Android and Me » quake

Kwaak3 spotted fragging on Nexus One

Matt Demers — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:23:06 +0000

Back in February we held a bounty for a version of Quake that could be ported over to the Android, and one of the results that was sent into us was Kwaak3. Dubiously-named but surprisingly functional, the game was a port of Quake 3 (who would’ve guessed it?) to the Motorola Droid platform.

While the Droid’s keyboard seemed like a perfect match for the control-heavy shooter, a video (posted after the break) has surfaced of a user who’s mapped controls to the Nexus One.

Controls have been simplified down to three different functions: the volume up button moves your character forward, while the volume down makes him jump. The trackball works as a mouse and firing button, and is set on high sensitivity for on-the-fly fragging.

However, it’s worth noting that the official Kwaak3 Google Code site still only lists the Motorola Milestone under supported devices; this video is a result of fan tinkering, and there doesn’t seem to be any instructions on how to achieve the same results. Users have also reported the game working on their Samsung Moments and G1s, albeit with slowdown due to the lack of RAM.

I’ve never been able to get Kwaak3 running on my phone due to my lacking of the original Quake 3 files that are required to run it, but from doing some research into user posts, it might be as easy as going into the “controls” menu and mapping different functions correctly. If anyone has any luck with running it on their phones, let us know in the comments.

iD Software frags Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein ports for Android

Taylor Wimberly — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:10:53 +0000

ZeniMedia, which owns iD Software, has filed a DMCA complaint with Google and had several infringing applications removed from the Android Market. The offending games were ports of the popular Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein games created by iD Software.

The following is a message we received from one of the developers of a Doom port.

Some of you may have noticed that Doom for Android (FREE) no longer shows up in the market. ZeniMedia, which owns iD Software had filed a DMCA notice with Google Android Market and requested all Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein games be removed do to copyright infringement.

Although the Doom source code, was open sourced, and the application was based on a port of the PrBoom engine, the application is still suspended. My mistake was allowing the download of the Plutonia and TNT WADs, at least that is what I suspect. Although I may not be able to distribute the application through the Market, the APK can still be downloaded and installed through the web.

L!TH!UMAndroid Developer

The developer goes on to say he is trying to contact ZeniMedia to see if he can make necessary changes to get the app listed again.

We may have played a role in this when we attempted to bribe developers to create a multiplayer Quake port with one of our Android bounties. Android still lacks quality 3D titles and we were trying to bring the open source 3D engine to the platform. (It looks like that has happened, but I’ll save for another post).

Below is a snippet of the fax that was sent to Google.

A portion of the DMCA complaint.

Want to learn how to create a 3D FPS engine for Android?

Taylor Wimberly — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:04:43 +0000

The Tactel Developer Corner quietly launched this week, but it should prove an important resource for Android developers. Currently planned for the site is a series of tutorials which will introduce java developers to the Android platform and walk them through creating a 3D engine. The current crop of Android phones is more than capable of running 3D games, but only Bendroid has released first person titles. Since the OpenGL ES documentation for Android is limited, these tutorials will help new developers push the mobile platform.

Running the Tactel Developer Corner will be Michael Leahy. Some of you may remember when we featured his Auriga 3D engine for Android. He has more than proven his skills and we are excited to see what content he generates over the next couple of months. The source code of the project will be available by the MIT license so that any developer can use it as a starting point for the next awesome Android game.

The first set of tutorials should be released this week so visit the Tactel site and subscribe to their feed. Twitter users can also follow @tactelus_dc for updates. There are 45 tutorials planned split into 4 sections including:

Android Essentials – The intro tutorials will get you up to speed on the essential knowledge to start developing performance applications for Android. Lessons span from setting up the developer environment to general topics including timing and control to device specific information.
Math & Algorithms – Welcome to the world of 2D / 3D graphics and applications. Math & Algorithms will cover essential concepts and also delve into deeper topics that are useful for 2D / 3D software development.
Android OpenGL ES – Taking you from your first polygon through many core OpenGL ES topics this tutorial set is your source to start with OpenGL ES an Android.
Android Quake / Auriga3D – So you want to create a 3D FPS? Then this tutorial is for you. This is your chance to get some quality code and check out what makes an FPS engine tick; demo content uses Quake 1 assets, but the engine is royalty free.

Subscribe to the Tactel Developer Corner feed for tutorital updates.

Android Bounty II: Mobile Quake

Taylor Wimberly — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:18:58 +0000

Update: This bounty has been claimed.

When we launched the first Android Bounty last month, I was nervous about how it would be accepted by the Android community. My fears were laid to rest by two awesome developers who stepped up to meet the challenge and went on to release their own applications. Alec and Justin, thank you for your support and hard work.

Today, we are proud to announce Android Bounty II: Mobile Quake. Yes, we are going to bring Quake to the Android mobile platform. I know this is possible and I’m excited to see what the community can come up with.

I actually believe this Bounty will be quite easy for someone to acheive. Quake was first released in 1996 and the source code was released by 1999. In 2002, Quake was ported to the Pocket PC. Believe it not, Quake was even demoed on early G1 hardware by Andy Rubin. Now is the time to bring it to all Android users.

In order to claim this Bounty, we have two requirements:

Port Quake to Android in a playable format.
Enable multiplayer over WiFi.

As for the Bounty rules, we are making a few changes so take note.

If you would like to accept the challenge, send us your info and we will maintain a list of everyone involved on this page.
The first developer or team to send us a working .apk will be awarded the winner.
The developer is free to do whatever they like with the code after that, but we encourage you to make it available to all Android users.

In order to guarentee the Bounty, we will be using PayPal which will allow anyone to donate money(see link at bottom). All money donated, will go directly to the developer. The preferred method of payment to the winner will also be PayPal, but we can make other arrangements if necessary.

So what do you get for donating to the bounty?

A free copy of the working application.
Text link on this page for donations over $10
125×125 Banner on this page for donations over $25
468×60 Banner on this page for donations over $50
A tingle up your leg knowing you contributed to bringing multiplayer gaming to Android.

What does the developer get?

Experience and a better understanding the Android platform.
The full power of Android and Me to promote your application.
(Optional) Have your work published by Android and Me on the Market.
The chance to market your skills and talents to a large Android community.
Make new contacts that will lead to further work.

Let the games begin! If you have any questions, please don’t hold back. If you want to flame us, we encourage that too. Make your voice heard so we can continue to improve and expand the Android Bounty program. The more people that donate, the sooner we will see this released. Bookmark this page or subscribe to our RSS feed for updates.

Current Developers: TBA

Current Bounty: $261 (22 donations)

(Payments will be held with PayPal until this Bounty is complete and then transferred to the winner.)

Sponsors:

Three Android Games You Might Want To Download

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:03:43 +0000

Every day there are more games on the Android market and it can be hard to keep up with all of them. A lot of games are still junk, but we are starting to see more quality titles since paid applications were released. Quite a few games are priced as low as a dollar and I like that price point. I’m willing to start paying more as the quality increases. It took awhile for the triple A titles to make their way to iPhone, but we are seeing those same developers port their games to Android. Hopefully as we get closer to 2012 that will change.

Can you escape the room?

Mystique. Chapter 1: Foetus

Developer: Bendroid
Price: Free for a limited time

Download it for: Innovating control and 3d graphics. Only first person game I have seen.

Looking forward to: Once you beat the game, there is no replay value. Bendroid should create a time trial mode so you can compete against your best time. The tone of the game was spooky, but it could be improved with scripted vibrations. I can’t wait for Chapter 2 and I hope they keep the series going. I see a lot of potential in Bendroid.

Look at me spell

WordUp!

Developer:Anthrological
Price: $1.99

Download it for: Fun word game that keeps improving. The developer has released several updates that all included new features. I like games that get updated.

Looking forward to: I want different game modes from the one available. Release notes say mutilplayer and high scores are coming soon. I would also like to see sound effects added. You could do some really awesome two player modes using a single phone. I’d like to see a version where the blocks change as well. Time challenge mode along with high scores will really increase the replay value.

Really wish it was 3d

Tower Bloxx

Developer: Digital Chocolate
Price: $5.99 or Free Demo

Download it for: Unique twitch gameplay with added sim options. Lots of replay value with increasing difficulty. Fun building your own city.

Looking forward to: Improved Graphics. I’ve seen videos of the iPhone version and it looks ten times better. If my G1 can run Quake at 30fps I expect to see more. Price is a little steep as well. One of the most expensive games after Guitar Hero.

Has anyone else found any sleeper hits in the Android market?

What Happened to Quake on Google Android?

Admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:22:24 +0000

I know this is over a year old, but here is a video of Andy Rubin demonstrating an early beta of Android. At 2:20 he loads up Quake and its running at 30fps. If you search the web you can find several other videos of the same demonstration on different hardware. So really, why do we not have any FPS games available yet? Does it have to do with the lack of paid games so far? Quake is pretty much shareware, so I don’t know whats holding someone back from releasing it.

I’ve been told paid apps are coming tomorrow and I’m really interested to see what games come out.