I’d like to try and get a better understanding of the impact of lack of Google Play Game Services support in Defold. Our current thinking is that GPGS will have to be delivered as a native extension since it is a really large API that would add an unacceptable amount to the engine runtime.
Please post your thoughts here. Is the lack of GPGS currently a deal breaker? Will it be? If so, how soon?
I agree about it being an optional native extension and not part of the core.
The thing about GPGS and any platform specific services like these is that they seem to make whatever platform provider want to promote your apps more since you actually use the services they provide. That reason alone shows the importance of easily supporting these features.
Most compelling features of GPGS to me:
Once Defold gets support maybe it could be added here too https://developers.google.com/games/services/integration/
I fully agree with @Pkeod post. GPGS as native extension is fine.
Two cents:
There is problem around saving user game progress without any additional autentification account (login/pass, Facebook, etc.) even we use an own server or service like the PlayFab. And Google Play Game Services can solve this problem.
In my experience GPGS are the most popular request from “Look, your loot” players. They literaly expect to see this and surprised when not.
So:
Thanks. We’ll look into how we can make this happen.
One thought on PlayFab and the need for an account to identify the user. You can probably get pretty far by using a generated id of some kind, perhaps based on hw mac address or sys.get_sys_info().ad_ident and then incentivize further registration using Facebook or user+pw. But I can fully see the advantage of the simplicity provided by GPGS.
@Dragosha if we are to move ahead with a GPGS extension soon, can we then collaborate with you on integration in Look Your Loot?
Yes, I use custom id for now. But it’s not help for transfer account from old user phone to new for example. And as I understand we can’t use ad_ident for identification by platform rules.
of couse
I also posted quick update to my thread about pipler game.
The lack of play services was my main reason to port game to another engine which has native support, or official google plugin.
It was strange for me (because for me as for player it’s not important ), but a lot of people wants achievements and ask about it.
Login and cloudsave - are important too, of course.
I agree than GPGS should be as an extension.
I read documentation few times, and, as I undestood, jar version (android only) is the most relevant for now and modular (in comparison with monolithic cpp lib).
https://developers.google.com/games/services/downloads/sdks
The other important thing is Firebase - some of GPGS services migrate to FirebaseSDK and it has a lot of new great features (like crash reports, performance reports and so on…), but I think it’s another long story =) …
(https://stackoverflow.com/questions/45981489/which-is-the-current-android-standard-firebase-or-play-services)
Hi.
Login throught GPGS is a top priority, next leaderboards and saves, and, at last archievemnts.
Thank you.
Bumping this thread as I’m looking into GPGS for my game. Yes the lack of GPGS is quite troublesome for me.
A quick question. GPGS has realtime and turnbased multiplayer, are you looking into that as well, or just the basic leaderboard/achievements/saves?
This will happen soon. There’s already a proof of concept here (Android only):
https://github.com/defold/extension-gpgs
First version would be leaderboard/achievements/saves.
404 error
Works here. A temporary caching problem perhaps?
seems like a private rep
Yeah, just realized that… Sorry.
Oh, oops. Well, we’re working on it 
And Mathias posted a proof of concept video as well.
any news?
We haven’t made any progress yet, but at least you can now access the repo: https://github.com/defold/extension-gpgs
Any update on this?