Playing GS on a tablet

[Thondalar]

So...my wife recently dropped her laptop on our tile floor, and surprise! It no longer works. She was overdue for a new one anyway, so whatever.

The thing is, she doesn't really want a new laptop, she wants a tablet...but she still wants to be able to play GS.

I am completely tablet-illiterate...is this possible? I would assume you would have to connect a USB keyboard or some such. We're talking about actually playing, not just logging in and checking on something, or monitoring a script running.

If it is possible, what tablet would be best for this? Other than Gemstone, she doesn't really need it for much besides like facebook-type stuff and maybe some ebook reading. Suggestions?

[Methais]

It's possible, if nothing else than by using Simu's browser based front end, but good luck running Lich or any real scripts on it. I know it works on Safari on iPhone, not sure what it's like on other browsers or devices.

Summary: Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

[Buckwheet]

It is possible if you can get chrome apps on the tablet. SpifFE should allow you to connect. The catch is that you need to be logged in from another computer in headless mode. So you would have to launch the game for her from your computer.

There is also Profanity by Tillmen. This again would require lich running on a different computer.

http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?83636-Profanity-a-terminal-frontend

I don't believe either one lets you use the GUI interfaces of some lich scripts like ;waggle or ;sbounty.


Once I do further testing my plan is to have all characters who I use for spellups, singing, selling and other misc chores perma logged in from a Windows VM and use one or both of the above solutions to connect from anywhere. This should let me harness the power of macines with 128GB memory and enterprise grade hardware while playing on a Chromebook.

[Whirlin]

So...my wife recently dropped her laptop on our tile floor, and surprise! It no longer works. She was overdue for a new one anyway, so whatever.

The thing is, she doesn't really want a new laptop, she wants a tablet...but she still wants to be able to play GS.

I am completely tablet-illiterate...is this possible? I would assume you would have to connect a USB keyboard or some such. We're talking about actually playing, not just logging in and checking on something, or monitoring a script running.

If it is possible, what tablet would be best for this? Other than Gemstone, she doesn't really need it for much besides like facebook-type stuff and maybe some ebook reading. Suggestions?

You're gonna have a bad time.

The first option would be a Bluetooth keyboard. The problem is that there's a bit of delay with bluetooth. The delay really doesn't matter, like, 99.99% of the time for pretty much every other instance of type for anyone else ever... But when playing Gemstone, any keyboard connectivity lag is death, terrible, and infuriating.

Therefore, you're looking at a hard-connected keyboard, whether it be USB or other physical connection. USB is fine... but then you're in an awkward spot where your keyboard is larger than your tablet. Plus: wire, more of a drain on the battery, and tablet standing on it's own.

Normally, I'd recommend a surface for this. However, the pain in the ass thing you need to consider is: COMPACT KEYBOARD. Compact keyboards SUCK. I speak unanimously when I say that most every gemstone player uses the directional pad to move.

So... honestly... I don't know. I have a Samsung Windows 8 tablet that I CAN use for emergency Gemstone (like, logging in to trigger Lumnis), but I don't do it often for the aforementioned issues. Nothing was better for gemstone than my old Asus labtop with a full keyboard.

You may want to consider one of those cross-over Laptop/Tablet convertibles... if they have a full keyboard.

[Buckwheet]

You're gonna have a bad time.

The first option would be a Bluetooth keyboard. The problem is that there's a bit of delay with bluetooth. The delay really doesn't matter, like, 99.99% of the time for pretty much every other instance of type for anyone else ever... But when playing Gemstone, any keyboard connectivity lag is death, terrible, and infuriating.

Therefore, you're looking at a hard-connected keyboard, whether it be USB or other physical connection. USB is fine... but then you're in an awkward spot where your keyboard is larger than your tablet. Plus: wire, more of a drain on the battery, and tablet standing on it's own.

Normally, I'd recommend a surface for this. However, the pain in the ass thing you need to consider is: COMPACT KEYBOARD. Compact keyboards SUCK. I speak unanimously when I say that most every gemstone player uses the directional pad to move.

So... honestly... I don't know. I have a Samsung Windows 8 tablet that I CAN use for emergency Gemstone (like, logging in to trigger Lumnis), but I don't do it often for the aforementioned issues. Nothing was better for gemstone than my old Asus labtop with a full keyboard.

You may want to consider one of those cross-over Laptop/Tablet convertibles... if they have a full keyboard.

If the tablet has USB why not a roll up non-wireless with the super small dongle?

[Whirlin]

If the tablet has USB why not a roll up non-wireless with the super small dongle?
Most tablet stands suck from what I've found.

No use making the wire super tight, otherwise you risk breaking everything. Most tablet stands I've found aren't that resilient towards an unbalance force towards the user. They're designed to accommodate for the tablet poking, not tablet pulling, or tablet shifting side-to-side. So you gotta get it nice, loose, and make sure you don't apply too much pressure at the wrong angles, otherwise you could break something!

[Buckwheet]

Bleh that is pretty lame. There was a crazy deal recently for a Surface and I almost bought it so I could play GS on it with the attached keyboard. Something simplistic like monitoring forging or ;alchemy wouldn't require the fastest latency I guess. But maybe not eh?

Thats why I am looking into the SpifFE option and the Chromebook.

[Whirlin]

Bleh that is pretty lame. There was a crazy deal recently for a Surface and I almost bought it so I could play GS on it with the attached keyboard. Something simplistic like monitoring forging or ;alchemy wouldn't require the fastest latency I guess. But maybe not eh?

Thats why I am looking into the SpifFE option and the Chromebook.

Surfaces also come in two versions. One with full Windows 8, one with Windows 8 RT.

Windows 8 RT sucks, and is typically associated with the cheaper models. It only has the Windows 8 smart tiles, etc. Doesn't have the classic desktop view.

Windows 8 has the full version of windows, but lacks the built-in MS Office.

Surface may have a better stand than mine... But again, I'm fairly certain the surface keyboard is a compact one. If you're just running scripts, rather than moving around, it should be fine.

[Gelston]

I played on my 10.1 Galaxy tablet with an added on keyboard. It was pretty terrible.

[Latrinsorm]

It only has the Windows 8 smart tiles, etc. Doesn't have the classic desktop view.Mother of God...

[Thondalar]

Everyone is stating what I pretty much already knew...

I'm going to have to get her a new laptop and a tablet.

C'est la vie.

[SpiffyJr]

http://www.dell.com/us/p/dell-venue-11-pro/pd

You're welcome. Tablet with multiple keyboard docks and a workstation dock. Even the lower end bay trail has a full windows 8.1 so you can run Lich and whatever FE you want. Anyone buying a new tablet that doesn't at least consider the Venue or another hybrid is bat shit crazy.

Goes up to an i5 with 8 gigs of memory and, I believe, 512 GB of SSD. The top models get pricey, though.