GnuBG offline

[khaigh]

Can preferences be set for the dice when playing Tournament Match (GnuBG offline)?

I would like to play this with random throws. The programme doesn't seem to play the game very well, and is either too easy to beat when the throws are fairly even, or virtually impossible to beat when it calculates the perfect dice for itself. So it's only useful for practice and not for recreation, something like playing the game with a pit-bull terrier that cheats.

I haven't yet found a good offline computer backgammon game, although this one seems better than most.

[tucsonAZ]

Can preferences be set for the dice when playing Tournament Match (GnuBG offline)?

I would like to play this with random throws. The programme doesn't seem to play the game very well, and is either too easy to beat when the throws are fairly even, or virtually impossible to beat when it calculates the perfect dice for itself. So it's only useful for practice and not for recreation, something like playing the game with a pit-bull terrier that cheats.

I haven't yet found a good offline computer backgammon game, although this one seems better than most.

There is no preference settings for dice yet. There are some programs that have a "roll your own" dice setting like Jellyfish and GnuBG. The dice rolls are random for each game. If you think your opponent was too lucky, you can always analyze your games with GnuBG from www.gnubg.org
It will tell you how lucky you were compared to your opponent in addition to analyzing each move and cube action and it's free. The 3dfibs offline player is based on an older version of GnuBG. It makes some cube errors sometimes but is still very strong.

maareyes (tucsonAZ on fibs)

[khaigh]

Are we are talking about the same programme?

The version of GnuBG offline that I mean (downloaded along with the latest version of 3DFiBs) doesn't depend on luck in the first place, so there's nothing to analyse - it consistently gives itself the optimum dice at quite predictable stages of the game. If a game doesn't offer such an opportunity, or there is no real advantage to be gained from such a possibility, it simply gives up & resigns.

This programme definitely does NOT play with skill, far from fulfilling the claims made for GnuBG's level on the website - I have won 85% of the games I have tried, and I'm not an especially good player.

[webrunner]

We ARE talking about the same program, and YES, it does have a fair random dice generator. I've played it myself lots of times and won lots of times too (although i lost more games, but that has to do with skill).

Isn't it possible that gnubg is just better than you at Backgammon?


The bots on FIBS seem to be very lucky too but what i have come to understand is that you can influence luck by making the right moves and preparing your board as flexibal as possible.

In 3DFibs it is possible to save matches as .mat logfile. (see preferences)
These can now be imported in the real gnubg (download at www.gnubg.org ) and analyzed.
After analyses take a look at the statistics and you wil see your and gnubg's luck rating. You can even see what misstakes you made when you walk throough the game and open the annotations window.

Give it a try! I learned a lot from it, and still am.
 

[tucsonAZ]

Are we are talking about the same programme?

The version of GnuBG offline that I mean (downloaded along with the latest version of 3DFiBs) doesn't depend on luck in the first place, so there's nothing to analyse - it consistently gives itself the optimum dice at quite predictable stages of the game. If a game doesn't offer such an opportunity, or there is no real advantage to be gained from such a possibility, it simply gives up & resigns.

This programme definitely does NOT play with skill, far from fulfilling the claims made for GnuBG's level on the website - I have won 85% of the games I have tried, and I'm not an especially good player.

GnuBG plays bad if the file gnubg.wd is missing or is the wrong version. I would suggest installing from the main download and adding the file gnubg.bd to the installation.  Ifyou analyze your games, gnubg should be rating world class or higher.