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Forum: Games Topic: Multi-Platform Fragmentation started by: TheCatt Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 07 2013,12:39
I have:Android phone Kindle Fire HD tablet iPad Multiple Windows laptops/workstations If I buy an app/game on any device, I want the equivalent version on every device (that the app/game is available on), regardless of platform. The world does not seem to think this way, and I'm annoyed. Yesterday, a bought a Humble Bundle simply because it included both PC and Android versions of the game. Do I like the games? No idea. I just liked the idea that if I got them, I could use them on either platform. Reminds me of when there was >1 platform in the 1980s, and sometimes you'd buy a game and it'd have the PC version and the Apple version, or such. Need some way for that to come back for devices. I guess Steam is kinda an answer, in that if you buy a game, you get the *nix and Apple versions as well (if they exist?) right? Maybe Steam will bring that sanity to the mobile world. Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 07 2013,12:56
Is compatibility guaranteed to be possible across all those devices for every app you got?
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 07 2013,13:15
I agree Catt, and honestly, it makes sense for developers to move in that direction. The argument will be, "When they buy another device, they'll have to buy our game again. Cha-Ching!!!" However, I don't believe that's true. Will it happen? Yes. Still, I think more folks will be pissed about being forced to spent more money to buy the same software just because the technology changed. It will make them look for alternatives, and especially in the case of games, they'll abandon the original game and/or skip sequels or other products made by that company. Several companies in the business world allow their software licenses to transfer between different devices. The gaming industry and those who write apps for mobile devices need to put on their big boy pants and follow the business world's lead. Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 07 2013,16:56
(Malcolm @ Mar. 07 2013,15:56) QUOTE Is compatibility guaranteed to be possible across all those devices for every app you got? Not quite sure what you are asking. I mean, obviously an Android game won't run on an iPhone. But the developer usually makes a version of each. I'm saying if I buy the Android one, I want the iPhone one too. Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 07 2013,21:21
As a developer, I will say I fucking hate cross-platforming. Even if thing X can technically run on platform Y, X's implementation might suck on Y when it was originally developed for Z. Just making websites work for most browsers is a pain in the ass. I could go on with issues I've uncovered trying to code equivalent functionality in: Windows v. *nix, x86 v. 64-bit, various flavours of SQL and Linux, ad nauseum. There is a cost. Perhaps if they were forced to bundle everything together for all the platforms or not go to market, the price would shove it out of the comfort range of the masses (who are still content with one purchase = one platform). Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 08 2013,04:51
Well, duh, there's a cost. But they are ALREADY doing it. All I'm saying is, if you are ALREADY doing it, I want a license for each platform when I buy the game.
Posted by GORDON on Mar. 08 2013,05:10
So the challenge is to write a compiler that will work on the same code base but can also handle each platform's architecture?
Posted by TPRJones on Mar. 08 2013,06:36
Or multiple compilers - one for each platform - that can still take the same code base as input.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 08 2013,07:08
(GORDON @ Mar. 08 2013,07:10) QUOTE So the challenge is to write a compiler that will work on the same code base but can also handle each platform's architecture? That's one way to see it. That challenge always comes when you go from code -> assembly -> binary. Code and binary look pretty much the same (respectively), in terms of symbols used, regardless of environment. A print line command in a high-level language looks pretty much the same on a Mac as a PC as a cell phone OS, syntactical differences notwithstanding. So do the 1s and 0s. The assembler language is what's usually hardware customized. And there are some < fucking stupid differences >, like whether to read bit strings from the left or right, and there are < huge differences >. Java (and other such bullshit "cross-platform" languages) weasel around these and all other problems by using environment-specific virtual machines that handle all the ugliness. But then someone has to make one for each platform you give a shit about. What Catt wants is enough copies of a product such that when he buys it, it works for all the platforms he owns (right now, at least). There's nothing that would prevent them from doing a deluxe edition of whatever with that condition attached. They might charge a higher price than for just one platform, though, due to the inherent bullshit involved in developing for everything. Posted by GORDON on Mar. 08 2013,07:38
1. Thanks for the rehash of my Mainframe 311 class. ;-) 2. Yes, catt wants his stuff to play cross-platform free and seamlessly. I agree, and I don't think it is too much to ask for in 2013. 3. The challenge is indeed in the compiler. Apparently it takes a lot of time and money to port software from the PC to console, or vice versa. In my opinion, it shouldn't be that hard. Any genius coder like me could, given the correct CPU architecture and system specs, for each system on which you want your software to run, code a Rosetta Compiler for it. A couple input fields for your from ---> to systems and you're off and running. Of course, you can't hard code your game to require 5 GB of hardware space of you want it to run on a Nintendo DS, so you need to plan for that ahead of time when writing the code. Graphics are scalable, though, and for the most part that is 75% of the scalability challenge between platforms. The code, at compile time, should recognize that if it is for a PC, sky is the limit, AND offer a few resolution settings for video cards that haven't been invented until next year, yet. If it is for a Sony PS3, plug in their top-end resolutions (I don't know what they are offhand). Multi-core CPUs are also something to consider. In my opinion. Also I just realized I am talking out of my ass, and I got bored with myself about 80% of my way through the post. Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 08 2013,09:18
Convince the all hardware manufacturers to agree to some set of standards.
Posted by GORDON on Mar. 19 2013,09:07
I just purchased Minecraft for the 3rd time.Bought it for the kid to play on my wife's Samsung Galaxy. $7. Then he wanted to play networked with friends, so I got it for his PC. Something like $25. He plays it but has never connected with a friend, because they all apparently play it on the XBox like a bunch of little loser turds. Just got him a Kindle Fire so the wife doesn't need to share her Samsung Galaxy, so that was another $7 to put it on the Kindle. Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 19 2013,12:28
Why didn't you just log into the kindle with your wife's account? Duh.
Posted by GORDON on Mar. 19 2013,12:37
Because your FACE.
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 19 2013,13:14
Or sideload the APK?At any rate, yeah, my wife and I use the same Kindle account, so any book she buys, I get access to and vice versa. Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 19 2013,13:17
So, how was 50 Shades of Grey?
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 19 2013,13:23
Actually, I read < Wool >.My wife did read 50 Shades, but before it was called 50 Shades, and was free. Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 19 2013,13:36
We have 5 android devices, all sharing the same account. We started out with two separate and quickly found it to be stupid to pay for something twice. So we didn't. :-)
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 19 2013,13:42
I have three iPads and an iPhone that all share the same account. Only I know the password. That keeps the kiddies from buying shit.
Posted by GORDON on Mar. 19 2013,15:29
The android was all preset to use gmail and google play accounts for apps. The kindle was all preset to use your amazon account and the amazon app store. I was not inclined to figure out if it was possible to access google play on the kindle.
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 19 2013,16:30
(Cakedaddy @ Mar. 19 2013,16:36) QUOTE We have 5 android devices, all sharing the same account. We started out with two separate and quickly found it to be stupid to pay for something twice. So we didn't. :-) Which devices do you use? Is it difficult at all to tell it to use one acct for gmail/calendar/etc, and another for Play? Actually, Gordon has a point, Kindle cannot access Play, iirc. Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 19 2013,18:41
We have 4 phones and a Transformer Prime.Phones all have their own gmail account. We do most of our app purchases through a shared Amazon account. Many of our shared apps are FAotDs. As far as calendar goes, I basically manage all the calendars from my gmail account and then share them with others. So, my gmail is the main account. My wife's is a secondary calendar I created on my account and share with her google account. We always need to see each other's calendars. So really, she doesn't even need a google account. We could share that too. Neither of us use gmail, etc. Only reason I have an account is for the calendar and then she created one when she got her first android phone. So, in summary: Amazon for app purchasing. Gmail for other stuff. I don't see any reason why you couldn't have a gmail play account and a gmail gmail/calendar account. Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 19 2013,18:48
I don't either, but memory is that when you set it up, it asks for one account and goes from there. Didn't think about Amazon app store, as I rarely use it despite the 1 Kindle Fire.Do you like the Transformer? I bought the Infinity, but returned it when I found out it had a non-microUSB charger. Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 19 2013,22:06
We do. Wife mostly uses it though. Have never had an issue with the charger. With all the other I/O it has, it never occurred to me to be worried about the charger plug.She bought me a Nexus 7 last month, but returned it with the intention of buying an Archos 97 platinum. She's going to upgrade from the Transformer to one as well. As soon as they are available. . But the Transformer was a decent step up from the Netbook it replaced. As far as the accounts, if memory serves, google play asks for it's name/password and then when you 'add account' to email, it asks again. I don't remember them being tied together. That's on a Motorola Atrix and now a Galaxy Note II. But, maybe I'm remembering wrong. You can at least register all the devices with a shared/unused google account, then add your real ones for email/calendar. Could be wrong. Just tried to delete my gmail account info from gmail, and it didn't let me. Didn't give me the option. But then, I don't see that option in google play either. I can add an account though, which is interesting. Might try to add my wife's and see what happens. |