Myst Online Uru Live for Android?

Hiraghm · **Joined:** Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:20 pm **Posts:** 5

This may not be the proper place to ask, but I don't know of one.

Is there anyone working on a client for the Android platform?
If not, would it be permitted for a 3rd party to work on one?

Mac_Fife · **Posted:** Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:47 pm

I don't know of anyone developing for Android.

Under Open Source, which we don't yet have, anyone would be free to develop an Android client. However, at the moment, and with only one "live" server available for MO:UL, you'd have to approach Cyan, as they will be a little bit touchy about anyone testing client-side applications on the live game server. They'll also be largely unable to provide much (if any) support, so you'd have to have the means to learn about the interfaces and protocols yourself.

Nye_Sigismund · **Posted:** Sun Jun 20, 2010 10:05 pm

What are the specifications of your intended phone? I can't imagine most phones would like the graphics techniques Cyan used to develop Uru.

Hiraghm · **Joined:** Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:20 pm **Posts:** 5

Well, Mac... now you know someone developing for Android. :lol:

I'm not sure what graphics techniques Cyan uses that are particularly onerous. Could you get the visual quality you can get on a 1900 x 1080 Windows 7 display being fed by a latest generation Nvidia processor? Of course not. But I do think you could get a client that would give an enjoyable, immersive, play experience. The touch interface I think would help that.
Being able to play "on the move" might suit the game as well.

As for what specs; well Android 2.1 or probably Froyo (2.2) would be mandatory. In fact, I'm thinking 2.2, since its to have Flash and SDCard execution support. The Evo, Incredible, and upcoming Moment2 all have 1 ghz snapdragon processors and 1gb memory, already.
A host of Android-based tablets is forming up (the existing tablets run 1.5/1.6 at 600mhz, I doubt powerful enough even for a limited game client).
Toshiba, Acer and others are coming out with netbooks and tablets running Android, based around the new Nvidia Tegra 250 processors, with more memory and storage capabilities, and Android already supports OpenGL ES.

I realize an Android client will *not* be as powerful or elegant as a Windows or OSX client, but I think it *would* be popular among some who would play MOULAgain on their desktop systems.

After all, these devices are becoming all about social networking. I'm confident, sooner or later, that will include online interactive games. And the original Myst pushed the envelop of the then-existing hardware.

vidroth · **Joined:** Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:25 am **Posts:** 869

I would certainly help test it on Android 2.2, but presumably we'll have to wait until at least the first OS release, so we can attempt to port it to ARM/linux. After that, the sky's the limit!

Hiraghm · **Joined:** Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:20 pm **Posts:** 5

Well, I was just watching a developer lecture on Android, and it seems the older devices can manage 5k vertices per frame, and newer ones can manage about 30k vertices per frame, to maintain a framerate of 30 fps.

This is kinda low, but there are tweaks to be done (like level of detail) to improve it, and early versions of the client wouldn't have to be *quite* so beautiful as the Windows/OSX/Linux version, while later versions could scale up automatically to the best they can display.

I also just saw a video of the nvidia tegra processor (on what looked like an android tablet device) playing the unreal 3 engine, and it was fast, smooth, and detailed.

So, maybe, by the time we're able to port MO:UL to Android, there will be more machines capable of better display.
I guess, in the meantime, all I can do is be patient and work on other things.

we6jbo · **Joined:** Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:50 pm **Posts:** 3

I have a nexus one phone and I've also dabbed a little into Android development. I was thinking that we could create a remote desktop client that would allow you to connect to a remote pc and play uru that way. We wouldn't need the sourcecode however it could become problematic if there's a lot of latency.

Myst Online Uru Live for Android?

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