Very Specific Question about tablets

happslapp

Hello everyone,

Man, havent been on this forum forever. Anyway, i have a very specific question for you all.

I really have been considering lately starting up BG again and would like to try it out on a tablet, but don't have a tablet. Many of you may think this is an odd reason to buy a tablet since it works better on the PC, but it would just work well for my day to day life, so please dont try and talk me out of it.

Anywho, my question is around which tablet. I would like to have the ability to enable CLUA cheats which makes me think i would need a microsoft tablet. Which one would you recommend, if any exist. Being on the cheaper side wouldnt hurt lol.

Thanks for any advice.

ThacoBell

Well, apple is always a bad choice. Who wants to pay twice as much for less functionality? Do not that tablets aren't on patch version 2.x yet.

Wowo

Tablets are still on version 1.3 which means you miss out on Seige of Dragonspear and the other features introduced with v2+

Id recommend a tabtop. Or laplet. I have a HP Spectre 2 which functions nicely as a tablet but has an attachable keyboard to give full computer functionality and isnt too expensive. A more expensive option would be a microsoft surface.

Southpaw

Hey. I am playing BGEE and BG2EE also on an Android tablet - works like a charm and I find the UI very intuitive and good to operate. Even mods work just fine (with a little effort).

I do not know about the CLUA, I can check later today - don't have the tablet with me at work.

Also - as far as I know, it was promised to bring SoD datadisk on tablets, but it is not there and with it - no version 2.x (which is a minor inconvenience).

happslapp

Thanks all. Wasn't aware of the whole patch issue with SoD, but I haven't really looked into that game yet. How is it? (That's a whole different question though). @Southpaw I would be interested to hear of you got CLUA to work. Android tablets seem to be pretty affordable.

Keep the advice rolling. Really appreciate it.

ThacoBell

I personally really like SoD, but there are enough different opinions for so many different reasons, it might just be safer to take a chance on it while its on sale. That being said, ignoring writing and a lot of the subjective elements of it, I will say that it is pretty linear, the story fits BG in tone (the writing style is pretty hotly contested however), and the combat feels a lot more like Icewind Dale. If you wanna check out reviews, I would avoid the extreme hate reviews (it got a lot of hate for silly reasons) and avoid the reviews that give it glowing praise simply to counter the hate reviews. Look for a middle ground review, they would give a much better feel for the pros/cons.

Southpaw

@ThacoBell - yea, I like SoD too, but the point was, that SoD has not been ported to tablets and it doesn't seem they would do it, which is a pity.

Southpaw

Oh - and also - CLUA and cheats DO sort-of work, but it's a bit difficult on a tablet. (You need a physical keyboard or some sort of emulation, because android does not recognise/know Ctrl key that you need to push to bring it up). Also, EEKeeper sort-of works.


Look here: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/31574/cheats-on-android

ThacoBell

@Southpaw I wrote that just in case the op goes the laptop route.

RelSundan

I would recommend a hybrid. A "tablet" with the OS of a PC. A detachable keyboard as well, meaning you can use it as both a laptop and a tablet. I have bought one since I'm "on the run" a lot. Traveling with trains etc.

happslapp

@RelSundan which would you recommend?

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RelSundan

subtledoctor said:

Does the windows version of the game work with touch input? I thought only the iOS/Android versions do.

I don't know yet. I have ordered it and it will be available to me the coming sunday.

happslapp said:

@RelSundan which would you recommend?

I purchased an Asus Transformer book t100ha. I don't know if its graphic cards supports opengl 2.0, but it's primary use isn't for gaming Baldur's Gate anyway. How about I test the game on that tablet before I give you any recommendations? @happslapp

happslapp

@RelSundan that would be awesome. thank you for the advice all!

RelSundan

ThacoBell said:

Well, apple is always a bad choice. Who wants to pay twice as much for less functionality? Do not that tablets aren't on patch version 2.x yet.

In my experience apple products have been the best choice. I've had 2-3 Samsung phones (android) and 1 tablet and they all became so laggy after a while. I reinstalled the OS, wiping it clean from products. The lag was still there, both on the phones and tablets. I installed another custom OS since I didn't care about it anyway, it worked a little better but still not enjoyable. Apple on the other hand, I've this iPhone 6 for almost 2 years and I see no performance decrease. Yes they have a little less functionality but they are the superior choice, since I would prefer not buying a new phone/tablet every 3 months.

ThacoBell

Computer OS are like cars.
With Windows, when the car starts acting up, you can open up the hood and change the oil filter to get another year or two out of it.
Apple: You only get an on/off switch, if something doesn't work, you have to buy a whole new car.
Linux: No real problems, but users are always losing their keys.

RelSundan

ThacoBell said:

Computer OS are like cars.
With Windows, when the car starts acting up, you can open up the hood and change the oil filter to get another year or two out of it.
Apple: You only get an on/off switch, if something doesn't work, you have to buy a whole new car.
Linux: No real problems, but users are always losing their keys.

iOS compared to Android is what I am talking about. Of course iOS is nothing compared to windows.

happslapp

guys guys guys, no need to bicker about this debate on this thread. I have apple phones but cant stand laptops and specifically want a tablet or "taptop" so that settles that debate for this discussion. mostly looking for specific devices that you all recommend (big thanks to all the current recommendations)

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RelSundan

Okey, @subtledoctor. I have spend 20 minutes more or less on running the game on my hybrid. The touch input is very strange. On regular SoA (EE) the touch worked fine, AFAIK. I can test some more either today or someday else this week. However, when I started a new game in Throne of Bhaal, the touch input was unbearable. First, if you select a character, command him to move once, then command him to move twice, you will only select the characer, and have to press once again to make him move a second time. This could be even worse if you play with a party, I can again, try that out in the near future. I think you are right, even if it worked in SoA for all I know, touch input isn't properly supported in Windows.

@happslapp Hi, as you can see, I have been playing for a short while. The game runs smooth as far as tested. I have not altered any settings, meaning the game is locked at 30 fps. It can be raised, and it should still be no problem, I think. If you are looking to play this game only as a tablet, I wouldn't recommend this unit. However, I am more attracted to keyboard and mouse. This computer is small and very portable. The screen resolution in the game is good, you can zoom in if you want to see the characters more clearly.

But, if you are looking to play the game without mouse (and keyboard) I would recommend an iPad. Not an android or anything else. The iOS OS is much more durable. You won't notice your device becoming slower over time like you would on any other device. I don't feel like going into the depths about why it is like this, I am a bit busy and way too tired.

(Alternatively: You can link any device you are considering, so that we can give some feedback on it. (Based on our knowledge on hardware etc))

I am using an ASUS Transformer Book T100HA-FU002T.

happslapp

@RelSundan I am not considering an specific device at the moment, just gathering info. It's starting to look like my dream of a touchscreen device that would easily allow CLUA is not reality.