[Android] stu's unofficial android builds [5.0.0-dev]

[wziard]

I can't toggle any setting in the advanced settings in this version. Tried on a Motorola G5.

Even connected an external mouse and keyboard, but no luck. With some trying I can expand the + signs, but clicking on an individual setting doesn't do anything.

[zing269]

I can't toggle any setting in the advanced settings in this version. Tried on a Motorola G5.

Even connected an external mouse and keyboard, but no luck. With some trying I can expand the + signs, but clicking on an individual setting doesn't do anything.

After you select the setting you then need to click the Edit button.

[wziard]

After you select the setting you then need to click the Edit button.

Ah, that does the trick. It's very counter-intuitive though. You'd expect a tap, or maybe long-press, to make it go into edit mode.

Also it's extremely hard to hit the + signs with a finger on the touch screen (on an average size phone). I have to click *left* of the plus sign or exactly on it, to make it open. It would be more logical if clicking on the text would expand it as well.

So some usability tweaking seems in order :-) though it's probably more of an irrlicht problem than a minetest problem.

Still it works very nicely on my moto G5.

the 3D graphics modes don't all work though. I wanted to try side-by-side mode in my el-cheapo cardboard-vr but no dice.
-Anaglyph 3d works as expected.
-Interlaced 3d leaves the top half of the screen greyish and draws a squashed image in the bottom half.
-Top-bottom mode creates a black screen, except for the topmost line of pixels, which is white.
-Side-by-side mode creates a black screen, except for the leftmost line of pixels, which looks like it *does* get rendered to. If I sweep on the screen it looks like a single column of pixels is rendered correctly 0in the leftmost position.

[stu]

Build updated to: 3fce27e

the 3D graphics modes don't all work though. I wanted to try side-by-side mode in my el-cheapo cardboard-vr but no dice

There is an open issue for this and it is something I intend to look into when I get time. Cardboard-vr is something I would like to get working now that I have a suitable phone, though it is unlikely to be done before MT 5.0.0 (unless someone else fixes it)

Thank you everyone for your feedback, please remember to report any non-installation related problems on the Minetest github issue tracker as they are unlikely to get much attention from the developers here.

[RajMahal]

---First_Impressions(ConnectingAndroidtoWindows)_mt_raj_1---
---------------- My Question

Raj asks:
Can dev apk 5.0 version connect to local Windows or Linux servers? Has anyone tried?

*closed-thankyou_Stu&developers*

+ Spoiler

---------------- Questioned...My Question

Raj asks:
"Should" the dev apk 5.0 version be capable of connecting to local Windows or Linux servers?

---------------- My Objective
Try Stu's "Minetest-3fce27e.apk"
---------------- My procedure
Installed Stu's "Minetest-3fce27e.apk"
*20190206*
Re-downloaded and Installed Stu's "Minetest-3fce27e.apk" -20190206 (13.11mb)
---------------- My Conclusion
*20190206*
I am now able to connect android to windows server.
---------------- My other post
---mtforum_rajmahal_7_androids&servers---
https://forum.minetest.net/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=17439&p=341203#p341203
---------------- My observation.
First noticed an interesting new server feature, and then in single player game I pressed the new magnifying glass button.....whoa.....I almost cried it was so amazing! The thumbstick control was SPOT on...using both my Note7_ Armv7_800x1200_213dpi, and Note10 Armv7_1280x752_160dpi
Impressive, especially compared to apk 0.4.16.17. I felt like I upgraded to a paid version of the game. The new button size and alignment is beautiful. And the map/radar...oh ya!
The server function WORKS between my two android devices. However, tablets do NOT connect to my Windows server. Updated the windows PC server to dev 5.0.0-ed1415f-win64. At best I get "a serialization error occurred:deSerializString:couldnt read all chars. The server is probably running different version..."
*20190206*
I am now able to connect android running .apk file and windows server.

---loading4.16worldinto5.0apk_mt_raj_2---
---------------- My Question

Raj asks:
Did I exceed a mod "limit" when attempting to run android tablet as a server using .apk 5.0?

*in-process*

+ Spoiler

---------------- Questioned...My Question

Raj asks:
Should I really expect my tablet to host what my PC can?

---------------- My observation.
I have 130 non-default mods, on version 0.4.16.17 that takes the Windows PC server two minutes to start and about 4 minutes for each tablet to connect running 0.4.16.17. The tablets connect and function with very few problems/glitches. Mods like "adv-trains" were removed long ago. Updated windows PC to dev 64bit 5.0 and tablets to dev .apk 5.0. When I attempt hosting with slightly reduced mods, I still get an error "a serialization error occurred:Malformed Inventory list...read 625 of 6425 itemstacks. Server is probably running a different...". Funny, since the tablet IS the server. My WORLD can be hosted and playable on tablet when I remove ALL world mods. If I can only load 625 of 6425 items, I would have a lot if trimming to do.
*20190206*
I believe their are three limitations to mods that are working against me. 1st is Inventory now about 84 pages max vs 250 before. 2nd is terrain generation mods which seems not to like update 5.0 .apk. 3rd is entities, which seem to overwork my server.

---using4.16.Apk&InterestingCPU/processorProblems_mt_raj_3---
---------------- My Question

Raj asks:
Why did selecting "powersave" instead of "pegasusq" processor settings improve stability. Just under clocking CPU alone does not help.

*resolved-thankyou_Ogles2_Brainiacs*

+ Spoiler

---------------- My observation.
I was having issues with a Note 8 tablet while connected to the windows server previously running 0.4.16.17. The tablet would freeze, flash some red text about mesh updates and then crash. Hence why Im looking into newer updates that would perhaps "magically" fix the crashes. When I limited the CPU to max of 200mhz, it was laggy, but very STABLE. This was while running 130+ mods with 0.4.16.17 release on windows server and android clients. I feel like I'm compensating for something...low ram issue perhaps? I spent a couple weeks minimizing view range, fov, fps, meshgen, mesh_cache_client unload, etc. Even set mesh gen_interval on server/client, but didn't matter. I tweeked until I found the best settings for stability, but still have client crashes. Its a Note 8 giving me most problems, but it hardly seems to lack processor capabilities. Ready to give up on playing big mod worlds, but thought I'd try an update first.
---------------- My Conclusion
Its very likely a factor of hardware/battery power failure, not software.
*20190215*
Its practically unheard of for an update of any program to solve my problems. MT.v5.0dev.apk with Ogles2 fixed my problems...I can't believe it. And so far I don't see any sides-effects. I created an additional inquiry to document my results.
---------------- see My additional Investigation
---using4.16.Apk&InterestingCPU/processorProblems_mt_raj_3.1---

---using4.16.Apk&InterestingCPU/processorProblems_mt_raj_3.1---
*in-process*
---------------- My Question

Raj asks:
Why does upgrading to MT.ver5.0.dev and selecting Ogles2 for video driver solve virtually all my previous note8 tablet crashes? Are there bugs?

+ Spoiler

---------------- My procedure
Re-downloaded and Installed Stu's "Minetest-3fce27e.apk" -20190206 (13.11mb)
From within settings, selected Ogles2.
---------------- My observation.
No problems yet

---using5.0.dev.Apk&PasswordScreen_mt_raj_?---
---------------- My observation.

Raj says:
When I was first attempting connection to local server games and even the server device itself when hosted via tablet, I kept getting the password screen. You know the ,"You are about to join a server for the first time...please retype your password and click register..."

*in-github_thankyou_Jas&FellowPasswordPros*

+ Spoiler

...You know the ,"You are about to join a server for the first time...please retype your password and click register..."
This message was very annoying and unnecessary for what I'm doing. Sometimes it wouldn't go away after I entered a password, sometimes it would go away when I entered nothing. It was awkward and didn't make sense. Is it the server password, is it the same password I would enter from the main menu, is it an entirely different password shared amongst servers as I've read about elsewhere? I'm sure its usefull, but it annoyed the crap out of me.
---------------- My Complaint

Raj nags:
One teeny complaint....the password popup is not only irritating, it doesn't seem to be functioning.
Revised...password popup "appears to be" working, It just wasn't clear to me what it was for.

---------------- My Feedback

Jas says:
Re: [Android] stu's unofficial android builds [5.0.0-dev]

by jas » Thu Jan 17, 2019 05:29
I forwarded your [last] concern to the appropriate personnel. https://github.com/minetest/minetest/is ... -455047301

Raj says:
Re: Password Popup

by RajMahal » Thu Jan 17, 2019 12:30
Thanks jas. I realized after posting my complaint, the problem was perhaps indicative of version 5.0 in general, not just STU's .apk. I should have known.

---------------- My Conclusion
Revised...I think The message should just say "Re-Enter the password as typed on the Main Menu. If left blank your player and all your loot may be stolen."
The current message is full of redundancy, the buttons on the bottom say "Register and Join" and "cancel". Players do NOT need instructions on ""how to cancel".
There are three problems with this screen, (1) is this really necessary, (2) should it be optional on servers, (3) is the message worded correctly.

---Android&WindowsPC_lanResults_mt_raj_10---
---------------- My Objective
Test Android to Windows operation.
*in-process*

+ Spoiler

---------------- My observation.
The update is incredibly compatible, stable, and provides solutions to previous flaws I didn't know anyone else noticed...more to be posted.
---------------- My other post
---mtforum_rajmahal_7_androids&servers---

[jas]

I forwarded your [last] concern to the appropriate personnel. https://github.com/minetest/minetest/is ... -455047301