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Jawbreaker (Pocket PC game)
Encyclopedia
Jawbreaker is a port
of SameGame
for the Pocket PC
bundled with the Microsoft
Windows Mobile 2003 operating system for PDA
s. The operating system, and thus the game, was officially released on April 7, 2003. The game itself was developed by oopdreams software, Inc. Jawbreaker is officially listed as one of the "Core Applications" of the Windows Mobile
software family, in a paper released by Microsoft. In Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 6.0 it is called Bubble Breaker. The original non-bundled version of the game is available from the developer itself as Bubblets.
The scoring can be expressed in the formula "Y=X(X-1)". X represents the number of balls grouped together, Y is the resulting score. For example an elimination of 16 balls will result in 240 points (240=16(16-1)).
In the standard mode of the game, the game ends when the player has no more moves left; there are no more like-colored balls adjacent to each other. The screen immediately goes to the scoring screen, where statistics such as Average Score, Total Score and Games Played can be seen, along with a button that the player can press in order to start a new game.
s to play the game, as well as players who may be colorblind and have trouble differentiating the colored balls from one another. Some of the patterns include lightly colored balls, dark grey balls and a white ball with a dark dot in the middle.
operating systems prior to Windows Mobile 2003, ending with Pocket PC 2002 did not include the game. It has since been bundled with succeeding Windows Mobile releases, including Windows Mobile 2003 SE (second edition) and Windows Mobile 5.0 & 6.0.
Bubblets in this form is available for a much broader range of operating systems than the Jawbreaker version. The game is officially distributed as shareware
for Pocket PC 2002/Windows Mobile 2003, Palm OS
, and the Handheld PC Pro platforms. Bubblets is also available for desktop PCs, with the official Windows version of Bubblets, also distributed as expiring shareware.
As Bubblets, the game was a finalist for the Best Puzzle Game category of Pocket PC Magazine's Pocket PC Award Winners of 2001, ironically won by another SameGame clone called PocketPop produced by PocketFun (http://www.pocketfun.co.uk/PocketPopRevenge.html). It was given the People's Choice Award in the same event.
The Palm OS
version of the game Bubblet, was favorably reviewed by PDAStreet's Palm Boulevard. Geek.com gave Bubblets a perfect score on their review and was named a Geek.com pick.
Also, a free version for Windows exists, but distributed as a free software
. Developed by an individual named Kurylo Dmytro (Курило Дмитро), the game is the almost exact copy of its Pocket PC
analog but with some additional features such as enlarged bubble sizes for hi-res displays and grayscale bubbles for color-blind
people. The advantage of this program is that it is absolutely free.
The game has also been distributed as freeware for mobiles since June 2008. The mobile phone version, also called JawBreaker, was developed for those who did not have Jawbreaker-capable PDAs but had phones supporting Java ME
. This iteration of the game could be run on mobile devices supporting Java ME
CLDC 1.1/MIDP 2.0 with screen resolutions of 240×320 or 176×220.
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
of SameGame
SameGame
is a computer puzzle game featuring tile removal originally released under the name Chain Shot! in 1985 by Kuniaki Moribe . It has since been ported to numerous computer platforms.-History:...
for the Pocket PC
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
bundled with the Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Windows Mobile 2003 operating system for PDA
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
s. The operating system, and thus the game, was officially released on April 7, 2003. The game itself was developed by oopdreams software, Inc. Jawbreaker is officially listed as one of the "Core Applications" of the Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
software family, in a paper released by Microsoft. In Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 6.0 it is called Bubble Breaker. The original non-bundled version of the game is available from the developer itself as Bubblets.
Gameplay
The gameboard consists of a screen of differently-colored balls arranged in a matrix. There are five different colors: red, blue, green, yellow and purple. The player then clicks on any two or more connecting similarly-colored balls to eliminate them from the matrix, earning an appropriate number of points in the process. The more balls eliminated at once, the higher the points added to the player's score.The scoring can be expressed in the formula "Y=X(X-1)". X represents the number of balls grouped together, Y is the resulting score. For example an elimination of 16 balls will result in 240 points (240=16(16-1)).
In the standard mode of the game, the game ends when the player has no more moves left; there are no more like-colored balls adjacent to each other. The screen immediately goes to the scoring screen, where statistics such as Average Score, Total Score and Games Played can be seen, along with a button that the player can press in order to start a new game.
Breaker Set
The Breaker Set option allows the player to choose between Colorful Breakers and Greyscale Breakers. The first option is the default and sets the game balls' colors to the standard five colors. Choosing the latter changes the color palette and instead of differently-colored balls, the balls are adorned with various unique greyscale patterns allowing players with monochromatic Pocket PCPocket PC
A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
s to play the game, as well as players who may be colorblind and have trouble differentiating the colored balls from one another. Some of the patterns include lightly colored balls, dark grey balls and a white ball with a dark dot in the middle.
Game Styles
The player has four unique game styles to choose from, including Standard, which is described above. The other game styles are Continuous, Shifter and MegaShift.- Continuous is one of the game styles available for Jawbreaker. This particular mode is similar to the standard mode, with one major difference. Whenever the player clears an entire column of balls, a new one arrives from the left side of the game board. New columns can be previewed in a small area at the bottom of the screen. As with the regular standard mode, the game ends when the player runs out of adjacent like-colored balls.
- MegaShift is another one of the game styles available for Jawbreaker. The major difference in this mode is the addition of a new column of balls whenever the player manages to clear an entire column of balls from the game board. Balls will always move to the right of the screen if there is space for them to do so. The newly-appearing column of balls can be previewed at the bottom of the screen before they are brought on-board and they appear from the leftmost side of the game board. As with the other modes, the game ends when the player ceases to have any moves left.
- Shifter is one of the game styles available for Jawbreaker. This game mode is similar to the MegaShift mode in that balls will tend to gravitate towards the right part of the game board. Unlike MegaShift mode however, the board has a finite number of balls and no new balls arrive to replenish the ones the player clicks off the game board.
History
Windows Mobile 2003 was Jawbreaker's first inclusion into a packaged handheld operating system. Pocket PCPocket PC
A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
operating systems prior to Windows Mobile 2003, ending with Pocket PC 2002 did not include the game. It has since been bundled with succeeding Windows Mobile releases, including Windows Mobile 2003 SE (second edition) and Windows Mobile 5.0 & 6.0.
Jawbreaker in Other Operating Systems
Aside from being included in the Windows Mobile operating system, Jawbreaker is also distributed by Oopdreams Software, Inc. under another name, Bubblets. Bubblets is almost-identical to Jawbreaker, with some slight visual and semantic differences. Instead of balls, the player bursts bubbles, thus the name.Bubblets in this form is available for a much broader range of operating systems than the Jawbreaker version. The game is officially distributed as shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
for Pocket PC 2002/Windows Mobile 2003, Palm OS
Palm OS
Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
, and the Handheld PC Pro platforms. Bubblets is also available for desktop PCs, with the official Windows version of Bubblets, also distributed as expiring shareware.
As Bubblets, the game was a finalist for the Best Puzzle Game category of Pocket PC Magazine's Pocket PC Award Winners of 2001, ironically won by another SameGame clone called PocketPop produced by PocketFun (http://www.pocketfun.co.uk/PocketPopRevenge.html). It was given the People's Choice Award in the same event.
The Palm OS
Palm OS
Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
version of the game Bubblet, was favorably reviewed by PDAStreet's Palm Boulevard. Geek.com gave Bubblets a perfect score on their review and was named a Geek.com pick.
Also, a free version for Windows exists, but distributed as a free software
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
. Developed by an individual named Kurylo Dmytro (Курило Дмитро), the game is the almost exact copy of its Pocket PC
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
analog but with some additional features such as enlarged bubble sizes for hi-res displays and grayscale bubbles for color-blind
Color blindness
Color blindness or color vision deficiency is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under lighting conditions when color vision is not normally impaired...
people. The advantage of this program is that it is absolutely free.
The game has also been distributed as freeware for mobiles since June 2008. The mobile phone version, also called JawBreaker, was developed for those who did not have Jawbreaker-capable PDAs but had phones supporting Java ME
Java Platform, Micro Edition
Java Platform, Micro Edition, or Java ME, is a Java platform designed for embedded systems . Target devices range from industrial controls to mobile phones and set-top boxes...
. This iteration of the game could be run on mobile devices supporting Java ME
Java Platform, Micro Edition
Java Platform, Micro Edition, or Java ME, is a Java platform designed for embedded systems . Target devices range from industrial controls to mobile phones and set-top boxes...
CLDC 1.1/MIDP 2.0 with screen resolutions of 240×320 or 176×220.
External links
- Oopdreams Software, Inc. official website