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marchbold
marchbold
Inspiring
July 2, 2014
Question

Game Services ANE

  • July 2, 2014
  • 2 replies
  • 3401 views

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Help us create the next distriqt native extension

We are aware that there's a lot of interest in creating an AIR native extension (ANE) to handle cross platform game services (as our suggestion site indicates here). While we have made a start on this extension we just don't have the time to dedicate to developing this extension.

So we are asking you to help us. We've started a kickstarter project that will allow us to dedicate the resources necessary to create an well polished AIR native extension to access the Apple Game Center and Google Play Game Services.

The pledges vary from a simple website credit, to the complete finished source code, however we imagine most will be interested in the large discount on the final extension license.

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Even if you can't donate please help us spread the word and continue making AIR a great platform to develop on.

Cheers,

Michael

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

X
xTLS
Inspiring
July 8, 2014

I feel the need to point out Milkman Games already has Game Center and Games Services ANEs that works just fine.

marchbold
marchboldAuthor
Inspiring
July 8, 2014

Hi,

Yes you are correct, there are currently a few basic gaming extensions available.

We believe that none of them truly encapsulate the AIR development methodology. The available extensions, including those from milkman games, are single platform and single operating system. So for example if you wanted to use Google Play Services on iOS and Android it currently isn’t possible. Or if you wanted to quickly switch from Game Center on iOS to Play Services on Android, you would have to write two completely different code bases to handle each OS.

In our own experience this makes integration of game services much harder in a cross-platform development environment and doesn’t support the AIR cross-platform development methodology.

Our aim is to provide a single API to access multiple game services (initially Google Play and Apple Game Center, extending to Amazon and others in the future). This would allow you to use the same code base, with some configuration options and package for both Android and iOS.

Additionally, we are planning to be the first extension to provide turn-based multiplayer functionality through the game services.

Lastly, the cost of our extension through the kickstarter project is significantly less than the equivalent extensions available elsewhere (less than half I believe). Our license is more liberal than most, not requiring any profit share, just the upfront cost of the extension and is assigned to a developer, not each individual client.

Cheers,

Michael

air native extensions // https://airnativeextensions.com
X
xTLS
Inspiring
July 10, 2014

Come on now, let's be honest about this. It takes about 5 lines of code to use the Milkman Google Games ANE and another 5 lines to use the Apple Game Center. Your claim about needing "two completely different code bases" is totally facetious. They provide simple methods to check which platform you are on so you can call the corresponding methods; I wrote a single class to handle both platforms using the separate Milkman ANEs in about ten minutes and I can use this single codebase on either platform with no changes to my code.

Milkman's ANEs are also a single up-front cost with the extension assigned to the developer rather than the client. Heck, does anyone take profit share or charge per-client fees for native extensions, or is that just hot air? I suppose you should point out that your native extensions also don't steal credit card information, spy on you with your phone's camera, or obtain sentience and self-replicate like Skynet.

You have some nice goals for your extension and your Kickstarter price-to-own is low but I'm not impressed with your approach of pretending like the competition is worse than they are.

edit: I am pleased to announce after a minute of research I discovered that you aren't the first to support turn-based (or real-time) multiplayer through a native extension: Vitapoly already has one.

marchbold
marchboldAuthor
Inspiring
July 8, 2014

The game services project has gotten off to a great start but we still need your help to make this extension a reality. As you may know, we've started a kickstarter project that will allow us to dedicate the resources necessary to create an well polished AIR native extension to access the Apple Game Center and Google Play Game Services.

We're making progress but we still need your help. In the past week we've added some FAQ's and have provided some information on the proposed API.

It would be great if you could take the time to share the project with anyone you feel who may be interested and hopefully we can get this project completed.

Cheers,

Michael

air native extensions // https://airnativeextensions.com
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