Pogo Utopia - Please Share Your Experiences

[BCtom]

I want to start a new thread regarding Pogo, and how it works with Ubuntu, Firefox and its other requirements: Java and Flash under the umbrella of LINUX.

I have several people of whom I have installed Ubuntu with, and the one request that I get over and over is Pogo. I serve "older" clients in case you are wondering, and they love their Pogo. Back in the days of Gutsy and Hardy, I've managed to get it working, albeit haphazardly, on about 3/4 of the people that I've tried to install it with, and it seemed stable. Other types of PCs, mainly some Dells systems, it was pointless.

I have contacted Pogo, and they say that 100 percent of their player are using IE web browsers, so even support in FireFox is at a minimum.

Right now with Jaunty, I'm getting a message from firefox that says "no pop-up active," yet the game pop-up window, well, it pops up but it then freezes.

Also, what is the "right" Java, hunting through Java 5 & 6, and the proper JRE, seems to be a bit of a landmine field to go through.


What I would like to know is, if there are people out there who have had successes with playing pogo on their Ubuntu machines, and how you solved some of the common problems to get it to work. So if anyone would like to share their experiences with the rest of us about Pogo, please, add them to this thread.

Thanks Tom

[Artificial Intelligence]

Well it's fifty/fifty.
My mom likes to play it. She have an old laptop with ubuntu 8.04 and a Desktop with kubuntu 8.04. It works on her Desktop, not on her laptop, but again it's an old laptop with limited resources.

It was first when pogo switch from shockwave to flash (beta site), that she was able to play pogo.

[kmrs75]

we have an older laptop using 8.04 and a new desktop using 9.04.

the laptop works great everything about it works

the desktop i just set up and i cant get it to work all i have is at the home screen the apple flashing and the circle going around and around and around and around.

i loaded flash player

sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree


but it didnt work so not sure if i will have it on there

o i forgot we also have even an older laptop running 8.04 and it works great on both of them

[shirteesdotnet]

Can you upgrade the version of Ubuntu? I used to have you same problems, but now I have not had ONE problem ever since installing 9.04 and then installing the programs in the "Comprehensive Multimedia & Video Howto" here...

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=766683

It installs flash and java amongst other necessary programs. For me, this is the easiest way to install java (which you need for pogo) flawlessly and effortlessly and getting Pogo to work fine. Heck, Im playing "Spooky Slots" as we speak!

[BCtom]

Thank you very much shirt., for the link to the "how-to" thread. That is where I initially got my quick and easy media installation guide for fresh installs. I completly forgot about the idea of posting that.

Originally Posted by shirteesdotnet http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=766683 It installs flash and java amongst other necessary programs. For me, this is the easiest way to install java (which you need for pogo) flawlessly and effortlessly and getting Pogo to work fine. Heck, Im playing "Spooky Slots" as we speak!

My question to you then is, does all of your sounds work when you play Pogo? For example, playing Monopoly, becuase I noticed that some of the sounds that each piece makes on the board (when a piece is moving for example) does not appear to be on all of the time. in fact, one complaint I've heard, (no pun intended) is that it is very intermittent.

Added: All the machines that I've have installed pogo on are are running in Jaunty - 9.10. They very from a couple of laptops to some newer PCs. I have a Dell, Dual-Core with a ATI video card, that just will not let Java run on it with out problems.

Another question I have has to do with font sizes in the (java) Game Window, as they are extremely small. Have you had any luck trying to adjust them so you can read scores, players names and numbers on the game pieces themselves - making them BIGGER? Again, Pogo seems to be geared for people who are, well, suffering from vision/age related issues, like myself.

But this is great to hear that you are in POGO Utopia! Thank you for the inspiration.

[shirteesdotnet]

I'm wondering if an ATI video card is the problem. All computers Ive got pogo to work on have either nVidia or some other built in card like an intel video chipset. But for the most part... 90% of the computers had nVidia. I got it set up on my neighbors computer (former XP user!) and he love Pogo which works fine on his Ubuntu system. I never did check what video card he had, but Pogo works fine for him.

[BCtom]

I doubled checked too with my friend who has the Dell, and there is definitely a ATI video card in there, and it does not like Pogo.

Originally Posted by shirteesdotnet I'm wondering if an ATI video card is the problem. All computers Ive got pogo to work on have either nVidia or some other built in card like an intel video chipset. But for the most part... 90% of the computers had nVidia.

Under Hardy, which was when Pogo ran the best, the game would just cut-out, or freeze, then resume, but during that time the other players kept on going while she lost her turn, and points. In Jaunty, her Pogo is a complete mess. I suspect that there is some connection between Java and the ATI Video Card, but I am not 100 percent sure either? I have installed exactly the same versions of Java, plus the same settings in her Fire Fox, but to no avail--it was just never meant to be. Heck, I even tried running IE6 under Wine to see if it were possible--NOT!

There is no doubt that nVidia is Linux friendly as compared to ATI.

[BCtom]

Just an F.Y.I. about Karmic 9.10 and Pogo.

My friend with the ATI card said she upgraded and the games now play perfectly. Most of the pogo games she wanted were either showing poor text and graphics, or the sound was terrible from before.

I think for both Nvidia and ATI, along with Java, Karmic has made some huge improvements to fix some of these issues and bugs. I'm not sure if the new Fire Fox has anything to with this either, but everything seems to be working for all of the people I know that play Pogo using Ubuntu?

Yay for Karmic!

[Ken 242]

Works on Jaunty. Have no problems. http://www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-ins...04-jaunty.html

[raj7095]

haven't had any problems