On 2009-11-07, lutra  wrote:
> On Nov 6, 2:48 am, Gary  wrote:
>> Chris Stevens wrote:
>> > Gary wrote:
>> >>> This weekend I may well play:
>> >>BackgammonNJ (iPhone)
>>
>> >> Asside from the blatantly cheating dice rolls, it's pretty good.
>>
>> > Didn't we have the developer of said game post in here to explain in some
>> > detail that the dice rolls are absolutely 100% genuine? Are you calling him
>> > a liar? FIGHT!!!
>>
>> > ;)
>
> Backgammon NJ definitely does NOT cheat.  Yes, we did post here about
> this exact issue recently...
>
> To Gary:
>
> Instead of going just on "impressions," we strongly encourage you to
> actually print out up to 10,000 dice rolls in advance so that you can
> know without a doubt that it isn't cheating.  Read about how to do so
> here:
>
> http://www.njsoftware.com/note.html
>
> If you just take a little bit of effort and print out rolls, then you
> can base your statements on 100% fact.  Wouldn't you rather know if
> the game were truly honest?  Then, instead of attributing your losses
> to cheating, you can be open to letting the game improve your gameplay
> through tutor mode and hints.
>
>> Hm. It's hard to not think like that when you have three counters to
>> bear off, and the AI rolls itself D6, there go three of his, you get
>> 3+1, bear off 2, then AI gets D5, there go his four remaining counters.
>
> This happens in backgammon all the time.  The next time you get lucky
> and win on two doubles, make sure to take note.  People have selective
> memory and only remember their bad luck, never their good luck.
>
>> And the number of times I've been forced to leave a blot in my home area
>> and the AI rolls JUST the right number to hit it is annoying.
>
> No matter how you've left your blot in your home area, your chance of
> getting hit is at minimum 30%. (11 out of 36)  You make it sound like
> it should be impossible to get hit.
>
>> Plus, if I make what the software thinks is a bad move, it lights the
>> hint button up. Fair enough. I select hint and let the AI make its 'best
>> move' on my behalf for me. Which leaves a blot, which the AI then hits
>> on it's next roll. Blatant bloody cheating AI ... At least, that's how
>> it feels.
>
> Sometimes the best move involves leaving a blot.  Just because you got
> hit on the next roll doesn't mean it wasn't the best move.  Have you
> recorded how many times you've pressed hint and then NOT gotten hit on
> the next roll?
>
> If you're losing to the computer on the easiest level, you should
> check the statistics.  What is your Checker Play Skill Percentage?
>
> Your Checker Play Skill Percentage is a good indicator of how well
> you're playing. It doesn't take into account forced moves or hints.
> Thus, it only looks at the unforced moves you make without hints and
> will give a good indication of how well you're moving (0%: worst
> moves, 100%: best moves, or somewhere in between).
>
> We also encourage you to try a top desktop backgammon program like GNU
> Backgammon.  Not only does it play at world-class levels without
> cheating, it is free and open source, so you can examine its source
> code to see exactly how it works.  Backgammon NJ on Hard level plays
> at about the same level as GNU Backgammon at Expert level.
>
> NJ Software
> Developer of Backgammon NJ
> http://iphone.njsoftware.com

*applause*

-- 
-Toby
Add the word afiduluminag to the subject to circumvent my email filters.