Tuesday, January 10, 2012

W101 Not Linux Friendly

Ok, so I have finally found something I really don't like about Wizard 101.
It's not Linux-Friendly! The software for the game only works on Windows operating systems.

Since I had a computer crash in late 2011, got fed up with Windows (all the updating, upgrading, cost, proprietary details, virus vulnerability, etc) and finally switched to using Linux as my operating system, I haven't been able to run the Wizard 101 game on my desktop computer. Have no fear... I access the game via my laptop but gameplay isn't the same using the mousePAD, smaller screen, longer screen load times/screen lag. Since gameplay isn't as seamless on my laptop, I'm not playing very often at all - perhaps once per week for an hour. So much for goals for character levelling prior to my computer crash.

I'm not sure if I am more upset about the W101 site/game software or with the Linux developers/program that is supposed to act as a converter to allow gameplay of Windows games on Linux systems. I have tried the latter, the WINe (Windows emulator) program with little success beyond getting the game to load. Beyond that, I can't access the options area of the screen to do anything, select a character, etc.

Of course, a third possibility exists beyond Wiz101 developers needing to create software that works with Linux OR the WINe/Linux getting tweaked to run Wiz101 better...

The third possibility might be that I need to learn to use Linux better! LOL

Perhaps I don't have my settings right for the WINe to convert Wiz101 in the best possible way. Being a Windows user up until recently, I am not very experienced with using Linux terminal to load and tweak how my software works... (Windows is set up to never allow users to tweak the operating system, commands or any software via terminal/system level, so Windows users usually never learn to do this with their computers).

If there are any readers using Linux and WINe successfully to play Wizard 101, I would love to hear from them! I'm using Lucid Lynx. I've searched message boards in Linux/Ubuntu forums for "the fix" to the problem I am having but the solutions have been written by seasoned Linux users and consist of instructions that seem executable only by other seasoned Linux users! Honestly, the fixes I've come across appear like instructions for writing a new computer program...

Things that are difficult to do on Wizard101 via laptop:

  • The silver chest game
  • Chat during battle (I keep de-selecting my spell to cast if I try to answer a battle partner in chat, so I end up being a burden on other players)

I don't know how many times (too many!) I've selected a spell, selected the target, then waited a couple of seconds in order to engage in chat with a battle partner... only to have my spell cancelled and "our side" start to cast, leaving me as "passing" on casting. Basically, if I try to chat, my partner(s) end up casting all the spells and trying to win battles with a spare person who appears to be passing and doing nothing to help all the time.

It looks REALLY BAD, especially for a LIFE WIZARD, to be passing all the time.

This post has been a definite gripe session, in general, but I figure some other readers might respond with some suggestions that might help me get back to playing from my desktop computer. (I would rather get back to using my laptop for school and biz stuff, too. I didn't get it to play games on, so it's not filled with the right stuff for gaming). As well, I paid for a 6mo membership in the game a couple of weeks before my computer crashed, so I haven't gotten much gameplay yet for the money I put out.

For now, unless I hear some reader tips or suggestions, I will try tweaking my display settings before loading Wizard 101 and see if this makes options button/menu and other gameplay selection buttons visible when I load the game. This will mean I'll have to always tweak the display settings both entering and after I exit the game - in order to view everything else properly on my screen, but if this makes the game work properly, I'll be happy for this for a while until I figure out something less drastic! lol

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