Follow Us:
19

The tragic tale of Tetris for Android while roaming

By on February 6, 2012 at 8:14pm in Mobile News

Tetris is my game. It’s my wind-down, end-of-day, got-a-minute-on-the-subway game. And, since I use a Galaxy Nexus as my daily driver device, I’m often happily playing it on Android.

Last week I took a few days off and went off the grid — somewhere with no 3G or WiFi. It was, dare I say it, freeing. For the most part I had a great time: sunshine, ocean, daquiris. But I also discovered an aspect of the Android platform has needs to be rectified, and quickly. Due to some early-onset software pirating, many software developers such as EA, who publish Tetris for Android, require server-side license authentication when entering a game. Once approved, whereby the software detects a unique purchasing key from the Marketplace via the Android Licensing API, it allows you to play your game.

The problem arises when you do not have access to a network, either through 3G or WiFi, and the app cannot verify with Google that you in fact did pay for the app. While publishers have the flexibility to vary the period of time that passes between verifications, it would require one to open and authenticate every app/game that incorporates licensing before leaving on vacation, and even then some may not work without internet access. As a result of this oversight, nearly half the games that I had played only days before my trip would not open once I was beyond a cell signal. The worst culprit, and one of my favourite games, Spirit HD, even allows you a brief teasing moment of gameplay before it spits you back to the homescreen in a fit of licensing betrayal.

Since the release of Android 4.0 and its consolidation of app and SD storage, the time has come for Google to overhaul its licensing requirements for paid apps. There must be a way of locally and securely caching purchasing data from the Android Marketplace that would allow you to play your games, regardless of network status. Indeed, if I want to treat an old Android device like an iPod Touch, I should be able to.

According to the Android Developers page, the paid app licensing procedure is compatible with devices running Android 1.5 or higher. Now that we have moved well past that, and most users are on Gingerbread, we need a more user-friendly solution that doesn’t punish one for not having an internet connection. With talk of Ice Cream Sandwich bridging the gap between iOS in form, function and aesthetics, this would go a long way to ensuring Android users are not put off by a litany of foreseeable, and preventable, frustrations.

Related posts:

  1. Free version of TETRIS for Android now available
  2. Microsoft signs Android patent license agreements with Acer and Viewsonic
  3. Jenga officially available in the Android Market
  4. Modern Combat 3 now available for $0.99 in the Android Market

Discussion

19 comments for “The tragic tale of Tetris for Android while roaming”

  1. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 12

    Posted by Alex Perrier | February 6, 2012, 8:29 pm
    Reply to this comment

  2. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 35

    Posted by whocares | February 6, 2012, 8:59 pm
    Reply to this comment

    • lol if he wants to play the game that he paid for, how is it your business?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 30 Thumb down 0

      Posted by tdee | February 6, 2012, 9:16 pm

  3. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 19

    Posted by koko | February 6, 2012, 9:45 pm
    Reply to this comment

  4. I really doubt this is an android exclusive issue. Can anyone verify that this game can play without authentication on iOS or bbOS platforms?

    This sounds to me more like EA trying to incorporate strict drm policies (which they do with games on all platforms) in order to prevent piracy. I mean, are there any apps that experience this issue that arn’t games from major developer studios? I can confirm that anomaly, edge, world of goo, and osmos can all play without market authentication and they’re all indie developers…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 3

    Posted by ehoustoun | February 6, 2012, 9:53 pm
    Reply to this comment

  5. It does sound like typical EA.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 5

    Posted by Jacquio | February 6, 2012, 10:13 pm
    Reply to this comment

  6. Good article, and agreed 100%. Unfortunately this is EA we are talking about here. They’re moving more toward this kind of authentication every year. And I fear many other will follow.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Mark | February 6, 2012, 10:30 pm
    Reply to this comment

  7. I don’t buy it – that these games need to do this to protect their games.

    The real problem is that they like to keep track of how their games are used and this is a good excuse to ping their servers every time you use the game.

    This reminds me of the other problem with these games – they read all sorts of private information:

    Here’s a good article about it:
    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704694004576020083703574602.html

    Personally I avoid games that require inappropriate permissions, but I must admit that I think most users don’t care.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Tom | February 6, 2012, 10:42 pm
    Reply to this comment

  8. The irony of DRM is that pirates never have to worry about it. Just get a cracked version! Smart folks in all entertainment industries right now know that the only way to fight piracy is to provide a better service. You obviously cant compete with pricing. This is why vinyl has made a comeback. This is why Steam has become synonymous with PC gaming. EA’s strategy has been the opposite, and guess who piracy is a problem for?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 0

    Posted by GrimConch | February 6, 2012, 10:55 pm
    Reply to this comment

  9. Solution: don’t pay for apps.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2

    Posted by Ivan | February 7, 2012, 1:42 am
    Reply to this comment

  10. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 15

    Posted by Steve Dion | February 7, 2012, 8:09 am
    Reply to this comment

  11. Same happens with applications like Flickr Golf, Flickr Soccer. I went away on vacation and could not play it at all, was very dissapointing.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

    Posted by M | February 7, 2012, 8:39 am
    Reply to this comment

  12. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 14

    Posted by WP74Life | February 7, 2012, 9:25 am
    Reply to this comment

  13. @WP74Life
    Unfortunately most people don’t want static\widget tiles with choice of colours. You might want to consider that some people like custom ROMS. It’s sad that you have to pledge allegiance to a platform that you had nothing to do with\didnt create. You are not in an exclusive club, and your market share isnt getting healthier.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Spartacustomer | February 7, 2012, 9:58 am
    Reply to this comment

  14. This has nothing to do with Android and everything to do with the developer’s implementation of the LVL. Google simply provides the service, and it’s up to the developer to decide what the behavior should be should a license not be able to be verified. Some devs shut down the app completely, some disable a couple features, some let the app proceed as usual if there’s no network connection present, and some don’t do anything at all. The developer is also able to adjust the length of time that a validated license is good for before running another check. Bottom Line: This is not Android’s problem.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Blumer | February 7, 2012, 10:51 am
    Reply to this comment

    • This is an Android/Google problem. It doesn’t happen on BB or iOS.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3

      Posted by khk | February 7, 2012, 11:53 am

    • it’s is partially an android problem because they allow games/apps to behave in this manner.

      google’s “miminum standards” for the android market are alot lower then the AppStore’s sometimes draconian policies.

      i’m sure there is a middle ground somewhere.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

      Posted by andy c | February 7, 2012, 12:52 pm

  15. I was super happy that my new PlayBook came with Tetris for free. Just sayin’.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2

    Posted by Zagabog | February 7, 2012, 1:48 pm
    Reply to this comment

  16. Stop buying apps?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Jason | February 8, 2012, 12:20 am
    Reply to this comment

Post a comment