Author: bryan whitby
Date: 07:34:32 07/13/03
Go up one level in this thread
On July 12, 2003 at 07:12:45, Alastair Scott wrote: >I finally received this and installed it on PC (XP SP1a, Athlon XP 2800+) and >PalmOS (Zire 71). > >The installation, on PC, is uneventful, but the PalmOS one is a bit odd; it >immediately declares what is on the CD-ROM out of date, goes off to Hexacto's >Web site and downloads an updated installer and an updated program file (version >1.0.9), That done, a Hotsync transfers the program across. > >Advantages: > >- Clean user interface, albeit not using Windows primitives; > >- Good 2D and 3D appearance (three basic types; no frivolous pieces or boards); > >- Ruffian shows its strength (albeit on a brand new machine); > >- Neat method of selecting playing strength; you use a slider which goes from >'600' to '2300', although these 'gradings' are necessarily inexact and, as will >be seen, are way off beam with the PalmOS version. This trick is something other >PalmOS programs could profitably copy; > >- Good integration with zone.com, although I haven't tried it much yet. > >Disadvantages: > >- Rather restricted options (no choice of playing style or opening book; no >user-defined time levels although those chosen by the programmers are sensible; >increment, when selected, is fixed at 3 seconds; no formal analysis, just >"Kasparov" kibitzing); > >- Export and hotsync are rather opaque as PGN files, with a derived name, >"appear" in a directory without prompting for filename or any other warning; > >- The old problem of selecting one piece immediately behind another on a 3D >board shows up once again. > >The authors have made the PalmOS and PC versions functionally identical, apart >from some omissions which could never be squeezed onto a 160x160 screen; this >has entailed porting the user interface across to the handheld and giving it the >same structure and operation. Handheld and desktop user interfaces are >fundamentally different for a reason, and there is an awful lot of tapping >needed because this was not understood by the programmers. > >Alas the PalmOS version is a sad letdown, and it's a pity Ruffian's good name is >attached to it. That it is associated with hexacto.com (who appeared to have >their heads screwed on the right way) is also unfortunate. > >It is low-res only and has one board type, both of which are understandable, and >there are a couple of particular user interface awkwardnesses: > >- pieces have to be dragged, as it is not possible to tap on start and end >squares; > >- there is no way to get out of a game being played without it being saved, as >save is automatic whenever a game is completed. > >There are two disastrous functional problems. The second is the playing >strength. The '2300' is, I would guess, 1700-1800 at best and, although the >program is 700KB, there are big holes in the opening book. I was surprised to >see that 1.b4 put it out of book, for example. The program also doesn't feel >like Ruffian; in 20 or more games I can't think of a single move which made me >think 'thus is the lion known by its claw' :) > >The most serious problem is crashing. Once the program left open a mate in one >(!!), crashed as the mating move was being made and, on restarting, refused to >load so had to be removed and reinstalled; the second time it crashed at no >particularly meaningful time in a game and had to be removed and reinstalled >again. > >I would like to have posted games but the remove and reinstall deleted them. >After the third crash there was no comeback; the program is staying permanently >off my Zire 71. > >I feel many of these problems are down to a grotesque architectural error; the >games are stored in the PalmOS Saved Preference files. "Preferences" are not >"game records", and having such a file (theoretically) increase in size without >limit must at least be against PalmOS programming guidelines and possibly >contributed to the crashes. > >My verdict is that the PC program is not bad although, if you don't want >impressive graphics, you might as well download Arena and Ruffian; the PalmOS >program should not even be installed until there are big changes. Richard Lang >and Christophe Theron got so much right first time, as it turned out. > >Alastair Thanks Alastair I've got mine on order and I'll let you know if I have similar problems running on the Sony Clie and the Pocket PC. Bryan
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