4 Colors with AdMob and Leaderboard

Introduction to Using 4 Colors with AdMob and Leaderboard in Android Game Development

As a game developer, one of the key aspects of creating a successful mobile game is to make it visually appealing and engaging. The 4 Colors game, a popular color-matching puzzle game, is no exception. To take it to the next level, we can integrate AdMob, a popular mobile advertising platform, and a leaderboard to track players' progress and compete with each other.

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of setting up AdMob and leaderboard integration in the 4 Colors game using Android Studio. We will cover the following topics:

1. Setting up AdMob account and creating a new ad unit
2. Implementing AdMob ads in the 4 Colors game
3. Creating a leaderboard using Google Play Game Services
4. Integrate the leaderboard in the 4 Colors game
5. Testing and deploying the game

Setting up AdMob Account and Creating a New Ad Unit

Before we start coding, we need to set up an AdMob account and create a new ad unit. Follow these steps:

1. Go to the AdMob website and sign up for an account if you haven't already.
2. Fill in the required information, including your name, email address, and password.
3. Verify your email address by clicking on the verification link sent to you by AdMob.
4. Log in to your AdMob account and click on "Create an App" to create a new app profile.
5. Fill in the required information, including your app's name, package name, and icon.
6. Click "Create" to create the app profile.
7. Click on "Ad Units" and then "New Ad Unit" to create a new ad unit.
8. Select the type of ad unit you want to create (e.g., banner, interstitial, rewarded video).
9. Fill in the required information, including the ad unit name and ad size.
10. Click "Create" to create the ad unit.

Implementing AdMob Ads in the 4 Colors Game

Now that we have set up our AdMob account and created a new ad unit, let's implement the ad in the 4 Colors game.

1. Open the 4 Colors game project in Android Studio.
2. Create a new Java class called AdMobActivity and extend it from Activity.
3. In the AdMobActivity class, import the AdMob library and initialize the AdMob object.
4. Create a new method called loadAd and use the AdMob object to load the ad unit.
5. Create a new method called showAd and use the AdMob object to display the ad.
6. In the MainActivity class, call the loadAd method in the onCreate method to load the ad when the activity starts.
7. In the MainActivity class, call the showAd method when the user reaches a certain score or level.

Here is an example code snippet:

public class AdMobActivity extends Activity {
    private AdView adView;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_admob);

        // Initialize AdMob object
        AdView adView = new AdView(this);
        adView.setAdSize(AdSize.BANNER);
        adView.setAdUnitId("YOUR_AD_UNIT_ID");

        // Load ad
        adView.loadAd(new AdRequest.Builder().build());

        // Show ad
        findViewById(R.id.ad_container).addView(adView);
    }

    public void loadAd() {
        AdRequest request = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
        adView.loadAd(request);
    }

    public void showAd() {
        adView.show();
    }
}

Creating a Leaderboard using Google Play Game Services

To create a leaderboard, we need to use Google Play Game Services. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Google Play Game Services website and sign in with your Google account.
2. Create a new game and add the 4 Colors game as a new game.
3. Click on "Leaderboards" and then "Create Leaderboard" to create a new leaderboard.
4. Fill in the required information, including the leaderboard name, description, and icon.
5. Choose the type of leaderboard you want to create (e.g., time-based, score-based).
6. Set the leaderboard ID and save the changes.

Integrating the Leaderboard in the 4 Colors Game

Now that we have created the leaderboard, let's integrate it in the 4 Colors game.

1. Open the 4 Colors game project in Android Studio.
2. Create a new Java class called LeaderboardActivity and extend it from Activity.
3. In the LeaderboardActivity class, import the Google Play Game Services library and initialize the GoogleApiClient object.
4. Create a new method called getLeaderboardScore and use the GoogleApiClient object to retrieve the user's leaderboard score.
5. Create a new method called submitScore and use the GoogleApiClient object to submit the user's score to the leaderboard.
6. In the MainActivity class, call the getLeaderboardScore method when the user reaches a certain score or level.
7. In the MainActivity class, call the submitScore method when the user submits a new score.

Here is an example code snippet:

public class LeaderboardActivity extends Activity {
    private GoogleApiClient mGoogleApiClient;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_leaderboard);

        // Initialize GoogleApiClient object
        mGoogleApiClient = new GoogleApiClient.Builder(this)
               .addApi(Games.API)
               .addScope(Games.SCOPE_GAMES)
               .build();

        // Get leaderboard score
        mGoogleApiClient.connect();
        mGoogleApiClient.addConnectionCallbacks(new ConnectionCallbacks() {
            @Override
            public void onConnected(Bundle bundle) {
                Games.getLeaderboardsClient(mGoogleApiClient, "YOUR_LEADERBOARD_ID").getLeaderboardScore("YOUR_LEADERBOARD_ID", "YOUR_USER_ID", LeaderboardVariant.TIME_SPAN_ALL_TIME).setOnLeaderboardScoreLoadedCallback(new OnLeaderboardScoreLoadedCallback() {
                    @Override
                    public void onLeaderboardScoreLoaded(LeaderboardScoreScore score) {
                        // Display the user's leaderboard score
                    }
                });
            }

            @Override
            public void onConnectionSuspended(int i) {
            }
        });

        // Submit score
        findViewById(R.id.submit_button).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View view) {
                int score = // Get the user's score from the game
                Games.getLeaderboardsClient(mGoogleApiClient, "YOUR_LEADERBOARD_ID").submitScore("YOUR_LEADERBOARD_ID", score);
            }
        });
    }
}

Testing and Deploying the Game

Now that we have integrated AdMob and the leaderboard, let's test and deploy the game.

1. Run the game on a physical device or emulator to test the ads and leaderboard integration.
2. Make sure the ads are displayed correctly and the leaderboard is updated correctly.
3. Once the game is tested and working, deploy it to the Google Play Store.
4. Make sure to include the AdMob ad unit ID and the leaderboard ID in the game's manifest file.

That's it! With these steps, we have successfully integrated AdMob and a leaderboard in the 4 Colors game.