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A new and powerful computer opponent, for medium and advanced backgammon
players.
Here are a few game enhancements and key features of
this new release:
background music and minimize button were added
game code optimization and some bugs were fixed, undo
options, match length
display
it is speed optimized and 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 positions files, which are compatible with
all other Backgammon Classic versions
you can export an entire match in a text file, which can be imported and analyzed by
GNU Backgammon or eXtreme Gammon
auto-resign function and auto play forced moves, 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. |
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The
Main menu has these button commands, from left to right: |
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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 backgammon
- 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 |
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The game board, with checkers, doubling cube and the game buttons:
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Main Menu
- open the menu of the game main 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 game controls
Exit
- save the current play and exits the game |
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A backgammon position
Editor, integrated with
this game |
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The 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. |
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Players
page, where you can add, edit or delete the user's names |
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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. |
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Top 20
best players page, showing their rating, experience and country |
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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. |
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The best backgammon players from Top 20
(online) have these ranks:
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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
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Settings
page |
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The game parameters you can set here 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. |
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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
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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
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Enables
or not a short
dice animation
Dice generator
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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
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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
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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
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The playing
board can be selected from several 2D and 3D models
Rated matches
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Choose whether the game's score is updating your rating or not
Auto pass turn
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When a home board is closed out, the turn can be
automatically passed, in order to speed up the games
Forced moves
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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
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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
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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
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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. |
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Registration
page |
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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 from 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.
More details... |
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You have to perform the game registration when
you are logged as administrator. In case you are using a Windows version
newer than XP, if you choose method 1 or 2, you have to Unblock (if this
button exists in context menu, general tab) the text file
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. |
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Keyboard commands |
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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
- show game information
<
or >
- change the game board
When the message box is
displayed, Enter
or Space
means OK, while Esc
or N
means NO. |
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Miscellaneous |
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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,
in text format, for your reference:
BCPro2 |
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Game requirements |
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Minimum:
- Processor PIII / 700Mhz or equivalent;
- Memory 512Mb RAM; 50Mb on a hard disk;
- Video card with resolution 1024 x 768 pixels, 16 bit mode;
- Sound card;
- Windows XP any edition.
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Recommended:
- Processor I3 / 1.5Ghz or equivalent;
- Memory 1Gb RAM; 100Mb on a hard disk;
- High speed video card , 1024 x 768 pixel resolution;
- Stereo sound card;
- Windows 7, 8 or 10. |
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