GrogHeads Forum

Digital Gaming => Mobile Gaming => Topic started by: Jarhead0331 on December 24, 2014, 11:04:00 AM

Title: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Jarhead0331 on December 24, 2014, 11:04:00 AM
So I got a Surface Pro 3 for the holidays and so far I really dig it.  However, I am struggling with the touch interface on a lot of the games I am trying to play.  Does anyone else have one of these and if so, what games do you play? What games work best?
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Staggerwing on December 24, 2014, 11:08:01 AM
I don't have a surface but I have a touch monitor hooked to a win8 box I've been experimenting with and I find that most programs are hard to work with just a finger and the touch screen due to the very small size of many menu items. I'm thinking a stylus might be required for many wargames due to the many of the clickable areas being too close together.
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: bbmike on December 24, 2014, 11:21:54 AM
I don't have one but look forward to feedback from your experiences with gaming on it. Is it possible to use a mouse with the Surface Pro 3?
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Jarhead0331 on December 24, 2014, 12:24:07 PM
Quote from: Staggerwing on December 24, 2014, 11:08:01 AM
I don't have a surface but I have a touch monitor hooked to a win8 box I've been experimenting with and I find that most programs are hard to work with just a finger and the touch screen due to the very small size of many menu items. I'm thinking a stylus might be required for many wargames due to the many of the clickable areas being too close together.

It does come with a very nice stylus that has two buttons on it that act as traditional mouse buttons. 

So far, I've installed CMANO, Advanced Tactics Gold, Warsaw to Berlin, Case Blue, War in the Pacific, War in the West, WinSPMBT and WinSPWWII, EUIV and a couple other strategy classics.  They all run well and look superb on the 12" screen, but I have had some difficulty in scrolling and zooming on the map. So far, I do not have the keyboard for the Surface Pro. It is an optional accessory that should really come with the device.  I will get it though at the earliest possible time.  I think it will be a big help since I'll be able to use the keyboard short cuts.
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: DoctorQuest on December 24, 2014, 12:28:29 PM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 24, 2014, 12:24:07 PM
Quote from: Staggerwing on December 24, 2014, 11:08:01 AM
I don't have a surface but I have a touch monitor hooked to a win8 box I've been experimenting with and I find that most programs are hard to work with just a finger and the touch screen due to the very small size of many menu items. I'm thinking a stylus might be required for many wargames due to the many of the clickable areas being too close together.

It does come with a very nice stylus that has two buttons on it that act as traditional mouse buttons. 

So far, I've installed CMANO, Advanced Tactics Gold, Warsaw to Berlin, Case Blue, War in the Pacific, War in the West, WinSPMBT and WinSPWWII, EUIV and a couple other strategy classics.  They all run well and look superb on the 12" screen, but I have had some difficulty in scrolling and zooming on the map. So far, I do not have the keyboard for the Surface Pro. It is an optional accessory that should really come with the device.  I will get it though at the earliest possible time.  I think it will be a big help since I'll be able to use the keyboard short cuts.

Ouch. I did not realize the keyboard was optional. They certainly make it look like standard equipment on the commercials (of course). But then I am also fairly certain that Microsoft is really SPECTRE.

I'm with bbmike. Please keep us apprised of your experiences with it.
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2014, 10:21:17 AM
I've been running games like CMANO and Master of Orion 3 really well without the use of a keyboard or mouse. The UIs seem to flow very well with the touch screen and stylus. I am very pleased so far that surface pro is able to run all of my favorite strategy games both new and old without a hitch. It's going to be a dream come true next time I travel. I usually struggle with whether I want to bring my work lab top (a Mac) and my personal gaming laptop (a PC). It's a big pain. Now I can bring my MacBook for work and the surface pro for leisure without the hassle of too many bags.

So far, it is everything I hoped it would be.
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: W8taminute on December 26, 2014, 10:37:09 AM
This is really good to hear that you can run games like MOO3 and Advanced Tactics Gold on the Surface Pro.  I'm really intrigued by this device.  Sounds like this is the way to go for mobile gaming vs. an iPag or Galaxy Tab.   O0
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2014, 11:29:49 AM
Quote from: W8taminute on December 26, 2014, 10:37:09 AM
This is really good to hear that you can run games like MOO3 and Advanced Tactics Gold on the Surface Pro.  I'm really intrigued by this device.  Sounds like this is the way to go for mobile gaming vs. an iPag or Galaxy Tab.   O0

100%. Microsoft and Windows haters will hate, but its a PC strategy gamer's dream as far as mobile gaming goes.

If there is any downside so far, its that there is no CD drive. The only way to get data onto the machine is with a USB flashdrive or direct download. The download rate is tolerable, but it is not the fastest. Anyway. I have a lot of John Tiller and HPS titles that I would love to load onto the device, but I only have them on CD. I wonder if the data on the CD can be copied onto my desktop and then transferred over on a flashdrive...
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: DoctorQuest on December 26, 2014, 12:04:47 PM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2014, 11:29:49 AM
Quote from: W8taminute on December 26, 2014, 10:37:09 AM
This is really good to hear that you can run games like MOO3 and Advanced Tactics Gold on the Surface Pro.  I'm really intrigued by this device.  Sounds like this is the way to go for mobile gaming vs. an iPag or Galaxy Tab.   O0

100%. Microsoft and Windows haters will hate, but its a PC strategy gamer's dream as far as mobile gaming goes.

If there is any downside so far, its that there is no CD drive. The only way to get data onto the machine is with a USB flashdrive or direct download. The download rate is tolerable, but it is not the fastest. Anyway. I have a lot of John Tiller and HPS titles that I would love to load onto the device, but I only have them on CD. I wonder if the data on the CD can be copied onto my desktop and then transferred over on a flashdrive...

You should be able to. I have done this with a bunch of games to transfer them to my netbook. Create a folder on your flash drive and copy all files and folders from the CD to that folder. Insert the flash drive into your SP3 and navigate to the game's folder, open it and execute the setup program (usually SETUP.EXE).

Of course this all assumes there is no "CD required" DRM for the game. Tiller and HPS seem to have moved away from that sort of hardware level DRM. You may need to patch the game to the latest version. The patches can either be downloaded directly onto your SP3 or copied to the flash drive.

Another option to try is to simply zip up the game's folder on your current gaming rig, copy the zip file to your flash drive, and unzip the folder onto your SP3. A lot of games do not necessarily require a true reinstall to work. Your mileage may vary.
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: bbmike on December 26, 2014, 01:16:07 PM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2014, 11:29:49 AM
100%. Microsoft and Windows haters will hate, but its a PC strategy gamer's dream as far as mobile gaming goes.

That's what I needed to hear! I wasn't even considering a Surface Pro 3. Until now.  ;D
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: endfire79 on December 26, 2014, 01:37:07 PM
Thanks Jar this helps.  I was considering one as a new mobile replacement.  Iit might be hard to use my desktop in the office once the baby comes around.
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2014, 02:46:04 PM
Quote from: endfire79 on December 26, 2014, 01:37:07 PM
Thanks Jar this helps.  I was considering one as a new mobile replacement.  Iit might be hard to use my desktop in the office once the baby comes around.

Funny you should say that. I find myself wanting to play games on the Surface Pro in various locations around the house, rather than going into my office to play the same games on my desktop!
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: bbmike on December 26, 2014, 04:17:17 PM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2014, 02:46:04 PM
Quote from: endfire79 on December 26, 2014, 01:37:07 PM
Thanks Jar this helps.  I was considering one as a new mobile replacement.  Iit might be hard to use my desktop in the office once the baby comes around.

Funny you should say that. I find myself wanting to play games on the Surface Pro in various locations around the house, rather than going into my office to play the same games on my desktop!

Which is what I do right now with my 9lb Alienware notebook!  :o
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Bison on December 26, 2014, 05:11:55 PM
Did you put steam on it?
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2014, 05:59:02 PM
Quote from: Bison on December 26, 2014, 05:11:55 PM
Did you put steam on it?

Yep. Probably the first thing I did.
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Kushan on December 27, 2014, 12:19:38 AM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 24, 2014, 11:04:00 AM
So I got a Surface Pro 3 for the holidays and so far I really dig it.  However, I am struggling with the touch interface on a lot of the games I am trying to play.  Does anyone else have one of these and if so, what games do you play? What games work best?

I've mainly played Command on my Surface 3 since I got it back in July. I don't normally use it with a mouse, and use the touch screen as much as possible. I normally use the keyboard attachment, but on the recommendation from a thread I saw over at Matrix, I picked up Comfort On-Screen Keyboard (http://www.comfort-software.com/on-screen-keyboard.html). I found the UI works really well when you can quick bind actions like auto/manual attack, course speed popups, etc to an on screen key.

I've played some Door Kickers on the Surface as well, and it works really well but I found it makes the surface a little too hot for my taste on the back. I tried AJE and WW1 Gold CE as well. Neither game recognizes the touch interface, but they run fine with a mouse. Haven't tried anything like EUIV or CK2 yet. Commander the Great War ran ok on it too, but I didn't play it much since I'm not really a huge fan of the game.
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: bbmike on December 27, 2014, 08:53:18 AM
Are you using an i7 Surface Pro 3? I've read that runs much hotter than the i5 under load.
Title: Re: Surface Pro 3
Post by: Jarhead0331 on December 27, 2014, 09:27:24 PM
Mine is an i7 with 8 GB RAM. I haven't noticed anything concerning yet.