am 15edcda5: docs: migrate Android TV games page to TV training section

ikpage.title=Games on TV

page.tags="controller"

@jd:body

<div id="qv-wrapper">

<div id="qv">

  <h2>In this document</h2>

  <ol>

    <li><a href="#display">Display</li></a></li>

    <li><a href="#control">Input Devices</li></a></li>

    <li><a href="#manifest">Manifest</li></a></li>

    <li><a href="#gpgs">Google Play Game Services</li></a></li>

    <li><a href="#web">Web</a></li>

  </ol>

</div>

</div>

<p>The television screen presents a number of considerations that may be new to mobile-game

developers. These areas include its large size, its control scheme, and the fact that all

players are viewing it simultaneously.</p>

<h2 id="display">Display</h2>

<p>The two main things to keep in mind when developing games for the TV screen are its nature as a

shared display and the need to design your game for a landscape orientation.</p>

<h3>Shared display</h3>

<p>A living-room TV poses design challenges for multiplayer games, in that all players can see

everything. This issue is especially relevant to games (such as card games or strategy games) that

rely on each player’s possession of hidden information.</p>

<p>Some mechanisms you can implement to address the problem of one player’s eavesdropping

on another’s information are:</p>

<ul>

<li>A blinder on the screen to help conceal information. For example, in a

turn-based game like a word or card game, one player at a time might view the display. When the

player finishes a move, the game allows him or her to cover the screen with a blinder that

blocks anyone from viewing secret information. When the next player begins a turn, the blinder

opens to reveal his or her own information.</li>

<li>A companion app, running on a phone or tablet, can enable a player to conceal

information.</li>

</ul>

<h3>Landscape display</h3>

<p>A TV is always sideways: You can’t turn it, and there is no

portrait orientation. Always design your TV games to be displayed in landscape

mode.</p>

<h2 id="control">Input Devices</h2>

<p>TVs don't have touch interfaces, so it's even more important to get your controls right and make

 sure that players find them intuitive and fun to use. The separation of controller from device also

introduces some other issues to pay attention to, like keeping track of multiple players'

controllers, and handling disconnects gracefully.</p>

<h3>D-pad</h3>

<p>Plan your control scheme around a directional pad (D-pad) control, since this control set is the

default for Android TV devices. The player needs to be able to use a D-Pad in all aspects of the

game–not just controlling core

gameplay, but also navigating menus and ads. For this reason, you should also ensure that your

Android TV game does not refer to a touch interface: for example, an Android TV game cannot tell a

player to <strong>Tap to skip</strong>.</p>

<p>How you shape the player's interaction with the controller can be key to achieving a great user

experience:

  <ul>

  <p><li><strong>Communicate Controller Requirements up Front</strong> - Use your Play Store description to communicate to the player any expectations about

controllers. If a game is better suited to a gamepad with a joystick than one with only a D-pad,

make this fact clear. A player who uses an ill-suited controller for a game is likely to have a

subpar experience&ndash;and penalize your game in the ratings.</p>

  <p><li><strong>Use Consistent Button Mapping</strong> - Intuitive and flexible button mapping is key to a good user experience. For example,

you can adhere to accepted custom by using the A button to <code>Accept</code>, and the B button to

<code>Cancel</code>. You can also offer flexibility in the form of remappability. For more

information on button mapping, see <a

href="http://developer.android.com/training/game-controllers/controller-input.html">Handling

Controller Actions</a>.</p>

  <p><li><strong>Detect Controller Capabilities and Adjust Accordingly</strong> - Query the controller about its capabilities in order to optimize the match between

controller and game. For example, you may intend for a player to steer an object by waving the

controller in the air. If a player's controller lacks accelerometer and gyroscope hardware, however,

waving will not work. When, however, your game queries the controller and discovers that motion detection

is not supported, it can switch over to an alternative, available control scheme.

For more information on querying controller capabilities, see <a

href="http://developer.android.com/training/game-controllers/compatibility.html">Supporting

Controllers Across Android Versions</a>.</p>

  </ul>

<h3>Back-button behavior</h3>

<p>The Back button should never act as a toggle. For example, do not use it to both open and close

a menu. It should only navigate backward, breadcrumb-style, through the previous screens the player has

been on. For example: Game play > Game pause screen > Game

main screen &gt; Android home screen.</p>

<p>Since the Back button should only perform linear (backward) navigation, you may use the

back button to leave an in-game menu (opened by a different button) and return to gameplay. For

more information about design for navigation, see <a

href="http://developer.android.com/design/patterns/navigation.html">Navigation with Back and

Up</a>. To learn about implementation, refer to <a

href="http://developer.android.com/training/implementing-navigation/temporal.html">Providing Proper

Back Navigation</a>. </p>

<h3>Handling multiple controllers</h3>

<p>When multiple players are playing a game, each with his or her own controller, it is important

to map each player-controller pair. For information on how to implement controller-number

identification, see <a href="http://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/InputDevice.html

#getControllerNumber(">Input Devices</a>) on the Android developer site.</p>

<h3>Handling disconnects</h3>

<p>When a controller is disconnected in the middle of gameplay, the game should pause, and a dialog

should appear prompting the disconnected player to reconnect his or her controller.</p>

<p>The dialog should also offer troubleshooting tips (for example, a pop-up dialog telling the player to

"Check your Bluetooth connection"). For more information on implementing input-device support, see <a

href="http://developer.android.com/training/game-controllers/controller-input.html">Supporting Game

Controllers"</a>. Specific information about Bluetooth connections is at <a

href="http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/bluetooth.html">Bluetooth</a>.</p>

<h2 id="manifest">Manifest</h2>

<p>

  Games are displayed in a separate row from regular apps in the launcher. Android TV uses the

  <code>android:isGame</code> attribute to differentiate games from non-game apps. Set this value

  to <code>true</code> in your game's app manifest, as shown in the following code example:

</p>

<pre class="fragment">

<application>

  ...

  < meta-data android:name="isGame" android:value="true" >

  ...

</application>

</pre>

<h3 id="gamepad">Game Controllers</h3>

<p>

  Games controllers may not be available or active for users of a TV device. In order to properly

  inform users that your game requires (or just supports) a game controller, you must include

  entries in the app manifest. If your game requires a game controller, you must include the

  following entry in your app manifest:

</p>

<pre>

  <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.gamepad"/>

</pre>

<p>

  If your game uses, but does not require, a game controller, include the following feature

  entry in your app manifest:

</p>

<pre>

  <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.gamepad" android:required="false"/>

</pre>

<p>For more information about manifest entries, see

  <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-intro.html">App Manifest</a>.

</p>

<h2 id="gpgs">Google Play Game Services</h2>

<p>If your game integrates Google Play Game Services, you should keep in mind a number of

considerations pertaining to achievements, sign-on, saving games, and multiplayer play.</p>

<h3>Achievements</h3>

<p>Your game should include at least five (earnable) achievements. Only a user controlling gameplay

from a supported input device should be able to earn achievements. For more information on

Achievements and how to implement them, see <a

href="https://developers.google.com/games/services/android/achievements">Achievements in

Android</a>.</p>

<h3>Sign-in</h3>

<p>Your game should attempt to sign the user in on launch. If the player declines sign-in several

times in a row, your game should stop asking. Learn more about sign-in at <a

href="https://developers.google.com/games/services/training/signin">Implementing Sign-in on

Android</a>.</p>

<h3>Saving</h3>

<p>We highly recommend using Play Services <a

href="https://developers.google.com/games/services/common/concepts/cloudsave">Cloud Save</a> to

store your game save. Your game should bind game saves to a specific Google account, so as to be

uniquely identifiable even across devices: Whether the player is using a handset or a TV, the game

should be able to pull the same game-save information from his or her account.</p>

<p>You should also provide an option in your game's UI to allow the player to delete locally and

cloud-stored data. You might put the option in the game's <code>Settings</code> screen. For

specifics on implementing Cloud Save, see <a

href="https://developers.google.com/games/services/android/cloudsave">Cloud Save in Android</a>.</p>

<h3>Multiplayer experience</h3>

<p>A game offering a multiplayer experience must allow at least two players to enter a room. For

further information on multiplayer games in Android, see the <a

href="https://developers.google.com/games/services/android/realtimeMultiplayer">Real-time

Multiplayer</a> and <a href="">Turn-based Multiplayer</a> documentation on the Android developer

site.</p>

<h2 id="web">Web</h2>

<p>We discourage including web browsing in games for Android TV. The television set is not well-suited for browsing, either in terms of display or control scheme.</p>

<p class="note"><strong>Note:</strong> You can use the {@link android.webkit.WebView} class for logins to services like Google+ and

Facebook. </p>

        </ul>

      </li>

      <li>

        <a href="<?cs var:toroot ?>training/tv/games/index.html"

           description="How to build games for TV.">

           Building TV Games</a>

      </li>

    </ul>

  </li>

  <!-- End: Building for TV -->

page.title=Building TV Games

page.tags="controller"

page.article=true

@jd:body

<div id="qv-wrapper">

<div id="qv">

  <h2>In this document</h2>

  <ol>

    <li><a href="#display">Display</a></li>

    <li><a href="#control">Input Devices</a></li>

    <li><a href="#manifest">Manifest</a></li>

    <li><a href="#gpgs">Google Play Game Services</a></li>

    <li><a href="#web">Web</a></li>

  </ol>

</div>

</div>

<p>

  The television screen presents a number of considerations that may be new to mobile game

  developers. These areas include its large size, its control scheme, and the fact that all players

  are viewing it simultaneously.

</p>

<h2 id="display">Display</h2>

<p>

  The two main things to keep in mind when developing games for the TV screen are its nature as a

  shared display and the need to design your game for a landscape orientation.

</p>

<h3 id="shared-display">Shared display</h3>

<p>

  A living-room TV poses design challenges for multiplayer games, in that all players can see

  everything. This issue is especially relevant to games (such as card games or strategy games)

  that rely on each player’s possession of hidden information.

</p>

<p>

  Some mechanisms you can implement to address the problem of one player’s eavesdropping on

  another’s information are:

</p>

<ul>

  <li>A blinder on the screen to help conceal information. For example, in a turn-based game like a

    word or card game, one player at a time might view the display. When the player finishes a move,

    the game allows him or her to cover the screen with a blinder that blocks anyone from viewing

    secret information. When the next player begins a turn, the blinder opens to reveal his or her

    own information.

  </li>

  <li>A companion app, running on a phone or tablet, can enable a player to conceal information by

    serving as a second screen.

  </li>

</ul>

<h3 id="landscape-display">Landscape display</h3>

<p>

  A TV is always sideways: You can’t turn it, and there is no portrait orientation. Always design

  your TV games to be displayed in landscape mode.

</p>

<h2 id="control">Input Devices</h2>

<p>

  TVs don't have touch interfaces, so it's even more important to get your controls right and make

  sure that players find them intuitive and fun to use. The separation of controller from device

  also introduces some other issues to pay attention to, like keeping track of multiple players'

  controllers, and handling disconnects gracefully.

</p>

<h3 id="d-pad">D-pad</h3>

<p>

  Plan your control scheme around a directional pad (D-pad) control, since this control set is the

  default for Android TV devices. The player needs to be able to use a D-Pad in all aspects of the

  game–not just controlling core gameplay, but also navigating menus and ads. For this reason, you

  should also ensure that your Android TV game does not refer to a touch interface: For example, an

  Android TV game should not tell a player to <strong>Tap here to skip</strong>.

</p>

<p>

  How you shape the player's interaction with the controller can be key to achieving a great user

  experience:

</p>

<ul>

  <li>

    <strong>Communicate Controller Requirements up Front</strong> - Use your Play Store description

    to communicate to the player any expectations about controllers. If a game is better suited to

    a gamepad with a joystick than one with only a D-pad, make this fact clear. A player who uses

    an ill-suited controller for a game is likely to have a subpar experience–and penalize your

    game in the ratings.

  </li>

  <li>

    <strong>Use Consistent Button Mapping</strong> - Intuitive and flexible button mapping is key

    to a good user experience. For example, you can adhere to accepted custom by using the A button

    to <code>Accept</code>, and the B button to <code>Cancel</code>. You can also offer flexibility

    in the form of remappability. For more information on button mapping, see <a href=

    "http://developer.android.com/training/game-controllers/controller-input.html">Handling

    Controller Actions</a>.

  </li>

  <li>

    <strong>Detect Controller Capabilities and Adjust Accordingly</strong> - Query the controller

    about its capabilities in order to optimize the match between controller and game. For example,

    you may intend for a player to steer an object by waving the controller in the air. If a

    player's controller lacks accelerometer and gyroscope hardware, however, waving will not work.

    When, however, your game queries the controller and discovers that motion detection is not

    supported, it can switch over to an alternative, available control scheme. For more information

    on querying controller capabilities, see <a href=

    "http://developer.android.com/training/game-controllers/compatibility.html">Supporting

    Controllers Across Android Versions</a>.

  </li>

</ul>

<h3 id="back-button">Back-button behavior</h3>

<p>

  The Back button should never act as a toggle. For example, do not use it to both open and close a

  menu. It should only navigate backward, breadcrumb-style, through the previous screens the player

  has been on, for example: Game play > Game pause screen > Game main screen > Android

  home screen.

</p>

<p>

  Since the Back button should only perform linear (backward) navigation, you may use the back

  button to leave an in-game menu (opened by a different button) and return to gameplay. For more

  information about design for navigation, see <a href=

  "http://developer.android.com/design/patterns/navigation.html">Navigation with Back and Up</a>.

  To learn about implementation, refer to <a href=

  "http://developer.android.com/training/implementing-navigation/temporal.html">Providing Proper

  Back Navigation</a>.

</p>

<h3 id="multiple-controllers">Handling multiple controllers</h3>

<p>

  When multiple players are playing a game, each with his or her own controller, it is important to

  map each player-controller pair. For information on how to implement controller-number

  identification, see <a href=

  "http://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/InputDevice.html#getControllerNumber">Input

  Devices</a>.

</p>

<h3 id="handle-disconnect">Handling disconnects</h3>

<p>

  When a controller is disconnected in the middle of gameplay, the game should pause, and a dialog

  should appear prompting the disconnected player to reconnect his or her controller.

</p>

<p>

  The dialog should also offer troubleshooting tips (for example, a pop-up dialog telling the

  player to "Check your Bluetooth connection"). For more information on implementing input-device

  support, see <a href=

  "http://developer.android.com/training/game-controllers/controller-input.html">Handling Controller

  Actions</a>. Specific information about Bluetooth connections is at <a href=

  "http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/bluetooth.html">Bluetooth</a>.

</p>

<h2 id="manifest">Manifest</h2>

<p>

  The Android TV launcher home screen displays games in a separate row from regular apps. The TV

  framework uses the <code>android:isGame</code> manifest attribute to differentiate games from

  non-game apps. Set this value to <code>true</code> in your game's app manifest, as shown in the

  following code example:

</p>

<pre class="fragment">

<application>

  ...

  < meta-data android:name="isGame" android:value="true" >

  ...

</application>

</pre>

<h3 id="gamepad">Game Controllers</h3>

<p>

  Games controllers may not be available or active for users of a TV device. In order to properly

  inform users that your game requires (or just supports) a game controller, you must include

  entries in the app manifest. If your game requires a game controller, you must include the

  following entry in your app manifest:

</p>

<pre>

  <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.gamepad"/>

</pre>

<p>

  If your game uses, but does not require, a game controller, include the following feature

  entry in your app manifest:

</p>

<pre>

  <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.gamepad" android:required="false"/>

</pre>

<p>For more information about manifest entries, see

  <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-intro.html">App Manifest</a>.

</p>

<h2 id="gpgs">Google Play Game Services</h2>

<p>

  If your game integrates Google Play Game Services, you should keep in mind a number of

  considerations pertaining to achievements, sign-in, saving games, and multiplayer play.

</p>

<h3 id="achievements">Achievements</h3>

<p>

  Your game should include at least five (earnable) achievements. Only a user controlling gameplay

  from a supported input device should be able to earn achievements. For more information on

  achievements and how to implement them, see <a href=

  "https://developers.google.com/games/services/android/achievements">Achievements in Android</a>.

</p>

<h3 id="sign-in">Sign-in</h3>

<p>

  Your game should attempt to sign the user in on launch. If the player declines sign-in several

  times in a row, your game should stop asking. Learn more about sign-in at <a href=

  "https://developers.google.com/games/services/training/signin">Implementing Sign-in on

  Android</a>.

</p>

<h3 id="saving">Saving</h3>

<p>

  We highly recommend using Play Services <a href=

  "https://developers.google.com/games/services/common/concepts/savedgames">Saved Games</a> to store

  your game save. Your game should bind game saves to a specific Google account, so as to be

  uniquely identifiable even across devices: Whether the player is using a handset or a TV, the

  game should be able to pull the game-save information from the same user account.

</p>

<p>

  You should also provide an option in your game's UI to allow the player to delete locally and

  cloud-stored data. You might put the option in the game's <code>Settings</code> screen. For

  specifics on implementing saved games using Play Services, see <a href=

  "https://developers.google.com/games/services/android/savedgames">Saved Games in Android</a>.

</p>

<h3 id="multiplayer-ux">Multiplayer experience</h3>

<p>

  A game offering a multiplayer experience must allow at least two players to enter a room. For

  further information on multiplayer games in Android, see the <a href=

  "https://developers.google.com/games/services/android/realtimeMultiplayer">Real-time

  Multiplayer</a> and <a href="">Turn-based Multiplayer</a> documentation on the Android developer

  site.

</p>

<h2 id="web">Web</h2>

<p>

  We discourage enabling web browsing in games for Android TV. The television set is not

  well-suited for browsing, either in terms of display or control scheme.

</p>

<p class="note">

  <strong>Note:</strong> You can use the {@link android.webkit.WebView} class for logins to

  services like Google+ and Facebook.

</p>