Battery consumption

[terrik]

Not sure if others have the same issue, but on my Galaxy S3 phone (android v4.2.2, ST:4X v1.3.1) I've experienced heavier battery drain than any other game/app I've used before, so much so that I think my battery gets a bit flustered and reports itself overheating (even though it doesn't feel very hot). I can almost watch the battery life % dropping as I play. In fact once when I was playing with my phone plugged in, the charging couldn't even keep up with the drain and my phone died! I suppose it's possible something else is wrong with my phone but I only have this issue when playing ST:4X. So if there are any optional settings or further enhancements to reduce strain on the device it'd be much appreciated. I could be wrong but I feel like perhaps the constant switching of game screens is the culprit? I spend most of my time rapidly tapping back and forth through the various screens (colony views, map, research screen, empire summary, turn events, etc), so the constant screen loading/refreshing may be expensive. Maybe there are some ways to better aggregrate information and actions into single screens to reduce the number of screen changes required during a turn.

[phantombudgie]

I have an S3 and I find that it is not a problematic battery-heavy game. It does draw a fair amount of juice, but Defense Zone 2 HD for example is much more of a drain. I have never had any problems with ST 4X on the scale you describe.

EDIT: Android 4.1.2, all ST versions up to 1.3.1

[terrik]

Ok thanks for your input. I was a bit curious since most of the time I experience heavy drain but once in a while it's perfectly fine, which is a tad confusing and points to possible issue with the phone instead. I've just never had such an issue before (not that I use many comparably intensive apps) so I assumed ST:4X was to blame. But if no one else has this issue then I'll just chalk it up to a screwy phone then.

[4x general]

The game has great battery efficiency on my Galaxy. Actually, this game lasts way longer on my device than any other 4x game I have.

I track battery drain closely and 4x seems to be a rock star.

[fallen]

terrik - most Androids let you check out a detail graph of power usage, perhaps you can find another culprit. We don't see the issue with our test Galaxy devices.

[Blackwood42]

Before assuming it's a problem with your phone, try using a different charger. I've an s3, couple of months ago I started noticing some things seemed to drain the battery ridiculously quickly, and eventually I found the phone wouldn't charge at all if I was using it while plugged in.
I was looking at either getting a new phone or battery when a friend recommended trying a different charger. Started using the one I got with my old galaxy ace and not had any problems since.
Have found I can stay up all night (6 or 7 hours at least) playing 4x with bbc iPlayer radio on on the background without needing to plug the phone in. Whether or not that's a good thing before an 11 hour shift at work is debatable, but Cory and Andrew make such good games they're worth missing occasional night's sleep for!

[Cory Trese]

Aug 3, 2014 20:53:15 GMT -5 Blackwood42 said:

Have found I can stay up all night (6 or 7 hours at least) playing 4x with bbc iPlayer radio on on the background without needing to plug the phone in. Whether or not that's a good thing before an 11 hour shift at work is debatable, but Cory and Andrew make such good games they're worth missing occasional night's sleep for!

Posts like this give me hope that I'm not alone.

I use Spotify instead of BBC iPlayer, but the theory is the same =)

[Brutus Aurelius]

Pffffth who needs sleep?

[fallen]

It also says a lot about the battery life when the game is on