DomJOI Witch Biweekly Report 10/08/2025
TLDR;
- I’m sorry that I sidetracked myself with Android development, but my ADHD got the better of me. I really wanted to fix the current state of the Android version because I absolutely hate it. It was like an itch I had to scratch, but in the end, I failed, and it doesn’t even matter (Linkin Park’s “In the End” is playing in the background).
- The next release is delayed by one week.
- A poll is available for the Android version: only new and high-end phones or keeping the game in its current abysmal state.
- A lot of work was done on the Android version.
Long Version
First of all, I’m deeply sorry, but there will be a delay for the next release, as I have not finished the new feature I planned. It is about three-quarters done. This is totally my fault, as I got sidetracked with Android development. I was so mad at the current state that I decided to try to fix it myself and surprise you with not one but two game milestones completed.
There was a lot of trial and error. I changed a lot of settings, and there is still no success. I spoke with a developer, and if I want them to try to fix it (they won’t be able to, by the way—the problem is with the shader model), they reasonably asked for a reproducible project with the problem on their end.
I played with the original project, but it did not support Android at all, so I tried to use Linux. However, they don’t use Linux, so I tried to use WSL. But then WSL, even with newer Mesa drivers, wouldn’t work with UE 5.5. So I tried to use the Windows version of Unreal Engine and hack around to force it to use a different shader model, but for goodness sake, they won’t recompile the engine to fix my problem. It’s unreasonable to even expect that.
Every try, installation, and error takes a lot of time. There is a huge compilation (from 2 minutes to 30 minutes), then a few minutes for installation, and then testing. It’s a lot of time wasted, and I didn’t even get to the point where I could send them the project with the problem.
The current state of the Android version is that it runs on a lot of devices, but there are serious glitches when it comes to textures and materials. After a lot of testing, I found out that the problem is with the shader model. SM3.1 just won’t do it. It is too old and does not support a lot of features used in the game, especially how the materials are set up. This completely messes up the rendering and shading.
I could make it better by changing the lights and materials, but then it would make the game look worse on Windows and Linux, so I would have to maintain two separate versions of the game. I really do not want to do that, as it would be a lot of work, and there is no guarantee that it would even work.
Long story short: Now I have two options:
- Keep the game in its current state, and it will absolutely never look good on Android, but it will run on a lot of devices.
- Upgrade the game to use SM5.0, which will make it look good, but it will run only on newer, rather high-end devices.
The second option requires some money, as I personally use an iPhone and do not have any new mid- to high-end Android phone to test it on!
More Information about Android Device Compatibility
The base GPUs in the phones that support SM 5.0 are:
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Samsung Xclipse (9xx series)
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Adreno (7xx series)
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Mali (G7xx series)
This means the game will run on devices like the following:
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Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (Adreno 750): Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, OnePlus 12, Xiaomi 14/14 Ultra, ASUS ROG Phone 8
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Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (Adreno 740): Samsung Galaxy S23 series, OnePlus 11, Xiaomi 13 series, ASUS ROG Phone 7
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Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (Adreno 730): Samsung Galaxy S22 series (in some regions), Google Pixel 7 series (Tensor G2, custom Mali G710), OnePlus 10 Pro, Xiaomi 12 series, Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (in some regions)
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Exynos 2400 (Xclipse 940): Samsung Galaxy S24 series (in some regions)
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Exynos 2200 (Xclipse 920): Samsung Galaxy S22 series (in some regions), Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (in some regions)
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Dimensity 9300 (Mali-G720): Vivo X100 series, Oppo Find X7 series
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Dimensity 9200 (Mali-G715): Google Pixel 9 series (Tensor G4, based on Mali G715), Vivo X90 series
It’s not an exhaustive list, but it gives you an idea of the devices that will support SM 5.0. In my opinion, it’s a reasonable list, especially since some of these devices are already available for a few years, like the Samsung Galaxy S22 series from February 2022.
Lastly, note that SM5.0 is used in the Windows and Linux versions of the game, so it will look quite similar on Android.
Poll for the Android Version
The poll has only two options:
- Keep the game in its current abysmal state, and it will run on a lot of devices, but it will never look good.
- Upgrade the game to use SM 5.0, which will make it look good, but it will cut off support for a lot of devices, especially older ones.
For this poll, I will use the following criteria:
- Every supporter can vote, even the free ones.
- The votes will be counted in the following way:
- 1 vote for free users
- 2 votes for The Initiate
- 3 votes for The Dedicated Devotee
- 4 votes for The Mastermind
I know that this is not perfect, but since Android is the most popular platform, and this way I can get more support, I think it’s a reasonable way to do it.
Thank You for Your Support and Understanding
I know that this is not the best news, but I hope that you understand that I did my best to fix the Android version and that I’m really sorry for the delay. If you are supporting me and feel like I wasted your money, please let me know, and I will refund you.
I really appreciate your support and understanding. I will do my best to finish the new features and release the new version in about a week. I will also keep you updated on the progress of the Android version and the results of the poll in 5 days.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
DomJOIDev