[APP][GAMES][4.0+] Space Shooter, Number Game & Weight Tracker all made with Tasker - Android Apps and Games

[APP][GAMES][4.0+] Space Shooter, Number Game & Weight Tracker all made with Tasker
The past month I got a little into Tasker and all the possiblities. And it escalated quickly - going from proof of concept to working/nice looking Apps.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.malte.ninegame - Nine - a number game (Play Store link with short video teaser making it look a little more fun than it might actually be.)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.malte.space101 - A simple Space Shooter (Play Store link with short video demo - showing the gameplay.)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.malte.watchyourweight - Weight Tracker (I really like this one as it shows you graphs and a little statistic and I use it every day. Also you can make all entries using only the Notification bar. Also import/export functionality. Short demo at Play Store site.)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.malte.cliffheighttimer - Height Measure Stopwatch
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.malte.ldt - Lightning/Thunderstorm Distance Measure Stopwatch
But after all those fun little project there are questions I keep coming back to:
Wouldn't I learn way more making these things with Java in Android Studio?
How much harder is it to make those things with Java (I once had a intro class in Java and know some C#, PHP, Javascript). I once made one of the tutorial note taking apps from the developer site - but although the logic might be quite simple the programming didn't feel too intuitive - might be a lack of understanding on my site though.
Each of the apps above took me about 1-2 days from start to finish (graphics, videos, programming). Does it take longer to make them with Android Studio?
Although they look good - I don't think of them as real Android Apps. Especially as they don't feel too responsive.
Would love some feedback a) on the Apps or b) what should be my next move if I wanted to make a real Java App? (Can you recommend an immersive progamming school - just finished university and am willing to pay for something I really enjoy? I would love to have some people around with the same passion. Or maybe a single developer that would want to maybe mentor me?)

Related

New Idea for a Game [no implementations to be found in the Play Store yet]

Hello,
I have had this idea for quite some time now, and seeing I have 0 knowledge when it comes to mobile app development, I decided to give it away.
I DO NOT want any amount of money from anyone, I am just giving you the idea so that I can play it (because as I imagine it, it should be kickass).
First off, I want to make some points clear:
- There are no games on the market that utilize the same idea that I am about give.
- After having searched Google's Marketplace (now dubbed Play Store) and Apple's App Store, I couldn't find a game with similar demands.
- The developer should have a solid background of good graphical games before taking this request.
- The game should be given the graphics it deserves ( I am not asking for a game with graphics like Asphalt 6, just with good graphics.)
- Numerous levels and a Survival Mode with varying difficulties are necessary.
- I don't want the game to be exclusive to me [of course], you can go ahead and put it on the Play Store, and even implement it on iOS and WP.
Sneak Peak of the IDEA:
- The idea uses the accelerometer in a way that hasn't been (fully) used before.
- No on-screen controls
- Accelerometer will be almost abused
- 2 or 3 axes gameplay ( initial idea covers 2, plus 3rd axe easily addable) based on the idea.
- There have been "similar" good games that use the accelerometer (like Speedx 3D), and I believe [with the correct development] this game can achieve the same level of awesomeness.
(I said "similar", because even though it's the same "big picture", the movements would be quite different, which result in different user experience)
Important notices:
- I am not saying this game will be revolutionary, unique(maybe?), game changing, or that it will sell/be downloaded more than Angry Birds, but it's a good idea.
- If it wasn't given the graphics it deserves, it will be just "another game in the market"
- The idea is of course an important part of the Game creation process, but is nonetheless a small part, and the one that demands the least amount of work. The developers will have to do most of the work.
How to get your hands on the idea:
- In order not to have it open for the public eye, and lose it's appeal and exclusiveness for developers, I will only send out the game upon request.
- Only 3 requests at a time will be permitted. (to insure exclusiveness for the developers)
- With the requests, you should send your Company name*
- Upon receiving the request, I will verify that the developer has made at least one quality game (from graphics and smoothness' PoV). The number of downloads does not matter.
- If the developer had indeed quality games, the idea + game implementation will be sent.
- Upon receiving the idea, the developer can decide to keep it, and work of it, or desert it.
- If he deserts it, the request will be sent to another person who's on the waiting list.
*: State your company's name along with the games you think would give off a good impression.
If not found in your account, proof might be needed to connect you with your company (to prevent identity theft) [usually a post in the beta or games section of your game/companies' name would suffice]
Am I a source you can "trust":
- I don't know why that'd matter, but I have been giving feedback/ new ideas to big companies for the past 2 years.
- I occasionally get positive replies.
- I [think I] have caused a couple of changes in Google +
- I am ready to support you during the development process, regarding ideas you might need, or further implementations.
I will give out the idea, plus two potential implementations of the game (how it would work and what it should look like, you are free to follow them or do as you wish).
Waiting for your PMs.
Sincerely,
GM

Droid Trivia - Quiz game

Later last year my Google Play account has been suspended (long story short, you can't publish an application that tests if the user's device has a security hole. The application didn't do any harm at all, but it's Google rules so nothing I could do when because of that minor detail they removed my account along with all its associated applications; you can read about the app that caused my expulsion here: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/location-security-exploit-on-samsung-devices/ ).
Later, I got in touch with Google which they didn't have much to say but said I could republish the applications I had that had not led to my expulsion back on the Market but I would have to use another account. Not all good, but not entirely bad.
Enough about that, for almost half a year I had the intention of getting some of my content back on Google Play, but I decided early on that if I already had lost all download statistics there was no rush in doing it and I would look at with as an opportunity to make all the stuff that I wanted to do the way I think it should be done, I'm talking about refactoring the code and bugfixes; note that the game was on the Android Market since the days of Android 1.5 and I had learned so much in the meanwhile that when I was looking at the code I wanted to make it all over again but only better. So that's what I did and even if it does not pay back, at least I know I did it my way .
To avoid the confusion with the previous version, and since I rewrote most of the application from scratch, I renamed the game as Droid Trivia.
Without further talk, here's the Google Play link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stomachion.droidtrivia
or on Handster: http://www.handster.com/droid_trivia_r788.html?dm=1&multi=1
I really appreciate if all of you reading this would try the game and rate. I'm really proud that I made the game easily playable with up to 4 players and not to repeat questions until it is no longer possible to not repeat. The game is also way more stable and faster than before, and it now bundles 3 languages : English, Italian and Greek.
As any good programmer, I always want to do more and more and end up never thinking it is perfect but at least I think it is ready for deployment and stable enough for the general public. Some things I plan for the future are tablet support and some more eye candy, and of course more questions as that is the game's fuel . That said, I'm open to suggestions and bug reports has I always have been.

Sweet Garden Widget Review

My Review:
I wanted to introduce to you all to this nifty little widget I found on the Google Play so I thought the best way to do it would be writing a review
Introduction:
For those who are familiar with pet-raising simulation games you will get the idea for Sweet Garden by Toast Inc. In this app, it acts as a widget instead of a stand alone app. So it will be on your home screens at all time. I was a little worried about the battery but it doesn't have that huge of an effect and runs without killing it But because it is a widget it works in real-time and really interesting when it starts talking to you.
How do you play it?
First you will need to install the widget onto your home screen menu. Then you will need to plant a "ppu" which is the main character or plant. There are different ppu's that you can raise to complete your virtual garden.
The game allows you do different maintenance tasks to keep your ppu happy and growing which are rewarded with gold or silver seeds. Basic tasks such as removing bugs, watering your ppu, cleaning it's environment and more will help you take care of your plant. Also there are mini games like destroying moles which reward you with more seeds so you can do more things like buying gifts, more ppus and more.
Conclusion.
I felt like this was a really unique and new style of simulation game for the android phone. Because it's a widget it's really unique because it interacts with you in real time and the characters or ppu's in the game are really fun to raise and take careful. You can download this game free here:
h t t p s : / / play . google . com/store/apps/details?id=toast.sweetgarden
note : please remove space from url

[GAME][3.2+] Paddle Clash - new Android Arkanoid/Breakout variation.

Hi Guys!
I just released my new game for Android. I know its not perfect, but I tried my best (it's hard to do everything right when you have a full-time job and a little daughter). I treat is as a hobby and an opportunity to learn so I did everything myself (no libgdx, unity, andengine etc - pure Android SDK):
1. Menu system including every control - from the simple one like box or button to item pickers and level pickers.
2. Game rendering system (loading, shaders, renderers)
3. AI, level system, reward system etc.
If you want - give it a spin. I hope you enjoy it!
The game is available on Play Store under Paddle Clash Lite:
Code:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.abductedpiggy.games.paddleclash.lite
If you have any questions, let me know!
P.S. I know that the graphics suck and are not perfect, but I have also made them myself using free materials I could find on the web. Long story short, I am no artist as you can see. I tried to compensate with humor (I hope you like it)
Any Update so far?
What kind of update do you mean? I'm not sure I follow.

[Game][4.0+]Robioactive, some questions about your Apps

Hello everybody,
I just wanted to present my new app "Robioactive", I have programmed in the last month. First I go to the story and following the app itself, then I'll talk about the development.
At the end, I present you a few general questions about your apps, applying your development and feedback
First the link to the app:
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brandy_games.robioactive
If you want, you can skip the story:
<--App-History-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
- The small and sweet robot named "Robi", was sentenced to arrange objects from a conveyor belt properly completely alone and without any help in the factory Robioactive.
- Unfortunately, the small Robi is not very fast, as it has so short and tiny ants-legs.
- Our robot is totally overworked, stressed and need your help.
- Can you help the sweet Robi to assign the Robioactive products off the conveyor belt to the product boxes?
<- End: App-History-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
App, Robioactive:
In this app you must prevent that the objects on the conveyor belt achieve the left end of the tape. This can you do by pressing the product boxes, which are arranged on the top and bottom. For each product correctly assigned a point is awarded. There is at the beginning a small intro with 4 images which explain the game. After that we go directly to the game. There are in total 4 levels. Only the first level is unlocked in the beginning. To unlock the next level you have to reach a certain number of points in the active level. Alternatively you can buy levels with coins, which you get in the game when you're playing, or get Coins in the "MAKE COINS"-part by clicking on the advertisement (I'll tell you more about that later in the chapter app development / advertising). So far I have built "only" 4 Level, however next there will be more available.
App Development:
I am a computer science student at TUM and can do programming (C, C++, Java, Haskell), but I have never dealt me ??with the app development. My goal was that I program an app with some flow to come in Android Studio, Admob, PlayStore etc. within 4 days. The background of this method is that I have noticed from some other app developers that they need 2-3 months for a mature app and then after further 3 months in which the app is to find in the App Store, the Play Store, only 100 Downloads will be reached. This raises the question, it is still worth at all to program Apps, or we, "small" programmer, are powerless against the great app development companies? There are a few more questions in the latter part. The idea for this app is not fallen from the sky, I wanted to build a game that is easy to program, but maximises fun factor at play. However, everyone must decide for themselves.
Design:
I had difficulties to design this app. Unfortunately I have two left hands, regards drawing. However, the app had to be appealing. I didn't want to pay a designer because I didn't know anyway, if there will be a product or not. Therefore, I have worked a little with my Photoshop and made some ugly sketches, but with these I have created a framework with colors and forms. Further problem, I did not know how to fill the backbone. The solution was Creative Commons. I was searching for a relatively long time. Yet I could find a few "nice" images and icons, which were freely available. Given question below for you. Netvertheless I had to paint a few strokes and bars. The same problem arrived with the product video, which I generated with Adobe Animate.
I would pleased if you can give me feedback on the design.
Advertising:
I really do not like advertisment in apps, but I would somehow be rewarded for my work, even if it reaches the end on a Club-Mate or dinner. So I had to make a compromise. I give the user the possibility to click my ads to make them disappear throughout the app for a week. After that, the app is probably uninstalled. But a click per user would be the optimum for me. So I am quite satisfied with less. On top of that you you can generate 200 coins in the "MAKE COINS"-part, to unlock levels. I think that's fair. What do you think about the idea to make the user an app gift by clicking ads?
Programming:
I wrote the entire app in Java, XML is used only for the splash screen. Overall, about 2200 lines of code. I have built the app on the basis of a jump and run game in which was shown on Youtube. However, I had to stop after the chapter 3 of the video series, because I had to develop in a different direction. As a base I used a thread which calls the draw method of Game Panel (Surface View) every x milliseconds, thus changing the surface. The update method will change the position of the objects. So I achieve liquid movements. That works reasonably well. The entire app has only one Activity + one activity for the splash screen. In my Main Activity, Bitmap Images will be visible or not. This works fairly smoothly. One problem is that there are many events that can occur, which I have found after testing the app for one week. Is that too long? If you have any questions about my way of programming, then write me an email to the address below.
Timing:
I had scheduled 4 days for the app, without preprocessing. At the end, it takes 2 weeks + 1 week for testing . On one hand, I had to write my final paper, on the other hand I underestimated some parts of the app development. The designing part has own cost 3 days, seek out the Creative Commons was really tiring. The programming itself has drawn 6 days, adding 1 week for testing and repair. The promo video has cost 1 day, I had to "learn" Adobe Animate (I can recommend the Youtube-Channel "Draw with Jazza"). It was 5-6 years ago that I have looked at Flash, however it has been changed "a little bit". The inclusion of Admob was quite rubbish. This has again engulfed two days. In short, it is a surfaceview and no pure Activity layout so adding an advertisment was not easy and at the end it worked for a reason I do not understand to this day. But that important thing is, it works. Optimizing code lasts 2 days. I had to do that, because it was sometimes a bit too slow. I did not want to program Multithreading, because that would have certainly tooks again one week. So scheduling-conclusion : from 4 days planned to 21 days in the end, anyway I'm happy with the result. I present you below a question about scheduling.
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Questions about the app:
- Have you any guesses to improve the app?
- What do you think about the design of the app?
- What do you think about the app idea?
Questions about your app development:
- How long does it for you to develop an app? (Give an approximate number of lines of code, then I can better classify my project using Cocomo)
- Do you have designers in your team?
- Or rather, do you have a team? (I have my brother, who takes care about website and the legal stuff. I do programming and design)
- do you spend money for your app development? (Design, development, advertising)
- Do you do any advertisment for you app?
- Why do you programm any apps? (Fun, Money, ...)
- Do you use Creative Commons? If so, to what extent?
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I am happy about every opinion that is written down here. Any rewiev would be pleasent. You can write me personally, I will reply to each of the emails you send me and dedicate every question that you have, because the community is very important to me. A feedback from you is 1000 times more informative than a rating in the Play Store. I'd appreciate a download, or share the app with your friends.
I write the same text in several forums, in order to obtain a wide range of possible feedback.
My motto: The design brings the user to download the app, programming to utilize the app.
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Homepage: brandy-games.com
Again the link to the App-Download: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brandy_games.robioactive
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I thank you in advance. Thank you for your feedback.
P.S. the forums entry has also cost me a day, so 21 + 1 = 22 days
Best, Daniel

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