Part I: The Launcher

When I was young, my friends and I used to spend most of our free time in video arcades. There, we would feed seemingly endless supplies of quarters into giant boxes as we stared at the blinking lights while bells and whistles sounded all around us. Back then, there was no X-Box or PSP, and certainly no Pocket PC. We all had to congregate in a central location that seemed to supply endless rows of video games: Pac-Man, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Donkey Kong. Some of these games have lived on to today’s time. Others survive only in the anals of video game lore. This arcade experience is what has been missing from most of the gaming consoles today. This ability to quickly and easily play head-to-head against another player in a plethora of unique and exciting games.

This experience is exactly what is offered by Real Dice in their new Real Dice World Service. There are currently ten games, broken into four categories:

• board games

• card room

• casino

• puzzle games

In this review, however, I am not going to look at any of the individual games. Instead, I will be looking solely at the Real Dice World service and the launcher. In later reviews, over the course of this summer, I will look at all of the games in each of the four categories.

Installation and Registration: When you subscribe to the Real Dice World service, you will be asked to create an account with your own personal username and password. Simply download the Real World launcher and install it on your device via Activesync, or download it directly to your device from Real World’s mobile website. Once you have downloaded the launcher and set up your account, you can install any Real Dice games on your device. Each game can also be purchased and downloaded individually without signing up for the service.

There are two ways to download games. First, you can download them through the launcher directly to your device. This option will work fine under Windows Mobile 5, which allows you to download the games to any storage area on your device. In Windows Mobile 2003SE, however, the games will automatically be downloaded and installed in your Main Memory. These are relatively large games, which means installing more than one or two at a time will effectively kill your program memory.

In order to install the games on your memory card in Windows Mobile 2003 (or WM5), you can go to the Real Dice website and download each game to your computer. Simply unzip the file and you can load the games to your device using ActiveSync. Once downloaded and installed via Activesync, you will be able to access the games through the Real Dice Launcher.

The Launcher: The Real Dice World Launcher is the interface through which all of the games and features of the service can be accessed. From here, you can also interact with other players and set your user profile.

The most important use for the Launcher, however, is playing the games. Each category of games has a tab in the launcher. Simply select the appropriate tab and select the game you want to play. If you have already downloaded it then the game will start, allowing you to select multiplayer mode online or single player mode offline.

If the game you wish to play is not already installed on your device, then the Launcher will give you the option of downloading and installing the game. This is extremely convenient as it allows you to download and install the games directly to your device and access them instantly via the Real Dice World Launcher. Note, however, as I mentioned, that in Windows Mobile 2003SE, the games will automatically be installed in your Main Memory, not a memory card.

Multiplayer Games: When most games advertise multiplayer action, they typically mean you can connect two devices together via Bluetooth or Infrared Beaming. Worse are those which really mean there is a two player mode which allows you to take turns by passing a single device between two people. Alternatively, some games will allow you to connect to another player online, but only if you know their specific server address — which can be a daunting task.

Real Dice World eschews all of these methods for a Game Zone style arcade-type interface. This is exactly the interface for which I have been waiting. Additionally, Real Dice is the only service to do so in a true cross-platform environment. This means, you can play against opponents around the world, using any platform (PC, Palm, Pocket PC, Smartphone, Symbian, or Blackberry), regardless of which platform is installed on your device.

This interface allows players to log into the Real Dice World server, search for other players or ongoing games, and compete against players from around the world. I found this to be a fantastic option, which made it extremely easy and convenient to find and compete against other players. Additionally, once you have created an online profile, it will follow you throughout all of the games. This means that money earned in one game may be used in another.

Single Player Games: In addition to the online multiplayer games, each game can also be played offline by yourself or against computer opponents. This is another fantastic way to play, especially if you are like me, and do not have access to the mobile Internet everywhere you go.

The single player games are identical to the multiplayer game, using the same graphics and interface, which means you do not have to learn multiple versions of each game.

The only drawback I found to single player mode was that in each game your online profile does not transfer to the single player games. In fact, each single player game is completely disconnected from the others, meaning you will have a unique profile in each game. This means money earned in one game does will not help you in another, and cannot be used toward your online profile.

Profiles: One of the fun parts about the Real World service is that you can create your own online profile. There really is not much to it at all. Simply input your name and location. On the next screen, you can select from dozens of avatars to represent yourself in the various games, and set your password.

Your profile is the primary means by which you will interact with the environment of the online game. It is how the game will keep track of your earnings as you play, and send messages to other players. Additionally, the profile will keep track of your statistics, awards, and available money. Like I said, however, this profile will not transfer to the single player games.

Graphics: I loved the graphics in these games. Real Dice has done an excellent job with the graphics and animation in all of these games. The graphics are slightly cartoonish which makes them fun, but at the same time, not a distraction from gameplay. The animation is smooth. Real Dice did a fantastic job of animating only those elements which require animation, which means the graphics facilitate the rules of the game, rather than serving as an unnecessary distraction.

Messaging: Real Dice allows you to communicate with other players in two ways. First, you can send an email to their account, which they will receive the next time they log in. Second, you can chat with other players during a game.

When you chat with another player within the game, the screen switches to a separate chat screen, which includes a transcript of the conversation. You can toggle between the two screens. I found this to be a little cumbersome because it meant you could not chat and play at the same time. I would have preferred that the chat window open at the bottom of the screen and allow me to continue playing while chatting.

While I enjoyed this chat mode, I found a great deal of offensive chatter going on inside the game zone. In one instance, I was actually cursed at during a poker game, simply for folding a hand. Then again, I did force him to go all in (twice) and took over 800 “dollars” from his account. This type of crude and offensive chatter is clearly enough for many paying customers not to return to the arcade, which would be a shame for everyone.

One solution I have seen to fix this problem is to close the chat. In other words, rather than allowing players to send any message in an open environment, there is a list of predetermined phrases which can be sent between players. Obviously, this is less than ideal, however, I would rather see this than a few classless and obnoxious players ruining the games for everyone.

Simply put, while the in-game chat is a fantastic feature, if users cannot agree to use it responsibly and respectfully, then it should removed or restricted.

Buddies: While you are playing the various games, you may find that you enjoy playing with a particular person or group. Keeping track of where they are is easy with your buddy list by simply adding that person to your buddy list. Once they are on your buddy list, you’ll be able to see whether your buddies are online or offline and communicate with them through the chat feature.

Hall of Fame: Real Dice keeps track of the top money winners through the Hall of Fame. Through the Hall of Fame, you can see the leaders for each game over the period of a day, week, month, or even ongoing. Tap the My Rank button to see how you compare to the leaders in each game. Note that the Hall of Fame is still under construction, so not all of the games are currently available.

Conclusion: As the always-connected Pocket PC phone (or Windows Mobile 6 Professional) device continues to increase in popularity, the interest in online gaming can also be expected to rise significantly. With Real Dice World, Real Dice has offered a formidable entry to this market. I thoroughly enjoyed the arcade style launcher, which allows you to play any of the installed games for less than ten dollars per month. Additionally, Real Dice is constantly improving their arcade by adding new games every month. All of their games are free to subscribers, or can be purchased individually. These types of choices are exactly what kept me feeding quarters into video arcade games through most of my formative years, and they are guaranteed to ensure that once you start playing Real Dice games, their subscription will become the first bill you pay each month.

Vital Statistics:

Name: Real Dice World Premium Pass

Platform: WM 2003 SE

Also Available: WM5, Palm OS, Blackberry, Symbian, PC

Developer: Real Dice

Price: $7.95/month (includes unlimited access to all games

Available From: Real Dice

A one year subscription is also available from the JAMM Store for $50.

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