Dungeon Hunter 4 and Asphalt 7 pick up support for both MOGA controllers and 512 RAM devices

It’s not uncommon for Windows Phone 8 games to require 1 GB of RAM at launch, only to later be updated to run on devices with 512 MB of RAM. This happens because optimizing a game to work with less RAM takes extra time. Games don’t have the phone’s full bank of RAM to work with. On a 512 MB device, they can only access 150 MB. Sometimes a game can be crammed into that space, sometimes not.
Gameloft’s Dungeon Hunter 4 launched without 512 MB RAM support back in December. Yesterday’s update added that support, allowing the game to run on low-memory phones like the Nokia Lumia 520. The update also brought another benefit we didn’t expect: MOGA controller support! It even turns out that the most recent Asphalt 7 (a game that already worked with 512 MB phones) update added MOGA support as well. Exclusive screenshots, hands-on video, and impressions after the break.
Dungeon Hunter 4
Like nearly all of Gameloft’s games, Dungeon Hunter 4 uses a virtual analog stick and buttons for its touch screen controls. The publisher has made a name for itself by bringing console-style experiences to mobile, after all. But some gamers crave a physical stick and buttons, hence the MOGA controller support.
The MOGA experience in Dungeon Hunter 4 closely resembles that of playing the Windows 8 version with an Xbox 360 controller (and probably Dungeon Hunter: Alliance for Playstation 3 and Vita too). Players can move their warrior of choice with either the left analog stick or d-pad. Pressing the right analog stick in any direction will attack in that direction, not unlike a twin-stick shooter.
The A, B, and Y buttons perform the same functions as the three virtual buttons on the right side of the screen. Players can assign various skills and abilities to those buttons including attacks and dodge maneuvers. The L1 button (left bumper) uses healing potions, whereas the R1 (right bumper) button performs a special move.
Both the Select and Start buttons go to the menu, normally accessed by pressing the phone’s Back button or tapping the player’s character portrait. From here, the cursor controls are mostly natural. The left and right triggers (L2 and R2) move through the top-most options/pages, while the d-pad or analog stick select individual choices within those pages.
Things get slightly more confusing on the World Map, where players can select levels to play as well as exit the game. On the world map, the Left and Right triggers still scroll through the top-most options. Moving the left stick or d-pad will select options from the left and right side of the map screen, such as Multiplayer, Challenges, Social, and Gameloft Live. To actually select levels, you’ll need to use the right analog stick.
Playing Dungeon Hunter 4 with a controller feels very much like the console version of Diablo III. You can’t hotkey quite as many attacks and abilities, but the combat is just as fast and fluid as you’d want from an action-RPG. I’m a sucker for twin-stick controls.
It’s a shame that the Windows Phone and Windows 8 versions of Dungeon Hunter 4 apparently don’t share save data, but at least you can play on the go without a touch screen and then plug in to the MOGA controller when you’re at home for an even better experience. And thanks to the version 1.01 update, all Windows Phone 8 users can now get in on the fun.
- Dungeon Hunter 4 – Windows Phone 8 – 958 MB – Free – Store Link
- Dungeon Hunter 4 – Windows 8 and RT – 1,066 MB – Free – Store Link (opens in new tab)
Asphalt 7: Heat
Asphalt 8 (which launched in November) supported MOGA from the get-go, as I understand it. Its predecessor Asphalt 7 actually picked up controller support later that same month in the version 1.1 update. Gameloft didn’t advertise that support, and I only recently picked up a MOGA Pro Controller, otherwise we’d have noticed sooner.
On top of the new control option, the version 1.1 update brings a couple more new features. On the main menu, you’ll find two new options: Special Events and Lottery. Special Events are basically themed races for players to participate in. Not bad if you’re looking for a break from Career, though I can’t say whether Gameloft actually updates the Special Events with any regularity.
The Lottery is just what you’d expect: a daily lottery to keep players coming back to the game. This Lottery actually has some cool visual flair, as it involves a car driving around a circle full of prizes. Players can swipe left or right to determine which way the car spins. My first spin got me 50,000 game dollars. Not that much, but it would probably help a lot when you’re just starting out.
Speaking of which, I am unfortunately just starting out again. The update actually wiped out my save file. Asphalt 7 supports cloud saves (and even sharing progress between the Windows Phone and Windows 8 versions). But the phone game won’t find my Windows 8 save; it just pulls up the fresh save that replaced my original, nearly complete save.
And now for the controls. Surprisingly, Asphalt 7’s menus actually work better with the MOGA controller than the Windows 8 version did with an Xbox controller. On Windows 8, the controller emulates a mouse for some reason during menus. On Windows Phone, the d-pad and analog stick simply jump between menu selections as you’d expect. Much better.
The racing controls also work great, for the most part. Steering with either the d-pad or left analog stick feels quite natural.
Curiously, the left and right triggers do not controls acceleration and braking as they do on Windows 8. Instead, players can either use the A button or Up on the right analog stick to accelerate. X, L1, and down on the right stick handle braking. B switches camera angles, R1 activates Nitro, and both Start and Y pause the game.
Races get pretty hard later in Asphalt 7’s career, so the extra precision afforded by the MOGA controller will come in handy. I won’t be playing through Career another time, but anybody with a MOGA who still has a save file or has yet to start the game will want to take this game for a drive.
- Asphalt 7 – Windows Phone 8 – 911 MB – Store Link
- Asphalt 7 – Windows 8 and RT – 0.99 GB - $1.99 – Store Link (opens in new tab)
More MOGA from Gameloft?
N.O.V.A. 3
Now that three Gameloft titles support MOGA controllers on Windows Phone 8, the natural question is whether Gameloft will go back and add support to previous releases. Modern Combat 4, N.O.V.A. 3, Six-Guns, Amazing Spider-Man, Dark Knight Rises, and (to a lesser extent) Order & Chaos Online all practically beg for controller.
Windows Phone Central asked the publisher about the possibility of future support. According to a Gameloft representative, the addition of MOGA controls in Asphalt 7, Asphalt 8, and Dungeon Hunter 4 was not completely intentional. The Android versions of those games support MOGA, and somehow that code made its way into the Windows Phone 8 versions as well.
That’s a curious explanation, considering that the Android versions of Asphalt 7 and Dungeon Hunter 4 worked with MOGA long before the games were even ported to Windows Phone. Why would the controller start working after an update instead of when the games launched? That’s a mystery… Unless reader reports that neither game initially worked with MOGA were erroneous. I couldn’t get Dungeon Hunter 4 to recognize the controller a few days ago, but I’m still kind of new to the accessory.
The best case scenario would be for Gameloft to start wearing MOGA support in its Windows Phone 8 games loud and proud. MOGA controllers may be a niche accessory, but anybody who invests in one is going to want more games to play. Gameloft only wins by adding MOGA support to these games’ store descriptions.
MOGA updates for the other games I mentioned are probably a pipe dream, but everyone should take to Twitter and let Gameloft know we want the feature anyway.
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Paul Acevedo is the Games Editor at Windows Central. A lifelong gamer, he has written about videogames for over 15 years and reviewed over 350 games for our site. Follow him on Twitter @PaulRAcevedo. Don’t hate. Appreciate!
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I was looking on the MOGA website and none of those controllers will fit my Lumia 1520. Anyone get a 1520 mounted on a MOGA controller yet?
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Are you positive the 1520 won't fit? The bracket stretches pretty far. Even if not, the Pro Controller also includes a stand for tablets that would easily handle the 1520. You can see it in our video review (written review coming soon).
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I also own the 1520. I had the MOGA Pocket for a few days and it fit the device and worked wonders with VBA8. I decided to take it back and swap it out for the Pro controller because I was convinced gaming on your phone is ten-fold better with a controller and wanted the best one available. yes, both Pocket and Pro fit the 1520 nicely. It extends all the way out and still has a little bit of room more to pull out. So go pick it up and enjoy!!
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My friend on his Android can plug a wired 360 controller to his phone through an accessory cable. Where is that simple system wide support?
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Dude, is Android, not Windows Phone
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Yes, but his point stands.
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What's your point? You'd think a Microsoft controller would work on a Microsoft OS before anything.
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What you're referring to is USB OTG which @ this time is not widely available for all Android phones. There was rumors speculating that we'd eventually get it i assume 8.1
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What they really should've done is implement a standard connection protocol in the Xbox One controller so that controller could connect wirelessly to Windows 8, Windows Phone, and the Xbox without any dongle. It was rumored that they were doing this, when people thought the Xbox One would use Wifi Direct to connect to the controller. Unfortunately, it turns out that they used a proprietary connection protocol again, which complicates the situation dramatically.
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It boggles my mind that I cannot simply plug my Xbox controller into my phone via micro USB and game. This is such a wasted opportunity, they should have made it like windows 8/rt
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Yep, yep, yep. There other wasted opportunity is the lack of high quality games on Windows RT. With my Surface 2, a Xbox Controller, and a game like Asphalt 8, I swear it feels like a portable Xbox....wasted opportunity.
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Except that Asphalt 8 isn't an Xbox Live game. Viva la Asphalt 7!
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I'm pretty sure that somethig like this isn't a high priority on the list. To be honest I can't really imagine that many scenarios where I would like to play on my phone with a gamepad. At home? More likely to play on regular console/pc. On the go? Umm... nope. On the crapper? That is definitely a high cost - low value scenario.
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So I'm really interested in a MOGA controller for my 920. Any body know of only certain controllers work? There are a ton of models and of coarse none are listed for windows phone and I'm just curious about setup/compatibility
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As far as I know, they all work with WP8.
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Good to know, and thanks for the response. A moga controller would be a pretty sick little toy for my 920. Definatly picking one up. Thanks again!
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I have a Moga Pro and a 920. I can't seem to get it work with this game. I turn Bluetooth on my 920, it finds the Moga Pro but will only connect for 5 seconds and disconnects. How do I remedy this situation?
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The disconnection on the Bluetooth screen is normal. As long as the controller connected during that session, you should be able to boot up a Moga game and have it recognized. Make sure you don't boot the game before going through the connection process. Also, Illdanx has said that you may need to be running GDR3 for some games to see the Moga. If you still have trouble, test other Moga-supported games or emulators and see if they pick up the controller.
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I developed a few apps with MOGA controller support and the MOGA SDK supports all 4 controller models (Poket, Pro, Hero Power and Pro Power). However, keep in mind that the Pocket controller does not have the D-pad, L2, R2 buttons, so you won't be able to use any game function that requires those buttons.
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So does anyone know if anything other than the Moga Pro works? I asked Mogas support and of course they gave me a useless generic response
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I developed a few apps with MOGA controller support and the MOGA SDK supports all 4 controller models (Poket, Pro, Hero Power and Pro Power). However, keep in mind that the Pocket controller does not have the D-pad, L2, R2 buttons, so you won't be able to use any game function that requires those buttons.
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Awesome, that's what I like to hear. Thanks a bunch! What were the games you made using the MOGA SDK if you don't mind me asking?
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A gameboy emulator called VBA8 and a Snes emulator called Snes8x
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really? awesome emulator there. i love the vba8 a lot.
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Not to be cheeky but do you have a psx emulator in the works???
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Not needed. There is already a PS1 emulator app in store. It's called EmiPSX and it supports MOGA controller as well.
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I know but both vgb8 and snes8 made it onto windows 8 and i was hoping if you made one it would end up on windows 8
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Moga pivot app is required for connecting Moga to android mobile..
what about wp8 device, i own Lumia 720 and interested on Moga power pro.. -
No MOGA pivot app needed. The app that supports MOGA controller on WP8 will perform the connection. One thing that is very important is that you have to delete all other paired bluetooth devices on your phone for the MOGA controller to work. Here is a video tutorial that I made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfqzZhcr__o
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Thnx man...
itz time to get Moga... -
Actually, I have another device paired and the Pro Controller still works fine with my phone.
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So it depends on the other paired device I guess. I could never get the MOGA controller to work if I have my phone paired with my car bluetooth adapter (this one: http://www.amazon.com/FlexSMART-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Hands-Free-Smartphones/dp/B003PPGOC0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389996036&sr=8-2&keywords=bluetooth+car+radio)
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I play Dungeon Hunter 4 on my Windows 8. It's a meh. Maybe the experience is better on phone, nahhhhhhhh ;p
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Well seem like imma need to buy me one soon
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Asphalt has had 512 ram support for a while.. I wish my 360 controller would work with my WP..
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Yeah, the MOGA support is probably new though. And you can pick up a MOGA controller (the basic one) for as cheap as $20, ya know.
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Paul, any link to buy MOGA? Thanks
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MOGA controllers at Amazon
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I don't get where Microsoft's head is at, they had a perfect opportunity to have built in receiver with a sync button for their Surface tablets to let users use their Xbox wireless controllers, the same could be done for phones, yet on tablets we have to use the clunky huge wireless adapter.
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Completely agree i do love playing live games and even old Zelda's on my tv using my surface but I've got to search through my cupboard just to find the damn thing
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off topic: anyone knows where to buy genuine 920 cyan back housing cover? so far only found cheap Chinese knock-off
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anyone that has 512MB Ram device get's a "No phone space available" Error? I have 2.30GB still on my Lumia 620 ( uninstalled apps & Games ), then still get the same error -_- Restarted it but still the same. Any advice pro's can give? :) Thanks.
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How about Download the .XAP file first then try installing from SDcard?
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about 2.75 gb free needed
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Not a pro but yeah had this prob for installing asphalt 7.Try sending the app to your phone by going to the store on your pc and clicking on install.If it doesnt then try downloading the xap file and installing from sd card.Hope it helps.
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Subway surfer developer said that its not possible to optimize their game to 512 mb device. Lol.. Look at gameloft , they optimize their game & that too very heavy graphic games.
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Yeah, but Subway Surfers runs on a different engine. One engine may adapt well to low RAM while another doesn't.
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Yeah but works perfectly on my iPhone with 512mb ram .. Just that they're lazy to optimize it for 512mb windows phones !
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No, games have different access to memory on both platforms, and the maturity of the underlying engines is usually vastly different. Unity doesn't support WP8 as well as iOS yet.
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Asphalt 7 (1.1.0.0) may have broken the game's achievements ( buying and upgrading all cars). Never won the Agero in lottery (200+ spins attempted) and never found a way to get the newly introduced cars. For achievement hunters and completionists, stay away!
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Hey Gameloft ! For the sake of fuck, please buy an entire Imangi Studios and LLC company so that all temple run games can be optimized by your engineers for 512MB devices.
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I Checked the Store for Dungeon Hunter .The download size is 762MB and works perfectly for 520.
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Will MS release WP 8.1 for developers on 2nd April?
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Woow thank you Gameloft, can't wait to download DH4 on my Lumia 620! And Thank you Paul for the great news! Yeaahh!
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Common MS before wp8 phones were being launched,the executives(i don't remember either Nokia or MS) in interview had said that they would bring support for USB on the GO.Still there is no such thing maybe because of OS limitation of having no file manager but still it would be good if i was able to connect my XBOX 360 PC controller to my phone to play games like Asphalt 7 and 8.Why should we buy a seperate controller when we have one.Android has support for both PS and XBOX controllers dunno about apple.Waiting for that day to come.
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Gameloft should make tr2 and subway surfer.then it will surely work on 512 mb
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*megafacepalm*
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Fucking Yes! ABOUT TIME WOOT!
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My brother has a 520 and we are trying to play multiplayer. Every time he tries to go online the game pops up a message that says that it does not meet the minimum requirements. Is this happening to every 520 user?
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For some reason dungeon hunter 4 lags on my 720 and minon rush also some times....but asphalt 8 and siz guns run very smooth guys any idea why ths happens..and i guess some speeling worng.....