Win 8 touch screen (Surface Pro 2)?

negatiiv

Hi,

I found a few threads from before the game was released saying that the devs were planning on adding touch screen controls for windows tablets. I haven't been able to find any more recent information about whether touch support was added. I will buy it right away if the touch controls are comparable to the ios version, but I won't buy it if I'm going to be tied down to a desk when I want to play it.

I waited forever for the Android version and resisted buying the PC version because I wanted a portable experience like on ios, and I wanted to support Android gaming. Now that I have a windows tablet as well, if the experience will be similar then I'll go for the windows version. Thanks

benfinkel

Any luck with this? I just got it running on a Yoga2 also.

negatiiv

I haven't found anything

ChainsawXIV

I was looking for information on this too. I've been playing on my Windows 8 convertable laptop, and really the only essential thing keeping me from playing in pure tablet mode is panning the view (though of course the rest of the touch controls would be nice). There's probably just some ini flag to set that would enable whatever work-in-progress version of the controls they've got, so at least it'd be playable maybe, but if anyone knows what it is they don't seem to be sharing.

Luca7993

I world like it too

ahillet

How have you guys been handling the conversations tab? I am on a Venue 8 Pro (windows 8.1) and selecting the right conversation is really hard. Was hoping for a virtual keypad built into the interface.

negatiiv

I ended up buying BGEE on a Steam sale because I was really curious.

TLDR:
In its current state I wouldn't recommend BGEE to anyone who would try to play it on a Windows tablet without attaching at least a keyboard.

Full:
With my Microsoft Surface Pro 2 (Win 8.1), I've been using the included stylus. Hovering over the screen allows me to pan around the landscape by moving my stylus to the edge and just across the edge, although this is somewhat gimmicky and sometimes takes a couple of attempts. Also with the stylus, right-click is a lot easier by holding in the button and pressing it to the screen.

I also usually have my "Type Cover" attached which is a foldable keyboard/case. With that I use the arrow keys to pan around the landscape because it's more reliable than moving the stylus to the edge of the screen. I also use the space bar for pause, tab for highlighting clickable elements, and the number keys for conversation. Having a keyboard attached really limits the positions I can play in though because the Surface is not held up by the keyboard but has its own kickstand. That means if I try to play when not at a desk, I have to sit the keyboard somehow on my lap and rest the Surface on my leg. It's quite awkward. In my opinion, without the keyboard attached BGEE on a Windows tablet is not worth playing, but even so it's very inconvenient.

Having some touchable buttons and interface tweaks would make a huge difference. Here are some problems and brainstormed ideas for playing BGEE without a touchpad/stylus and keyboard on Windows tablets:

- Pan around landscape: Maybe a virtual analog stick like I've used in android games, eg. Bard's Tale.

- Conversation choices: Options should be spread out so it's easier to touch the intended one.

- Tab replacement: a button I guess? Though when playing with a keyboard/mouse I tend to press this one very often. Maybe instead of a button, a change in how the items are shown, such as always highlighting them or adding sparkles or "fairy dust".

- Finding entrances: Highlighting the entrances to houses in cases where the door is hidden (house faces north) would be great because without using mouseover and seeing the cursor icon change, I don't know if or where I can enter. I've found similar problems with cave entrances in the Gnoll Stronghold.

- Scrolling up and down on an NPC's store item list: Fixing the drag with finger buggyness or widening the scrollbar would help. When I scroll by dragging my finger on the list, the list does move but it also selects one of the items where my finger first touched.

I really hope the devs can take some time to implement such changes!

davemo

The main downside to the MS kickstand approach is what nagatiiv says. You can't hold the device by the keyboard and you still need decent space for it. I would have bought a Surface Pro 2 if it had a stiff hinge. The kickstand without the keyboard is an option I would almost never use.

That being said, I would love a modern ready BGEE

drjekl

I see a comment above that BGEE on a Windows tablet is not worth playing. The comment was from December, is this still the case? My wife just bought me a dell tablet that runs Windows.

Also, I bought BGEE for my desktop which hasn't been working right, will I be able to download BGEE to 2nd PC/tablet or will I have to pay again?

Thanks

Isaya

There is no Windows tablet version yet, as far as I know. On a Surface Pro (Intel processor, not ARM), you can use the regular Windows Desktop version. However you won't get anything specific for tablet use, contrary to iPad and Android. Hence you'll be missing a few specific buttons to make the game playable without mouse and keyboard, without sacrificing too many functions (tooltips, highlighting things, selecting characters, etc.).
It seems you're entitled to download your game on any of your computers, so you can try your Desktop version on your Surface Pro tablet or equivalent. I did it on my Desktop and my laptop without problem.