Messages

Pong is not 3D, but it does not run.  All these things run fine on HP Touchpad and Pre.

Just got my Kindle Fire and tried a few Sample GLBasic apps.  I tried Pong, SphereMapping, Shadows, Light, and a few others, all failed to run correctly.  Some ran, but only text appeared on the screen.

I tried the iTouchMouse sample, and as long as I limited the mousepoints to 2 or less, it worked.  That was my only success.

Overall the Kindle Fire device is not great in my opinion.  Its slow, the UI lags, the Wifi seems slower than my other devices, and the screen has plastic instead of glass on it so I am expecting lots of scratches.

I am still too new to GLBasic to even figure out how to make basic determinations as to what should or should not work, but I was hoping the samples would work well on the new device.

Is there a location one can look to find out about what is and is not working on various platforms?

I am curious how I would know that try catch causes a quick exit on android if I had not read it here?

It seems like there should be something like release notes for for each build that identifies what commands you can expect to work.

Is there anyway to do the equivalent of a Try...Catch block in GLBasic?  maybe with inline code?  This would be useful in a unit test application so that all the code does not have to succeed in order to get some results.

This test code is probably as good a start as anything else.  I think you would take something like this, figure out a way to run it and do a screenshot (again, probably with inline code like http://code.google.com/p/android-screenshot-library/) and then post the result.  For now, I think just visually comparing the results would be good enough, over time, being able to compare them with a script that runs a tool would be even better.

Ideally this code would be broken down into smaller unit tests, and maybe (dreaming big here) it would write to a log file on the device with each pass/fail so if it just crashed you could retrieve the log and see how far you got before it crashed, or possibly send the logs off to the GLBasic server (glbasic.com) as the test is running so you could see how far it got before it died.

Starting off with something simple like this would be a good exercise, and very useful.

That link is off limits to some of us (including me).

I really think a better answer is to create a benchmark application that can be run on all devices to test and evaluate all the different kinds of functionality available in GLBasic.  This should probably be considered as a Unit Test of each available GLBasic command grouped by category - Networking, 2D Graphics, 3D Graphics, Performance, etc... If such an application existed, you would be able to download it and run it on various machines and have the results posted.  This would be similar to the SunSpider (http://www.webkit.org/perf/sunspider/sunspider.html) tests that benchmark your Javascript Performance.  Most of these catagories should be easy enough to get a pass/fail grade for a particular device.  Graphics would be a challenge, but could be done with bitmap compares.  I have seen it done before.

The author of GLBasic could also run this before every new version comes out to make sure nothing has been broken, if its not already being done in some other way.

Android and Blackberry (not supported yet, but I am hopeful) have a large number of hardware and screen size configurations.  Without something like a benchmark test, I would think it would be very challenging to maintain good reliability across either of those platforms.  Its much easier to just make sure it works on the iPad, iPhone, iTouch for now, but as the number of generations of those devices increases, that will get more and more difficult as well. 

Something like this could be created by the GLBasic community...  We would need a framework, and then others could take on certain pieces and contribute.

Just a thought I have had rambling around in my head since I first checked out GLBasic.

I dont know what it used to return, so I can only confirm that I updated my Touchpad to 3.0.4, and modified the iTouchMouse sample to add this:

   n$ = GETNUMJOYSTICKS()
   PRINT "GETNUMJOYSTICKS() : " + n$,0,320

And it only prints 0 for GETNUMJOYSTICKS().

Here is what I have determined:

I can make things work by modifying the Function updateMice.  If I change the FOR LOOP to any number less than 5, I dont crash, and I can get two sets of mouse coordinates (not more than 2!).  If I modify the FOR LOOP to 0 to 5, like below, I get the crash:

FUNCTION updateMice:
   FOR imouse% = 0 TO 5 //GETMOUSECOUNT()-1
      SETACTIVEMOUSE imouse%
      MOUSESTATE mx%, my%, b1%, b2%
      mouse[imouse].x=mx
      mouse[imouse].y=my
      mouse[imouse].active=b1
   NEXT
ENDFUNCTION

I guess my brand new dual core super Android phone (I am being sarcastic) can only handle two touches?  the WebOS family of products works more like Apple and handles all 5...

Do you think this is a limitation of the phone, the OS, or something in the GLBasic implementation of GETMOUSECOUNT()?


Here is the output of _logview.bat when it fails to run:
--------- beginning of /dev/log/main
--------- beginning of /dev/log/system
10-19 14:31:15.498 29805 29805 I glbasic : onCreate
10-19 14:31:15.498 29805 29805 I glbasic : Updating media files
10-19 14:31:15.498 29805 29805 I glbasic : assets found, copying...
10-19 14:31:15.498 29805 29805 I glbasic : assets still up to date, proceed to main...
10-19 14:31:15.498 29805 29805 I glbasic : done with updating
10-19 14:31:15.498 29805 29805 I glbasic : external files dir is /data/data/com.glbasic.itouchmouse/files
10-19 14:31:15.518 29805 29805 I glbasic : onResume()
10-19 14:31:15.718 29805 29805 I SDL     : pixel format RGB_565
10-19 14:31:15.718 29805 29817 I SDL     : SDL_Android_Init()
10-19 14:31:15.718 29805 29817 I glbasic : debug works at all
10-19 14:31:15.718 29805 29817 I glbasic : preplic
10-19 14:31:15.718 29805 29817 I glbasic : lic done
10-19 14:31:15.718 29805 29817 I glbasic : timer
10-19 14:31:15.728 29805 29817 I glbasic : rbow
10-19 14:31:15.748 29805 29817 I glbasic : rbow init
10-19 14:31:15.748 29805 29817 I glbasic : SDL_init video
10-19 14:31:15.759 29805 29817 I glbasic : SDL_GetVideoInfo = 360x640 @ 16 bpp
10-19 14:31:15.759 29805 29817 I glbasic : Setting video mode: 360x640x16 fl=4800000
10-19 14:31:15.759 29805 29817 I SDL     : [STUB] GL_LoadLibrary
10-19 14:31:15.759 29805 29817 I SDL     : Starting up OpenGL ES 1.1
10-19 14:31:15.808 29805 29817 I glbasic : SDL_SetVideoMode seems to be 1
10-19 14:31:15.828 29805 29817 I glbasic : get accurate timer - 1st call
10-19 14:31:15.828 29805 29817 I glbasic : flip - 1st call
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : BGRA ext supported
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : Texture size limit: 2048
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : init fbo
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : 2D VP
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : OGRB init [OK]
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : Cptn
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : Network
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : Input
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : Window mode
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : Create DXin
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : sdl_grab
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : reptr
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : getexe
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : cd
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : set cdir to: /data/data/com.glbasic.itouchmouse
10-19 14:31:15.848 29805 29817 I glbasic : exepath=curdir= /data/data/com.glbasic.itouchmouse
10-19 14:31:15.878 29805 29817 I glbasic : set cdir to: files
10-19 14:31:15.878 29805 29817 I glbasic : Init Finalized
10-19 14:31:15.878 29805 29817 I glbasic : Rbow::SetScreen( 320,480)
10-19 14:31:16.028 29805 29817 I glbasic : Shut down GLB
10-19 14:31:16.178 29805 29817 I glbasic : glb is shut down
10-19 14:31:16.178 29805 29817 I SDL     : [STUB] GL_UnloadLibrary

Thanks

Yes, you need a Playbook!  I almost bought one a couple of weeks ago when they were selling for $299 (http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/29/best-buy-kicks-off-playbook-sale-cuts-prices-by-200/), but I did not jump on it, and now I don't have one.  the 7" tablet always seemed a bit small to me, especially compared to my HP Touchpad.  They do have an emulator (When it comes to testing your application, you can test it using a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or the BlackBerry Tablet Simulator. )  They don't require you to do any registration until you want to actually publish an app.  You can see everything at http://us.blackberry.com/developers/.  Its a pretty compelling story they have, especially for developers that want to focus on emerging markets where Blackberry is still selling welll.  I especially like the stat that the top 13% of their developers are making over $100,000 per year.

I would review the liveblog athttp://www.engadget.com/2011/10/18/blackberry-devcon-americas-2011-keynote-liveblog/?sort=newest&refresh=0 for more information.

Thanks

I have downloaded and run the iTouchMouse demo on my Windows machine, my Touchpad, Palm Pixi, Palm Pre, but when i try and run it on my Android Photon 4G it does not start up.  I think I have seen issues with Android and multi-touch but nothing specific.

Two questions:
1) Does this demo work for anyone on an Android device?
2) How does one go about Debugging an issue on device in GLBasic?  I did not see anything in the Help that detailed how to debug on device, or if it is even possible.

Thanks

The Playbook 2.0 OS with the NDK (Native Developement Kit) looks very promising.  I would love to see GLBasic run on the Playbook, which would eventually run on the new BBX for phones.  I do believe RIM still has more than a fighting chance.  I know I can not get my wife to consider anything but Blackberry, even as she has seen the rest of us go through Apple, Android, and Palm phones, and I have to admit her new 9930 Bold is really a piece of work, build quality like a Lexus, and nothing like my Motorola Android phone.

A quote from the announcement... Ideaworks Game Studio President Alex Caccia said that the porting Marmalade was incredibly easy--characterizing it as complex as pushing a "convert" button.

If you could get GLBasic to compile and run on Blackberry BBX, that would really be awesome!  I do think that you need to make sure you have Android fully covered before going after Blackberry, but the claim is that developers on Blackberry make a good deal of money...

From RIM:

-- The BlackBerry App World is the second most profitable app market place today, next to Android.
-- There are now 70 million BlackBerry users, compared with 50 million a year ago.
-- BlackBerry App World is available in 130 countries, and it supports more than 26 currencies.
-- There have been more than one billions apps downloaded;140 million apps are downloaded each month; and 5 million downloads are happening each day.



Native SDK - Content Rich, Fast and Smooth Running Applications

RIM also announced today the immediate availability of the Native SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook (1.0 gold release). The Native SDK allows developers to build high-performance, multi-threaded, native C/C++ applications and enables developers to create advanced 2D and 3D games and other apps with access to OpenGL ES 2.0 and Open AL, as well as device specific APIs. Applications developed with the Native SDK will run today on the BlackBerry PlayBook and will be forwardly compatible on BBX-based tablets and smartphones.

The Native SDK includes support for C/C++ POSIX library and compliance, device events like gesture swipes and touch screen inputs, access to code management systems using industry standard Eclipse CDT (C/C++ Development Tools) and advanced debug and analysis tools. QNX Momentics Tool Suite, an Eclipse-based integrated development environment, is included. It provides memory profiling, application debugging, and memory usage statistics to help developers debug sophisticated programs, including hardware accelerated OpenGL applications.

The Native SDK makes the development and porting of game applications to the BlackBerry PlayBook an extremely attractive proposition for developers. Well known game publishers, developers and major game engine companies have already started to bring their game titles and applications to the platform.

Thank you!  I will give this a try...

It looks very similar to what I found here:  http://blogs.msdn.com/b/wpf3d/archive/2009/05/18/3d-hit-testing.aspx

This is a good thing.

Hello,

I am trying to determine how 3D hit testing is done. 

The iPhone Touch Feature Example is a good starting point...  http://www.glbasic.com/showroom.php?site=games&game=iphonetouchfeatureexample&lang=en. 

How would one go about testing that a mouse touch occurred on any one of the faces of one of the cubes?  I did not find anything in the forums related to hit testing. 

Thanks

That fixed it.  I had no idea for Android development you have to go get the USB device drivers from each manufacturer (Motorola, HTC, LG, etc...) to do development.  In my case, I had to install from http://developer.motorola.com/docstools/USB_Drivers/. 

All is working well now.

Thanks for the tip about using ADB.exe Devices to find the devices that were attached.  That is how I knew the issue was fixed.  Before I got the driver, it said there were no devices, after I installed the driver, it showed my device.

Thanks

I am also having this problem on a Motorola Photon 4G.  To test I built the Arkanoid sample, it installs to the emulator just fine.  I have JAVA_HOME with no spaces, and I have ensured my phone allows applications from unknown sources...  still get the following failure (even though it says it succeeds...)

_______________________________________
*** Configuration: ANDROID ***
precompiling:
GPC - GLBasic Precompiler V.10.074 SN:71691f45 - 3D, NET
Wordcount:119 commands
compile+link:
running Android build-script...
BUILD STAGE 1: Compile and pack
     [echo] Creating output directories if needed...
     [echo] Compiling aidl files into Java classes...
     [echo] Compiling RenderScript files into Java classes and RenderScript bytecode...
     [echo] Generating R.java / Manifest.java from the resources...
     [echo] Converting compiled files and external libraries into C:\Users\turnerb\Documents\GLBasic\GLBasic\Samples\_Projects_\Arkanoid\distribute\Android\bin\classes.dex...
     [echo] Packaging resources
     [echo] No key.store and key.alias properties found in build.properties.
     [echo] Please sign C:\Users\turnerb\Documents\GLBasic\GLBasic\Samples\_Projects_\Arkanoid\distribute\Android\bin\glbasic-unsigned.apk manually
     [echo] and run zipalign from the Android SDK tools.

BUILD SUCCESSFUL
Total time: 3 seconds
BUILD STAGE 2: Install on device
     [echo] Creating output directories if needed...
     [echo] Compiling aidl files into Java classes...
     [echo] Compiling RenderScript files into Java classes and RenderScript bytecode...
     [echo] Generating R.java / Manifest.java from the resources...
     [echo] Converting compiled files and external libraries into C:\Users\turnerb\Documents\GLBasic\GLBasic\Samples\_Projects_\Arkanoid\distribute\Android\bin\classes.dex...
     [echo] Packaging resources
     [echo] Running zip align on final apk...
     [echo] Debug Package: C:\Users\turnerb\Documents\GLBasic\GLBasic\Samples\_Projects_\Arkanoid\distribute\Android\bin\glbasic-debug.apk
     [echo] Installing C:\Users\turnerb\Documents\GLBasic\GLBasic\Samples\_Projects_\Arkanoid\distribute\Android\bin\glbasic-debug.apk onto default emulator or device...

BUILD FAILED
Q:\Compiler\platform\android\android-sdk-windows\tools\ant\main_rules.xml:641: The following error occurred while executing this line:
Q:\Compiler\platform\android\android-sdk-windows\tools\ant\main_rules.xml:271: exec returned: 1

Total time: 7 seconds
finished Android build-script.
Android=C:\Users\turnerb\Documents\GLBasic\GLBasic\Samples\_Projects_\Arkanoid\distribute\Android
success
_______________________________________
*** Finished ***
Elapsed: 18.4 sec. Time: 16:03
Build: 1 succeeded.

Spent some time trying to figure this out, but I am out of idea's.  Anyone else powered through this error?

Ampos are you including TP? Really must get my new game out ESP for TP.

Turnerb: there is a thread somewhere here that has an online spreadsheet to what devices people have. I would find it but I'm on an iPhone. It's about 6 or 7 of us I believe.

Cheers

I searched the forums for "Device" and "Spreadsheet", could not find the spreadsheet anywhere...  I was going to add my equipment to the list in case anyone needed things tested on Touchpad, Pre-, Pre, Pixi-, iPad, Android, MacBookPro, Blackberry (coming soon right ).