Android RenPy?

[IceD]

[...]Then the Ren'Py code should run mostly unmodified.

With the processing power increasing in newest smartphones, and your prowess I'll bet every Ren'Py game will work on them smoothly. If the HawX port can run 41-46 FPS on my LG GT540, there's no way Ren'Py games won't run, especially with implemented OpenGL support, and almost every single smartphone processor has it, too.

I'm really curious about the final results, even if that means waiting a lot of time

[bornagainpenguin]

Have there been any unannounced status updates on this?

I ask because I am the proud owner of a Pandigital Novel, an Android 2.0 powered tablet. Really it was intended to be an eBook reader and that is what it does best right now despite its hefty 800mhz processor. It was supposed to play video based on the box description and their included player works fairly well depending on which version of the hardware and what firmware you're running. I've had absolutely no issues playing audio on this thing myself, although the audio purist assure me it is my ears (this is quite likely given that I am hard of hearing). The guys at Slatedroid have been hacking this thing to death and we expect there will be a fully supported port of Android 2.1 and 2.2 within the near future.

I have played a few games on this tablet but really what it seems best suited for (besides an eReader) is a mobile Ren'py game station.

--bornagainpenguin

[PyTom]

I've been plugging away at this. I spent the past week rewriting all of the GL-path graphics code in Python, giving it a massive performance boost. This morning, I refactored the GL code into multiple files, representing different strategies for accessing the graphics hardware.

A rough android task list is:

- Add an OpenGL ES rendering path.
- Refactor the sound code to separate out the logic that decides what to play from the actual playing.
- Write an android sound path.
- Figure out how to package a full game on Android.

T-Mobile deciding to brick my phone today slowed things down a little, although I have it restored now.

My current plan is to do a bugfix-only 6.11.2, and then have android support be a big feature in 6.12.0.

[Mihara]

From what I gather playing with my own android phone, the most reasonable way to go for Android would be to have the RenPy interpreter as a separate application, and package the full project into some sort of single packet file to be installed onto the sdcard in a prearranged location where the Android version of RenPy would find it. (That's the way the Android port of OnScripter works) Most serious projects will be just too big for the builtin phone memory, and bundling an interpreter with every single one would be quite wasteful for non-rooted phones which don't have the benefit of app2sd on EXT3, or Froyo's builtin app2sd on FAT partition. From the multitude of comics on the Android market that require a comic reader and evidently come as CBZ packets, it is quite possible to monetise a project delivered in this manner, so that shouldn't be an issue.

I also suspect that rewriting the Text class should be on the android task list for the simple reason that the slowdown discovered when long paragraphs are rendered on other platforms would make too many projects impossible to do effectively on Android.

[EwanG]

From what I gather playing with my own android phone, the most reasonable way to go for Android would be to have the RenPy interpreter as a separate application, and package the full project into some sort of single packet file to be installed onto the sdcard in a prearranged location where the Android version of RenPy would find it.

That's also how Adobe's new port of the AIR environment is working to let you turn Flash apps into Android Apps. I think it would be helpful if it was possible to build the scripts on the Android phone as well - which would be one huge differentiator to all the other tools out there - that you can write the program on the target itself.

[DaFool]

Will android support be a commercial license?

I discovered that it is possible to release an installer without Android Market Licensing. It could be an option for those who choose to simultaneously release desktop versions without DRM. Despite that, the steps to go through to make sure the application is signed, etc., look to me as complicated as publishing for iTunes.

On the other hand we can have developers who want their apps fully Licensed and Certified just so they can have that official 'seal of approval' to show potential customers.

Side note: I can't seem to browse prices on the official Android marketplace (not much info on the products for that matter)... do you need to be browsing using your phone/tablet? Although I have found unofficial marketplaces that do show their prices.

Whether the developer chooses to pick the official marketplace or another unofficial apk portal will be another factor to consider.

Depending on whether the Ren'Py core will be part of the .apk or not, I am curious to how PyTom will approach the market and if he chooses to be a gatekeeper or not.

[bornagainpenguin]

My current plan is to do a bugfix-only 6.11.2, and then have android support be a big feature in 6.12.0.

Thank you for the update!

--bornagainpenguin

[jack_norton]

Will renpy require android 2.0-2.1 or work even with smaller/cheaper phones that have android 1.6 installed ?
(as I am about to buy a new phone, was thinking if to get an android one)

[EwanG]

Will renpy require android 2.0-2.1 or work even with smaller/cheaper phones that have android 1.6 installed ?
(as I am about to buy a new phone, was thinking if to get an android one)

Can't speak for PyTom (obviously), but given that the latest numbers are that over 70% of the user base is now in either 2.1 or 2.2 (with 2.3 to drop shortly), I'd suggest trying to find something that at least has 2.x capability if you want to make the most of the apps that are in the market.

Note that you need to be running at least 2.2 if you want the Flash support.

[jack_norton]

Thanks, yes probably not worth buying anything new with less than 2.0. Unity requires 2.1 too! I assume you cannot upgrade the OS version once you buy a phone ?
(obviously not 1.6 to 2.0 but maybe from 2.0 to 2.2... ?)

[EwanG]

Thanks, yes probably not worth buying anything new with less than 2.0. Unity requires 2.1 too! I assume you cannot upgrade the OS version once you buy a phone ?
(obviously not 1.6 to 2.0 but maybe from 2.0 to 2.2... ?)

You can upgrade, but how hard it is, and how well it works, depends on the vendor. I have a Nexus One in no small part because it almost always gets the first release of the new OS. If you get a Droid (for example) then you have to wait until Motorola makes their own build, and Verizon is ready to push it out.

[jack_norton]

Ah ok. Here in europe is probably even worse... I think I'll wait for now. I'd hate to get a 2.1 now and then maybe in 6 months the standard will be 2.3 or something else

[PyTom]

Right now it looks like it will be requiring android 2.0, just based on the libraries that I can use. You'd also want a reasonable phone - hardware OpenGL is important.

In addition, some features will be missing from the first android release:

- ImageDissolve, AlphaDissolve, and AlphaBlend.
- The ability to take screenshots through Ren'Py.
- MudgeFont support.
- Movies.

There might also be some changes in the sound playback, as I haven't looked too closely at it.

My current thoughts is that I will make a "Ren'Py Launcher" app available in the market. This will scan a directory on the sd card for games, and then run them. So to get a game running on Android, one would have to unzip it to the sd card. This will be free and open source.

In addition to that, I'm probably going to offer the ability to combine Ren'Py with a reasonably sized game, and make the combination available in the market. Since packaging a project for the market is somewhat difficult, this will be a pay service, at least for commercial games. At some point, I'll probably offer up ad-network integration, to provide an alternative model. (I'm also considering this for desktop games.)

[jack_norton]

In addition to that, I'm probably going to offer the ability to combine Ren'Py with a reasonably sized game, and make the combination available in the market. Since packaging a project for the market is somewhat difficult, this will be a pay service, at least for commercial games. At some point, I'll probably offer up ad-network integration, to provide an alternative model. (I'm also considering this for desktop games.)

Cool. I don't know for mobile devices, but for desktop stuff ad-revenues are basically peanuts and totally worthless (just think that a very successful Flash games gets only $200 for ONE MILLION plays!).

[Formedras]

My current thoughts is that I will make a "Ren'Py Launcher" app available in the market. This will scan a directory on the sd card for games, and then run them. So to get a game running on Android, one would have to unzip it to the sd card. This will be free and open source.

In addition to that, I'm probably going to offer the ability to combine Ren'Py with a reasonably sized game, and make the combination available in the market.

I think another idea, for down the road (possibly by other developers, once you get that ball rolling) would be to use the Ren'Py Launcher application as a Ren'Py Games Browser as well, for free games (and paid games if you're going to avoid the Android Market and go with, for example, SlideMe, since Android Market forbids bypassing it for paid stuff).

My inspiration for this idea is the larger Glu games on the Android Market, such as Super KO Boxing 2. They have small downloads to internal memory, and require much larger downloads afterward that can be saved to either internal or external memory.
It could also be said that another inspiration is the Homebrew Browser for softmodded Wii systems, since that is almost exactly what I was describing: One program to download others.