Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Where Are the Developers?
Most Android devices (more than 90%) have sufficient capabilities to run version 2.0
of OpenGL ES; however, most game developers have not fully exploited such cap-
abilities, because game vendors (i.e., desktop, console, and handheld) develop their
own frameworks/engines for creating games and none are completely based on ES
2.0. These frameworks are not designed for multi-paradigm game programming. In-
stead, they are object-oriented with complete designs for integrating all aspects of
the game, mainly:
1. Screen: splash screen, options screen, and game screen
2. Input: keyboard input, touch input, UI input from buttons, and input
from motion sensors like Accelerometer and position sensors like Mag-
netometer, which are common on most Android devices
3. Audio: audio for splash screen and background scores, audio for player/
enemy movements and attacks, and audio for options screen and other
sounds in the game
It takes time to build and test these game frameworks. The longer it takes to build
one, the more variety is offered in terms of types of games. Much literature is avail-
able for creating complete game frameworks for Android. The most recent book
is
Beginning Android Games, Second Edition
by Mario Zechner and Robert Green
(Apress, 2012).
Beginning Android Games
provides a complete idea of how to build
an Android game framework; however, all the rendering classes in this topic are
based on ES 1.0, meaning, once understand ES 2.0, you can translate the fixed func-
tions of ES 1.x into your custom (ES 2.0) functions.
For game developers who have used any open-source or proprietary game develop-
ment frameworks/engines for handheld devices, based on the fixed-function pipeline,
ES 2.0 poses a big problem. However, game developers can take advantage of this
situation. They can learn ES 2.0 for developing games, or they can become
game
framework developers
for ES 2.0. Because there are few ES 2.0 game developers and
even fewer game frameworks, most game developers are also game framework de-
velopers.
Here are some popular games on Android based on OpenGL ES 2.0:
▪ Death Rally (seen in
Figure 1-22
) is “an action packed combat
racer with cars, guns, and explosive fun. Death Rally has been
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