Rack 'Em Up: Virtual Pool Mobile v1.0 from Celeris reviewed [Archive]

Andy Whiteford

06-25-2004, 05:00 PM

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-2.gif" /> Product Category: Games Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.celeris.com">Celeris</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.celeris.com/games/VPMobile/index.html">Virtual Pool Mobile Web site</a> Price: $24.99 USD Specifications: 11.3 MB storage / 5MB Program memory required, Pocket PC 2002 or higher with 200Mhz or faster Strong Arm. Pros:<li>Stunning looking game; <li>Fast and slick; <li>Realistic physics engine. Cons:<ul><li>US only game types.</ul>Summary: The best pool simulation on the Pocket PC platform bar none. If slick visuals and great gameplay are high on your list then this game will not fail to deliver. Read on for the full review! <!> <PAGEBREAK> When I got my first Pocket PC, the superb HP Jornada 565, I was looking for various programs and games and distinctly remember thinking that it would be great if someone ported Virtual Pool to the mobile format. Surely a 203mhz machine could run a game I was playing on work's Pentium 166mhz in days gone by. In the time that has passed since, I have looked at various pool simulations but nothing really came close to what I was looking for. So when Celeris offered up a beta of their Upcoming Virtual Pool Mobile I was very excited. When I then saw the fantastic screenshots I was a little concerned; this would need to run very quickly and smoothly to come close to the desktop experience. All my worries were blown away in an instant when I played my first beta game. So now this game has progressed to the final release, how has the mobile incarnation of this great series turned out? There's only one way to find out. Let's rack 'em up and shoot some pool..... Installation Installing Virtual Pool Mobile (VPM from now on) is very straight forward with a single executable giving the option of install location. Right away this is a point I would like to bring up - the total install is 11.4mb which is a little on the large side. I initially attributed the bulk of this to the movies contained in the game but later noticed that the room data took up almost half of the total. Not a real problem with today's storage media prices but worth mentioning for those who were expecting a more standard size of Pocket PC install. If you are stuggling to make up this kind of storage space though, I urge you to start finding programs to uninstall; you will be glad you did. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-3.gif" /> Figure 1: As good a place as any to start. Rack 'em up Firing up VPM brings up a nice menu system which is logically laid out. Top of the list is Quick Play which will be the game mode that a lot of users will use the most to kill small amounts of spare time. In here you have the option of a practice match, playing against another human opponent on the same device or taking on the computer at a selectable level. You can then pick the game type and the number of matches to play. The last option you have is Location with the choice restricted to the rooms that you have unlocked through career mode. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-4.gif" /> Figure 2: Keep your options open. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-5.gif" /> Figure 3: Quick Play is..... well, a quick way to play. <PAGEBREAK> The Good Players Make a Living Out of Pool Speaking of which, Career Play is central to the game, much in the same way as it was unveiled in Virtual Pool 3 on the desktop. A career involves creating a name and selecting the game type to play. Starting off in the garage with a few dollars in your pocket, you need to challenge players to win money. The more money you win, the better the player you can challenge with higher stakes. Naturally the more money in the ante, the harder the opponent will be, but this is a good way to build up your skill level as you work your way to the top of the room and beat the boss. The satisfaction in doing this, however, is short lived as you realise you have just opened up the next chapter in what is an ever increasing level of opponents. Progressing through the Hawg Pen, Pit Stop, Deep Pockets and Hard Times is steady and challenging and thankfully not at all impossible; that is saved for the final venue as you take on Curly, the top man in the Beach House. Perhaps the phrase impossible is not quite correct, but this is a high stakes match and he isn't going to give up his title and that kind of money easily! <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-6.gif" /> Figure 4: Come and have a go, if you think you're sharp enough. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-7.gif" /> Figure 5: Of course she might just be! If you fancy a distraction from the hustlers on the career circuit, and there are many of them, why not enter Tournament Play. You have the usual choice of game type, locations and match length as well as the size of field and the strength of the opponents. You can also set a handicap if you want to weigh the tournament in your favour before playing a knock out system with the winner of each tie progressing through the stages to the final. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-8.gif" /> Figure 6: Beating each boss unlocks the next venue. A tournament can be saved for play at a later date but the Load game selection also gives the option of bringing up a trick or practice shot scenario. Loading these brings up the table with the target balls arranged in a fashion that will allow you to practice and perfect your chosen shot from a large and varied selection. Combining these with the various game modes and types really does provide a great choice of play oppurtunities that will ensure a high replay value. US pool lovers are well covered in this respect with a choice of 6, 8, 9 or 10 ball in addition to Rotation and Straight game types. This is a good selection, although being an avid pool player in the UK, I found the lack of the popular UK pub rules featured in the desktop equivalent to be a disappointment. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-9.gif" /> Figure 7: A comprehensive helping hand. <PAGEBREAK> Set up the Table A variety of game options are on offer, such as volume control, enabling music and turning on or off the room graphics. While the rooms are well designed and certainly nice eye candy, turning the room graphics off leaves the table in a black void which is a nice option when you want to concentrate on the game itself. You can still determine which table you are playing on by the colour of the cloth, which is important as the later rooms feature a larger size of pool table. Other options include whether you start off with the standard view before each shot or the previous shot's settings and how you view the table while the computer opponent is playing. The final option on this page is the stroke sensitivity which determines how much stylus movement is required when making a shot. This is very important as you are about to find out. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-10.gif" /> Figure 8: The in game menu varies depending on game mode. While I'm trying to touch on as much of the title as possible, you will have noticed that I have not elaborated on the game itself thus far - specifically the graphics, engine and interface. This is definitely a case of saving the best till last. In a word, VPM looks superb with gorgeously rendered balls and nice locations. I was highly impressed when I first saw the screenshots of the game with the shine on the balls and the resultant shadow, but these screens don't do justice to how well the game looks in play. Animation on my 400mhz HP h4150 was silky smooth with no drops in framerate and frames remained just as fast regardless of whether background graphics were enabled or not. It doesn't even make any difference if you are playing a slow shot in 6 ball or breaking the pack of 15 balls in straight, the balls fly around the table in an almost liquid fashion. All very impressive but all the more so when you consider this game carries the same physics engine that the Virtual Pool series are renowned for. If you are a pool player and know your angles, you will not have to make any adjustments when playing this game. The engine behind this game is real life accurate regardless of how simple or complicated a shot and everything behaves just as a game in your local pool hall would. You can almost make out the smoky haze as you bend down to pocket a ball! <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-11.gif" /> Figure 9: All the locations have their own background. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-1.gif" /> Figure 10: Of course things look gorgeous up close as well. Sound is equally as well catered for, albeit in a more simplistic form. Background music follows a jazzy fusion of funk and hip hop that creates a nice ambience, but the option is there to turn off when the repetition gets to be too much. Sounds effects are sparse but realistic and keep track of such things as striking the cue ball and the clunk of balls hitting off each other as well as a ball being sunk in a pocket. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-12.gif" /> Figure 11: The handy overhead shot gives a nice overview of the table. <PAGEBREAK> That's my cue... The icing on this already rich and tasty cake is the interface and specifically the stylus control. Coming from the desktop incarnation with the mouse for a virtual cue, the transition to stylus is seamless in the most natural way. You simply drag the screen around to rotate your view and set up your angles. Grab the tip of the cue and drag it over the cue ball to set English (or spin) and grab the cue and stroke back and forth to play. The faster you stroke, the harder the shot. I don't see how this system of play could be more intuitive on the Pocket PC platform. The same applies to looking around the table; just tap the view icon and scroll around or tap on a ball and move it to the desired location as the game permits. To supplement this, there is a row of icons along the bottom of the screen that allow you to switch between certain modes such as moving balls, aim/shoot, moving or rotating your view and zooming in and out, all controlled by the stylus. Further in game options allow the action replay of a shot or pressing down on the d-pad for ending a turn and placing all balls in their final place for a shot if you are short on time and want to rush through a game. Tapping the O icon or pressing the Calendar button with bring up the overhead view of the entire table whereas the A icon will allow you to select the angle of the butt of the cue when making a shot. Pressing up on the d-pad or tapping the ? icon pulls up the in game menu which provides you with various options depending on the game in progress. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-13.gif" /> Figure 12: Drag the cue tip to set spin. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-14.gif" /> Figure 13: And pull the table around to view from any angle. Winner Takes All Celeris have made this a thoroughly complete product with such extras as an excellent help section that explains the game in detail including the various game rules, controls and play modes. You can, of course, be hand held through the career mode by Curly, the main character in a series of short video clips that offer you tips as you progress through the game. Even smaller more obscure options are in place such as using the tracking mode in Practice that will show you the path of all balls on the table depending on angle and power or the in game status that shows balls pocketed / remaining etc. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-15.gif" /> Figure 14: Tracking proves a great tool for the novice player in practice. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/andyw-jun04-vpm-16.jpg" /> Figure 15: Curly, the final boss, talks you through your career. Conclusion Being a huge fan of the Virtual Pool series, I was very excited about the news of the mobile version even if I was skeptical about how well it would fare on a pocket device. After playing this even briefly I knew it was going to be a winner and this is exactly how it has turned out. Superb graphics, fast, smooth game play and a great range of features all wrapped up in a highly intuitive interface make this easily one of the best games on the Pocket PC platform. The 3D nature of this game so expertly realised, raises this title head and shoulders above the competition and, in my opinion, nothing in the pool simulation market will come close until VPM 2 is announced. This is the only application I have installed that has single handedly been responsible for ruining a screen protector and you will want to ensure you have protection in place. Fans of Pool and good games in general should pocket this one, it's as simple as that. Sales of screen protectors are going to go up I'm sure!