Some of you may have already played BS Hacker Replay Unlimited, a Cyberpunk / “hacker” game. It’s not a bad game (on the desktop Windows); I certainly recommend this review on it for more info. (Note that the linked review also reviews another desktop Windows "cyberpunk" game of the same developer.)
Now that Handango has cut the price of the Pocket PC port of the game in half, I’ve decided to give it a go, particularly when it comes to comparing it to the desktop version. There doesn’t seem a review of the Pocket PC version anywhere; PocketGamer.org hasn’t even mentioned it, let alone other Pocket PC gaming-related sites.
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Availability, price
(Current, tested version: 1.211)
The title is available for the original $9.99 on the homepage of the developer and, as has already been pointed out, at half the price, $4.99, on Handango.
Compatibility
All devices starting with Pocket PC 2002. This means, in addition to my Pocket PC 2002 iPAQ 3660, both my two other “problematic” devices have run the game without problems:
the WM5-upgraded HP iPAQ hx4700
the “slow” HTC Wizard (has for example no music or similar problems, unlike, say, SuperTux)
Differences between the desktop and the Windows Mobile version
First, you don’t need to enter any text on the Windows Mobile – everything is icon-based and, therefore, happens much faster (you don't need to enter commands on the keyboard, just click the given icon). The generic speedup also applies to functionality that was definitely slow in the desktop version: for example, cracking passwords, which is done much faster on Windows Mobile than in the desktop version.
However, a LOT of the desktop functionalities have been removed. For example, there are no files on hosts any more, you can only transfer money from them (and trash / BNC them if you deem it necessary – it’s only in this respect that it’s the same as the desktop version). Which is even worse, a LOT of functionality (still) present in the desktop version (ability to upgrade hacker apps; several missions or, for that matter, almost ANYTHING except just money transfer etc.) are severely missing from the PDA version.
The built-in, one-page (!) help (screenshot of it here) is in no way as good as the built-in, several-page tutorial of the desktop version. Apart from the differences between the desktop and the WM version (NO filelists, NO file transfer etc) for example it doesn’t even explain how the different BNC connections affect the trace speed – in this respect (too), it’s really poor.
Music
The music is exactly the same as in the desktop version (pretty repetitive, mono). Unfortunately, the Pocket PC version severely lacks the rather basic, but sometimes (for example, when you click a server to hack on the map) really cool sound effects.
Graphics
QVGA only (sorry, no high-resolution VGA support). However, the developers have managed to squeeze everything into this; that is, almost everything important is displayed, without the need for scrolling (which is, by the way, impossible in the PPC version, unlike on the desktop).
Verdict
If you loved the desktop version because of the great missions and the flexibility, you’ll be REALLY disappointed. In the conversion, all of this has been removed; this makes the game really shallow and uninteresting. I really disliked the PPC port because it’s just the best parts (the missions and the sophisticated file lists and options) that have been removed. You may want to give it a try to see whether you like it though.
Related
Linux undoubtedly has its place on mobile devices under the sun. Now that I’m planning a new roundup of all “let’s remote control your desktop PC from your Pocket PC” solutions, I’ve also thoroughly tested the well-known Linux-based rdesktop on my Sharp Zaurus C-760 (running under pdaXrom, the native (!) X-Window environment for Sharp Zaurii; its non-pdaXrom-based versions are qtrdesktop (Cacko and the original Sharp ROM) and Opie-rdesktop for OZ/OPIE; also see this for more info) and found it immensely better and more feature-rich than most other (even commercial – see for example Mocha’s Remote Desktop client) Pocket PC- or Palm OS-based remote desktop solutions. And the list doesn’t end in here: you can run for example Kismet on most Linux-based, Wi-Fi enabled devices (like the Zaurii with a Wi-Fi card).
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Now, all major “gadget” manufacturers have announced Linux-based mobile devices. They are as follows (I really recommend checking out the links!):
Nokia 330 (successor to the well-known Nokia 770 Internet Tablet). It’s rumored to have built-in GPS, 3.5”, high-resolution screen, DivX / MP3 video playback capabilities and a lot more. If the Web browser will be at least as good as Nokia OSS (which, I have to admit, isn’t very bad, albeit it does have its share of problems) or will be a direct port of Firefox, then, this gadget will be really cool and much more appealing than the Nokia 770. (Particularly if the screen will be much better / brighter than that of the 770 and the price won’t be much higher either.)
Sony MyLo: this seems to be another REALLY cool device: video (!!!) phoning with the built-in Skype client, probably games, Wi-Fi, built-in Opera (the Linux version of Opera is, currently, far superior to the current, 8.6 version, Pocket PC-based Opera Mobile).
Archos 604: another promising, Linux-based, Wi-Fi enabled device with a 30Gbyte hard disk with TV out and a 4.3-inch 480x272 screen. Unlike earlier, “dumb” Archos devices, it’ll greatly support Internet connectivity and contains the Linux version of Opera.
PepperPad 3: another video playback-oriented, Linux-based device: thumbwheel, TV-out, general ruggedness, kitchen- and bathtub-readiness (cool – you’ll be able to watch videos in your bathtub without fearing it’ll go wrong!), and a generally ergonomic design.
What does HTC (the major Windows Mobile manufacturer) do in the meantime? It seems they are just resting on their laurels and don’t plan to release anything really cool and multimedia-related. It’s only much smaller companies, for example Gigabyte, that do release really advanced devices. These aren’t, however, available outside the Pacific region. Someone should awake the HTC folks
Unfortunately, except for Sean O'Connor's PocketGeneral and Blitsoft’s Battle of the Generals (BoTG for short), there has been no Stratego clones for the Pocket PC. Fortunately, now, Inscenic, developers of well-known title Warring Nations and Creatonia has released a pretty cool implementation, Napoleonix.
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Availability, compatibility
The official homepage is here; the ClickGamer download here. The game costs $9.95 and there is an, unfortunately, pretty restricted trial version.
The title is compatible with all WM2003+ devices and I had no problems in running it on my various test Pocket PC’s.
Visuals
Very good – it supports high-resolution VGA.
Music, sounds
Yes, this is an area where Inscenic's games have traditionally been weak. It has no music / sound effects at all. Hope the developer will fix this problem. (Note that the two alternatives don't have in-game music either - except for a short menu tune in Connor's game. BoTG only has in-game beeps and a drum menu tune.)
Some remarks on the alternatives
(Also see the Bible of All Pocket PC Games Part I for more info!)
Sean O'Connor's PocketGeneral is an old, but very good implementation of the game.
Blitsoft’s Battle of the Generals has recently beeen removed from the Net – from both the official homepage and that of all Pocket PC download sources (I’ve checked Handango, PocketGear and ClickGamer). I think this was done because the most recent version, 1.1 (released back in 2003; incidentally, it's the version that I've compared NapoleoniX to), doesn’t support WM5. I don’t know more about when it will be upgraded because the developer’s contact form and forum doesn’t work either. Also see this and this for reviews. Please also see the former on the rules of Stratego.
Note that according to sponge the developer of BoTG is out of business.
Multiplayer
The title also supports real multiplayer (not only plain hotseat - it's also supported here -, as was the case with Warring Nations!) capabilities, which is painfully missing from both BoTG and Connor's Pocket PC game (unlike his desktop Windows version).
The multiplayer uses the best approach, that is, full TCP/IP (see this screenshot) and not, say, LAN multicasting or native Bluetooth connections; that is, to be able to run it without an Internet connection you'll need either a Bluetooth PAN or a Wi-Fi P2P network to be run. Of course, it'll run over traditional Internet connections - as far as the server host isn't behind a firewall or a NAT'ed connection. That is, you'll be able to play even people on the other half of the planet.
Unfortunately, it has no in-game chatting, unlike many other multiplayer-enabled titles.
Note that the only problem in multiplayer mode is exiting on the other PPC when one party surrenders. Restarting the game, however, works in this case too.
Compared to the other two titles,
Pros
REAL TCP/IP MULTIPLAYER!!!!
Much more spectacular, particularly in (the otherwise pretty useless) 3D mode
Hi-Res on VGA devices
Costs the half of that of Connor’s game (Connor's games, while being pretty good, are rather overpriced.)
Shows possible move directions
Excellent built-in help, which can always be invoked. The game rules are explained very well.
Supports WM5, unlike BoTG 1.1
Has no speed problems on the Dell Axim x51v, unlike Sean O'Connor's game (the latter very slow on the A12 x51v; it seems it has no speed problems with other WM5 models)
As opposed to Sean O'Connor's PocketGeneral, automatically rotates the screen to Portrait when you start the game in Landscape mode (and it has built-in portrait/landscape switching, which works even on WM2003 devices). Connor’s game, then, is unplayable and must be exit.
It’s available for purchase / download, unlike BoTG
Cons
“Only” supports WM2003+ (BOTG supports all ARM CPU’s and Sean O'Connor's PocketGeneral also supports very old MIPS / SH3 Pocket PC 2000 devices)
Verdict
Highly recommended for both Stratego fans and people that have never played the game but would like to have a decent, flexible multiplayer game. Give it a try - you'll like it.
Updated version posted.
Anyone having read my emulator reviews (particularly the NES (Famicom) and the TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) ones) knows SmartGear is one of the best 8/16-bit gaming console emulator for both the Pocket PC (Windows Mobile 6 Classic / Professional) and Smartphone (Windows Mobile 6 Standard).
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(the About screen)
Just after my publishing my reviews of the previous, 0.12 version, the developer, Larry Bank, released a brand new, 0.24 version of the emulator.
Let us see how it compares to the previous, well-known version! (Please DO read the two above-linked reviews to find out how the old version fared against the competition, what its major strengths and weaknesses are. In here, I do NOT provide you a FULL introduction / tutorial, “only” an up-to-the-point elaboration on the changes.)
Pros
Fortunately, the new version, as opposed to the old one, does save battery life automatically as can clearly be seen in this screenshot. (The previous version, as can be seen in here, didn’t offer any battery saving as it used the CPU close to 100%. This is great news!
When you pause the game, the menu bars will be displayed at once (on all platforms) as can be seen in here. This also means resuming a game after you’ve done some for example settings changes will work, unlike with 0.12.
There’s a new option, Rapid Fire, with freely definable target button (in here, for example, I’ve made it work together with Button B ). This is certainly welcome!
The menus are also easier to handle (here’s the new Settings screen and here’s the old)– for example, instead of the old “Throttle Framerate”, now, “Throttle to 60 fps” is used, which is easier to understand. As can also be seen, there’s a brand new checkbox, Quick & Dirty Rendering, which also results in some speedup, which can prove pretty useful on lowest-end handhelds.
Now, there is some way to change the video size with the newly added “Video Size” option, which allows for using 75, 100, 150%, Fit2Win and Fit2Win*.
With NES emulation, Landscape mode works OK, unlike previously.
Generic speedup / optimizations.
Cons
There is still no VGA support. You can, of course, play with the new “Video Size” settings, but none of them will help (and some, for example, Fit2Win*, will result in the program immediately exiting on some VGA models)
Screen buttons / tap areas are still not supported
The highly useful (as the emulator, unfortunately, still doesn't have any kind of manual state saving / loading) “Auto Load/Save” option can’t be enabled in the trial version, unlike with the previous one, where it worked (almost) flawlessly.
Compatibility-wise, there don’t seem to be changes. As far as the NES emulation is concerned, BattleToads still stops after displaying “1991”; Elite is still having problems and Famicom Wars (MMC4) still displays the “#10 missing” error. PC Engine emulation-wise, Street Fighter II Champion Edition (J) and Shinobi (if it starts at all – it was only on my HTC Wizard that it did) still have the same bitmap problems. The platform bug of Turrican still exists, making the game unplayable.
Several previously flawlessly running PC Engine games just refuse to start. For example, F1 Dream has refused to start on ALL my test devices. Operation Wolf and Afterburner 2 has only started on my QVGA HTC Wizard (but not on any of my VGA devices – not that it’d be any fun to play a game only occupying the upper left quarter of the VGA screen...)
Verdict
While this emulator still has its share of problems (particularly VGA- and generic game / ROM compatibility-wise), it’s clearly got better and his, as usual, highly recommended (particularly for MS Smartphone users). If it runs your particular favorite games, that is.
This article may be of interest to not only BlackBerry users, but also those of Windows Mobile; particularly ones that would like to know more about Sid Meier's Civilization IV: War of Two Cities from Concrete Software, also promised for Windows Mobile. I’ll also elaborate on three titles also existing for Windows Mobile.
1. As has already been announced in my previous Games news article, Concrete Software have released Sid Meier's Civilization IV: War of Two Cities for the BlackBerry. The homepage of the title is HERE. Note that the game is also promised for the Windows Mobile platform.
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Anyone hoping for a top-down view and turn-based strategy approach common with Civilization games will be pretty much at a loss: this title is pretty simple and is really only reminiscent of the “real” game in the tech tree. (However, not even the tech tree is as big as the original - see the screenshot above for a quick comparison.) It doesn’t seem to support multiplayer either, which is pretty much disappointing on an always-connected platform (BlackBerry). However, it still might be a nice game to kill some time with if you don’t really need a “real” Civilization on your handset. If you do, go for either the n0p’s DOSBox port + Civ1 combo on Windows Mobile or Revival (probably the best Civ-alike so far, apart from the no-longer-developed Pocket Humanity) on the WinMo, Palm OS and Symbian (no BB, sorry) platforms (additional review links HERE). Also see the user review HERE. Finally, I only hope that the two other, announced ports (Pirates and Railroad Tycoon) will be an exact replica of the original – after all, the original titles also used low-resolution and didn’t necessarily depend on the mouse.
Note that the trial version is pretty useless: it can be played through in about 5 minutes and only allows for the first two, very short scenarios. This also means you can’t go up the tech tree at all (except for one step).
2. The new beta of Viigo, probably the best, forthcoming RSS (and, hopefully, podcast) reader has been released; bumping up the major version number from 2 to 3. (About a month ago, the then-current version was 2.2.82; now, it’s 3.0.224.) It already has much nicer-looking and better settings (options) dialogs:
As can be seen in the following screenshot, the initial list also shows podcasting support (please see my related Podcasting bible for more info):
However, it’s still not working:
As soon as it starts working, I update the Podcasting bible. Note that I’ll also make some other changes to it; most importantly, include info on the just-released Kinoma Player’s podcasting capabilities and also elaborate on the latest, pretty nice pRSSreader. Note that I'll VERY soon publish the multiplatform RSS bible, which MAY already contain info on the iPhone too, which I plan to purchase next week. If my wife allows me to, that is
3. The recently-released, new BlackBerry version (5.2.8) of IM+, the all-in-one messenger app, introduced a lot of long-awaited functionality; for example, file and voice clip sending (from the BB to any other client – but not in the opposite direction):
Also, conference talks are also possible:
Voice sending uses MP3 encoding, which guarantees low bandwidth usage, while providing excellent sound quality. However, IM+ takes a LOT of time to encode even short clips to MP3 and upload them via EDGE; that is, your experience probably won’t be as good as with the Windows Mobile Live Messenger client’s built-in voice upload support.
4. RDM+ (version 3.7.5 released in early August) has also received file transfer capabilities in the meantime. Definitely good news - the version I’ve reviewed in my initial multiplatform RDM+ review still didn’t have such support.
Unfortunately, lately, there was almost nothing to report on when it comes to gaming and running emulators on Windows Mobile – most game / emulator developers have switched to the iPhone. The latter sees several game releases a day (including really high-quality titles like UniWar, Wolf 3D and so on); in the meantime, WinMo is pretty much abandoned.
Therefore, I was really delighted to see famous n0p (still) developing for the platform. His excellent MS-DOS emulator port, DOSBox, has just (yesterday) been updated to the latest (0.72) core (please see THIS if you want to know what MS-DOS emulation is all about; why you may want to use it etc.). This has been a long-asked for update: the core has been out for quite long but, so far, n0p haven’t had the time to release it.
It’s available for download HERE (get the XScale build); note that you’ll need a 7z-compliant unpacker tool – for example, WinZip; if you want to go with a free solution, use the official 7-zip tool – to uncompress it. After that, just copy the uncompressed files to anywhere on your WinMo phone.
Using the new version is done in exactly the same way as the old, 0.63 one. (Nevertheless, the config file has changed a bit; for exaple, the MIDI / MT-32 / GUS emulation section has been completely taken out. (This is pretty much understandable: not even the much less demanding FM synthesis of the Adlib / Sound Blaster work at full speed in most games, let alone the much more CPU-demanding midi…) Therefore, you can just go on with the 0.63-specific sections in my definitive guide to running (MS-)DOS (80x86) programs under Windows Mobile on how the config file can be configured, what famous games the emulator is compatible with etc.
Speaking of compatibility (and speed), I’ve played quite a bit with the new version. I’ve tested Companions of Xanth, directly comparing it to how the old version (0.63) runs the title, to see whether there’s any speed increase. There is (the background music stuttered definitely less, particularly in the intro animation), but don’t expect miracles.
Also, there still are problems with the mouse emulation. While the latest version of the major alternative MS-DOS emulator, PocketDOS (as of the latest, 12.2 version), has absolutely no problems with titles like the above-mentioned Xanth and, among others, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego when it comes to stylus-based control, both titles can only be operated with dragging in DOSBox. (Too bad PocketDOS is commercial and doesn’t have any kind of Adlib / Sound Blaster emulation.) Unfortunately, it seems DOSBox will always suffer from this problem.
There’s no VGA support either – that is, high-res (EGA / VGA) games will still be rendered in QVGA even on VGA Pocket PC’s. In this regard, PocketDOS is much better too.
In addition to the new core and the somewhat improved speed, there are some (subtle) improvements. For example, now, by default, four virtual keyboard rows are displayed, with the topmost blended into background:
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Aww Yeah, I've been waiting for this for a long time! I'm so happy that n0p didn't forget about Windows Mobile. There's nothing quite like running MS Windows 3.1, and all sorts of cool, old games in front of my iPhone friends just to make them jealous.
Dave
Hi,
I just tried to check out n0p's dos-box site. Unfortunately it not available any more. Could someone post the latest dos-box release for ppc, please, or upload it to some file hoster?
Thanx!
LUPON