Android: Deciding between SurfaceView and OpenGL (GLSurfaceView)

Posted by Rich on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by Rich
Published on 2011-03-02T15:01:21Z Indexed on 2011/03/02 15:25 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 296

Filed under:

android

|

game-development

|

opengl-es

Is there a way to decide up front based on the expected complexity of a game/app in the planning phase whether to use regular Canvas drawing in a SurfaceView or to go with OpenGL?

I've been playing around with a Canvas and only need 2D movement, and on a fairly new phone I'm getting pretty decent performance with a bunch of primitive objects and a few bitmaps running around the screen on a solid background.

Is it fair to say that if I'm going to be drawing background images and increasing the number of objects being moved and drawn on top of them that I should go straight to OpenGL?

© Stack Overflow or respective owner

Related posts about android

Please verify my layout: bottom button keeps coming up over keyboard

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Hi everyone, I have a layout which does almost what I want. There's just one bug regarding the button at the bottom. I should stay at the bottom at all times. But whenever I bring up the soft-keyboard the button will be displayed above the keyboard. This is not what I want but it should become covered… >>> More
Android programming. Application stopped unexpectedly.

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I've just created a prototype of interface for my android app and tried to run it. Unfortunately I get an error that my app has stopped unexpectedly (my reputation doesn't allow me to post images so follow my links): screenshot of error message This is layout mode of editing. Everything looks as… >>> More
Listview Row Overlap Problem

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I just updated my app and I am getting some odd complaints from people who update it. I am only getting complaints from people with non-stock android phones (phones that manufacturers have modified...HTC phones, cliq, pulse, etc), other phones like the Droid, Nexus work fine. My app (Photo Frame Deluxe)… >>> More
Why are some of my view not aligned correctly at the bottom of my relative layout?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I have problems getting some of my views aligned in a relative layout that I use inside a row of my listview. Here is a screenshot from the layout builder in Eclipse, this is what I think it should look like: The next image is from the emulator. Now the TestTestTest View is at the top and covers… >>> More
Android RatingBar weirdness: Whenever I add a RatingBar to my layout, a bunch of the generated tags,

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Whenever I use a RatingBar view in my layout, I suddenly get all kinds of compile errors. I'm using Android 2.0, but I've also tried 2.0.1, and 2.1, without joy. I also get a message: Shader 'android.graphics.BitmapShader' is not supported in Layout Editor, and an odd warning which may or maynot be… >>> More

Related posts about game-development

Alternatives to Flash Media Server for multiplayer game development

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I've used Flash Media Server to create multiplayer flash games, but the cost of deploying a FMS application seems rather high. Are there good alternatives, open source or not, that I should look into to mimic the same functionality? I'm specifically looking at using FMS for the aspect of synching… >>> More
Learning about game development, any books recommended?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I want to write some games, but I don't have any game development experience. Any books are recommended? Is this necessary to have a good Maths skill when taking about some physical actions? Also, is it complex to do some AI design? thz a lot. >>> More
what are the problems in game development that requires scientific research? [on hold]

as seen on Game Development - Search for 'Game Development'
I been into Game Development for approximately 2 years for now mostly prototype development and testing ideas. Im in a point of my carrier where I am in a need to publish a research paper I would love to start doing research about game development however my lack of experience in actual game development… >>> More
Facebook Game Development - Which Programming languages?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Hi folks, I am going to develop a facebook game as topic for my thesis. I am wondering which programming languages i should choice. I am used to programming in .NET. But i am also comfortable in C++ and Java. I don't want to use Flash as the graphical frontend since i don't like it. So i guess… >>> More
Facebook Game Development - .NET - Which architecture?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I am starting to develop a facebook game using ASP.NET + Silverlight Which architecture would you use? ASP.NET MVC or MVVM or RIA Services? ALso what do you think about using XNA with Silversprite? The game won't be a arcade game. It will be more strategy/RPG. Thanks a lot in advance. >>> More