not used) before the SCUMMVM interface shows the save list.
- When adding games, some are "Unknown variations". Perhaps list the file name when this is displayed to help identify which I want to add, as I have more than one and it tells me which one it is when I click it - but that's too late as the back button starts the adding process again.

- Also a question. While running the beta, the beta does not seem to be using the config I had been using for the released version. I can't work out where it is saving the config or save games. The original config is still where it was in the app data folder on my SD card and nothing new seem to be added there for the beta.

I'll get a list of the games I've tested to you later.

Thanks

[Praetorian]

- Also a question. While running the beta, the beta does not seem to be using the config I had been using for the released version. I can't work out where it is saving the config or save games. The original config is still where it was in the app data folder on my SD card and nothing new seem to be added there for the beta.

I'll look into answering the other issues you mention, but I consider this more important -- since we include a fix for this, apparently we don't catch all cases.
- Was the previous version you had installed the ScummVM 2.0?
- Did you directly upgrade or did you explicitly uninstall first? Uninstalling would have erased the config file, upgrading should reuse it
- What was the external app path where your original config was? Was it something like: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/org.scummvm.scummvm/files/.config/scummvm/scummvm.ini ?
- The new app (beta) will store all its files in the internal memory. We needed to reduce the multiple cases, and also have a guaranteed available storage (which the SD card is not always), so it's by design restricted to internal app memory.

About the keyboard obscuring the text area. I know that MediaPad M5 offers the option to configure the keyboard and make it floating so that you can move it around. Would that help?

[Sandman1973]

- Was the previous version you had installed the ScummVM 2.0?
Yes, I believe so. It was the last released version. I keep things up to date. I think this is the first beta version I've had. I think what I did was turn on the beta a few weeks ago when I first heard that IF was supported, but I don't think I got a beta at the time. Then I saw the post today that the update was available and I pressed the update button to get the beta. Sorry about all the fuzziness and "thinks", there has been a lot going on for me.

- Did you directly upgrade or did you explicitly uninstall first? Uninstalling would have erased the config file, upgrading should reuse it
I upgraded. I did not uninstall. So it sounds like it should be reusing then? But I have no idea where my config it going now. The file config has my games list. But they were not listed in SCUMMVM. I now only have the IF games I added today in the UI.

- What was the external app path where your original config was? Was it something like: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/org.scummvm.scummvm/files/.config/scummvm/scummvm.ini ?
I have an additonal card. So no. All I where in that folder is you have there is
/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/org.scummvm.scummvm/files/.nomedia
My config is here.
/storage/emulated/B6FD-1917/Android/data/org.scummvm.scummvm/files/.config/scummvm/scummvm.ini
My games are also on the same card - at this location.
/storage/emulated/B6FD-1917/MyData/ROMS/IF/

- The new app (beta) will store all its files in the internal memory. We needed to reduce the multiple cases, and also have a guaranteed available storage (which the SD card is not always), so it's by design restricted to internal app memory.
OK - I thought it might be hidden away - so I can't see it then? Or you you mean it is in "emulated/0/", which it isn't for me!
So have you just relocated it for the beta? I can change the location of the save folder using the UI. I was just baffled where it was as I always thought it was in the app data. I was just looking for the save folder to see if anything was being saved.

About the keyboard obscuring the text area. I know that MediaPad M5 offers the option to configure the keyboard and make it floating so that you can move it around. Would that help?
I had considered making the keyboard float, but I'd forgot how to do it. Just looked it up and tried. It would work although not idea. But this has uncovered another oddity. When I type on the keyboard nothing appears until I hide the keyboard!!

[Praetorian]

Yes, I've noticed some bizarre behavior with the native Android keyboard and text input for some games. I will look into that. It could be related to the odd behavior you are observing (text appearing when you hide the keyboard).

The internal app space is hidden away from the user, but you can set the save path to be something else, as you've noted. Your game data can reside wherever you want, as long as you can point ScummVM to them. The same goes for save games, although by default they will be in internal app space (until you explicitly set another path via the ScummVM launcher GUI global options or per game)

I definitely missed that the 2.0 version would use the SD card instead of emulated external storage for storing the app. For me it always preferred the internal space *or* the emulated external (if I chose the external space from the ScummVM launch screen options). Did you choose to store the app in external storage from the Android Settings -> App -> Storage options? If it doesn't come across, it is hell to keep track of all these options
I'll place some code for the next beta update to look for the config folder in the SD card path(s). Thanks for the feedback.

I'll notify here, when my fix is up so that you can check if it fixed the issue for you. Keep in mind that, after the fix, if your old config.ini is re-used successfully it will be deleted from its old location and be in the internal app space. So, just in case you could make a backup copy of it elsewhere in advance.

About the save / restore crashes. Can you check if those also happen in the desktop PC version of ScummVM? It's best to know if they are specific to the Android port or to the game engine implementation.

[Sandman1973]

I was just about to post and noted you asked for a windows version report too. I'll add that under each. Good call - looks like it is the engines.

.Z5 : All Things Devours
.Z8 : Anchorhead
Both save to a file. Restore shows the console and reports ERROR: Illegal opcode!
Windows 2.2.0 - Does the same.

.TAF : Humbug
Save kills the software after the save location is picked. No file saved.
Selecting the menu back to browser and repoening also crashes it.
Windows 2.2.0 - Crashes too.

.TAF : Paint!!!
Saves to a file. Restore crashes and kills the software.
Windows 2.2.0 - Does the same.

.MAG : Fish!
Seems to save and load ok!
Windows 2.2.0 - Works too. However, I noticed it is not showing the game pictures in windows, but it in Android!

.HEX : Cryptozookeeper
Saves to a file. Restore crashes and kills the software.
Windows 2.2.0 - Crashes when saving.

.DAT DOS version : Return to Eden
.DAT Amiga version : Red Moon
Save does not add a file name to the list, but does seem to save a file. Can't restore as it is not listed.
Windows 2.2.0 - Same in windows.

I have TADS and GLUX games too, but they are not supported by SCUMMVM.

No problem - if you need me to check something let me know. I'll look out for the post you mentioned and save my config too.

Thanks.

[Sandman1973]

I guess the save/load issues should be posted in another post really - now that I've found it to be failing in windows too. Would you like me to do that?

Raised here: https://bugs.scummvm.org/ticket/11737

[Vince]

Are SDL libraries integrated on this new release?

[Praetorian]

I guess the save/load issues should be posted in another post really - now that I've found it to be failing in windows too. Would you like me to do that?

Yes, please. Ideally, those can go in new bug report ticket(s) on our bug tracker:
https://bugs.scummvm.org

so the proper developer of those engines will take notice and we will be able to better track the issue.

[Praetorian]

Are SDL libraries integrated on this new release?

We do not use SDL2 or 1.x in this release, but we do use the SDL2_net-2.0.1 for the local server feature purposes, as the main ScummVM (for Windows/Linux) does.

[Vince]

Are SDL libraries integrated on this new release?

We do not use SDL2 or 1.x in this release, but we do use the SDL2_net-2.0.1 for the local server feature purposes, as the main ScummVM (for Windows/Linux) does.

Is there a way to modify the rendering mode of the interface? It looks too blurry!

[Praetorian]

Are SDL libraries integrated on this new release?

We do not use SDL2 or 1.x in this release, but we do use the SDL2_net-2.0.1 for the local server feature purposes, as the main ScummVM (for Windows/Linux) does.

Is there a way to modify the rendering mode of the interface? It looks too blurry!

I think there's some work for that being done, but is not ready yet.

However, could you provide a screenshot to make sure that the blurriness is not due to some other bug, that we are not aware off? Also please provide more information about your Android device, Android version, screen dimensions etc, if possible.

[Vince]

We do not use SDL2 or 1.x in this release, but we do use the SDL2_net-2.0.1 for the local server feature purposes, as the main ScummVM (for Windows/Linux) does.

Is there a way to modify the rendering mode of the interface? It looks too blurry!

I think there's some work for that being done, but is not ready yet.

However, could you provide a screenshot to make sure that the blurriness is not due to some other bug, that we are not aware off? Also please provide more information about your Android device, Android version, screen dimensions etc, if possible.

I'm running that version on a Redmi Note 7 with Android 10, 6.3 inches at 2340 x 1080.
The image looks exactly the same using standard renderer and antialised renderer.

[Praetorian]

I'm running that version on a Redmi Note 7 with Android 10, 6.3 inches at 2340 x 1080.
The image looks exactly the same using standard renderer and antialised renderer.

Thanks for the screenshot. I see the issue.

I wonder if the standard renderer vs the antialiased renderer should do something and it's bugging out, or this is a result of our scaling the GUI and not have too many options (or a more optimized auto-scaling based on screen dimensions and dpi.

If you have the time, could you open a bug ticket for this on our bug tracker? Otherwise, (if I don't forget) I'll open it myself but later this week.

[Vince]

If you have the time, could you open a bug ticket for this on our bug tracker? Otherwise, (if I don't forget) I'll open it myself but later this week.

Sorry but I don't know how to go about that process.