Contact Info:

Kickoo Creations

The Price:
  • $12.50
The Pros:
  • Great graphics
  • Fun game play

The Cons:
  • Takes a little while to learn

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*Maximum Rating is FIVE (5) InfoPalms



TakTik Review
By Pepper
2/11/2002


Overview
TakTik is a new strategy game created by the same people who made Ababall. It has great graphics and original gameplay.

Game Play
TakTik is in some ways like Stratego, and in other ways very different . The goal of the game is to either get your princess to the opposite side of the board or to capture your opponent's princess. Of course, its not as simple as it sounds.

There are three ways to play the game. One Player allows you to play against the Palm and set up your own pieces. The Quick Game lets you play against thePpalm but it will set up your pieces for you. And Two Player lets you play against another player on the same Palm. I was surprised that the two player game was implemented so well for passing the Palm back and forth because each player actually remains clueless about the other player's pieces. The company does have plans to add a two-player IR version later this month.

There are also a lot of rules, and each piece has a specific function so theres a lot to remember when you first try out the game. But luckily the game includes an excellent tutorial, so it isn't too hard to learn. One quick run through the tutorial and you should be set to play the game. But just knowing how to play doesn't mean you're going to win. There is a lot of strategy involved in playing this game, although sometimes pure luck will throw the game your in your favor. But for the most part the beginer mode is quite easy and you will almost surely win, and the normal mode is quite easy as well.

The most important form of strategy comes before you even start the game; when you set up the pieces. Setting up the pieces takes awhile, but you can save your favorite layout or you can play a quick game where it sets the pieces up for you.

Pieces
Besides the princesses, there are all sorts of monsters and fighters. Any one of them can capture a princess, and they all have set strengths for fighting with each other.

There is the King, who is a top of the line fighter and can beat anyone except a Thief, a Monster, or the other King. There is also the Monsters who can kill any piece except the Magician, but the Monster is stuck in place and can't move around the board to attack other pieces. There's the Thief, and he can kill anyone he attacks, except a Monster, but if anyone else attacks him the Thief will die. There are also a range of intermediate pieces who can beat eachother, but will lose to the other pieces mentioned.

Graphics
TakTik has nice graphics and support for color, monochrome, and hi-res screens. The monochrome version is quite nice, and I was impressed by the quality of the graphics. Considering the quality of most new monochrome games, it's nice to have a new monochrome game that is completely playable.

The color and hi-res versions are great, too. The colors aren't too bright or too dark, and the graphics have wonderful details. On a color device with standard resolution the graphics are impressive, and on hi-res the graphics are stunningly clear.

Conclusion
TakTik is a great game, and, once you learn how to play it, provides limitless entertainment. The graphics are amazing too, and at $12.50 it's a great deal for anyone who is into strategy games.

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This game is addicting

geekd @ 2/11/2002 6:00:45 PM #
I got this about two weeks ago, and I am addicted. On the other hand, it cured my previous addiction to World War (a Risk clone).

It's alot of fun and the shareware nag screen is not bad. I play it alot, so I went and paid the $12.50 even though it's easy to click "ok" to get rid of the nag screen.

I highly recommend it.

RE: This game is addicting
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/11/2002 11:55:50 PM #
Whats the website for World war? is it for palm??

RE: This game is addicting
geekd @ 2/12/2002 1:15:15 PM #
World War URL:

http://zagware.com/worldwar.htm

It's for PalmOS. I have the color version. It looks like the greyscale one might not be as usable.

It's great. Before TakTik came along, I played it every day, just about.

Hi-Res Screens my a**

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/11/2002 8:20:42 PM #
The game only works in scale-to-fit mode for HandEra, meaning no hi-res and very very blurry graphics! It is almost so blurry that you can't even play the game after awhile

RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/11/2002 8:24:29 PM #
too bad. make the switch.

RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/11/2002 8:42:43 PM #
Switch to what, Pocket PC? No thanks.

Thanks to the original poster, I won't waste my time with this app then.

RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/11/2002 8:45:25 PM #
The 330 is a great handheld but its weak in game-playing. Its the best thing going for word processing, text reader, and more, but not games. Hopefully the color one will be better.

RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/11/2002 10:09:23 PM #
Usually hires means 320x320 :) get a Clie man :)

RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
sub_tex @ 2/11/2002 10:45:00 PM #
"get a Clie man :)"

right, loose his full size screen with soft graffiti for the square shape just to play a game?

i doubt it.



RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 12:19:41 AM #
A Clie? I'd lose my 802.11b card (as well as other CF cards), dual expansion slots, and larger screen (plus a bunch of other stuff). I had to assume you meant Pocket PC.

There are already, actually, some pretty cool games for the 330, just not a lot of them.



RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 12:39:00 AM #
You knew when you purchased the 330 that its 240x320 screen would not be compatible with all applications, expecially games. Don't complain. Sheesh.

Unless Handera comes out with some (encouraging) statistics about how many units they've actually sold, getting a lot of developer support for their screens may not be easy.

RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 1:56:19 AM #
I am the origional poster, I know that not many games utilize the 240x320 screen on the HandEra. But the reason I was complaining was because the developer of this game posted on the Handera User group's message board saying that the game worked on the Handera, which everyone thought meant it utilized the high res, but it didn't. It just worked in scale-to-fit mode, which almost every game works in. So the developer of this game basically spammed our board with a product that just doesn't work well on the H330

We never claimed it was Hi Res on Handera !
kickoo @ 2/12/2002 4:52:41 AM #
Hi, I.M.Anonymous...

I'm Daniel Morais, the one that you accuse to be a spammer.

About the message, posted in the T-U-G mailing list : it was 2 lines long, just telling that the monochrome version was working on Handera 330 and the title of the message was beginning with [ANN].

If this is what you call spam, then I will show you the kind of messages I receive on my mailbox...
I can understand that you are disapointed about the fact that TakTik does not run "natively" on the Handera 330, but we never claimed it was working hi res on it !

On PalmGear, on our site and on the official announce of the game, we clearly state that the 16 levels grayscale version run in 160x160.

We spend time to make TakTik working on this device, and I'm very disapointed by the kind of comments I can read from Handera owners.

I don't think this is the best way to encourage developpers to support your beloved device.

Regards,

--
Daniel Morais
http://www.kickoo.com

Daniel Morais
http://www.kickoo.com

RE: We never claimed it was Hi Res on Handera !
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 8:35:03 AM #
Daniel, I am not sure what you are disappointed in. It is very easy to go to your website and not see what platforms this game runs on. I would rather somebody post here that this review is inaccurate than waste my time downloading an application that doesn't work the way the review claimed.

Then I just looked at your post on T-U-G right now, titled "TakTik now working on Handera 330 !", which never mentions that it only works in scale-to-fit mode. When someboday pointed that out you just responded that you only meant that it was "working" on the 330. After an understandable, very disappointed, initial response, other responders gave you some rather kind and lengthy feedback.

I haven't looked at your game, but if it is just some bitmaps that aren't scaling properly, it is relatively easy to add hi-res versions of those bitmaps in.



RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 9:24:43 AM #
"I'd lose my 802.11b card (as well as other CF cards), dual expansion slots, and larger screen (plus a bunch of other stuff)."

Alright, 1. Anyone else using 802.11b, and the dual slots at the same time?

RE: Hi-Res Screens my a**
fleegle @ 2/12/2002 9:47:04 AM #
"Alright, 1. Anyone else using 802.11b, and the dual slots at the same time?"

I am. It works great. :) I use the CF slot mainly for accessories like the 802.11b card or CF GPS device and the SD slot for memory storage. I'm waiting for someone to write a Handera driver for the Hewlett-Packard CF Camera. That and the ability to use the entire screen is what I love about the HandEra.

I don't play many games on the Palm. Probably only when I am traveling on a plane.

Do I want color? Yes. Do I wish it had a higher resolution screen? Yes. Color will be here soon. Higher resolution may take a while though. :( But, I'm willing to wait. I don't want to lose the dual slots nor go back to a smaller screen.


Bam.....but not the game

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/11/2002 10:39:37 PM #
I downloaded this and installed it on my new T615. When I went to sync it using the palm install tool, it shut down Windows and reported a serious error had occured. I tried this two to three time and finally got it to install and found additonal errors even when it was not being used. I uninstalled it and all is well again, Anyone else experience any problems?? It looks like a great game, but............

RE: Bam.....but not the game
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/11/2002 11:30:12 PM #
I installed it no problems.

T615, Win2000

Way to easy

I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 10:32:24 AM #
It's lovely on a Clie, but the gameplay is ridiculously easy. The computer sets its pieces and moves seemingly at random. Absolutely no fun after the first few games. How about some lookahead and alpha-beta pruning, guys? Eye candy alone will not make this a good game...


RE: Way to easy
Edward @ 2/12/2002 11:49:04 AM #
Hmm. I won the first couple of games, and then lost a few. Sometimes it plays better than others.

Overall though a great game. I look forward to seeing more from this developer.

RE: Way to easy
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 12:04:01 PM #
I love this game too, but I win every time. I read somewhere (can't remember where though) that the developer was not very interested in making the AI better as the game is better when played by two players. The developer suggested doing the "quickplay" game to increase the difficulty.

RE: Way to easy
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 4:29:59 PM #
it's REALLY fun two player

RE: Way to easy
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/12/2002 4:30:10 PM #
oh, forgot to mention, but it'd be cool to be able to save MULTIPLE configurations, and password protect them.

RE: Way to easy
kickoo @ 2/12/2002 4:55:28 PM #
You'r right,improving the AI is not our main priority, as we think this kind of game is a lot more fun playing it with a friend.

That's the reason why we are putting all our efforts in the IR version, which should be ready this week.

But it does not mean that we will forget users that play only in one player mode !

The computer does not currently move randomly, but it's true that if you are a very good player of this kind of game, the computer does not offer a good enough challenge : making an invincible AI on this kind of game is almost impossible ( without cheating, which is a way we don't want to follow ).

The solution will come in a future release, using what one of our customers suggested : an expert mode.

In this mode you will be ble to choose, for each player and in all modes ( against the computer, against a friend locally and against a friend via IR ) beetween 3 possible settings :
- always reveal the pieces.
- only reveal the pieces during a fight.
- never reveal the pieces.

This kind of settings will allow to fine tune the difficulty level and to use a kind of handicap, making the game interresting even when one of the player ( or the computer ) is much more stronger/weakier than the other.


Daniel Morais
http://www.kickoo.com

RE: Way to easy
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/13/2002 6:20:44 PM #
IMHO, kickoo's response is complete BS. It's quite straightforward to implement games with search-based AI on a Palm. There are already plenty of them (e.g., chess, checkers, etc.) available.

I think the real issue is the game's developers don't know how to do it and don't feel like bothering to learn the simple but necessary techniques. This game is trivially easy and even difficult to lose, regardless of how you play.

Shame on them for a half-assed effort.

RE: Way to easy
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2002 7:24:55 PM #
my god..just about EVERYONE of you ****ing idiots on PIC are just plain stupid.you all are CONSTATLY arguing and bitching about stupid stuff..Taktik IS rather fun to play. it may not have the best AI but who cares ? 2 player mode is grea.t I'd like to see YOU make a better game !! (talking to poster above me)


morons..

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