Laptops and Gaming
I've recently been poking around the portable computing market. I've been thinking about getting a laptop for ages, but the cons always outweighed the pros to me.
I keep coming back to Tablet PC's, though. Originally, I wanted one because I love my Wacom Intuos 2, and thought, 'That would be so much better on the run than a sketchbook'. Sadly, that kind of precision is not normally found in a Tablet PC's sensors. Up until now, that's really been what kept me from pursuing the idea any further.
Except lately, when I started thinking about the cons of a laptop, I also began thinking of OTHER uses. So it wouldn't make a great portable sketchbook... What would it be great at?
Well, it still lets me do computing tasks, and that lets me do something a sketchbook doesn't -- code, animate, edit, and organize. It does let me play with a lot of stuff that I otherwise could not, on the go. And I've been thinking about how I could use that for gaming.
The first inclination is for Role Playing -- two easy applications; mapping (even just something simple like Maptool) and music, and perhaps something a little more bizarre, like super-complicated numbers, normally unfeasible for the tabletop. (Not necessary, of course, just POSSIBLE)
So, coming back to Tablets -- this has some advantages. Most tablets make great display surfaces, so any mouse-based interface is very easy to use, while several people are looking on. Want to play a grid based game, but don't have models or terrain for every situation? No problem. This works even better when the Tablet uses a no-stylus interface, since anyone can just touch the screen as needed. The disadvantage with this is with large groups, but this is still easily resolved.
The next cool advantage is video-out. Because of the number of people who plug their laptops in to projectors for presentations, this is an easy feature to find. From laptop to laptop it's hard to tell if this allows for Extended desktop (where the video device acts as a second monitor) or if it's merely Mirroring (where the video device replicates the screen exactly). In the case of Mirroring, this lets you run the same kind of mapping stuff like before, but on a larger screen, so more people can see it without trouble.
Extended desktops offer their own cool advantage though -- On the TV, you have the map and 'public' information, while your notes and any handy apps are on the Tablet's screen. Never miss a salient detail again! This is particularly awesome if you have a well designed piece of map software -- on the tablet is the map without obstruction, where the TV has the map with line of sight/fog of war/whatever. As far as I'm concerned, it's an unprecedented level of organization, and I think it would be great.
And while all of this is great, I can also see using the overall portability of the computer to work on gaming projects anywhere and everywhere. So I'm currently looking. I have my eyes on the HP TX1000 Tablet, which I may have found for *very* cheap. More on that sometime later. :D
- Kagirinai
I keep coming back to Tablet PC's, though. Originally, I wanted one because I love my Wacom Intuos 2, and thought, 'That would be so much better on the run than a sketchbook'. Sadly, that kind of precision is not normally found in a Tablet PC's sensors. Up until now, that's really been what kept me from pursuing the idea any further.
Except lately, when I started thinking about the cons of a laptop, I also began thinking of OTHER uses. So it wouldn't make a great portable sketchbook... What would it be great at?
Well, it still lets me do computing tasks, and that lets me do something a sketchbook doesn't -- code, animate, edit, and organize. It does let me play with a lot of stuff that I otherwise could not, on the go. And I've been thinking about how I could use that for gaming.
The first inclination is for Role Playing -- two easy applications; mapping (even just something simple like Maptool) and music, and perhaps something a little more bizarre, like super-complicated numbers, normally unfeasible for the tabletop. (Not necessary, of course, just POSSIBLE)
So, coming back to Tablets -- this has some advantages. Most tablets make great display surfaces, so any mouse-based interface is very easy to use, while several people are looking on. Want to play a grid based game, but don't have models or terrain for every situation? No problem. This works even better when the Tablet uses a no-stylus interface, since anyone can just touch the screen as needed. The disadvantage with this is with large groups, but this is still easily resolved.
The next cool advantage is video-out. Because of the number of people who plug their laptops in to projectors for presentations, this is an easy feature to find. From laptop to laptop it's hard to tell if this allows for Extended desktop (where the video device acts as a second monitor) or if it's merely Mirroring (where the video device replicates the screen exactly). In the case of Mirroring, this lets you run the same kind of mapping stuff like before, but on a larger screen, so more people can see it without trouble.
Extended desktops offer their own cool advantage though -- On the TV, you have the map and 'public' information, while your notes and any handy apps are on the Tablet's screen. Never miss a salient detail again! This is particularly awesome if you have a well designed piece of map software -- on the tablet is the map without obstruction, where the TV has the map with line of sight/fog of war/whatever. As far as I'm concerned, it's an unprecedented level of organization, and I think it would be great.
And while all of this is great, I can also see using the overall portability of the computer to work on gaming projects anywhere and everywhere. So I'm currently looking. I have my eyes on the HP TX1000 Tablet, which I may have found for *very* cheap. More on that sometime later. :D
- Kagirinai