After the success of our <a href=”http://www.androidandme.com/2009/03/contests/torrent-droid-preview-first-android-bounty-winner-announced/”>first android Bounty, I wanted to pick a more ambitious thought for our second project.  When paid applications came to the android Market, I expected we would see some more advanced games.  There are a few exceptions like the titles from Bendroid and Cestos from ChickenBrick studios, but overall I have been disappointed with android games.

History

I’ve always been a fan of multiplayer games and spent several years of high school addicted to Unreal Tournament.  There is a unique social aspect to first person shooter games and I thought this would translate well to android.  Instead of making an entirely new game, I thought it would be simpler to port an older title.

After several days of research I chose Quake would be the perfect title to port.  The game was first released back in 1996 and the source code was set free several years later.  Since that time, Quake has been ported to many portable gaming platforms including Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, Symbian s60, and more.  It was even demonstrated on early android hardware and <a href=”http://www.androidandme.com/2009/02/videos/what-happened-to-quake-on-google-android/”>captured on video.

Progress

Since we started the Bounty last month, there have been $215 in donations collected.  We received most of the donations during the first week and then it died down after that.  Also since that time, we have seen two versions of Doom ported and a preview of Quake.  We also <a href=”http://www.androidandme.com/2009/04/news/auriga3d-brings-quake-3-to-android/”>reported on a developer who made the Auriga3D engine and demo’d a Quake 3 map running on a G1.  So while I have had some doubts at times, I remain 100% confident we will see a fully playable version with multiplayer support.

If you have yet to check out any of the demos, I suggest downloading the free Doom port from the market.  We have included a QR link at the bottom of the page to help you easily find the game.  Of all the ports, I found this one runs the fastest and is the most playable.

Purpose

Some people have questioned the purpose of this project and I want to address those concerns.  Our main goal is to advance gaming on android and push the platform to its limits.  Once we have the 3d engine optimized for android, then the source code can be released and other custom games can be made.  A multiplayer Quake will also serve as a excellent proof of concept for what is possible with android.

Other areas we want to address with android are the controls and multiplayer aspects of games.  Not all android devices will have a physical keyboard so the touch screen and accelerometer need to be utilized.  Vladimir Silva has begun to implement new control methods for his Doom and Quake ports, but more work is needed.  I have also yet to see any games that support Ad hoc connections for multiplayer.

Challenge

Now that the <a href=”http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-1.5-highlights.html”>android 1.5 SDK has been released, we should see more advancements in games.  The OpenGL API has seen improvements and the new input method engines will be a plus.  Even if you have no desire to play Quake, I’m still requesting that you <a href=”http://www.androidandme.com/2009/03/contests/android-bounty-ii-mobile-quake/”>visit our android Bounty II page and place a donation.  If you are unfamiliar with our Bounty program, no money goes to our site.  Everything that is collected will be rewarded to the developer or team that meets our Bounty requirements.  Small donations help, but the more we raise will encourage quicker development.

This is only our 2nd Bounty program so we are still learning as we go along.  We were able to complete the Torrent project for only $90.  After speaking with several devs, it feels like our current bounty of $215 is not quite enough to make it worth their time.  I refuse to let this die and my new goal is to raise $500.  Starting today if anyone want to donate $100 or more, I will match your donation with $100 of my own money. All it would take is a few generous readers to surpass our goal.  Will you help contribute to support the advancement of android?

The following is a video demonstration of Quake Preview for android.

<a href=”http://www.androidandme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/quakebountybig.png”><img title=”quakebountybig” src=”http://www.androidandme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/quakebountybig.png” alt=”Quake is coming to android” width=”540″ height=”210″ />

Quake is coming to android

Applications mentioned in this article:

<img src=”http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=100×100&chl=market://search?q=pname:android.game.doom” alt=”" />Doom for android (FREE)
Version: 1.22.666
Developed By: <a href=”http://code.google.com/p/doom-for-android/”>Scheff’s Blend
Price: FREE
Filesize: 359KB
Doom for android
Version: 1.0.3
Developed By: Vladimir Silva
Price: $2.99
Filesize: 685KB
Quake Preview for android
Version: 1.0.1
Developed By: Vladimir Silva
Price: FREE
Filesize: 243KB
Cestos (Beta) for android
Version: 1.0.2
Developed By: ChickenBrick Studios
Price: FREE
Filesize: 687KB

p.s. if you reckon i’m crazy, have any suggestions, want to tell me this is impossible, or want to help with the project please leave a comment.

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