Before You Do Anything Else
Before doing anything else, it is highly recommended that you switch off your device and your PC and then re-start them both. You'd be surprised how many problems can be resolved by a simple re-boot of your system! Once you have done that, you should also check that the USB cable you are using to connect your device to the PC is appropriate as there are many that will show connected on the ADB but which will not permit the transfer of data (ie: They are charge only). So if you test a GameMaker:Studio game on your device and the compile finishes and exits with no further debug message in the compiler window, this is definitely a sign that your cable may be at fault.
Set USB Storage
It has been reported that on some devices for them to work correctly you should set the USB Connection to permit the copying of files between the computer and the SD card by clicking on the button marked "Connect USB Storage". This may not be necessary but is worth testing should you be having problems.
Studio can't place the YoYo Runner on my Device
If you find that the runner is not transferred to your device the first time you plug it in and run a game through GameMaker:Studio, this means that the Android Debugger (adb) is not working as it should. Your priority here is to get it to work! One of the main issues is that not all device drivers are installed with adb and so you should consult your manufacturer to get the latest drivers for your specific device. Here are some links to the major manufacturers :
Is the device connected?
if you have updated the drivers and still can't get things to work as they should, then it's often useful to know if the device is actually recognized and connected. To do this, follow these steps:
- Plug the device into the computer using the USB data cable
- On your PC, Press and hold the Windows Key and hit R to open the Run dialog
- Type in CMD and hit enter to open a command prompt
- Go to the directory where you installed Android and type "cd platform-tools" and press enter
- Now type "adb get-state"
An alternative way to do this is to plug in your phone and then go to the android SDK folder and in the "platform-tools" folder, if you hold shift and right click you'll be able to "Open command window here", you can then perform step 5.
If all goes well, you should get the message "device", signaling that your device has been recognized and all is well. However, if you get the message "unknown" this means that your device is not recognized. In this case you may have to install the drivers specific to your device.
How to install the YoYo Runner without GameMaker:Studio?
If the Android Debugger (adb) detects that your device is connected, but the device still does not respond to GameMaker:Studio creating a game, you may need to install the YoYo Runner onto the device manually. This can be done as follows.
- On your PC, Press and hold the Windows Key and hit R to open the Run dialog
- Type in CMD and hit enter to open a command prompt
- Go to the directory where you installed Android and type "cd platform-tools" and press enter
- Type the following into the command line, ensuring to replace the file location to your own install location: adb install %AppData%\GameMaker-Studio\Android\com.yoyogames.runner.apk
- Hit Enter and wait for install to complete (will state "Success" on completion)
- Once installed, you should now see the YoYo Runner application on your Android Device
How to use Dropbox to run your game
Another way to get your game onto your Android device without using the data cable is to use DropBox. Download their app from the Android Market and install it on your device, then save the game apk created by GameMaker:Studio to your DropBox account. Once that's done and your device is synced to the DropBox account, just run the apk from your device.
My Android device can't connect to my pc
If your Android device cannot connect to your pc, you can check the connection by starting the browser in the device and then type "http://YOUR_MACHINE_ADDRESS:51268/GameAssetsDroid.zip". If your device can't find that file then there is a problem with your device. Check and make sure that it is visible over WiFi and that you are on the same network as your pc, then try again.
Nothing Works!
If you have tried all of the above, you should go back to the start of this document and make sure that you have done everything as stated, and that your device meets the minimum requirements necessary. Revise and make sure that the IP address, the ports and all other information is correct within GameMaker:Studio and that your installation of the Android SDK is correct to. Take a moment to read the other troubleshooting tips too as it may be something a simple as out of date drivers that are the problem.