patellondon

I am an avid fan of AOE for PC for years and am just getting ready to take a plunge for the PPC version.

I have read tons of reviews, but none of them dwelve into a comparison of the actual playability of the game compared to PC version.

Any thoughts regarding how playable the game is would be much appreciated. I understand that the axim does not have a Keyboard or a mouse...so how does the buttons and pen fare for this particular game?

tancerman

Well, I don't really play this game on pc, but I do have it on PPC. It is really great. The playability is also great. It doesn't lag or glitch when the processor is set to a low speed. You use the stylus to move the characters, and you use the d-pad you move the screen around. I find it to be a really great game for both the pc and ppc.

bohica

I'll second tancerman on that. The controls work really well for a PDA game and the graphics are fantastic. All we need know is a sequel...

Haven't played the PC version though - so can't help there. But I think you're unlikely to be disappointed (I'm an ex-games journalist with over 20 years experience and I usually know a good game when I see one :) )

However - haven't tried it on my X50v yet as I played it to death on my X30h.

Mark.

Spotnik

I was actually introduced to AOE via the Pocket PC version, 1.5 years ago. I liked it so much I dug into the PC versions of the "Age Of" games.

To answer your question, I'd say the AI is much weaker on the PPC version, but they did a really great job of porting all other aspects of the game to this platform, particularly the graphics. I find it amusing just to play a little 1 vs 2 just to waste time and blow away a bunch of walls, towers and city centers. You get all the campaigns too, by the way, and most custom scenarios for PC also play on the PPC.

The pointer plays a large role in issuing commands to units, as you might imagine. It's actually a pretty neat way to play, if you ask me--sometimes on the PC I find myself wanting to grab my stylus and point!

I think the only other minus (besides the weak AI) is the power drain. Even on my X5, a good couple of hours on one scenario took my battery down to 50%. On the X50 there's even less battery life, so plan on saving your games a lot.

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by patellondon

I am an avid fan of AOE for PC for years and am just getting ready to take a plunge for the PPC version. I have read tons of reviews, but none of them dwelve into a comparison of the actual playability of the game compared to PC version. Any thoughts regarding how playable the game is would be much appreciated. I understand that the axim does not have a Keyboard or a mouse...so how does the buttons and pen fare for this particular game?