Android NDK Setup

This page explains how to compile gameplay for Android devices on Windows 7.

Install Tools

Install the Android SDK

1. Download and install the Android SDK.
2. Make sure <android-sdk-path>/tools and <android-sdk-path>/platform-tools are added to PATH.

Install the Android NDK

1. Download and install the Android NDK.
2. Follow these instructions.
3. Make sure <android-ndk-path> is added to PATH.

Install Apache Ant

1. Download and install Apache Ant.
2. Make sure <ant-path>/bin is added the PATH.

Install Cygwin

1. Download and install Cygwin
2. Select and add the package make: The GNU version of the 'make' utility during installation.
3. Rename awk.exe to something else (awk_.exe for example) in <android-ndk-path>/prebuilt/windows/bin. This is to prevent the Android build system from being confused by the cygwin's awk.

Building the gameplay library

1. Open the Cygwin terminal.
2. Change directory to <gameplay-root>/gameplay/android
3. Run the following command to generate the needed files to build the project: android.bat update project -t 1 -p . -s
4. Build the gameplay library: ndk-build

Building a sample game

1. Open the Cygwin terminal.
2. Change directory to <gameplay-root/gameplay-samples/sampleXX-XXXXX>/android
3. Run this command to generate the needed files to build the project: android.bat update project -t 1 -p . -s
4. Build the gameplay sample: ndk-build

Loading a sample game

Make sure developer mode is enabled and USB debugging is turned on.

1. Change directory to <gameplay-root/gameplay-samples/sampleXX-XXXXX>/android
2. Install the app: ant debug install

Troubleshooting

Device not detected

If ant debug install does not work, ensure your device is being detected properly by running adb devices. If no devices are reported, try downloading the correct USB drivers from you phone manufacturer's website. (OEM Drivers)

Android NDK permissions errors

If you see an error like ./obj/local/armeabi/libpng.a: No such file: Permission denied, make sure that the *.a files have read permission by running: chmod +r obj/local/armeabi/*.a