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AppGameKit Classic Chat / 1075 Ads do not display on android.

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DVader
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Posted: 24th May 2012 04:02 Edited at: 24th May 2012 04:12
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Hi, I've just tried the latest 1075 version of AppGameKit and was eager to test it to see if the android bugs had gone. However, they refuse to work on android now, and on exit I get "Failed to create ad, no ad provider details set". It works just fine on PC, and used to work on android, just not very well. Something simple been missed? I double checked the command hadn't changed in the new version, but nothing seems amiss with the code.

Edit - Oh forgot to mention the text input box fails to show also, on landscape anyway. I haven't tried a portrait app.

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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 24th May 2012 04:52
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Check to see if the (partial) solution presented in this link might work for you:
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=197106&b=41

I copied the contents, unchanged, from the IDE/apps/interpreter_android/src directory into the src directory for my android app (in the android tree).

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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DVader
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Posted: 24th May 2012 05:29
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By the sounds of that thread you are using tier 2 or at least compiling it for the device natively. So I'm not sure it will help me at present. Thanks for the pointer though.
I am just using the broadcast facility on tier 1 at present. I haven't got round to actually compile it. The player may be out of date of course, but it is all I can use and seems to work, apart from the above problem. I haven't noticed any squishing of the screen so far. If a new player is needed, TGC should really put one up when each release is available.

I think this is the 6th revision in half as many weeks, and it still seems the basics are bugged. Perhaps my device is more prone to bugs than others? Is anyone reading some of these posts and thinking it works fine here.. I know offsetting the screen causes problems, as well as using landscape mode.

I hope it is fixed soon.

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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 24th May 2012 16:26
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Not Tier2, definitely Tier1 w/interpreter.

The Eclipse project and compiler for Tier1 using the bytecode file created by the AppGameKit IDE do a very nice job creating an Android app.

TGC does out out new players, but it takes a bit to catch up with new releases.

The old player will still have the same problems regardless of the AppGameKit IDE version.

While setting up to use Eclipse to create your own player is not simple, the guide instructions are good and it can be done. Then you wouldn't be stuck waiting for updates.

What sort of Android device are you working with?

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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DVader
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Posted: 24th May 2012 20:27
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Oh I have an install folder set up for 1065, but refuse to waste my time setting up another, until a stable release is available.
I am using an android HTC Desire HD, so it's not a basic android phone, although it's no longer a top one either.
If it is just the player that is out of date, then fair enough I suppose, but TGC still should release one each update. It shouldn't be up to us to do it. We are the customers and they are not providing a complete product by neglecting the player each and every release. I mean, it's almost as if they don't actually test it before releasing and wait for us to do it for them!

I am a loyal TGC customer who has been buying their products since the original Dark Basic was released, or not far off. I am pretty patient. I have suffered the loss of a graphic artist (from being frustrated at the bugs I was hitting), and I am still waiting patiently for bug fixes many months later.
Not all customers will do this. A lot will turn away and move on to another option. Also the question TGC asked about getting more devs to take an interest? This is not the way. If the player isn't ready, don't release the update simple as. If I was 100% sure the new version was working I would consider compiling the player. Otherwise I am just wasting my time.

I don't want to sound as if I am having a rant at you, Ancient Lady, I am not. I am just a little frustrated by the lack of customer service each release from TGC themselves. They are trying hard to fix the bugs, but really how tough is it for them to release a player with each update? It's not a big ask imo.
I seem to remember Lee saying they weren't going to release a player until we had tested it out a little on the release of 1070. This was to have chance to fix the bugs and such apparently. Personally I just think it delayed finding most, as with no player, a lot of us had no way to test the release anyway, and most bugs I found were on the android not PC. 1075 now and most the same bugs still are here.
Really it is not good enough. I would prefer to wait a couple more days for a complete up to date player than piece meal like this. It is no good for developing, having to keep changing AGK's version every week for no real reason (bugs are still there). I currently have 3 versions of AppGameKit installed!!

Anyway I've had my rant for the day. Sorry to be a little negative, but it needs addressing, I am sure I would not be the only person who is finding it slightly depressing, that each release brings no relief

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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 24th May 2012 20:35
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I totally understand.

Each release might fix some issue, but there always seems to be something else that pops up.

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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bjadams
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Posted: 24th May 2012 22:09
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DVader I really understand your position I was almost going to loose an artist myself.

Whenever you start using a new sdk there are always these risks of dependencies, there is no other way around it
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 25th May 2012 01:01
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I think one problem has been loads of people demanding updates every day recently. You can't have it both ways. Compiler updates always bring in a new collection of issues - and this cross-platform stuff is seriously complicated.

For our language lab software I produce new tools and Services using the latest Delphi XE2 - but for the main code base I have a dedicated computer with the 2002 Delphi 7 compiler installed, which I normally use via remote desktop. The point is, I understand fully the "features" of the D7 compiler, and don't want any nasty surprises.

Android seems to me to be a particularly nasty platform to target - even more fragmented than Windows PCs, hardware from high-performance to complete crap. Even the power of Embarcadero has not yet succeeded in producing a Delphi XE2 back-end for Android, although Windows, Mac and iOS are fine.

At this stage I think it's important to report back in as simple a way as possible the issues, and allow TGC to take a calm look at the code-base and fix things.

-- Jim
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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 25th May 2012 01:04
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Hear! Hear!

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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JimHawkins
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Posted: 25th May 2012 01:40
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If it wasn't such a long way to Virginia I'd take Ancient Lady out for a lobster thermidor and a bottle of Sauvignon on behalf of us all.

My heretical view is that accelerometers are still fairly primitive, and the joy of turning your tablet around is tempered by the fact that they don't always work correctly. My ZTPad went upside down today. It's very hard to code standing on your head!

A crude analysis of problems on the forum seems to me to be about aspect ratio. Some of this may be your phone or tablet, folks!

-- Jim
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Ancient Lady
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Posted: 25th May 2012 02:09
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Well, blush.....

But I don't do seafood and really only drink Champagne in the wine category.

But I definitely appreciate the sentiment.

The game that I hope to publish by July (the deadline my hubby and I decided to set) is based on using the accelerometer in portable devices. So far, it works well. On the Mac and PC, you use the arrow keys and I've laughed myself silly testing some of my levels.

I've come to the conclusion that I'll do two variants of my game to deal with the different aspect ratios of the iPad versus iPod/iPhone. I need to do some research to see what the most common aspect ratios are for Android devices.

Cheers,
Ancient Lady
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basjak
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Posted: 25th May 2012 04:59
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@dvader. You don't need to wait until you download the player from Android. You simply can Compile your own from eclipse.

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Paul Johnston
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Posted: 25th May 2012 18:55 Edited at: 25th May 2012 18:58
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Quote: "and on exit I get "Failed to create ad, no ad provider details set""


The only way that error could happen is if SetInneractiveDetails is not called, or is called with a blank string.

We should have the 1075 player on the store shortly, it may be that the old player is not working properly with the new compiler so SetInneractiveDetails is not getting called properly.
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DVader
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Posted: 25th May 2012 19:23
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Well, the code hasn't changed since before the release of 1075 and it worked ok before then, and as I say it still works on PC. The inneractive details are definitely declared as in the documentation. But I am using the 1074 player off the android store still.
All I was asking in my rant, was that the player be released alongside each update, even if it takes a couple more days to release it. I would have thought testing would be faster that way as all the AppGameKit users can try things out rather than the ones who compile the player themselves.
It sounds (hopefully) from responses here that all is mostly fixed. When I know the player and update seem solid, then and only then will I spend time to make a new install folder for 1075. I prefer to concentrate my efforts on the games, and only play with the install process occasionally. That is what the broadcast feature is for I believe
Glad to hear a player is on it's way. I would like to update my games to include the ad support and html features it offers.

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Impetus73
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Posted: 25th May 2012 19:25
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If there are device related problems, would it not be possible to read some string from the device, to see if it's one of the troubled models, and then compensate by flipping orientations and gyro readings? I realize there are 1000's of devices, but at least then we can report them in as we find them, and at least get those right

----------------
AGK user - novice
Did Amiga / AMOS programming in the 90's, just started programming again with AGK.
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