About this game

Here is a new and powerful computer opponent, for medium and advanced backgammon players. A few game enhancements and key features present in the newest game release are:
  background music and minimize buttons were added
  game code optimization, some fixed bugs, undo options, match length display
  speed optimization; this release is touch screen ready, so you can play it on the new Windows 10 and Tablet PCs
  new design, easy to use interface, new 2D and 3D boards, up to twenty players, Top 20 best players, game position editor
  you can load and save game position files, which are compatible with all the other versions of Backgammon Classic
  you can export an entire match in a text format, which can be imported and analyzed by GNU Backgammon or eXtreme Gammon
  auto-resign function and auto play forced moves, also time information was added for games and matches
  a new, external dice generator and small avatars for star ratings and player turns were added.

This version has a new rating system, based on the general ELO formulas, which considers the computer rating having a constant value, equal to 1700. Due to these changes, the old player list and their ratings will be cleared on this version installation.
 

How it works

Main menu:

Website - launch your default Internet browser to this page.
Players - here you can select, add or edit the player's name.
Top 20 - see the first 20 best players and send your data.
Registration - a page where you can enter or see the game registration details.
Editor - open a backgammon Position Editor; you can edit, load, save or play any game position.
Play - open the game window, allowing you to play a backgammon game.
Statistics - a window with the game statistics
Settings - a page with all the game settings
History - it shows the last 22 match scores
Help - a page containing a brief game help
Exit - you can exit the game directly from this menu

Game board:

Music - organize up to 20 music files and play them
Main Menu - open the main menu from the first page
Time - show the computer current time
Undo - you can undo the last move(s)
Stop - stop the current game or match
Start - start a new game or match
Move - let computer suggest you a move
End game - computer finishes current game
Info - shows information about all game controls
Exit - save the current play and exits the game

Editor and Players pages:

Position Editor allows you to load, edit, save and play any board configuration. You can simply drag and drop checkers from the left side, wherever you want on the game table. When a position is fully completed, you can save or play it within the backgammon game. This thing cannot be done when you are playing a normal game or match; finish them and then you may play a position from the editor. Computer is playing the black checkers, while you have the white ones within this editor page.

When the game starts for the first time, Player is the default username. You can modify it and add in this list up to twenty names for the game players, each of them having independent rating/experience/stars values. Identical names cannot be used, and their length is limited to maximum 20 characters. When a table row is selected, click on the Player Name's cell to edit it, then press Enter to finish editing. The selected row will determine which player will be used in the next games. Notice that the player cannot be changed during a game or match, neither its name can be modified. To delete the player's data from the selected row, press the Reset data button and then click Yes when asked.

Top 20 and Settings pages:

If you press the Top 20 button, a list with the best twenty players will be displayed, in descending order of their ratings. Notice that this list is hosted on our backgammon website, so you should be online to download it or to send your rating data.
You can send the best player's data to our Top 20 (only if his rating is higher than that of the 20th position in the list) using the Post data button. The country name is sent also (3-letter abbreviated name of the country from the ISO Standard 3166); this name is taken from your Windows' country / region setting. A game license allows you to have one single name listed in Top 20, if your best player's rating is qualifying. Offensive nicknames are not allowed. Any attempt to add an entry using other means will permanently disable your future postings and your name will be removed from the list without warning.

The best backgammon players from Top 20 (online) have these ranks:

1500..1599 - Intermediate
1600..1699 - Advanced I
1700..1799 - Advanced II
1800..1899 - Expert I
1900..1999 - Expert II
2000..2099 - Master I
2100..2199 - Master II
2200..2299 - Grand Master I
2300..2399 - Grand Master II
over 2400 - Grand Master Pro

The star system (offline) displays four star badges this way:

4. Rating over 1600, at least a gammon game, Bronze Star
3. Rating over 1700, two consecutive gammons, Silver Star
2. Rating over 1900, three consecutive gammons, Gold Star
1. Rating over 2100, four consecutive gammons, Platinum Star

The game parameters you can set on Settings page are self explanatory. Some of them cannot be changed during a game or a match. If you enable Show score bar option, the game score, the white / black pips counts and your star are displayed in the side part of board. The Full screen option is saved and applied whenever the game is launched. The Match length can be selected from these values: 1,3,5,7,9,11,15 and 25, up with the left mouse button, down with the other button. If you exit the application during a game play, the current position is automatically saved and restored on the next start, so the auto-save option is no longer available. This page also includes the option to play rated or not rated matches, allowing you to test the game without worrying about your rating.

Checker speed - It can be adjusted in four steps, from slow to instant. In case of slow graphic displays, we recommend the instant option to have faster moves
Checker movement - It can be curved or linear, describing how checkers are moving over the board, when their speed setting isn't instant
Checker type - The game checkers could be Black / White, simple or having several shapes
Checker inversion - By default, the player uses the white checkers; this option, if enabled, changes the player color to black
Dice animation - Enables or not a short dice animation
Dice generator - Selects the internal dice generator, reads the dice values from the random.org website (an Internet connection is required) or get them from an external file. When the web source is selected and the cursor remains displayed as hourglass for a long time, switch back to internal or external because your connection is very slow
Bar display - When the mouse cursor is positioned over a checker which can be moved, the destination point (s) may be shown with a dot or by lighting up its bar number
First move - The player having the first move can be decided either by the biggest die or in alternate mode
Left mouse button - The move executed when left mouse button is clicked can be determined by the value of the left or of the biggest die
Select board - The playing board can be selected from several 2D and 3D models
Rated matches - Choose whether the game's score is updating your rating or not
Auto pass turn -  When a home board is closed out, the turn can be automatically passed, in order to speed up the games
Forced moves - Enable this to automatically play the forced moves; the undo command is still available
Doubling cube - When playing matches, you can enable the doubling cube; if enabled, the Jacoby and Crawford rules can be validated too
Match length - Set the match length between 1 and 25 points
Sound FX - Several sound effects can be enabled, for clicks, errors, etc. If so, their intensity can be adjusted by clicking on the volume bar
Voice alerts / Say white dice - Several voice alerts can be activated for button commands. If enabled, their intensity can be adjusted by clicking on the volume bar
Game auto start - If enabled, all the games from a match will start automatically
Player dice - The white dice can be automatically rolled after the black's moves, but this can not be done when doubling cube is enabled
Log file - A text file named bcplog.txt can be created in the game's folder; it contains the matches start and end time, as well as their scores
Full screen - If disabled, the game window is 1024x768 pixels
Flip sides - You can change the side of your home, to the left or to the right part of the board. This would also change the direction of the checkers movements
 

Statistics page shows the total wins of all players and the current game odds. There is also a History page, showing the score evolution for the last 22 matches.

Purchase page - open your default browser to a webpage containing the direct links of the secure payment processors. After your order is placed, you will receive a registration e-mail with the game code in an attached text file. To complete the process, you could:
1. Save the text file to the game's folder that exists in user's Documents
or
2. Save the text file to a local disk, then press Select Text File
or
3. Copy the serial code and press Paste String to have it entered in the registration box from the bottom part of the page.
After any of these registration procedures, you should press Restart Game.

You have to perform the game registration when you are logged as administrator. In case you are using a Windows version newer than XP and if you choose method 1 or 2, you have to Unblock (if this button exists in context menu, general tab) the text file that you have saved to your local disk. Also, the game executable should have set the option 'Run as administrator' when launched. When registered, the Game Status turns to registered and your data will be displayed in the corresponding fields.

More details on Registration:

There are three different procedures to get your game copy registered:

Procedure 1
Save the text file attached to your registration e-mail, bcpreg.txt, directly to the game's folder:

Windows XP case:  My Documents\Microsys\Backgammon Classic Pro
Newer editions case:    Documents\Microsys\Backgammon Classic Pro

Then you have to locate this saved file in File Explorer, make a right mouse click on it, select Properties from the context menu, General tab and press the Unblock button if there.

Procedure 2
Save the text file attached to your registration e-mail, bcpreg.txt, to an existent folder, for example C:\Games. Then launch the game with the option Run as administrator, go to the Registration page, press Select Text File and locate the file you previously saved. Press Ok, then the button Restart Game. Run as administrator option can be selected from the context menu of the game executable or of its icon (tile).

Procedure 3
Select with your mouse the entire serial number from the registration e-mail (last line), being careful to not add extra characters. Make a right mouse click on this selected text and choose Copy from the context menu. Then launch the game with the option Run as administrator (as described in Procedure 2), go to the Registration page, press Paste String to have the serial number in the Registration Box and then press the button named Restart Game.
 

Z or SPACE- minimizes either the intro or the game window
X - exit to Windows from intro or game window
A - statistics page
T - settings page
H - history page
W - watch a game
BACKSPACE - undo the last move(s)
M - suggest a move
Y - players page
E - editor page
R - registration page
ENTER - start a new game
S - flip board sides
L - load a game position
J - Top 20 page
K - Help page
V - save a game position or a jpeg picture
C - change checker's style
B - invert checker's color
F - finish current game
P - stop current game
G - save a game or a match
D - doubles the game's stake
O - toggle for the full screen mode
N - display the main menu
1 - show the game's author
2 - show the time information
3 - toggle the match information
Q - allows you to end the current game and match
I - shows game information
< or > - changes the game board
Message box - Enter or Space means OK, while Esc or N means NO.

  To roll the dice just click anywhere on the game board.
  If you want to select a certain die to be played first in your current turn, regardless of the general settings, just click or tap the preferred die. This will be marked by lifting the die a little bit. Doing this allows you to make any move using only left button clicks or taps (if using a touch screen).
  To make a move or bear off, click on the checker you want or on its triangle. If the checker is on the bar, click on it to enter in the opponent's home. Usually, the left mouse button makes the biggest die, while the right one makes the smallest. If this can not happen due to the opponent checkers, the game will simply try to make the other die. This rule applies also when you are on the bar.
  To double the game stake, click on the doubling cube if you own it or if it is in the board's center.
  The last two games are automatically saved in last.gam and last2.gam files,  allowing you to save or watch them later.
  All registered users will receive for free the future versions of the game, and they have unlimited support via e-mail.
  Here is a match example, text format, for your reference: BCPro2
  Also, here is an old game video to watch on Youtube , one you can download, unzip and watch within the application game001 and another one as mp4 video file