Android Game Development Extension is now available to all Android game developers

Posted by Lily Rapaport, Product Supervisor

After greater than a 12 months in closed beta, we’re completely satisfied to announce that Android Sport Improvement Extension (AGDE) is now accessible for all sport builders to obtain. This milestone launch of Sport Instruments from the Android Studio crew meets sport builders the place they’re; AGDE provides Android as a platform goal to Microsoft Visible Studio, making it simpler to focus on Android with present multi-platform Visible Studio sport tasks.

AGDE is a part of the Android Sport Improvement Package, which incorporates each libraries and instruments that assist making nice video games on Android. AGDE is finest suited to sport builders that develop totally on Microsoft Home windows utilizing Visible Studio to jot down C/C++ code. Sport builders that don’t fall underneath these standards, however are utilizing C/C++, ought to use Android Studio to develop for Android.

Alongside the discharge of AGDE 2021.1, we not too long ago revealed case research on how our companions, Epic Video games and Digital Arts discovered success utilizing AGDE.

We constructed AGDE as a part of our effort to handle sport builders going through points in concentrating on Android with their cross-platform workflows. On the prime of the record of points was builders’ desire to stay in a single IDE as an alternative of sustaining a number of tasks for various platforms. AGDE permits this for sport builders utilizing Visible Studio by eradicating the necessity to swap between IDEs when switching between platforms. As well as, we wished to resolve ache factors round present Visible Studio instruments for Android which are usually dated or undergo from integration points. Our crew is dedicated to having AGDE assist the most recent variations of the Android SDK, and NDK in addition to offering up to date instruments simply accessible from Visible Studio. Lastly, we wished to convey you fast entry to a number of the most helpful Android Studio capabilities, constructed into AGDE. Subsequently, we invested in creating seamless integrations to our hottest instruments, reminiscent of Studio profilers, logcat, and the Android SDK and system supervisor. Total, these options are designed to make you extra productive in your day-to-day sport improvement workflow.

Construct with AGDE

After downloading and putting in AGDE in a Visible Studio challenge, you possibly can deal with Android improvement as you’d another platform.

• AGDE integrates with MSBuild to compile and hyperlink C++ code for Android.
• Venture construct settings are configured utilizing the usual Visible Studio property system. After the MSBuild course of, AGDE makes use of Gradle to finish the construct and bundle the challenge. This Gradle stage can be utilized to combine Android libraries containing Java or Kotlin code into the ultimate software bundle.
• The Android SDK supervisor gives entry to further instruments and frameworks to help with constructing Android video games.
• The Android Digital Gadget (AVD) supervisor means that you can launch straight into emulator snapshots as a way to have a repeatable take a look at surroundings.

Debug with AGDE

AGDE helps deploying to, operating on, and debugging with each an Android emulator and a bodily system. Debug classes run inside Visible Studio, utilizing its commonplace interface for breakpoints, tracing and variable inspection.

• AGDE interfaces with LLDB for debugging assist.
• Register views, and disassembly of native code can help you set a breakpoint, and step proper into the disassembly of your OpenGL. The meeting view reveals the meeting in-line with the present C++, permitting you to step into or over every instruction as they’re executed. That is helpful for constructing context and understanding what’s operating in your system.
  
• The reminiscence view reveals the present values inside a block of reminiscence. As we step by the operating sport, AGDE in Visible Studio robotically highlights the areas of reminiscence which have modified. Within the screenshot beneath we present the place in reminiscence the view matrix has modified, as indicated by the crimson textual content.
• Generally when debugging isn’t sufficient to determine what’s going on, we all know that getting access to the logs could be useful to dig deeper. The logcat software permits for looking and filtering logs to pinpoint precisely the info you need.

Profile with AGDE

AGDE integrates with a standalone model of Android Studio Profilers. This profiler could be launched from Visible Studio and hooked up to a operating sport session.

• The Android Studio Profilers show actual time utilization statistics for CPU, reminiscence, community, and power.
• We added assist for native reminiscence sampling. Now you possibly can higher perceive the place your reminiscence goes and how you can optimize your sport for a broader attain of units.

Integrations

We all know everybody has a singular construct setup and there’s no “one-size-fits-all” answer. That’s the reason we’re investing in making AGDE appropriate with varied instruments generally utilized by sport builders.

• We partnered with Epic Video games to combine with Unreal Engine (UE 4.26.1+) to offer a seamless Android expertise for Unreal Engine sport builders.
• We’re working with Sony Distributed Construct System (SN-DBS) to allow SN-DBS customers to leverage the facility of distributed builds for Android with AGDE (coming quickly)
• AGDE is appropriate with Incredibuild, a distributed construct software.

Getting began

Obtain AGDE 2021.1 and see our documentation for added particulars. That can assist you get to know AGDE rapidly, we put collectively a couple of samples that display other ways you need to use AGDE to configure your challenge.

Visible Studio IntelliSense options are appropriate with AGDE. All present Android CPU architectures are supported: each ARM and Intel in 32-bit and 64-bit.

We admire any suggestions on belongings you like, and points or options you wish to see. When you discover a bug or difficulty, be at liberty to file a difficulty. Be taught extra about Android sport improvement, and comply with us — the Android Studio improvement crew ‐ on Twitter and on Medium.

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