Backgammon Masters Online 12+

Only fun if you're playing your actual friends and family, otherwise, an exercise in rage

The choices are to play one-off games with people terrified to play best of three because they're either cheating or only squeaked by out of dumb luck, an AI that is so simple it's like playing someone without a functioning brain, OR an AI that rolls doubles nearly 3 times what you do. And before you say lOoK aT ThE sTaTiSTiCs, I DID. AI, 8 doubles, me 3. Over and over again. It's also fun to be able to predict with near 100% accuracy that they're going to roll exactly the number they need nearly all the time. The stats only back this up. Try other apps, this ain't it, sis.

It’s also PLAINLY apparent judging by the appalling responses of the developer why this is the lowest rated backgammon game in the App Store even though it’s the oldest. Keep on plucking that chicken, geniuses.

Update stinks, but it is still a pretty good game

Seems a lot of users agree, DO NOT UPDATE!!! This new update stinks! Ive been playing this game for years, and found it enjoyable. Since the latest update, gameplay is slower. Where you used to be able to click anywhere on the board to roll the dice, now you have to click on a specific spot. Moving pieces is more specific where you click also. These seem like small things to pick on, but gameplay is not as smooth, and therefore less enjoyable. Normally I would give this app 5 stars, and perhaps one star is a bit harsh, but updates are supposed to be a step forward, but this is a step back.

*Response to developers response: Although I appreciate your response to my review, you didn’t actually adress the things I complained about, which I admit, were petty. In spite of this, I am actually upping my rating to 4 stars. Even though Im not happy with the "improvements” you made, it is still a good game.

Developer Response ,

Dear player, thank you for your review. We have not changed anything in regards to dice generation. We are still using Mersenne Twister Random Number Generator. You can also increase the animation speed in the game settings.

Greedy

I THINK (Or better to say I personally believe) that your game uses an algorithm similar to the greedy algorithm wich mostly relies on the apponents dice and moves. What I mean is I may have 3 stones left and only one of them open in front of the computer’s single stone at my side, but the computer decides to make its stones safe by putting them on each other or by taking open spots at its own side rather than taking my open stone which may be its last chance to win. This means the computer or better to say the algorithm does not play perfectly but how can it win several games while playing like this?
The answer is: You have had considered a percentage for the upcomming dice in the your algorithm which makes it greedy in real world too 😀. I know that greedy algorithm is not a perfect one and it mostly fails but by manipulating the dice when needed, you have made it perfect. You may want to say that if you record the dices that I get in long term I’ll see that they’re random but I have to say that they only look random while they’re not. In backgammon, the next move can not be guessed completely beacause it depends on the dice and the players decision too.

You’re game has a nice graphic and speed but I think the dice can be improved by using methods like: Genetics algorithm or specially MACHINE LEARNING.

I hope in the dice will be completely random on multiplayer in the online version of the game cause I’m going to download it too.

Thanks.