Landlords: A Multiplayer Monopolization Game for the Android OS
Contents
1. a search for a faster way to accomplish things whether it s a revolutionary contribution to medical science the business world or even a new social networking site that everybody wants to use With this desire comes a heavy dependence on mobile technology From laptops to handheld devices people are finding new ways to stay connected and stay entertained In 2010 mobile phone subscriptions numbered 4 6 billion and it was estimated that by the end of that year they would reach 5 billion While that includes high end technological mobile devices such as the iPhone and Android enabled devices it also includes many outdated and obsolete devices However that is still an outrageous number The U S census provides us with an estimated world population of 6 8 billion people in 2010 2 When compared to 4 6 billion mobile phone subscriptions we can see a ratio of approximately two phones to every three people This is a staggering number to think that one has contact with 6696 of the world at their fingertips However despite this high paced lifestyle there is still one thing that humans cannot seem to live without and that is entertainment This is part of the motivation to create this project to provide a source of entertainment to a vast amount of mobile users This increase in phone technology provides game makers with a valuable resource People who have a bit of spare time can pick up their phone and spend four or five minutes playing the2. new to the concept and may even be modified and optimized to be even faster and more efficient 19 5 References 1 http www cbsnews com stories 2010 02 15 business main6209772 shtml 2 http www census gov ipc www idb worldpopgraph ph 3 http www restlet or 4 http en wikipedia org wiki Representational State Transfer 5 Google IO session with Virgil Dobjanschi http www youtube com watch v xHXn3Kg2IQE 6 http code google com apis maps documentation staticmaps StyledMapFeatures 20 6 Appendices a CD Content Included on the CD is the full source code required to build and run This will be found in the Landlords LandlordsProject Source directory A jar file for easily running the server as well as a Debug and Release apk file for installing the client application on the Android Emulator and Android Device respectfully These are contained in the Landlords LandlordsProject Release directory It is required that for them to be run the entire folder This project report will also be contained on the CD under the Landlords Report directory A user manual with information regarding how to run the various projects will be located in the LandlordsMManual directory The cover img png as well as several other image files are located in the Report Two batch files are located in the CD s main directory These represent methods of running the LocationTracer without run
3. tracer can then call up the specific static map for that location and decide if there is a building there or not If there is the location tracer does a rough approximation of the outline and returns the polygon formed by the vertices The most important tool that aided me in accomplishing this was Google Maps With their Static Maps AI you can just call the URI of the map and it will return it to the requester Plus you can customize the map via the query string For example the following portion of the URL will disable all features on the map allowing us to only display ones that we need amp style feature all element all967 Cvisibility off This functionality can also be used to change colour zoom and a variety of other factors The algorithm used to achieve the outlining is a modified version of the Lang Simplification algorithm The algorithm has a look ahead value which can be used to set how many vertices ahead we want to start looking For example if look ahead is 8 we look 8 vertices forward and work backward Then we analyze the projective distance from the in between vertices to the line from vertex 1 to vertex 8 in this example If the distance is greater than the tolerance value then this vertex is too far to simplify We then look at the line from vertex 1 to vertex 7 and repeat the process until all the tolerances are simplified at which point the in between vertices are removed and our algorithm m
4. 0 0 Figure 5 Map from Figure 4 after being read and traced The importance of a pixel is determined by whether or not itis in the same wall as the previous pixel This is especially important at corners where choosing the wrong pixel could cause pixels to become unreachable see Figure 6 Pixel exclusion Therefore our algorithm decides that since pixel C a wall with the current pixel A we choose it before we choose pixel B 17 Figure 6 Pixel exclusion 18 4 Results The result of this project is that we have gained some insight into the development of a distributed Android application I have provided the methodology for the software as well as why I made some of the decisions the way I did In the end we have a working Android application with a back end server that is runnable on any Java ready computer Although there is not a considerable contribution to the field of Computer Science it does provide a framework for later development of similar applications Much of the code is there behind the scenes and readily accessible depending on the specific goal we wish to achieve Furthermore this project has demonstrated a working algorithm for removing vertices from a polygon and has been modified and extended to be used as an algorithm for tracing and providing rough outlines of a shapes made from the pixels of an image This contribution to Computer Science may help provide a tutorial for tracing to people who are
5. Landlords A Multiplayer Monopolization Game for the Android OS By Tyler Kerry 100740419 Honours Project COMP 4905 School of Computer Science Carleton University Supervised by Dr Tony White School of Computer Science Winter 2011 Abstract Mobile phones may have existed for several decades now but never have they provided us with the technology they provide today This project intends to examine the pros and cons of developing for the Android OS while attempting to build a distributed client server architecture as well as an outline tracing solution to locate buildings on Google Maps It will make use of many technologies such as Android Google Maps GPS JSON Restlet and SQLite The client and server model demonstrates considerable success in a first attempt at the Android architecture and the outline tracing algorithm demonstrated here has been shown to be very successful We will discuss the software design choices technologies and results of this project while gaining insight into developing for the mobile world Acknowledgements First of all I would like to thank Dr Tony white for supervising this project and for the support he has supplied I would also like to acknowledge Google and the Android Team for providing the tools that were necessary to complete this project including the Android SDK Android emulator and Google Maps Portions of this project and report are reproduced from work created and shared by G
6. Listener Whenever we require a GPS or from a different provider location we can register our listener to a LocationManager Whenever GPS updates come in our listener will be triggered and we can handle them in a meaningful way such as updating our map With this functionality we can also unregister our listener when we no longer need location updates so that we do not waste the battery by using the GPS One design choice that I chose was not to rely heavily on the strings xml resource This resource is incredibly useful for keeping strings organized in our application and even provides a method of translating our strings depending on the set language assuming we have multiple languages defined in our strings However with the scope of academic project it is not intended to ever require translation to another language Secondly I decided to use a common class called LandlordsConstants Since this class only provides final static variables both our server and client can reference it to make sure the request they are making is the correct one and this provides a sense of security from requests breaking due to a misspelled or changed string on one side or the other 14 c Location Tracer Probably the most interesting utility in this project the location tracer gives us a method of tracing the outlines around buildings in Google Maps This provides us with a method of saying I m at this location what is there The location
7. be a casual game which means the player does not always need to be playing or their account to be making progress For example if they have triggered a property to be sold and then signed out anybody who comes along to the property and checks in will be given the option to buy These transactions occur whether or not the user who owns the property is signed in Therefore it is not essential for a user to stay signed in and playing constantly only at their leisure 11 3 Methodology No software can expect to be easily deployable and maintainable if it is not well structured and organized In this section we will discuss some of the structure and code that is contained in the software a Server A quality server is essential to any distributed system The server must handle a multitude of requests from users who wish to retrieve or update the material that it provides Early in the development of the server it was realized that the majority of the game is just a reflection on the state of the locations and users within the system As such communication between a client and the server is based almost entirely on acquiring a resource or posting to one This made the project an obvious candidate for the RESTful style of software architecture REST stands for Representational State Transfer and was introduced by Roy Fielding in 2000 4 Since the internet is based on resource representation it seems like a logical choice for a distribute
8. d application The server for this project is built using the Restlet framework which can be downloaded freely from their website This provides access to the RESTful style via a plug in for Eclipse Restlet was incredibly easy to install and setup not to mention implement Our server registers several resources such as locations or users to the root address When they are requested by a client the server triggers those resources to execute whatever code they may require and then return data to the server In this manner we were able to provide the ability to login check in purchase sell and get location lists upon request of a client 4 http en wikipedia org wiki Representational State Transfer 12 b Client However easy developing with the Restlet framework may have been developing for the Android operating system was not as simple The first problem is setting up the Android SDK You must first install and setup the SDK and a variety of packages to get everything working Once the SDK is installed an Android Emulator can be created This is one of the most useful tools when programming for the Android This provides the developer with nearly full control of a mobile device from the comfort of their computer Almost all of the functionality that is provided on the device is also available on the emulator Even though there is no direct GPS in the emulator it can be simulated in a variety of ways such as injecting locations i
9. d resources that the Android operating system provides and combine them together into a structured and meaningful representation The software development kit for Android is extensive and contains invaluable resources that can be used to enrich custom applications Several of these include the Restlet framework JSON and the Google Maps API that can be easily integrated into Android applications Since mobile technology surely shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon this project is intended to give the author some experience in working with this mobile architecture and provide the reader with some tips and insight that I was granted while working on this project c Goals One of the goals of this project is essentially to break it down into three smaller projects that fulfill specific roles when interacting with each other within the architecture of this project The three projects that will exist will be the server the client and the location tracer Itis the aim ofthis project to create a server to serve as the central access point for the rest of the project The server provides resources and methods to allow clients to interact in a meaningful way To provide some information to the server administrator it is my intent to create a window for the administrator to see incoming and outgoing requests as well as monitor the database The server will be coded using a web framework known as Restlet Restlet provides web services and clien
10. in using an existing username and password or can register as a new user Once this is done they are provided with a set amount of money From the main screen after a sign in they have access to three tabs The first tab is the settings tab which provides some basic information such as the server they are signed into and how much money they have The second tab provides a list of the locations that the user currently owns see Figure 1 View ofthe Locations tab This tab also contains an update button which sends a request to the server for their refreshed list of locations University Centre Steacie Southam Hall Dunton Tower Tory North Figure 1 View ofthe Locations tab The third tab is probably the most important tab this is the map see Figure 2 The Map view When a player has GPS enabled on their device and are looking at the map tab they will be provided with location updates This is represented by the Android Robot in the center ofthe screen and reflects their most recent location At this point they have the ability to Check In This however can be a gamble and can result in any of the following scenarios e The player owns the location In this case they are returned a view of the locations information and are provided with the opportunity to sell Selling is not instant however and one must wait for another person to purchase the property before they will earn any money e Ifalocation exists bu
11. ir favourite mobile game before they are off to continue their busy life It is a cheap form of entertainment which is an excellent platform for independent game designers to make a hit without the vast team and funding required to produce a triple A title 1 http www cbsnews com stories 2010 02 15 business main6209772 shtml http www census gov ipc www idb worldpopgraph php b Motivation An interesting concept in the field of mobile games is augmented reality Augmented reality is a relatively vague term that is used to reflect the state of a computer simulation based on factors in the real world Although this term applies to technologies in general with the technologies provided by mobile phones such as GPS and a camera the mobile phone can be used to achieve this effect As such it is the goal of this project to incorporate GPS and the user s location to change the way that the game is played and achieve a bit if albeit small amount of augmented reality A problem that has existed in the field of Computer Science is finding efficient and reliable algorithms for reducing the number of vertices that exist in a polygon There are a number of applications for these algorithms such as smoothing grainy images This problem is one that I was motivated to approach for the benefit of my knowledge as well as Computer Science as a field Another motivation for this is project is to attempt to utilize the variety of packages an
12. n through the DDMS The client follows a RESTful approach to communication The client follows a Service API in order to decouple functionality see Figure 3 Service API 5 Option A Use a Service API CursorAdapter initiate param 11 Callback to registered activities Service Helper startService Intent pem 10 Binder callback Service 3 start param 9 Operation complete callback HEEL oS Processor AA Content Provider B insert update 5 start param 7 REST method complete callback REST Method 6 GET POST PUT DELETE Figure 3 Service API 5 Google IO session with Virgil Dobjanschi http www youtube com watch v xHXn3Kg2IQE 13 Essentially whenever the user wishes to accomplish something such as a button press to register a login the Activity creates a ServiceHelper It provides the ServiceHelper a URI for which to retrieve a resource and then initiates the helper with these values and registers a callback to the current Activity The ServiceHelper then runs in the background to send and receive the data Services are incredibly useful as they provide our application a method to tell the Android device I m still alive As such when the device wishes to shut something down to provide memory to another Activity it will likely not choose our running Service As such Services can be a way to keep our application from being killed by the OS Another important part of our client is the Location
13. ning everything else It is required that they stay relative to their path therefore it is encouraged that the entire Landlords project be copied from the CD kept together b Instructions For instructions on how to run or setup the project please see the Manual located in the Landlords Manual directory of the CD 21
14. oogle and used according to the terms described in the Creative Commons 3 0 Attribution License These include the Android Robot and three tab icons used in the user interface of the Android application All of these can be found with the Android software development kit which is freely available Contents li Introductio Nsara a a O 6 as Background Sd SS A A A DU Dara ft 6 Ba MOTION dat od dut cau LU LI LI La UE 7 MCI cR 8 2 DESC iii 9 2 MERO dl it a 12 A eed du arde Dit tae aed uui eddie Sd adieu aveditin PAR a crate ZUR eR vein 12 b Glen sn ended du Lc uU UE ADD LM LL nee UM EUM 13 MM Eocation Tracer inenen cr 15 A RERE tE V0 o EE E E E EE E E DE 19 Sa ER Toe TCS sy ase a e e A 20 63 a A maudites tuetur rst site ee eee eae 21 a MENGE N O 21 pi INSUCUIOAS id 21 Table of Figures Figure 1 View of the Locations TaD uii eiui tst ie ido 9 figure 2 The Map VIEW tick venetian eost dtbied 11 Fip r 37 DEVICES AR it 13 Figure 4 Typical Google map Te su siste atleti 16 Figure 5 Map from Figure 4 after being read and traced 17 Figur 6 Pixel exclusi n ses ene bt ii ii a a 18 1 Introduction a Background Very few people could argue with the fact that as technology dramatically increases so does our lifestyle become more hectic Technology has allowed for and encouraged people to be forever on the move from one place to the next without ever losing connectivity to our electronic world Humans are forever on
15. oves on to the next line segment This repeats until the outline stops or it wraps back around to the initial vertex 6 http code pepe com apis maps documentation staticmaps StyledMapFeatures http b LGL 15 Since the above algorithm assumes that we already know all the vertices it needs a small adjustment to work for our purposes Since we analyzing an image from Google we first must represent what IS a building and what is not To do this we query the static map to return ONLY a map with a regular background and bright green buildings This lets us analyze at a per pixel level to determine whether or not the current location is a building or not Once we have analyzed all our pixels and stored them in a boolean map 2D array of 0 s and 1 s which represent an empty pixel and an occupied pixel respectively we look at our users current location If the pixel they are on is empty then we say you re notin a building However if itis in a building we move all the way to the right until we hit a pixel where there is empty space Then we check all neighbours to see if they are empty or not If a neighbor is occupied yet it has no empty neighbours then we determine that it is an inner vertex and we do not touch use it Prescott House Library Rd Library Rd Mackenzie University Figure 4 Typical Google map result 16 r GUI o 9 ger 4 i M
16. t is not currently owned by anybody then it may be purchased for a set amount of money Note that this is also the case if the owner has decided to sell this property e fanother player owns the location and it is NOT for sale then the player checking in will be charged rent The amount of rent is determined when the property is created and may not be changed afterwards e Finally if the location does not currently exist and the server has enabled location creation then the user may create it They can determine its name the amount of rent to charge and radius The radius represents a circle around the specified latitude longitude and anybody checking in with coordinates inside that radius will be charged rent It should be noted that the cost of the location is relative to the size of the circle and amount of rent charged given by this equation where C is a constant value 2 C x rent x nr where C is a constant Although the location tracer does work and can easily be demonstrated it is not currently used to define locations relative to the user The reasons for this will be discussed later in this report 10 a ame 10 18 am Landlords cy Figure 2 The Map view Although there is technically no way to win this game the goal is to earn as much money as you can You amass your money by first purchasing properties then charging rent to someone when they happen to check in to your property This is intended to
17. ts a way with which they can communicate in a RESTful manner RESTful architecture will be discussed in greater detail later in this report The client is another extremely important entity in this architecture Without the client the server and this entire project has no reason for existing To provide people access at any time it is my goal to create the client on the Android SDK and to be able to run it on an Android enabled mobile device The third mini project and probably least important yet most interesting is the location tracer The location tracer is a piece of software developed by the author to correctly enable location finding services required by the server It is intended to analyze an image provided by Google maps and to provide a mapping of vertices that respond to a specific location on that map This piece of software will require algorithms to decipher this information in an efficient and reliable manner 3 http www restlet or 2 Description This software was designed to be an Android game that is heavily based on using Google Maps to provide a visual representation of what essentially becomes a board game In particular it is intended to be real estate management game where users are given the option to buy and sell property and make money off of charging rent The goal to this project is that with a dedicated server running any person with an Android enabled phone and the Landlords application can sign
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