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While I have no interest in gaming on my phone, I don't see a problem with providing games on android devices. However, GOG would have to share profits with Apple or Microsoft if they went that route. They could get around Android's cut, I think, by just providing an .apk and having info on how to install them.
Are there any android devices that are so locked down, that you can't install an .apk without rooting?
Post edited January 05, 2014 by jjsimp
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jjsimp: While I have no interest in gaming on my phone, I don't see a problem with providing games on android devices. However, GOG would have to share profits with Apple or Microsoft if they went that route. They could get around Android's cut, I think, but just providing an .apk and having info on how to install them.
Are there any android devices that are so locked down, that you can't install an .apk without rooting?
As far as I'm aware, all Android OS-based devices only have the setting you can toggle to allow/disallow the installation of 3rd party .apk files. I have actually installed ResidualVM on my tablet (and had it on my phone for a while) with my copy of Grim Fandango set up to run on the go. I have the keyboard attachment for my ASUS Transformer so I play with that, but I'm not sure how well touch screen only works for it.
I have ScummVM installed on my Android smartphone and it run many ScummVM supported games without a problem. I suppose GOG could pack Android ScummVM port with the supported games (thought it isn't much trouble activate them yourself).
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Porkepix: Nope, they provide a .apk file that you can install after having unchecked the "security" option which disallow it.
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cmdr_flashheart: Ooh, that's sexy, I should have looked into this :]

If it helps GOG to get the mobile licenses for games, then why not, but I'd rather they prioritize DRM-free PC gaming over anything else- PC, to me, is the best platform for gaming, and most PC games are relatively expensive, so it's these games that I am more interested in owning DRM-free.
Yep, the Android games on Humble Bundles (when they include Android versions) are DRM-free, which is the reason all my non-free Android games are all from Humble Bundles. I haven't bought even one from GooglePlay yet, albeit maybe they also sell at least some DRM-free games? Not sure.

That said, there are a few HB Android games where I am still unsure if they can regarded as DRM-free, because they still download extra game data after you have installed the .apk file and run the game for the first time. I haven't tested yet whether moving that completed game to another Android device works (in which case it could be regarded DRM-free), and I also like to think that this thing is only to get over e.g. some technical Android/.apk size limitations, and not DRM by design. Those Android games that load data after the installation are some of the biggest Android games, several gigabytes I think.

Of the mobile platforms (iOS, Android, Windows RT), Android is to me closest to PC, both in good and bad. The good being that it allows you to install software from any source, which is something that the walled-garden iOS or Windows RT don't do. I wouldn't mind GOG selling also DRM-free Android games, after all there are many indie games where GOG offers only the PC(/Mac) version, while HB gave also the Android version on top of it. Then again, I am unsure if Humble Store offers the same perk for Android users...
This is definitely a feature I wouldn't mind having.
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jjsimp: They could get around Android's cut, I think, by just providing an .apk and having info on how to install them.
It it just as simple, or even simpler, than installing PC games with an installer. And they could do like Humble Bundle does it, offer an optional downloader client that lets you install them from within the client as well. The client even checks for you if there have been any updates to the Android games you have downloaded, albeit I've found that to be a bit buggy, so I've gone completely to manual control with my HB Android games, using the client only for downloading the games, if even that.

And yeah, I don't think HB is giving a penny to Google for selling games to Android devices without GooglePlay store. So unlike MS or Apple in their respective mobile platforms, Google allows competing digital stores on Android.
Sounds like it could work. Why don't you have it put on the community wishlist.
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timppu: Of the mobile platforms (iOS, Android, Windows RT), Android is to me closest to PC, both in good and bad. The good being that it allows you to install software from any source, which is something that the walled-garden iOS or Windows RT don't do. I wouldn't mind GOG selling also DRM-free Android games, after all there are many indie games where GOG offers only the PC(/Mac) version, while HB gave also the Android version on top of it. Then again, I am unsure if Humble Store offers the same perk for Android users...
But you've all the others platforms incoming or available since a short time and which will allow it :
- Firefox OS (but only HTML5/Javascript for the moment). Phone already available.
- Tizen (Will accept Android apps, and have other techs with an SDK. Linux inside.)
- And the most interesting ones for me : Sailfish OS and Ubuntu Phone. Both will share APIs with the Linux KDE desktop environment so you can develop one time for these three platforms. At least Sailfish OS will accept Android apps, don't know about Ubuntu Phone. The first one is already available on Jolla's phone, finnish company from old Nokia employees. It's heritage from Maemo & Meego by Intel & Nokia.

Btw, HB also give access to Linux version when available, not only Android, so that's two more platforms! :)
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Porkepix: Ubuntu Phone.
What ever happened to that? Didn't it flop after failing it's indiegogo campaign?
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Porkepix: Ubuntu Phone.
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Petrell: What ever happened to that? Didn't it flop after failing it's indiegogo campaign?
Nah, the indiegogo campaign was for their under-steroid phone.
So this phone is canceled but the OS still under development. Maybe another phone later, I don't know, but the OS will come soon or later. At basis, they wanted it available for phones/tablets/tv for Ubuntu 14.04, ie. April of this year. I don't know if they will be able to ship for this date or not as I didn't followed news these last times.
Maybe they lost a little bit of time with the MIR/Wayland conflict.
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Porkepix: Btw, HB also give access to Linux version when available, not only Android, so that's two more platforms! :)
I was actually going to mention that, but instead decided to use the term "PC". I presume the Windows, Mac and Linux versions of games are identical to each other, while the Android versions are quite often somewhat different from any of those. Naturally the first being that they are designed for the touch-interface, but e.g. Anomaly Warzone is quite a different game on Android than what it is on PC, which feels almost like getting two games for the price of one (the PC (Windows/Linux/Mac) version, and the mobile version). I don't really get the same feeling if I get an additional Linux and Mac versions on top of the Windows version.
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Porkepix: Btw, HB also give access to Linux version when available, not only Android, so that's two more platforms! :)
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timppu: I was actually going to mention that, but instead decided to use the term "PC". I presume the Windows, Mac and Linux versions of games are identical to each other, while the Android versions are quite often somewhat different from any of those. Naturally the first being that they are designed for the touch-interface, but e.g. Anomaly Warzone is quite a different game on Android than what it is on PC, which feels almost like getting two games for the price of one (the PC (Windows/Linux/Mac) version, and the mobile version). I don't really get the same feeling if I get an additional Linux and Mac versions on top of the Windows version.
My bad. So much used to peoples telling PC for Windows because they think that PC = Windows ≠ Mac while PC = every personal computer = a computer with either Windows, Mac OS, Linux or even something else (BSDs and so on) that I did the same mistake… :/

Not exactly right for desktop versions : Sadly lots of them are developed for Windows and then ported to other OSs with some VM/emulation or other tricks (see for example Dust, FEZ and other games written with .net/XNA which are pure Microsoft technologies and then ported with some tricks and really less performances). Some of them still do real multiplatform and portable code with native techs, happily. Or use multi-OS graphic engine like Unity 3D.
I had a look and the closest community site feature wish from the wishlist is probably this one:

http://www.gog.com/wishlist/site/mobile_games_as_extras

(I think we were saying that we wouldn't mind paying a little extra for the mobile version but best to keep the number of very similar wishes down)

And holy crap - it mentions a mobile spin-off from the The Witcher series - yeah, that should probably be here, really....

[url=http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/The_Witcher:_Crimson_Trail]http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/The_Witcher:_Crimson_Trail[/url]

*edit* Am I the only one who reads 'Crimson Trail' and imagines Geralt creepily stalking a menstruating woman?
Post edited January 06, 2014 by Fever_Discordia
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Fever_Discordia: And holy crap - it mentions a mobile spin-off from the The Witcher series - yeah, that should probably be here, really....

[url=http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/The_Witcher:_Crimson_Trail]http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/The_Witcher:_Crimson_Trail[/url]
The [url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/j2me/witcher-crimson-trail ]Mobygame entry [/url] list it as a Java game, not sure it could run of Android or iOs, maybe they need to port it?
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Fever_Discordia: And holy crap - it mentions a mobile spin-off from the The Witcher series - yeah, that should probably be here, really....

[url=http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/The_Witcher:_Crimson_Trail]http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/The_Witcher:_Crimson_Trail[/url]
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Ingsoc85: The [url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/j2me/witcher-crimson-trail ]Mobygame entry [/url] list it as a Java game, not sure it could run of Android or iOs, maybe they need to port it?
Yeah, I did notice that after I posted, but then found that options do exist:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13321703/can-we-run-j2me-apps-on-android-phones
And its not like GOG hasn't used things like DOSBox, WINE, nGLIDE and SCUMMVM in the past...