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Android Emulation Guide (KotDP edition)

tuluse

Arcane
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
11,400
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Genymotion No Longer Has a Free Version So This is All Useless

So lets say you want to play the fancy mobile version of King of the Dragon Pass, but you don't own a compatible mobile device (or you just want to experience it on your loved PC). Well I have found the way my friends, and it's both free and legal. It even works for MacOS and Linux. Truly stupendous.

We're going to use the Genymotion system. They were smart and built x86 android and put it on virtual box in the backend. This means full CPU speed and even emulated 3D acceleration.

Step 1: Get and install Genymotion

Head to the website, https://www.genymotion.com/. You will have to sign up for an account with them. The free personal license is all you need.

Step 2: Make a new virtual device

It's going to ask you when you first start if you want to make one (since you don't have any). Click yes.

tgIfnaI.png

The next part is important. Pick Android version 4.3. Don't be fooled by those higher version numbers, I'll explain why later. Then pick a tablet device. I went with the Google Nexus 7 as mine, but I think you should be fine with Custom Tablet or Nexus 10. We're going to change the resolution later anyways.

Nqj1pe6.png

Click next. Name it whatever. Click next again. Now wait for it to download.

Step 3: Configure

Before you start up the device you need to change some settings.

Click the wrench icon on the right. Pick as many processors as you have physical cores, and as much ram as seems appropriate (1 gig should be fine, 2 might give a bit more breathing space). Modern virtualization is really nice at sharing CPU power, so don't worry about that. However, any ram you give it will be grabbed in full. Then change the resolution to what you want. I haven't had great luck with full screen, so I just pick a window size I like. Feel free to experiment with this as you can change it at any time.

IMmEcRC.png

Now you need to open up the Oracle VM Virtualbox program. In windows you can just search in the start menu for virtualbox to find it. Click on the virtual machine for the device you just made and then click settings. Go to display and then click the checkbox for Enable 3D Acceleration.

yXssGmn.png

A couple optional things you can (I have no idea if they help, but they don't seem to hurt). Under system change chipset to ICH9 and in storage change the controller type to ICH6. These are more modern technologies that should support faster storage access speeds, but android is build to be run off slow-as-molasses SD cards so it probably doesn't matter.

Step 4: Run and install ARM Translation

Remember how I said Genymotion uses x86 Android? While that's great for speed, it causes a problem when running some programs as they were made for ARM processors. The good news is that someone smart has created a translation program/layer we can use. This is also why we have to use 4.3. The translation is buggy on 4.4 (I don't think there is a 5.0 version at all).

Download the ARM Translation from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2528952. You don't need to worry about the Google Apps links unless you want to try to run them. It's not needed for KotDP or many other games and is more trouble than it's worth imo.

Go ahead and run the virtual machine now. The first time it runs it will do a short walk-through of how to use Android. Once that's done, drag and drop the ARM Translation zip file unto the Android window. It will start transferring automatically. After a couple seconds it will detect that it's a flashable archive and ask if you want to flash the system. Click yes. A couple seconds later it will be done and tell you need to reboot. Just close the window and start the device again.

Step 5: Installing Apps

You need to open settings, go to security, and enable Unknown sources. Then grab the Amazon app store. You can just open
http://www.amazon.com/getappstore in the android browser. You'll need an Amazon account for this too. Run the downloaded .apk file and it will install. Then run the store and search for KotDP buy it and you're good to go.

You could go the google apps route instead of amazon if you wanted. The google play store does have a better selection. However, I just had lots of problems getting Google Services to work and the Amazon store is much easier imo.

You should also probably grab the humblebundle app (http://humblebundle.com/getapp). If you bought any bundles with Android games they'll show up.

You may want to test that everything is working before you pay any money for an app. The free netflix app seems to be a good test case. You don't need a netflix account, as long as the app starts, I *think* you should be good to go.
 
Last edited:

SCO

Arcane
In My Safe Space
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
16,320
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
does this crap work on linux? I'm thinking of using a android emulator for playing choice of games :negative:
 

Multi-headed Cow

Guest
does this crap work on linux? I'm thinking of using a android emulator for playing choice of games :negative:
Are the Android versions better or something? I thought they had all of 'em on their webpage.
 

SCO

Arcane
In My Safe Space
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
16,320
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
No they're piratable :negative:
if you want to give choice of games instead of steam-lard in the gifting thread i wouldn't say no.
 

taxalot

I'm a spicy fellow.
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Joined
Oct 28, 2010
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Location
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Codex 2013 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015
I have never played KotDP but I do own it on GoG. Is there a reason why I would want to play it this way instead ?
 

ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
Patron
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
28,242
Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Good work tuluse.

Not that I'd be using it, seeing as I can't choose to have assisted in slaying Yelm the bright emperor.
 

Gord

Arcane
Joined
Feb 16, 2011
Messages
7,049
I have never played KotDP but I do own it on GoG. Is there a reason why I would want to play it this way instead ?

Some new content, a few fixed issues. OTOH it's easier overall and has a few things streamlined. How bad this is depends on what's important to you, I guess. Notably you don't micromanage crafters, crop sorts and animals (pigs/sheep) anymore.
 

FeelTheRads

Arcane
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
13,716
Can't get it to work. I get this and those pid messages repeat forever:
nZMid7J.jpg


I tried on two different computers, both W7 64.
 
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Messages
14,152
Some new content, a few fixed issues. OTOH it's easier overall and has a few things streamlined. How bad this is depends on what's important to you, I guess. Notably you don't micromanage crafters, crop sorts and animals (pigs/sheep) anymore.

To someone who hasn't played KoDP that makes it sound a lot worse than it is. In reality everyone put crafters to max immediately, crop sorting was something you didn't care about unless a disaster was foretold, and you really had no interaction with pigs/sheeps other than to kill them for a very small amount of food.
 

FeelTheRads

Arcane
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
13,716
I could still download it, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that I was already registered? Dunno.

But I found Genymotion was kinda slow anyway for some games and I tried Leapdroid instead which is really, really fast. I haven't used it too much to see if it has compatibility issues, though. But I'm pretty sure Genymotion wasn't using GPU acceleration of was bad at it (even when turned on in VBOX) because in at least 2 games it wasn't showing certain animations, whereas Leapdroid does.
 

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