Develop Bugs

[Q] XBOX Live Games

I have a few questions re. "Xbox live games"
1. What does it actually mean? Does it mean that developers produce a cut down version of games and you download it from the market place or are there already pre-existing games for us to download?
2. Can I see a list of games that are already available for download?
3. How fast is the games list increasing?
4. What sort of quality are you guys (who already have WM 7 phones) seeing
5. What are the cost of games.

basically xbox live games offers the xna framework which is what all xbox live arcade games are written in. This allows inddie developers to make xbox live games work on both xbox console and windows phone by just modifying it slightly to handle the different types of input. this should also mean a lot of the proper titles that we actually pay big bucks for might make its way to windows phone, but who knows about that yet.
can't answer the rest of your questions as i don't have a windows phone yet, but i know that there are quite a few varying degrees of quality of apps. Try looking up the harvest (one of the most pushed games as far for windows phone).

The Gate Keeper said:
basically xbox live games offers the xna framework which is what all xbox live arcade games are written in. This allows inddie developers to make xbox live games work on both xbox console and windows phone by just modifying it slightly to handle the different types of input. this should also mean a lot of the proper titles that we actually pay big bucks for might make its way to windows phone, but who knows about that yet.
can't answer the rest of your questions as i don't have a windows phone yet, but i know that there are quite a few varying degrees of quality of apps. Try looking up the harvest (one of the most pushed games as far for windows phone).
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Mass Effect 3 for WP7.
Just kidding, but that'd be awesome. Controls would probably be pretty bad.

The Gate Keeper said:
basically xbox live games offers the xna framework which is what all xbox live arcade games are written in.
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All XBox Live Arcade games for WP7 are written in XNA (for the time being), but AFAIK XBox Live Arcade games for the XBox 360 are mostly written in C++ (but XNA is also possible).
The Gate Keeper said:
This allows inddie developers to make xbox live games work on both xbox console and windows phone by just modifying it slightly to handle the different types of input.
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XBox Live games are almost always games of major publisher. There are some independent games which will be released through Microsofts own game studio. XNA can be used to write games that run with minimal changes on XBox 360, Windows and Windows Phone 7. Obviously some changes or conditional programming are necessary to address the unique feature set of each platform. For example: Windows uses keyboard and mouse as input devices, XBox 360 uses a controller (Kinect is IIRC not possible with XNA at the moment) and WP7 uses a touchscreen.
The Gate Keeper said:
this should also mean a lot of the proper titles that we actually pay big bucks for might make its way to windows phone, but who knows about that yet.
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The "big bucks" games like Halo won't work on WP7, because these type of games are almost always written in C++ and are optimized for hardware that is far beyond the capabilities of WP7. We will see adaptations of existing franchises, ports of iPhone games and remakes of classical games.
nirpaudyal said:
1. What does it actually mean? Does it mean that developers produce a cut down version of games and you download it from the market place or are there already pre-existing games for us to download?
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All WP7 games are specifically written for WP7, because only WP7 uses XNA and C# in the mobile space as a development platform. Developers can (and will) use existing media resources like images, animations or sound and can use existing implementations (e.g. iOS implementation) as a reference but the game has to be programmed again. At the moment there are already some games available.
nirpaudyal said:
2. Can I see a list of games that are already available for download?
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Download Zune. The marketplace can be viewed, even if you don't own a WP7 device. At the moment there are 21 games available (German marketplace)
nirpaudyal said:
3. How fast is the games list increasing?
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In the last week there were no new games, but I think that after the US launch there will be new content (on XBox 360 there are a few new games every week, meaning that after a few years there are many games available). The list of "ordinary" games without XBox Live support is steadily increasing.
nirpaudyal said:
5. What are the cost of games.
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Prices range from Free (one game ) to 6,49€ for The Harvest, The Sims 3, Max & The Magic Marker and Rocket Rio. There seem to be three price points: 2,99€ (Frogger, Flight Control, ...), 4,49€ (Earthworm Jim, Tetris, Bejeweled, Uno) and 6,49€ (see above).

Reihnold said:
The list of "ordinary" games without XBox Live support is steadily increasing.
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What do you mean by Ordinary games?
also, ta for that extensive info. very helpful

when he says ordinary i think he's more referring to games which are popular on iPhone/Android. Ones which don't expect you to play it for long spans of time.

I really really want this game to be ported to WP7. Probably wont ever happen, though.
Osmos

nirpaudyal said:
What do you mean by Ordinary games?
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There are two types of games on WP7: XBox Live enabled games and games without XBox Live support. With "ordinary games" I meant the games without XBox Live.
XBox Live games are games from big game studios and often feature existing and popular franchises (The Sims, Need for Speed, Tetris, ...). They also can award Achievements and Gamerpoints. Additionally, they are featured on an extra page in Zune (if you open the "games" category in the Zune Marketplace you only see XBox Live games; for other games you must switch the category from "XBox Live" to "All", "Paid" or "Free").
Games without XBox Live support are often developed by small independent studios and developers and can not award Achievements or Gamerpoints.
In my opinion and based on screenshots, XBox Live games will be high quality and more polished, whereas Games without XBox Live range from rubbish to excellent. If you have a XBox, it's the same difference as XBox Live Arcade games (studio based titles) to Xbox Live Indie Games (community based titles). The problem with the ordinary games is that it's complicated to find the games worth playing, but I'm sure that there will be some breakout hits.

What are your WP7 killer apps?

Just what the title says, what killer apps have you discovered for WP7? I just got an HTC Surround as an insurance replacement for a dead Tilt 2 yesterday. I'm still discovering things but after spending a couple of hours digging through the marketplace I have to admit that I am somewhat disappointed with some of the app selection. So I figured why not come to the experts.
I'm mostly looking for apps available for retail phones but if there is one that has to be sideloaded that you think is worth it then by all means list it.
So far I've got:
Mango - this goes without saying and obviously will require some hacking for moment but it's worth listing.
Zune Pass - Windows Phone's ace in the hole over iPhone. Unlimited access to millions of tracks for $15/mo. Add in the SmartDJ functionality from Mango and it is a real killer app.

Games geoDefense and Max & The Magic Marker . And many other games too )

My fave apps
All recipees
vevo
netflix
imdb
prime TV
sound enhancer (htc)
4th and major
engadget
usa today
wp central
words by post
amazon kindle
amazon
cocktail flow
lyrics
song tweeter
rowi
etc etc etc

wp7 os is your killer app
especially if u got mango..
bing maps, music, vision.. ever tried to copy/paste text from anywhere and everywhere?
office, xbox live, skydrive, internet explorer 9 with html5, Zune and what else..
well for marketplace apps:
htc connection setup
and if u can sideload:
Navigon
Today (for LG)
ScanSearch (for LG)
also check out the toplist in zune, what u see is what u get..
with mango we will get what you called killer apps..
we got some great games for now.. and a killer OS..

My fav apps so far:
Thumba Photo Editor: use it daily
MoBudget: best personal finance app but they never update or try to improvise it seems..
FX Rate Watcher: No1 app for currency traders till now..
Currency Tile: good live tile
New York Subway: best ny subway app
Calendar Calculator: innovative
Cocktail Flow: great app with many frequent free additions..
Notepad Plus: good
NewsLab: best news reader, they improved a lot, very frequent updates with active developer response to your problems and suggestions..
Ontrack!: okay app, no improvisation though ..
The following Apps I paid for and than uninstalled it because they were so pathetic, buggy and some just plain useless:
GPS Speedometer: useless, never works, ugly icon.
eWalletGo: pathetic, seems like they released this app just for the heck of it.
handyscan: pathetic, my direct camera pics are more clear than their scan.
My Budget: useless, just record your meaningless transaction, my bank does it too.. Mobudget is way better than this.
One shipping tracker app which was buggy, they are not listed in MP anymore and another NY subway app which was just an app with PDF files of subway map inside, they had no trial otherwise I would have never bought it..

Install the app called Top Developers. It will show you the apps for the best rated developers.
My fav apps are:
Beeez - for twitter
GoVoice - for Google Voice
CalorieCounter
Groupon
iheartradio
Slacker
TuneIn Radio
WalkMan7 (sideloaded)
TVShow (paid)
My fav games are:
The Harvest
Plants Versus Zombies
Twin Blades (won't work on Mango until they update it though)
CarneyVale
Earthworm Jim
Assassin's Creed
Hydro Thunder Go
Tentacles
Fruit Ninja
Angry Birds
Words By Post (free)

The main app to get is the Xda-Developers app. Every other app comes second.
Sent from my HD7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

weave -- THE news reader. the single most used app on my phone.
freda -- ebook/txt reader, free. (chinese font version available as freda chinese)
rad now -- weather radar map
smart tile -- 4 lines of txt in one live tile, good for to do lists and reminders

Purple11 said:
My fav apps so far:
MoBudget: best personal finance app but they never update or try to improvise it seems..
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I think MoBudget last update was around end of June and make the version to 2.17?
IMO, MoBudget really a killer apps for me in WP7, use it everyday~

wow - No mention of Wordament?
Best game I've ever played on any mobile platform, addictive as hell and it's free! No doubt will be copied by some unscrupulous iPhone games company very soon, but for now it's exclusive to WP7!
Also I like the game Tentacles, very innovative.
As for regular apps, I most regularly use Supertube (neat youtube app, allows downloading videos) and Bingle Maps (combines google and bing maps).

weijoon said:
I think MoBudget last update was around end of June and make the version to 2.17?
IMO, MoBudget really a killer apps for me in WP7, use it everyday~
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Yes they did, but most of their updates has been fixes and many minor changes.. very little new features.. i cant wait for their Live Tile feature and Graph charts which they have promised since May.. maybe they will bring it after Mango.. right now the app scene has all came to a halt waiting for MANGO it seems.. they should also make data input feature a bit easier, My Budget app had a smoother inputing transaction method, if mo budget could apply the same way it would be perfect for me..
Here is the list of games I like:
Plant Vs. Zombies: endless, ever changing gameplay.. good.
Assasins creed: endless, ever changing gameplay.. xcellent.
fruit ninja: surprisingly good, i thought it was for girls but loved it after i bought.
need for speed: enjoyed it!
zombies!!!: Thumbs up.
Rocket riot: Thumbs up.
Rise of glory: Thumbs up.
the harvest: good game but no replay value.
the sims: okay game.
I dig it: saving gameplay is a pain.. right now i am repeating whole level 2 again from beginning because i accidentally exited the game in end by hitting the bing search button.
UNO, Monopoly, parachute panic and fable coin golf: short game, regret buying but its okay to have in collection for a change..
The following games I hate and I wish I could get my money back:
ilomilo: very hard puzzles, unplayable for me, dont like it at all, dont enjoy playing it.
OMG: I want my money back, do not buy this stupid game.
Oregon's trail: what you see in Demo is what is repeated for next 4 hours, nothing new, if you played demo, you have played whole game.
Sonic: this game is unplayable, they cheat you by presenting surprisingly easy levels on demo, but once u buy it, u wont get past level 2, u wont even finish level 2, stupid controls, unplayable, do not buy, remove this game from MP for the better of others who might fall into this trap by sonic company.
All other games in Xbox WP7, i dont liked their demo so i didnt buy them, right now i am waiting for new games..

Purple11 said:
Yes they did, but most of their updates has been fixes and many minor changes.. very little new features.. i cant wait for their Live Tile feature and Graph charts which they have promised since May.. maybe they will bring it after Mango.. right now the app scene has all came to a halt waiting for MANGO it seems.. they should also make data input feature a bit easier, My Budget app had a smoother inputing transaction method, if mo budget could apply the same way it would be perfect for me..
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Totally agree for the mobudget and my budget parts, the others apps or game are nice too but too bad that marketplace is still not official in Malaysia... Thus can't comment well toward it.

Apps I use frequently:
Rowi
4th and Mayor
IMDB
eBAY
Games I play:
geoDefence
Angri Birds

I normally use:
wikipedia
ebay
beepz
Turn by turn
w7applist

Thanks, guys. I will check some of these out and send the link to a friend who recently got an HD7 and was asking for some good apps.
Purple11 said:
Oregon's trail: what you see in Demo is what is repeated for next 4 hours, nothing new, if you played demo, you have played whole game.
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LOL, I think if you played it on the Apple II 20 years ago you've played the whole game.
Mary has died from dysentery!
The river is low. Do you want to ford it?
Oh no! Your wagon overturns. You lose 2 oxen and 80 lbs of food.
Sarah has died from dysentery!
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Me, People, and Picture Hub. The killer apps of WP7 (Mango), at least for me.

Apps:
Beezz (Twitter app with working live-tile)
Shopping List (nice and simple checklist-app)
Supertube
Accuweather (not that great but does the job, switching when marketplace goes live here in sweden)
Flight Info
tvmatchen.nu (shows what channels are showing various sports atm here in Sweden)
gMaps (Best Google maps app imo)
Navigation (TBT Navigation)
IMDB
Cocktail Flow
DC Comics
Last.fm will probably become a favourite after Mango is release and they can add last.fm-scrobbling from the native music player.
Games:
Tentacles !!!
geoDefense !!!
Rocket Riot !!
OMG
ByeByeBrain
Corona
Star Ninja
Name My Tune (plays music from your phone and you should guess the name of the song)
Penguin
Squid Squish
Pixelman

For me the "killer apps" - if you really want to call it that - are what is already built int, mostly the mail client and Office with the SharePoint connection. Apart from those I use the Amazon Kindle app and Boxfiles (Dropbox client) a lot.
The apps I would see as killer apps - if they were there - would be Lync client (should come with Mango) and Skype (will we see that, now that MS bought them?).

Hey guys. 7712 Mozart here.
Apps I use:
4th & Mayor
Rowi
Facebook/People's hub
Engadget (somehow 7712 messed it up)
LazyTube
Office
Turn by Turn Navi (can't buy full app yet Marketplace not launched here. on a different region)
Flickr Manager (lite)
gMaps
HTC Notes (comes in handy sometimes and animations are sweett)
HTC Photo Enhancer
Thumba Cam
Vevo
WP Central
Mail
Really hoping Microsoft would open up the Marketplace here. Would help loads. And that partnership with Nokia is gonna boost their rep if their marketing gets better. Can hardly find a decent casing here. Tempted to ship on in but Amazon doesn't ship here so meh :/

I realize this might be a tad touchy: Is there a good torrent app for WM7/7.5?

[Q] Custom overlay keys and joystick.for controlling games

There are many many games out there that are playable on the new Atom powered tablets. Mafia 1 for instance looks great, probably better than any sandbox game for tablets.
And there are many more, think of diablo 2 for example.
The problem is, we lack the controls without a keyboard and mouse.
What I have in mind is an overlay control set including mapable keys and directional joysticks, like the ones most Android games come with by default.
Does anybody know if such an app exists? If someone were to make one, I'm sure it would sell like hotcakes provided the vast array of legendary titles windows can boas with.

So far all I have found are Comfort on-screen keyboard and hot virtual keyboard. They're quite expensive but I managed to play Need for Speed 5 and carmageddon TDR
What we need is joystick emulation, to be able to aim, even though without auto aiming, gaming on a tablet can be quite tricky.

Someone make a gummy stickonscreen Bluetooth capable dpad and buttons for our win8 tablets
Thankyou

I've been working on something like this.
It's all in .net, so it runs fine on Windows 8 and Windows RT. I still need to get it loading configs up properly (for customization), but I've got all the hard/tricky parts done.
It doesn't seem to like Quake, but it works great with DosBox.

So where do those keys come from? Are they built in dosbox?

Bec07 said:
So where do those keys come from? Are they built in dosbox?
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No, it's a program I made. See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2142997

Best Must Have Android Apps for Samsung Galaxy S3

Samsung Galaxy S3 is one of the most popular device is Samsung Galaxy Series. This device comes with amazing specification and feature which give neck to neck fight to the Android device released in 2015. Samsung Galaxy S3 is an overall brilliant smartphone, there are some features missing in the device which you can cover up by using Android apps.
If you’ve any old or new Samsung Galaxy S3, then you might be looking for some of the best apps which ads more functionality to your device. Why don’t you check the first one:
1. Lumosity
Lumosity is designed by neuroscientists to train memory, attention, and more. With foundations in the study of neuroplasticity, Lumosity games are used in research, and have been incorporated into studies done by top scientists worldwide.
2. AirDroid
AirDroid allows you to access and manage your Android phone or tablet from Windows, Mac or the Web, wirelessly, for free.
3. 7 Minute Workout
If you want to lose weight, get a flat tummy & strengthen abdominal muscles, get the dreamed abs with sixpack, 7 minutes abs workout can strengthen your core and tone your abs, with videos on how to perform each exercise. Don’t have an hour for daily workout and abs workout? you might not need it, just try 7 minute quick fit workout, it has Video Tutorial to help you do it right.
4. Battery by MacroPinch
Battery is a small, sleek and elegant app that will help you follow the current battery percentage on your Android device, and even serve as a battery saver.
5. Microsoft Office Mobile
Microsoft Office Mobile is the official Office companion optimized for your Android phone. You can access, view and edit your Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint documents from virtually anywhere. All the documents look like the originals, thanks to support for charts, animations, SmartArt graphics and shapes.
6. SwiftKey Keyboard
SwiftKey is able to understand not just patterns in your typing, but also how words work together. Swiftkey can continue to learn from SMS, your email and even social media accounts (if enabled), so it gets better at making predictions as you type.
7. WhatsApp Messenger
WhatsApp Messenger is a messaging app available for Android and other smartphones. It uses your phone’s Internet connection (4G/3G/2G/EDGE or Wi-Fi, as available) to message and call friends and family. Switch from SMS to WhatsApp to send and receive messages, calls, photos, videos, and Voice Messages.
8. Instagram
Instagram is a simple way to capture and share the world’s moments. Transform your everyday photos and videos into works of art and share them with your family and friends. See the world through somebody else’s eyes by following not only the people you know, but inspirational Instagrammers, photographers, athletes, celebrities and fashion icons.
9. edjing – DJ Music Mixer Studio
One of the best music app for Android that let you access to a pair of virtual DJ decks and pulls in music from both SoundCloud and Deezer, along with any music stored on your device.
10. QuickPic
Fast, lightweight, modern, QuickPic is the best alternative album app for all your beloved photos, which can replace the stock Gallery app.
11. AccuWeather
Stay connected to the latest weather conditions with AccuWeather. This free app features the new AccuWeather MinuteCast, the leading minute-by-minute precipitation forecast, hyper-localized to your exact street address. AccuWeather offers the same Superior Accuracy and great experience across all Android smartphones and tablets, and Android Wear.
12. Opera Max
Opera Max is a free, data-savings and data-management app that extends your data plan. Using this you can easily manage your data by monitoring daily data usage and limit data-hogging apps to Wi-Fi only. Opera Max also provides data savings by compressing videos, photos, media and more on almost all of your favorite apps and websites
13. Google Drive
Get started with Google Drive for free and have all your files within reach from any smartphone, tablet, or computer. All your files in Drive like your videos, photos, and documents are backed up safely so you can’t lose them. Easily invite others to view, edit, or leave comments on any of your files or folders.
14. Nokia Here
Nokia Here is a map application by Nokia which works without Internet, can be accessed whenever and wherever, which is great for city breaks when you’re steering clear of the roaming charges.
15. Chrome Desktop
Google Remote Desktops enables users access to a Windows or Mac machine in order to make connections through the Chrome Web Store app. Users will then launch Android app via their phone or tablet, tapping on the computer’s name which they’ll like to control.
16. Retrica
Retrica will transform your photo experience into something truly memorable. Choose how you want to remember that great view from your trip, or that delicious meal you shared with a friend. With Retrica’s live filters, you can preview how your photos will look, before you even take the photo.
17. IF by IFTTT
IFTTT lets you create powerful connections with one simple statement if this then that. You can activate and connect your Channels services like Facebook, Dropbox, and Gmail as well as devices like Nest Thermostat, Fitbit, and Philips Hue for limitless ways to automate and empower your life.
18. EvolveSMS
EvolveSMS is a powerful texting replacement app that makes talking to your friends quick, fun and easy. It’s been designed from the bottom up with the newest Android guidelines in mind to look beautiful and just plain work. Feel completely immersed in the app with a design that flows freely between, you, all your friends, and Android.
19. Yahoo Aviate Launcher
Yahoo Aviate is the launcher that will take your phone to the next level. Gone are the days of a cluttered and boring stock Android phone. Yahoo Aviate automatically organises your apps and shows you the information you need, at the moment it’s useful.
20. Digg
Digg delivers the most interesting and talked-about stories on the Internet. Its powered by social signals and old-fashioned human judgment, our editors turn the Internet’s vast and cacophonous flood of articles, blog posts, magazine pieces, status updates, photos and videos into the elegant and endlessly engrossing mix known as Digg.
21. Material Wallpaper (Android L)
Material Walls contains High Quality Handcrafted Wallpapers dressed in the famous Material Design / Quantum paper design introduced recently and will debut on the upcoming Android Lollipop (Android 5.0) by Google. All the wallpapers are available in the perfect resolution for almost every device out there as almost all resolutions are supported.
22. Spotify Music
With Spotify, you have access to a world of music. You can listen to artists and albums, or create your own playlist of your favorite songs. Want to discover new music? Choose a ready-made playlist that suits your mood or get personalized recommendations.
These are some of the best must have Android applications for Samsung Galaxy S3. Why don’t you try these application to give life to your device.
Source: What's With Tech

The Best Universal Windows 10 Apps

With the arrival of Windows 10 Fall Creators update, it's time to revisit the app store. What? An app store for PCs? That's right, though many people may not realize it's one of the highlights of Windows 10. The apps in the store are lightweight, touch-friendly, and can run either full-screen or windowed. Updates are handled automatically, and you can install apps purchased on multiple devices. In short, if you haven't made the leap from Windows 7, you're missing out on these perks.
Universal apps (more recently dubbed UWP apps, for Universal Windows Platform) have some other benefits over traditional PC programs, too. They can interact with Windows' built-in notification and sharing features. UWP apps can display current info on live tiles in the Start menu—handy for things like weather, sports, and messaging. They are also vetted for security and quality, and run in their own sandboxes so as not to affect the rest of the operating system.
But the most appealing aspect of universal apps may be their ability to run on a wide variety of devices, from smartphones to tablets to laptops to powerful desktop PCs to game consoles and eventually the HoloLens 3D extended-reality headset. Let's not forget the enormous Surface Hub business conferencing unit, either.