Games:Tech:Blog - Page 2 of 6 - A Blog about Games, Technology in Games, and Technology in General

Bluetooth Permissions on Android 12 with Unity (DevBlog #27)

For quite some time now I had problems with the Nearby Devices permission necessary for Bluetooth LE from Android 12 upwards. I finally fixed this in Network Traders 0.4.6.1, but not without some trial and error. Here is what I tried and how I finally fixed my permissions issues using the Unity API.

DevBlog: Two Years an Indie Dev on Network Traders

Exactly two years ago today, I started working on Network Traders. The first revision in my repository dates back to January 3rd, 2021, as well as my first task in JIRA: “Setup project”. A lot has happened since – I will give you a summary of some milestones in this post. But most importantly, I published Network Traders in early access on Google Play, and people are playing it!

DevBlog: The long Pause is over

If you have followed my blog, you know that on September 23rd (2022) I reached a huge milestone with Network Traders. We celebrated the early access release on Google Play with a happy release party. But unfortunately, there came a sharp productivity drop right afterwards and only now, three months later, was I able to deliver a new, albeit small, feature update. Version 0.4.6.0 finally concludes the introduction of tooltips for most of the screens, and hopefully ends this pause for good. So what’s next?

DevBlog: Alpha Release Recap

A week ago, on September 23rd, was the official early access release date for Network Traders. Time to recap. Specifically, there are two things worth telling. The release party for one, was great. On the other hand, Google managed to blow the release. This is how that happened.

DevBlog: Final Release Preparations

Tomorrow, Friday, September 23rd, the big event will be finally here! The early access (alpha) release of Network Traders on Google Play. Go-live will be at 20:00 CEST (18:00 UTC/GMT). Read the latest news on what I added in the last two weeks, what I did not get done, and what else happened.

DevBlog: Why I ditched Unity Analytics

I just finished compiling the privacy policy statement for Network Traders. With the alpha release coming up next Friday, September 23rd, that was about time. On my game server, I try to store as little data as necessary, and none of it should be personal. Unity, on the other hand, is rather nosy. That is ok, as they need most of the data to run their services. With Unity Analytics however, there is additional data collection involved, and one specific risk I did not want to bear.

Network Traders Release Date Announcement

I have been working on Network Traders for one year and 9 months – long enough, time to go live! The game will be released for open testing on Google Play Store on September 23rd 2022. Then, finally, it will be available to everyone on their Android device. This is really exciting, and two and a half very busy weeks are waiting for me!

DevBlog: Feature Graphic Reveal for Network Traders

We are getting closer to the first public test release of Network Traders. High time to think about the design of our Play Store presence. Fortunately, Andrea has already been very busy on our feature graphic which we want to present today!

DevBlog: Three new Buildings in Release 0.4.5

So far, only one type of building was available in Network Traders. With the latest release 0.4.5 (“base buildings”) this Friday I added three new buildings which represent three more categories. These are transport capacity (basket maker), trade route information (town hall), and information gathering (tavern). Read on for more information on how these new buildings play together.

DevBlog: Back to the Execution Order Pit

My article on script execution order in Unity’s UNet networking layer is my most successful article. It is 6 years old now and still being clicked regularly, more often than most others. No small wonder, as I had to find out yet again. Fixing a bug in Network Traders, I fell into almost the same trap, again! Always be aware of event execution order! And continue reading if you want to know why!