Dungeon Master for Pocket PC / Win CE

LazyOldman · Post by **LazyOldman** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 7:40 pm

Hi Folks,

I've been a huge fan of DM for years and have recently gotten a Pocket PC and would love to play DM on it!!! But, i don't do programming... So does anyone out there know how to compile games for the pocket pc? and have some source code they can compile?

The pocket pc has a 240x320 screen, so if rotated it's the same as the original DM... and i figure the pocket pc will interpret the touch screen as mouse clicks... I'm not sure how practical it will be, but it'd be great to try...

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions or wants to give a crash course in game compiling... let me know!!!

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 7:53 pm

I am interested. But I know nothing about the Pocket PC.
Does it run Windows CE? Can it run Windows applications?
What restrictions? CSBwin is a very straight-forward
Windows application that uses the very basic user interfaces.
And runs well on very slow machines with little memory.

What happens if you try to run it? Or is that a nonsense question?
We have ported CSBwin to macintosh and Linux successfully.

How much would a Pocket PC cost if I were to try and
make it work?

LazyOldman · Post by **LazyOldman** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 10:35 pm

Well, i just tried CSBwin on my ppc but no joy, it says it's an invalid ppc application. Generally i think everything has to be specific for the ppc to run.

I paid £190 for my ppc, an HP1910 ~ a 200MHz processor.

Is porting software just a case of compiling the source code specifically for an operating system... I'm just downloading some development tools from microsofts website approx 300MB but i'm not sure what i'm exactly after... There is apparently an emulator within the downloads, but i'll have to see how it works!!

Is it likely to be a simple case of recompiling the source code? or will it be more complicated...

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Thu Mar 04, 2004 11:56 pm

I have no idea. We should be able to make it work.

There are lots of web sites with Pocket PC development
information. But I have not had the time to go look at
any of them in depth. Just enough to see that there is
a lot to learn.

Interesting project.

Additional edit:

I Downloaded the Microsoft Pocket PC 2003 SDK.msi
and I see that I can get an HP2215 PocketPC 2003 for $290.
Does yours have 2003 (or 2002)?

Some comments I see on the developer page indicate to me
that the people having trouble converting their applications
are using strange features of Windows. This leads me to
believe that CSBwin should go in relatively easily.

The 320x240 should be enough. Already CSBwin is capable
of rearranging the pieces of the screen if necessary. Might come
in handy so that it can be played vertically. The viewport
is 224 wide, I think.

LazyOldman · Post by **LazyOldman** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 4:26 pm

My ppc runs 2002, but i don't think there are any significant differences other than enhanced wireless (bluetooth) features in 2003.

Some of the ppc games actually show in 320x240 so you hold the ppc in Landscape, i imagine it's a simple enough feature of the ppc to rotate stuff on screen...

Thinking of this, i was wondering if java would work on ppc... I'll look for a VM and try DM Java... I'm not sure if i'd have to recompile it or not? Does anyone know how to? etc... But i'm guessing DMJ will be too power hungry for the ppc...

If there's anything i can help with let me know!!

andyboy_uk · Post by **andyboy_uk** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 4:50 pm

It may be worth your while checking out the Visual Studio.NET 2003 Edition that has the ability to create PPC applications. The studio contains C++, C#, VB.NET and J# that can compile to PocketPC

Also, the following might be interesting to you as well.

http://www.gapidraw.com/

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 6:06 pm

I installed embedded VC++ 4.0 and created a
Hello, World application. I can create applicateions.
The emulator runs it just fine.
for:
MIPSII
SH4
SH3
MIPSIV
ARMV4
MIPSIV_FP
MIPS16
ARMV4T
x86

Any idea what your machine uses?

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 7:59 pm

I posted CSBwinCE.exe at
dianneandpaul.net/CSBwin

What happens if you try to execute that on your PocketPC?

LazyOldman · Post by **LazyOldman** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 9:38 pm

Nope, it doesn't work... But the file CSBwinCE.exe is only 4kB, that can't be right... can it? Did you say it worked ok on the emulator?

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 10:44 pm

Well, let us try again. I put a little bit bigger one there.

LazyOldman · Post by **LazyOldman** » Fri Mar 05, 2004 11:24 pm

No luck... I'm guessing that i should have csbwince.exe in the csbwin folder... Am i supposed to be getting a the full on CSBwin playing?

I just get an error dialog "Cannot find 'CSBwinCE' (or one of its components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and all the required libraries are available."

I also tried to have a look at the the microsoft sdk stuff i downloaded, VB+ 4 etc... but i've no idea what i'm doing with it all!?!?!

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 12:07 am

OK. It sounds like some runtime library is needed.
I have no idea what that might be.

What I posted was the simplest possible program.
I used the eMbedded C++ wizard to make a 'Hello, World'
application. I made zero modifications. It works in the
emulator. I posted the ARMV4 version. I think you have the
XScale processor which I think is compatible with the
ARM specifications. Lots of 'I think' going on here.

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 12:18 am

I put another one there. I specified WinCE library. Don't
know what that means. It is a 'Release' rather than a
'Debug' version. Possibly a 2002 versus 2003 problem?

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 1:51 am

Any chance that it needs a 'Resource' file? .res

The compiler produces one.

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 3:45 am

I downloaded the Pocket PC 2002 Development
Suite. Another 210 MB.

I posted CSBwinCE2002.exe

Can you try that? It, too, works in the emulator.

copperman · Post by **copperman** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 4:14 am

What a cool thing to do. Makes me wish I had one to play DM/CSB on the move. Although I have seen and used handheld gaming devices this is the only game that would be akin to reading a novel on the way to and from work on the bus/train

LazyOldman · Post by **LazyOldman** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 10:31 am

HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brilliant Paul, it worked a treat!! So that was from the 2002 sdk... I assumed that there were no major differences between the 2, but i guess there must be something somewhere...

Anyway, here is a screen shot for you;

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 3:09 pm

We are well on our way. I am learning a lot by the hour.
They removed a great deal from the API and I have to
rediscover how to accomplish the same tasks in different
ways. But it appears that all the necessary tools are there.
I hope to provide something a bit more exciting in a few
days.

andyboy_uk · Post by **andyboy_uk** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 3:24 pm

Paul, are you porting or are you re-writing. I have a pocketPC waiting to test this out

Call on me when you will..

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 3:48 pm

I am porting. I think I will have to rewrite three major
pieces:

--The main program that receives and distributes messages.
--The User Interface for screen, keyboard, mouse, and sounds.
--The video translator from Atari bit-mapped to native.

It is all tedious but, hopefully, straight-forward.

What Pocket PC do you have and what operating system and
what CPU? I believe the LazyOldMan has an XScale CPU with
Windows CE 2002.

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Sat Mar 06, 2004 10:58 pm

The bitmaps are handled quite differently. I posted
a new CSBwinCE2002.exe. It tests the new bitmap
technique. Could you try it, please? It should show
a 30x30 checkerboard with green in the middle and
purple on the corners.

My wife promised me a Pocket PC for my birthday
on 6 April. I think I will get a CE 2003 model so that
we can test both versions. I hope a single release
can be used on both.

LazyOldman · Post by **LazyOldman** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 12:36 am

Got a 3x3 checker board in the top left corner;

What you expected?

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 1:33 am

It is exactly what I expected. I should have said 30 pixels
by 30 pixels. Thanks much. See you in a few days.

andyboy_uk:

What model do you have? If it is different I would like to
see if it works on yours.

LazyOldman · Post by **LazyOldman** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 9:41 am

Good luck Paul, hope everything goes as planned - I can't wait to get stuck in to DM on the ppc!!!

andyboy_uk · Post by **andyboy_uk** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 11:37 am

Ive got one of these paul

http://www.viewsonic.com/products/pocke ... tpcv37.htm

Post by **Lunever** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 4:24 pm

LOL One day there will be DM for mobile!

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 5:15 pm

Try CSBwinCE2002.rar from

dianneandpaul.net/CSBwin

You must put the executable and the graphics.dat
in a directory named

Windows/Start Menu

I don't know why this is necessary but that is the only
directory I have managed to make work.

I am particularly interested in

1) Does it work at all?
2) Are the colors right?
3) Does the mouse work?
4) Is any sound produced when the doors open?

Now I am going to work on the remapping of the screen to
fit on the device. I actually have only 240 x 286 pixels to
work with after the menu space is removed. But I think I
have a plan.

LazyOldman · Post by **LazyOldman** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 9:25 pm

Hmm... well, i had the same problem as you - with only windows\start menu working (well sort of... See later)

From windows\start menu i got something like this;

Sorry, no cable tonight to sync my ppc, the blocks at the top were multi coloured and almost could've been images in miniature, but they were only a few pixels across each.

I got the same response with everything from CSBwin in the directory and with only the 2002.exe and graphics.dat

When i ran it from my storage card, i got a message saying "can't find dungeon.dat" then a message giving options of where to run csbwin from (i assume thats a remnant of the x86 version). Then it gave me a system error 2989, but it actually opened the program identically to above regardless.

Now about 5 minutes later... and no changes to anything (i don't think so anyway..)... It opens from both locations, to give the white screen with black bar, but no little blocks at the top and gives a system error 42?!?!

Now, i'm slightly confused so i'll delete the lot and start again and see what happens!!

Thanks for the hard work paul, i hope this glitch is easily solved - can't wait for this to work!!!

Ed: Tried it again and got the same results from both windows\start menu and the storage card...

Post by **Paul Stevens** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 10:27 pm

When i ran it from my storage card, i got a message saying "can't find dungeon.dat"

That is really strange. Are you sure it said "dungeon.dat"???
That should not happen until you actually open the prison
doors.

Why don't we move this discussion into the CSB for Windows
and Linux? We can open a new thread for "CSB for Pocket PC"
or something similar.

beowuuf · Post by **beowuuf** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 11:07 pm

I took the more literal view and moved the topic for you : )