Android Feedback

edited June 2016 in EmptyEpsilon
Found this game via Artemis forums and have been enjoying it with some friends this week. Our setup is currently one laptop to run the server/mainscreen with everyone using their phones as consoles (all android phones).

First let me just say how much I appreciate how quickly EE loads. Compared to Artemis which can take up to 60 seconds to load on a phone/tablet, EE loads nearly instantly. It's very nice when trying to set the app up for a casual gamer.

We've run into very few issues thus far. There are only really two things I've noticed that could use some immediate attention. First has not been a major issue for us since we're using a laptop as a server but it has been a bit of a downer in between sessions: Scenarios do not load when using a mobile device as the server. It is pretty awesome that I can start up a server on my phone at work and then actually play on that server with the same device, but not being able to load scenarios means I have to use the gm console to draw up a custom scene each time. This isn't the end of the world but it would be very cool to be able to run through some actual missions solo (and yes I run all 5 6/5 player crew consoles on my phone ... what can I say I am a masochistic multitasker).

The second issue is slightly more pressing but hopefully an easier fix. Actually I didn't even realize it was an issue until I was messing around on my laptop seeing how much I could handle solo. Apparently on the pc version, the helm/weapon/science consoles can see the same 'background' objects as the relay console. By this I mean nebulae, black holes, etc. Android clients only see a black background on all three. This is especially important for the science console because on android you cannot see if your sensors are being blocked by a nearby nebula, leading to enemies sometimes seeming to pop into existence right next to the ship when they come out the nebula. Also mildly important for helm pilots near black holes... It may be worth mentioning that we were able to use the android client to set the main screen (running on a laptop) to show long range/tactical views and the main screen did show the background/sensor graphics.

EDIT: Just noticed, the white lines that show missile pathing on weapons console show on pc, not on android. However the red lines that show beam arcs do show on android.

I have done a bit of testing and have found that on a tablet with a larger screen, the backgrounds are completely black, but on a small phone screen I actually see some flickering nebula sprites at times when flying through a nebula cloud. So I think the images are there, just being hidden by some dark android magic.

Anyway I realize the priority is probably not the android version, and it's still definitely playable, but we have been having a lot of fun with this game at my house and I didn't see any posts mentioning feedback for android clients so I thought I owed it to the devs to spend a few minutes writing some down. Thanks again for the time invested in making such an awesome party game, and here's to many more late night missions through the darkest corners of drunken space revelry. Cheers!

Comments

  • edited June 2016
    The radar issues might be masking/GL issues similar to OS X's problems with the Science and Relay stations.

    What Android devices are you using? I've been looking to get a new tablet to replace my old 2012 Nexus 7 (which won't launch EE) and I'm curious about what Android devices EE works on.
  • edited June 2016
    My phone is an LG Volt from Virgin Mobile, which is a bit older. We used two LG G Pads (model VK810) my girlfriend has through Verizon, as well as her phone, an LG G3 (VS985). All of them worked really well, though my Volt is the one I noticed the texture flickering on. Not sure the model of the other phone used, as it wasn't ours.

    For reference those are Android versions 4.4.2 (Volt), 5.0.2 (G Pads), and 6.0 (G3). Works pretty flawlessly (though with the lack of background I mentioned) on the tablets, while both phones have the issue with the flickering when in/around the nebulae.
  • The radar issues might be masking/GL issues similar to OS X's problems with the Science and Relay stations.
    Most likely yes, as the problem is not present on my phone (S3)

    The Android version does has a lot of issues. I'm thinking about putting a warning up on the download page. As it also does not always shut down properly (keeping the CPU busy in the background!)

    Main problem is that SFML (base software library I use) does have Android support, but that is still in development. And for example, file listing isn't possible because of that. Which is why the scenario list is empty.
  • Hi,
    I have tried to get it run on my Asus Transformer TF300T with Android 6.0.1, but all what I see is a black screen. Is the game compatible with my device.
  • I've seen that behaviour before, you might need to force kill it before it works again.
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