Games and Apps for Android - Review

I had been reading several engrossing battle reports here, here and here, when I decided to look up Hex Map Pro to see if they had an Android version. They didn't.

In the midst of that search I found three apps that I did download:

The first is 3D Virtual Tabletop. This looked so cool that I actually jumped right in and paid the $0.99 to purchase it. Right now it has pretty limited use for me but the figures are interesting and being able to completely turn it around etc is pretty cool. So if your doing a solo dungeon crawl and want something portable, it's not  bad little app. Give me the ability to add my own figures, you can already add your own map, and this app would be really awesome.

Populus Romanus, I'm running the free version right now and have played the expansion of Rome scenario. It's pretty simplistic and plays in a Civilization style. Cities produce gold and you can buy different units. Units have Attack - Defend - Move stats and some units have the ability to skirmish which holds enemies in place. It passed the "one more turn" test for me in that I just kept on going till the game concluded. Fun and not too cerebral. This one is free with limited scenarios. You can purchase the full version.

Wargame 1st Bull Run 1861 by DK Simulations (Sorry about the Google Play store link but the developer website is crap). This is s neat little game with nice graphics. It feels more like a proper wargame with strength  and morale levels. My only complaints were that I would have liked to be able to have a back button as I made a lot of mistaken moves by not knowing how to de-select troops. There is also an interesting feature where you can remain in column in the center of the hex or form a line along a hex face. Needless to say inaccurate finger taps led to selecting the exact opposite of what was intended on several occasions. Perhaps a more liberal use of the zoom feature would have helped. The Last thing I'll say is that I found the scenario frustrating as the Union player. I destroyed many Confederate units but could not seem to keep control of the objectives. This one is also free, the Gettysburg game is $1.99. They also have several WWII and Napoleonic titles.

If I had an iPad I would definitely buy Hex Map Pro. Andy over at Halfway Station has been using it in his ATZ campaigns and Justin of Wargaming Addict has been using it in a NUTS! campaign.

I contacted the developer of Hex Map Pro to see if there was a possibility of an Android version and he nicely replied no. So I've started down the path of learning how to program for Android http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html#download we shall see.