> How about security? As a developer, do you have to get some sort of API key? > Is it done over SSL/TLS, or both an API key and SSL/TLS? I am wondering how > invovled the process is to get set up to actually use one of these > services... or for those of you that wrote your own, what do you do to > ensure it's your game calling the server side, and not some hacker or > another game trying to use it for free?
As stated in my post all data is submitted with an accompanying salted md5 hash which the server can reconstruct. What you basically do on the client is construct a string out of your data, salt it by concatenating it with another string only you know about and then calculate an md5 hash from that. On the server you also construct a concatenated string out of the send data and salt it with the same string you use on the client. If the md5 hashes match the data is coming from an original client, if not someone is trying to hack your server. Reengineering the salt string by sniffing the transfered md5 hashes is possible to my knowledge, however you'd need a shitload of computing power to do so (and i really mean a shitload). Nobody has the resources to do this and nobody is probably going through the hassle to crack your game server anyways :) I don't say that this is the perfect method, but it worked well for me and a couple of my friends in various projects. > And an off topic question.. I see more and more people talking about getting > a free phone from google? Is there some place you sign up to get this? I'd > love to get a Nexus One to test on... sounds like some people are getting > just that.. a free phone to test on? > > Thanks again all. More to come I hope. > > On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 10:37 AM, Justin Giles <jtgi...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Just to throw it out there... > > > There's also Google Apps Engine:https://appengine.google.com > > > It's java or python based (your choice). The free quotas are rather > > generous. I keep my high scores stored there for my apps and for one of the > > apps I have over 75000 active installs and I have yet to go over the free > > quota. You do get charged if you go over your quota, but the rates, in my > > opinion, are reasonable. Same basic idea as the MySQL and Rails > > suggestions. > > > No, I'm not a Google fanboy, but with a free device coming sometime soon, > > if Google asked me, I'd sheepishly say yes sir, yes I am a fanboy :). > > > Justin > > > On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 11:25 AM, Robert Green <rbgrn....@gmail.com>wrote: > > >> Since no one else has responded I'll talk about what I did, though I > >> haven't gone cross-platform yet (which is why I didn't respond right > >> away). > > >> I chose cross-platform technologies just in case I ever wanted to and > >> I know that they will work for it. What works well for me for my > >> leaderboards and turn-based multiplayer code is to use Ruby on Rails > >> with JSON as the encoding. It's supported natively by rails and > >> Android comes with JSON parsing and encoding. It's such a simple > >> protocol that one could easily write an encoder/decoder for any > >> platform, though I don't think you'd have to because I'm sure one > >> exists for almost every one. > > >> There are many routes to go that will work fine, including having an > >> XML-based service. I'd stay away from things like Java Object > >> Serialization. That is not easily portable. I'd also stay away from > >> technologies like SOAP and WS. They are heavy and you want to keep it > >> light and simple usually on a phone and small server / high traffic > >> setup. > > >> My first recommendation is to use Ruby on Rails / REST / JSON for your > >> basic server. > > >> How it works: > >> Rails runs either as a plugin to apache via Phusion Passenger or > >> standalone via mongrel/other server apps. > >> Clients make requests using REST, which means HTTP Get Post Put and > >> Delete which query, insert, update and delete respectively. > >> The requests and responses are encoded in JSON, which is a simple > >> encoding, human readable and extremely fast to parse. > > >> Advantages: > >> Any platform can implement a client for it. > >> It's very light and fast. > >> All of the necessary tech is inherent in rails and so this provides a > >> very low-resistance coding path. > >> Passenger (the apache plugin that runs RoR servers) runs great and is > >> easy to deploy and uses your standard web server. > >> You can actually easily run a game core written in Java wrapped with > >> the RJB (Ruby Java Bridge) - I do this for Wixel > > >> Disadvantages: > >> Another language to learn (though I don't mind working in it at all, > >> it's really kinda nice) > >> Doesn't handle native code well (if you have a game core in C/C++ that > >> you need to access, it's a little tricky with Apache/Passenger/Rails) > >> Is only good for scores/leaderboards and turn-based games. You can > >> only update as much as you can push HTTP requests and process > >> responses. It's not good for real-time games requiring faster than a > >> second or two turnaround, though it can handle scores and accounts for > >> them fine. > > >> If you want a cross-platform real-time game server, that's pretty much > >> what you need a robust game engine for. Most real-time games have > >> their own protocol and are inherently cross-platform because of that. > >> I'll be porting my engine this summer and designing it to be cross- > >> platform. Issues to overcome when going cross-platform are: Sound > >> handling, Image loading and processing (can't rely on your OS for that > >> anymore), Font loading and text drawing, How input is handled, How the > >> video context is created, Menuing systems, Networking, etc.. > > >> Basically you can't depend too much on any one convenience of a > >> particular OS and you kind of have to design the system so that you've > >> abstracted out the "connectors", that is, the input and output in the > >> form of user input in (touch/key/network/etc), sound, music, graphics, > >> vibrate, lights and network out. Each mobile OS will have a > >> particular set of hoops to get the connectors in. > > >> With that said, many people would probably rather go with a solution > >> like Unity who have made it their mission to handle as much of that > >> cross-platform overhead as possible. I believe you can run a unity > >> server and connect to it from any unity client. > > >> Hope this was a little helpful. > > >> On Mar 17, 10:15 am, shaun <shashepp...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> > We are considering the use of Scoreloop (http://www.scoreloop.com/) to > >> > add a social component to our games and apps. Since we have no real > >> > experience in that arena, I'll just leave this link as my > >> > contribution. > > >> > On Mar 16, 8:08 pm, Kevin Duffey <andjar...@gmail.com> wrote: > > >> > > Hey all, > > >> > > I am curious how the various groups of game developers, primarily > >> mobile > >> > > (android in this case) and cross-platform (android/iPhone/facebook) > >> handle > >> > > storing high scores, achievements, and such as well as how multi > >> player is > >> > > done. > > >> > > How does your game(s) access high scores, update the list, remove them > >> if > >> > > need be? The same would apply for achievements, and to a lesser > >> degree, > >> > > leader boards. > > >> > > Are you using a service out there that you pay for... if so how much > >> does it > >> > > cost.. and do they provide some sort of java/objective-c SDK that you > >> can > >> > > just plug in to your code? > > >> > > How do you dispaly high scores, leader boards, achievements, etc in > >> your > >> > > game? Do you provide your own web site with the same info, perhaps > >> jazzed up > >> > > a bit more or with more detail than your mobile game (due to limited > >> screen > >> > > realestate for mobile devices)? Do you provide a link to a web site in > >> your > >> > > game if they want to see things like high scores, achievements and > >> leader > >> > > boards? > > >> > > I would also like to know what sort of things are most important for > >> your > >> > > games. High scores are so yesterday, so to speak. The latest craze in > >> most > >> > > games seems to be achievements and the ability to obtain extra items > >> for > >> > > your games, either by buying them, or earning them through > >> achievements, > >> > > etc. So what are some things you game developers would want to make > >> use of > >> > > in your game to add more appeal to your game, to draw in players for > >> longer, > >> > > especially long enough to pass the 48 hour refund time so that you can > >> > > actually earn some money from your hard work. I look at games on > >> Facebook > >> > > like Farmville that are doing so well they are hiring more developers > >> at > >> > > good pay to work on it. I also look at games like World of Warcraft, > >> which I > >> > > play and got sucked into for a while, due to getting to that next > >> level or > >> > > getting that next awesome epic gear piece... those sorts of things > >> seem to > >> > > be what draws in players to otherwise simple games. A number of mobile > >> games > >> > > that seem to do very well often seem to be fairly simple games but > >> offer > >> > > that right mix of "I just got to get to that next...". I am curious > >> what > >> > > some of you developers have found work for games either those that you > >> > > played, or are working on (or have written) that draw in players. This > >> leads > >> > > to the next paragraph.. making a living on game development ultimately > >> > > requires that your game does well and that people pay for it in some > >> manner > >> > > and not refund it. Hence why I am trying to understand what it is that > >> those > >> > > otherwise simple games seem to do that draw in the masses. > > >> > > Which brings about another topic.. how do games like Farmville make so > >> much > >> > > money being free games, that they can have a company behind it? I > >> can't > >> > > believe ads on the stie alone make up for all their revenue. I've been > >> > > considering looking at ads in the game as opposed to charging for it, > >> and > >> > > that seems like players might keep a game longer than if they pay for > >> it and > >> > > then refund it within 48 hours if they don't absolutely love the > >> game... > >> > > although I am not entirely sure how much it annoys players to have a > >> small > >> > > portion of the screen saved for ads as opposed to just buying it. > > >> > > Lastly, multi-player. I am curious how games work multi-player. The > >> only way > >> > > I can think of is the client (game) has to > > ... > > Erfahren Sie mehr » -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
