Games Workshop Digital Releases

[wittdooley]

They're looking pretty damn good right now, considering the fiasco that the War Room launch is right now for Privateer. Seems like they did, in fact, make a good decision releasing the product on iOS first. Contrarily, Privateer is having loads of trouble with War Room on Android; apparently it won't even launch on a select series of devices.

Needless to say, the Privateer Press Angry Boards are on fire. I half expect their corner of the internet to explode at any moment.

[Wildeybeast]

Despite all the whiners about it not being available on Android, it made perfect business sense for them to start out on Apple. You have to programme separately for different platforms on Android, which will probably be why PP are having trouble with some devices. Apple lets them test the market and if there is high demand then look at other formats. They've only been going for a few months, but seem to be doing well, so here's hoping people keep buying them.

[JMichael]

Though I'm a Droid user, my main issue is new material that is only offered on the iPad and not at least in print.
The new Space Marine missions (which you roll to see if they replace the rulebook missions, and every army will have their own set of missions) look great...but I don't want to spend several hundred dollars just to have the iPad for missions.

[Lexington]

Mmm, not quite. GW still took the cheap, easy solution by going through iBooks. Android's a giant pain to test for when it comes to complicated programs, due to the fractured releases, but GW's digital releases are simple stuff. It would've just taken more resources and planning than I imagine they wanted to put into it. Happy to see them really following through on the project, tho. :)

War Room's problems have some relation to the one-size-fits-all approach they took, but it's bigger issue is that it's not really a functioning program, even at the best of times.

[wittdooley]

War Room's problems have some relation to the one-size-fits-all approach they took, but it's bigger issue is that it's not really a functioning program, even at the best of times.

I"m really disappointed, because I was stoked to get it. Even bought my two faction decks right away. Then I found all the misfires. Now, I'm using iOS, so I don't have any stability problems, but there are huge issues, my main being:

1. If you chose to do a tiered theme list, the program doesn't tell you what level you acheive in the theme, nor does it limit your troops/jacks/beasts/solo choices to the theme list. Considering Forward Kommander has that, and works very well, it's a huge miss.

2. Theme lists don't adjust point levels or fielding allotments appropriately, making it appear that you have an illegal miss.

3. If you swipe the actual boxes on the damage tracker and then swipe the number area, it does not adjust correctly. It actually killed the program on my iPad, so that's a problem.

4. I couldn't access army lists made on my iPad on my iPhone. This problem has been relayed to PP/Tinkerhouse, but it was still a bummer.

Again, I'm at least (fortuantely) able to launch the program because I do have iOS, but this release is like I said, so far a fiasco. I hope GW is watching with great interest, because I think they can learn a lot from this. I knew there were problems formatting across multiple Android formats, but I really didn't know it could be this bad.

Fanboids or app developers--> if you develop an app for Droid, do you literally have to test the app across all types of phones and tablets to ensure cross functionality?

@JMichael--> I feel you there. I'm not going to start another "merits of the iPad" debate, but I promise you if you take the plunge and do buy an iPad, you'll find yourself using it for much, much more than simply GW iBooks. And that's if you don't purchase a single additional app.

[Defenestratus]

if you develop an app for Droid, do you literally have to test the app across all types of phones and tablets to ensure cross functionality?

Depends on the app. If you're using only native Android interface elements then you can get away with not testing it on every device and be ok.

For whatever reason, the War Room's interface is built more like a game and not like an "app". Literally thousands of publishers of games and apps on Android have been able to get their wares to work across all of the platforms without issue - why this group couldn't I'll never know. The most bizarre issue seems to be that the app doesn't recognize a 4G signal as an internet connection. Now I know that iPhones are stuck in 2006 with their crappy 3G connections, but those of us who have moved on to the promised land of 20mbps/sec would really appreciate being able to use it :P

Furthermore, the list of devices that are reporting problems (and I confirmed on my Gnex running 4.1.1 AOSP Jseries binaries) is literally a list of the top 5 most popular Android devices sold in the past 2 years. Sammy GS2, Gnex, GNote, GTab2, Droid RAZR... I mean they couldn't have picked a set of more popular devices to have it fail on really.

However, the crashes really aren't what make this app horrible. This app is poorly designed, poorly implemented, does not follow the Android Design guidelines, disables the back button, forces landscape mode, has text so small that I literally needed a magnifying glass to read some of it and is coded about as well as something a programming intern would come up with.

I really think that they developed the iOS version then "ported" it to Android. Something thats doomed for failure. Its really too bad that some iOS bigots are trying to use this opportunity to point out some perceived advantage over android here. It should be a demonstration in a horrible developer/product, not android itself.

Like I said above, thousands of developers have been able to successfully code their products to work across all android devices. Why this developer couldn't is due to nothing less than incompetence.

(Looking at this company's only other release on android, it seems that they have the same problem with crashing and stability.... I don't get with PP went wit this studio to provide their android app honestly.... https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tinkerhousegames.cstw&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS50a W5rZXJob3VzZWdhbWVzLmNzdHciXQ..)

[Defenestratus]

As for WHY PP went with an Android app, its all about numbers....

http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/8/3227506/idc-q2-2012-mobile-os-market-share

[Blusox69]

That data is for smartphones. Books like these are designed for tablet use.

Below is the same smartphone data, but they also include the tablet data

http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/news/20120808-android-holds-majority-share-smartphone-market-ipad-continues-dominate-tablets

[wittdooley]

You can, of course, spin numbers any way you'd like:

http://www.redmondpie.com/android-sales-down-ios-sales-up-in-q2-compared-with-q2-2011-in-us/

http://www.bgr.com/2012/07/30/android-us-market-share-q2-2012-apple-ios/

I will, of course, reiterate the fact that, with Android being available on more service providers (especially the "cheap" ones) they are of course going to have a larger market share. The more appropriate statistic is to look at the app sales (which I could not find a resource I'd call "reliable), which is the main reason to start on iOS in the first place.

Oh yeah, that and you dont have to worry about your app functioning on every Samsung Galaxy 7GS Extreme and Droid Razr 4X Turbo.

While it remains pretty clear that the developer is to blame in this instance, I think the fact that they're having problems on some Android devices and not all really does speak to a major development issue that comes with Android that doesn't come with iOS.

[Defenestratus]

I think the fact that they're having problems on some Android devices and not all really does speak to a major development issue that comes with Android that doesn't come with iOS.

The fact that they're having problems on some devices in no-others' fault but their own. Its not androids fault. Its the developer's.

And that BGR story is completely laughable.

App sales is another stupid metric. Fact of the matter is that there are more potential customers holding android devices (when tallking smartphones, tablets are another sad, sad story) than iOS devices.


Oh yeah, that and you dont have to worry about your app functioning on every Samsung Galaxy 7GS Extreme and Droid Razr 4X Turbo.

You do if you want to get money for your app. You see, you make fun of the names of those devices, but the devices you so cutely deride with names straight out of an 80's rappers' cover art --represent the diversity of CHOICE that exists in our ecosystem, with a variety of options, customizations and fits for each individual - as opposed to the monolithic "one size fits all" (which apparently it doesn't anymore...) approach to iOS.

Ultimately, thats why Android's marketshare has surpassed iOS's globally. Its because it represents choice.

[wittdooley]

The fact that they're having problems on some devices in no-others' fault but their own. Its not androids fault. Its the developer's.


Right it is the developers fault. But isnt it androids fault that there isn't better consistency across platforms?



And that BGR story is completely laughable. why? Because you don't agree with it?




App sales is another stupid metric. Fact of the matter is that there are more potential customers holding android devices (when tallking smartphones, tablets are another sad, sad story) than iOS devices.

Would it be a stupid metric if it didn't overwhelmingly show that iOS users are more likely to purchase apps?? That's sort of an important piece of information for anyone that's going to market an application isn't it?




Ultimately, thats why Android's marketshare has surpassed iOS's globally. Its because it represents choice.

This make me laugh. It looks like its ripped straight from an Obama campaign ad.

I had choice when I chose the overall device to select. I CHOSE an iOS because it fits me much better and I appreciate the relative longevity purchasing an iOS device affords. I appreciate that it works seamlessly with the easiest to use music program, iTunes, and I appreciate that they now offer a cloud service that will auto synch my content.

So now, I'm going to chose to read some of my GW digital content on my iPad.

[Diagnosis Ninja]

I CHOSE an iOS because it fits me much better and I appreciate the relative longevity purchasing an iOS device affords.

I lol'd.

Isn't there reports of people already trading in their iPhones on the mere Rumour that the iPhone 5 will be released at the end of September?

And the way I remember it, they're still using the advert from iPhone 4S, a mere few months after it's release.

By my count, that longevity is about a year before another device comes along to take even more money.

[lattd]

Yes but because you have one apple account everything you've already got can be transferred to another apple device.

[wittdooley]

I lol'd.

Isn't there reports of people already trading in their iPhones on the mere Rumour that the iPhone 5 will be released at the end of September?

And the way I remember it, they're still using the advert from iPhone 4S, a mere few months after it's release.

By my count, that longevity is about a year before another device comes along to take even more money.

Let me restate:

My iPhone 4 will still work VERY well with any version of iOS that Apple releases when then iPhone 5 comes out. The same cannot be said for other devices.

I've had my iPhone for over two years and it has gone through all of the various iOS upgragdes seamlessly. In terms of cell phones, more than two years is a varitable eternity.

[Defenestratus]

Ugh - quotebombing... listen wittdooley, we're going to go back and forth. For every metric that I provide, you'll provide one in response. You'll claim that mine is worthless, I'll claim yours is biased, and its like a political debate where neither side is willing to acknowledge the validity of each others' arguments.


This make me laugh. It looks like its ripped straight from an Obama campaign ad.

Sigh. It makes me sad to be associated with grifters such as the Obama campaign. That made me sad.

Here's a link that provides insight into how Android enthusiasts feel about the so called "fragmentation problem" of Android. It basically explains why we feel that its not a problem - but in fact a feature.
http://phandroid.com/2012/05/12/this-is-androids-fragmentation-and-it-is-still-a-feature-opinion/

As for your comment about iTunes - we're clearly never going to get to the middle ground where we agree about anything. iTunes has to be (along with quicktime) one of the worst applications ever created. Bulky, inefficient, overbearing, and completely bloated is how I feel about iTunes.


I had choice when I chose the overall device to select. I CHOSE an iOS because it fits me much better and I appreciate the relative longevity purchasing an iOS device affords.

And I chose another avenue because 1) I don't like iOS's UI, 2) I don't like the tiny postage stamp of a screen of any Apple device 3) I don't like the social stigma attached to purchasing an iDevice. To me it screams fashion over function.

As for longevity, 1 year is longevity in iOS world these days. I'm going to really get a kick out of seeing Apple fans doing backflips over "3.5 inches is as big a screen as I'll ever need on a phone"

By the way, 4" is STILL too small for me, and a whole lot of other people.


So now, I'm going to chose to read some of my GW digital content on my iPad.

And I'll do the same on my Xoom - since I've got OCR'd PDF's of all the books I own, saved to my GDrive so its available on any device or computer I want it to be on instantly :)


Yes but because you have one apple account everything you've already got can be transferred to another apple device.

The fact that android has been doing this same thing since 2008 is apparently lost on iOS fans :P

Here's just what is synched on my Google account... note that I can have multiple accounts on the same device and I do... my work account has pretty much all of these as well through VPN...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WG19nXsgts4/UCPhbBMbHkI/AAAAAAAAZLQ/AaPWMVejt70/s640/Screenshot_2012-08-09-11-57-26.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-KE9JaFGjfaY/UCPhcIB-4eI/AAAAAAAAZLU/sBf8-gH9mGY/s640/Screenshot_2012-08-09-11-57-35.jpg

[Defenestratus]

The same cannot be said for other devices.

My Wife's iPhone 3G would love to get iOS6. I don't even know if its possible to flash iOS6 to her phone.. is it?

Meanwhile, developers have JellyBean running on the HTC G1 (The first Android phone and its admittedly horribly slow but it works for the most part) :P

[wittdooley]

You're right that there's no point arguing, because beyond this whole iOS vs Android thing (and quite frankly, I dont have a problem against Android, beyond a simple not liking it) you and I usually agree and get along ;)

I do think two things are interesting

1. Screen Size

I continue to be amazed by people wanting larger and larger screens for their phone. I must be in the minority, but I'm perfectly happy with the size of the iPhone 4's screen. I "guess" the 3.5 on the 5 will be nice, but at that point it seems a bit large for me. I'd prefer my phone to be about wallet size, and it's already stretching that. I won't ever wear one of those belt phone holsters (I mean, you may as well wear a fanny pack) so I want something that'll comfortably fit in my pocket.

2. Fashion over Function

Personally, I think the iPhone achieves both for many people. The "function" you've alluded to previously is function that my mother, my brother, my wife, a few of my programmer friends, and I must not need. I'm using my phone to text, talk, surf the web sometimes on the go, stream things sometimes on the go, and control presentations. Of course I also use my calendar and things like that, but I guess my problem is that i've never quite understood what other "function" one would want out of their phone. Then again, I have no interest in Jailbreaking my iPad, modding my PS3, or building my own computer, so maybe that's a piece of it.

Regardless of which camp you sit in, I think this War Room disaster at least serves as an exemplar to some of the potential problems one could incur when programming apps for both Android & iOS concurrently. Clearly they aren't simple ports, but I don't think you can overlook the relative ease of programming for one device vs many, at least in this respect.

[lattd]

I have both an apple and android device and have nothing but trouble with the android one, crashes loads is slow etc, its only a year old my ipod touch from 5 years still runs faster and is more responsive. Also I don't have an android account and no option for it.

[Defenestratus]

I continue to be amazed by people wanting larger and larger screens for their phone.

For me, it was reading eBooks on my old OG Droid. I read the whole "The Passage" on that thing and when the Droid X came out I was like "oh yes - I need that screen". Truth be told, if I hadn't smashed the screen on the Droid X, I'd probably still have that phone. Anyways, I like the extra screen real-estate when browsing the web, looking at pictures etc. The phone still fits in my pocket just fine and is easy to reach all the corners of the screen using my thumb. I can use the swype keyboard perfectly fine with just one hand. My wife can even use it with her tiny hands. The Galaxy's Note's huge 5.3" screen is gorgeous but I think the phone itself is too big possibly. I haven't spent any time holding it yet so I don't know if that is really the case or not.

As for function, I'm trying to think of all the things I use my phone for. I use it for all the things you mentioned, but I feel that I'm much more efficient at it that I would be on an iOS device since all the information I need is on my homescreens in widgets. I don't have to actually go into an app to get my email, display bookmarks, ready my twitter or RSS feed or turn wifi or bluetooth on or off. I do use my phone as a mobile hotspot often when travelling away from my home office. I use it for mobile payments (Gwallet). video conference via G+ hangouts, Turn-byTurn Navigate with voice dictation, Control the ECM of my truck, look up weather reports, livestream my sailing adventures, listen to my cloud-based music over my bluetooth headphones in the gym, find local deals via Google Now and Offers when I'm out - then everything I use it for for work which is mostly web based applications that all work remarkably in the chrome browser.

When I visited Europe I had to get a GSM Nexus S since my Verizon Galaxy Nexus doesn't have GSM, and it was awesome having all the information that my daily driver phone had available on what amounted to a "burner" phone with a prepaid SIM. With google voice I even had my US phone number available overseas (although this DID take some hackery). Google Translate and Maps saved our bacon in Budapest a lot :P

Anyways this discussion veered way off topic and for that I apologize.

[wittdooley]

As for function, I'm trying to think of all the things I use my phone for. I use it for all the things you mentioned, but I feel that I'm much more efficient at it that I would be on an iOS device since all the information I need is on my homescreens in widgets. I don't have to actually go into an app to get my email, display bookmarks, ready my twitter or RSS feed or turn wifi or bluetooth on or off. I do use my phone as a mobile hotspot often when travelling away from my home office. I use it for mobile payments (Gwallet). video conference via G+ hangouts, Turn-byTurn Navigate with voice dictation, Control the ECM of my truck, look up weather reports, livestream my sailing adventures, listen to my cloud-based music over my bluetooth headphones in the gym, find local deals via Google Now and Offers when I'm out - then everything I use it for for work which is mostly web based applications that all work remarkably in the chrome browser.



Are these widgets that different than opening up an app? I honestly don't know, as I went straight from Blackberry to iPhone; I've never owned a Droid, I've only fooled around with others'.

What bluetooth headphones are you using? I'd love to get a pair, but I need them to survive the sweaty mess that becomes my ears when I work out. The people at Best Buy are less than usefull unless you want a pair of Beats by Dre (which are admittedly pretty nice, if not a bit too expensive).

[Kyban]

The only problems I've seen with Androids is when someone has a substandard device, I've been using the Droid line of phones and they've always worked great.

The widgets are a lot like easy shortcuts to app features, like the wi-fi widget you can add to just turn wi-fi on/off with one tap from your home screen.

[Defenestratus]

Are these widgets that different than opening up an app? I honestly don't know, as I went straight from Blackberry to iPhone; I've never owned a Droid, I've only fooled around with others'.

What bluetooth headphones are you using? I'd love to get a pair, but I need them to survive the sweaty mess that becomes my ears when I work out. The people at Best Buy are less than usefull unless you want a pair of Beats by Dre (which are admittedly pretty nice, if not a bit too expensive).

I re-arranged my tablet homescreen (one of 5 of them) to show some widgets. I've also touched up the screenshot a bit to not give away personal information :P Basically they're a way to see content "at a glance" and each one is scrollable and "clickable" to dive into the app itself if you want to interact more with the content. Widgets vary hugely in both looks and function. Other widgets are "control bars" that have toggles for things such as Wifi, brightness, GPS, bluetooth, airplane mode, 3G/4G toggle etc. I have a widget that basically is an on/off toggle for my VPN, and another widget that does nothing but provide a window into my Google Drive root directory.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MDuK8Y_S-Qs/UCQZpZ2c3LI/AAAAAAAAZMI/M7GDISg-NjU/s640/Screenshot_2012-08-09-16-12-08.jpg

As for the headphones, I have the S10-HD I think they're called from Motorola. They're specifically designed as "sweat resistant" because I have the exact same problem.

AND JUST TO bring it back around to gaming related topics:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ztgft5Sr9LA/UCQedZXytkI/AAAAAAAAZMA/F9UNmeNwmLo/s640/Screenshot_2012-08-09-16-30-22.png