Blog of Shaun McCran - Architecting robust, elegant technical and business solutions - Android

Micro transaction madness with Marvel Puzzle Quest

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 16:17:00 -0000

I'm a big fan of Puzzle games, and Marvel, so what could be better than a Marvel themed puzzle game?

The game itself is a classic three-in-a-row puzzle game just like the previous versions of Puzzle Quest games. It's the now 'classic' model of free-to-play but with in-game micro transactions through it. There are several resources used in the game, Iso-8 which is used to upgrade your hero's level and hero points, which are basically coins that you can use to but team slots to hold more characters, or to buy skills for characters.

You can play the game without purchasing anything at all, which is my preference or you can spend upwards of £80.00 on all the extras. Personally if it was priced at a sensible mobile price point I would have happily purchased it, it's the sheer volume of micro transactions present that is annoying. I don't know how or why the trend for Micro transactions started but the model is abhorrent.

This whole game feels like a vehicle for micro transactions. Every way you try and play it you are faced with a transaction. The only other option is such soul crushing repetition that the game is almost unplayable. You really have to purchase a wealth of content if you want to even see half of the characters and powers in this game.

Looking at this from a design perspective it is obvious that the design started with user journeys arriving at micro transactions. For me, if a games design is being driven by the purchasing functions in it then you've lost the plot. I appreciate that games have to make money, that's just the modern games industry but they shouldn't be the driving design principle in the product!

This is a real shame as the game is quite enjoyable, its just that the constant barrage of 'purchase me' advertising really starts to intrude on your enjoyment of actually playing the game. It feels like there is more 'purchasing advertisements' than puzzle matching.

So, I'd stay away from this game. Marvel should release a non 'free to play' version at £9.99 or £14.99 with all the content unlocked. I'd be happy to purchase in that model. Micro Transactions hidden in the 'free to play' games are a blight on the games industry. Its false advertising, plain and simple. There needs to be a change in policy, and a change in terminology, as this terms is just lies.

Where is Google music stored on the Android OS?

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 05:46:00 -0000

After synchronising several albums into the Google Music service recently I thought I'd copy them from my mobile onto my work laptop, as I can't install Google Music manager on it, with Corporate security policies and all that.

Having a dig around on the mobile I couldn't find the music files anywhere. How was I to copy my music? Turns out that Google Music stores the music files in a sector of the memory card that you cannot access unless you have root access.

/mnt/sdcard/Android/data/com.google.android.music/cache/music

So you cannot move them around easily. Also watch out for the fact that Google Music applies its own indexing system so all your files are renamed to match a cloud based index database. They have numeric names now instead of the original ones. To work out what each song is you'll have to listen to them each in turn.

My Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 review - Part 2

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:54:00 -0000

Continuing on from my previous article I have been reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1. I've had the tab a month now and I thought I'd document my findings. You can read the previous article here: http://www.mccran.co.uk/index.cfm/2011/10/4/My-Samsung-Galaxy-Tablet-101-review--Part-1 Part 2 deals with the software layer and my summary. [More]

My Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 review - Part 1

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:06:00 -0000

I've had a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for around a month now so I thought I'd document my findings. This is part one of a two part article. In this part I deal with the Tab out of the box and the Hardware. I'm familiar with the Android OS but all my previous devices have been HTC branded so they have had Sense installed on them, also this was my first tablet device so I expected a learning curve. [More]

What? What do you mean my device isn't supported? Android device Fragmentation!

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:14:00 -0000

I got hold of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 a few weeks back and it is amazing. But I've noticed a disturbing trend. Android content is not universal. Sometimes it does not run in the same way depending on the device, other times it does not run at all. Why is this? I'm not sure, but I bet iPad users never see the screenshot below. [More]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Switching your browser from mobile view

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:27:00 -0000

The Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet has a screen that is easily capable of rendering full size website layouts, but the default view mode is as a mobile device. This means that you are served up the mobile optimised version of a website instead of the regular desktop experience. [More]

How to increase your Android handset ringing length before voicemail cuts in

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:44:00 -0000

Through subtle mechinations I've managed to convert most of the management team in the office to HTC Android handsets. One of them came up with an interesting request the other day; how do you increase the length of time it rings for before the voicemail system kicks in? I'd never even considered this as an option on the phone before, but a quick google around and I found out how. [More]

Backing up your SMS and MMS to GoogleMail from an Android device

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 06:18:00 -0000

I've been using the same Android phone for over a year now, a HTC Desire. Over the last year I've been sending and receiving texts on a frequent basis. My SMS app seems to struggle with the volume of messages it is now holding, over 5000+, so I thought I'd find a way of backing them up and clearing it all out in an effort to speed things back up.

This article explains how I used the 'Backup to Gmail' application to backup all my SMS and MMS messages.

[More]

Huge update for Robo Defense for Android

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:00:00 -0000

Over the last few days Lupis Labs have steadily released a huge amount of updates to their 'Robo Defense' Android game. It was already a top ten game for the Android platform, but it is great to see software maturing, and being constantly revised to bring additional features to their users.

There has been a massive graphics overhaul, the addition of a zoom mode and several other updates. They have also added a load more achievements, and a survival mode with scaling difficulty to really test you.

A full list of the updates is available on the Lupis Labs website.

Chroma circuit Android game review

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:12:00 -0000

I've been waiting for Bowler Hat games Chroma Circuit for a while now. It was demonstrated at Scotch on the Rocks last year, and it looked like quite an innovative mobile puzzle game. [More]

GetJar mobile App changes its billing model, launches GetJar+

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:37:00 -0000

I've never used the getJar application market place, I had heard of it, but never really considered it as competition for the regular Android market. I was recently approached by their PR agency with a press release detailing how they are launching a pilot program, called getJar+. It looks like they are switching to an AD based revenue stream rather than a pay per app system.

I'll give them a try, but I'm holding back on judgement until I've seen what they host, and how easily they interface with my mobile platform.

The full press release is included below.

[More]

Twitters OAuth changes break HTC Peeps login

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:13:00 -0000

I've got a HTC Desire Android handset and I use the Twitter Application that ships with it, Peep. Recently it stopped logging in for me, after a quick search around online it looks like Twitter have finally made their OAuth login authentication mandatory for third party applications.

This is a good thing in itself, but it does raise the question of when a platform changes from being just 'open' to being so wide spread that it is considered as a public API. I'm not in a position to comment on why Peep wasn't updated to work with OAuth before it was released, but it does make you question who is responsible for maintaining the service levels of public API's.

If Twitter have published and promoted their API, surely it is their best interests to maintain its functionality, and ensure some level of backwards compatibility? This is a tricky point to argue, as on one hand it is very good that they are maturing their platform with new features and security, but on the other hand they do risk alienating the community they rely on by introducing new features that require third party application changes. By this I mean changes that require an update, and are not backwards compatible, rather than just not updating and missing out on any new functionality.

This is especially prominent in this instance as it affects the Twitter Application that actually ships with HTC Android handsets, so it is guaranteed to be quite widespread.

Guide to getting SCUMMVM working on Android 2.0 and higher devices

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:52:00 -0000

I didn't even know that there was a SCUMM (Lucas Arts game engine from the early 90's) emulator for the Android platform until I read a blog post by Justin Carter (http://www.madfellas.com/ where he mentioned he was playing with it. It takes a little bit of tweaking to get running on Android 2.0 and up devices, and all the useful files aren't in the Android marketplace, so here is my short guide, with links to getting SCUMMVM running on your Android handset. [More]

How to sync your Android phone with iTunes

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:31:00 -0000

I've recently convinced a colleague at work to switch from his iPhone to the Android platform. His one caveat was that you could get hold of the same Applications, or at least Applications that would provide the same functionality. Almost all the Applications he used we available on both platforms, the most process to replicate is synchronising your phone with iTunes. Obviously the iPhone does this out of the box, but how can you do this on the Android platform? The answer is DoubleTwist a free Application that can manage synchronising removable disks with iTunes and Windows Media player. [More]

Swype 1.47 for Android phones

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:44:00 -0000

I've never found typing on the Android graphic keyboard to be all that difficult, so when people started mentioning a way of typing that involved simply dragging your finger around, rather than tapping the keyboard, and how it was much quicker, I was a little sceptical. The Application is called Swype, and it literally allows you to drag you finger over the keyboard to type. I've only just installed it, so I'm reserving judgement until I've used it for a while. It is not the easiest of installs, as it is not available through the Android Marketplace, and you need a specific version based on your handset (I love the Android platform, but how fragmented can the handset market get?). Go here and download the version for your phone. http://www.gamestrikes.com/swype-1-47-24-6826-for-nexus1htc-desire-480x800