GAMMONSOFT  Do you have the Jacoby rule selected? If you have it selected, and the cube was never passed/doubled during the game, a gammon or a backgammon is only a single game win.  
(Version 6.0.5)

GAMMONSOFT  How would I find a "TOTALLY INDEPENDENT BACKGAMMON/STATISTICAL/SCIENTIFIC EXPERT WHO HAS ABSOLUTELY NO VESTED INTEREST IN THE OUTCOME"

Who might this be? I think the only way you would trust a person is if you chose them yourself. I suggest you find a person like that and have them examine the game. Since the game does produce random dice rolls, I would encourage it.

Since you think the game picks the rolls it needs to take advantage of the situation it finds itself in, I suggest you try my other backgammon game - Absolute Backgammon. It has an option to have a series of random dice rolls generated just before the game start. During the game, these dice rolls are used (you can view them to see). That way you can know for sure that the dice rolls are NOT picked for the situation. If you still think the computer gives itself better rolls, it also gives you a chance to choose to use its dice instead.

Your expert could also analyze a few of these series of dice rolls to determine the probability they are random or not.

I have analyzed the dice rolls for many thousands of rolls looking for patterns and looking at the distribution of dice rolls. All is as it should be. There are no detectable patterns and the distribution of dice rolls is correct: each of the 36 possible rolls comes up equally over many thousands of rolls.

Feel free to email me at macgammon@aol.com.  
(Version 5.7.5)

GAMMONSOFT  Glad to hear that the last 2 guys have been enjoying the game for so long.

The dice rolls are selected at the time of the roll using a random number generator. That is true for all skill levels. No cheating going on.

Years of programming and research, as well as playing backgammon, went into creating the skill of the computer opponent, not cheating.  
(Version 5.7.3)

GAMMONSOFT  It is true that the computer could look ahead at the list of rolls (it doesn't however) but the complaint is that the computer gets the rolls it needs at the exact time it needs them. In other words, the game is picking the rolls it needs at the time. Creating the rolls before the game starts makes this impossible. That is why I added the option.

My first backgammon game (David's Backgammon) was created when 8 mhz was a fast processor. Another very popular backgammon game on Windows took up to 5 minutes (on a 20 mhz processor) to analyze how to move double 1s. Looking ahead at a list, trying to see how to make the current move so that a future roll could be best used would take forever, even on todays fast processors. With an 8 mhz processors you could have gone to a long lunch between each move. David's Backgammon was just about as "smart" then as Absolute Backgammon is now. The longest you ever had to wait was 5 seconds. Not enough time for doing anything extra (like cheat as the reviewer suggests).

Even just picking the best roll for the situation could cause a noticeable delay before the dice were rolled (with the dice sound off, there is no delay)

The bottom line is that the game doesn't cheat but some people will always think it cheats (because it could). There is no way to prove that it doesn't. The best that can be done is to provide statistics to show that the dice rolls are statistically correct (random), the ability to enter your own dice rolls and to create the rolls before the game starts. I have done all of these. Most people accept that the dice rolls are random and enjoy a good game of backgammon, or 2.

Just one more thing, a good backgammon player makes his moves so that more of the possible rolls of the dice will be good on his next move. To some, this might seem like cheating.  
(Version 6.0.4)

GAMMONSOFT  BDAddict has the game he is looking for since the dice roll are determined using a random number generator.  
(Version 5.7.3)

GAMMONSOFT  Your criticism of the game seems to be that you think the game picks the rolls it needs when it needs them (cheats).

Since there is an option to have the dice rolls, to be used in the entire game, generated at at the start of the game, there would be no way it could be getting the rolls it needs to fit the situation. I suggest you select the option. You can find it in Preferences/Misc tab. You can view the dice rolls to see that the game is actually using them. You can also read about it in the FAQ included in the game folder.

A good player moves its pieces to increase the odds that he/she will get a good roll. This may appear like cheating but is just good strategy.

So select the option and continue to enjoy the game!  
(Version 5.3.7)

GAMMONSOFT  Please go past FICHEYEs rantings to get to the honest reviews.

Or you can read all of his posts by clicking on FICHEYE in his posts. I think you will get the picture.  
(Version 5.6.1)

GAMMONSOFT  I hope you go beyond FICHEYEs ranting's and read the many other reviews by more sane people.

By the way, FICHEYE (Dennis Hastings ) has been enjoying the game for many years now. Here is a direct quote from him 8 years ago in March 2008:

" I love your game."

As of November 2000, he reported to me that he had played over 10,000 games with David's Backgammon.

Go figure!  
(Version 5.6.1)

GAMMONSOFT  You are obviously out of your element here. As the reviewer after you said, the dice rolls, to be used in the game, can be saved to a file before the game starts. You can view them to see that they are actually being used. No way can the game b selecting rolls to fit the situation. End of debate!!!!!

Also, the game keeps statistics on dice rolls, and various other statistics including how many first rolls each player has won. You can view that by going to the Stats menu then selecting Running Stats. I am sure you will find them to be statistically equal.  
(Version 5.3.6)

GAMMONSOFT  Fisheye, you are obviously out of your element here. Artificial intelligence has been around, in games, for a long time. It is in David's Backgammon as are random rolls of the dice. The reason you thing it is lucky is because it is using exactly what you think it can't. Go play with your rubber ducky.  
(Version 5.6.1)

GAMMONSOFT  Since I don't know who you are, I can't answer your question for your situation. Please email me at:

absolutegammon@aol.com

I think you have answered your own question though, since you have not had to pay in the past for updates. My upgrade policy has not changed for this version.

I think it would be much more productive if you would email me directly to find out what your situation is.  
(Version 5.3.3)

GAMMONSOFT  Response to NOTAFOOL's post: This is a demo version of the game. The game has always ended a random half of the games prematurely. There is nothing new here. This allows you to evaluate the game to see if it is worth purchasing.

David  
(Version 5.3.3)

GAMMONSOFT  Do as you wish but you have not done a review. You have just tried to steer people elsewhere. I wish you would report my comment, they want honest reviews not what you did.   
(Version 5.2)

GAMMONSOFT  Get Real! KERRALA is obviously helping out a competitor. There is not really any competition there. They have some funny animation but no real backgammon opponent.  
(Version 5.2)

GAMMONSOFT  The score is right in front of your face. Have you really played this game or you do you just like to be negative!?  
(Version 3.0)

GAMMONSOFT  Ancient_Eagle_Spirit obviously has not read the description of the game above or read the manual or checked-out the features of the game that make it certain that his accusations are not true.

Better luck Ancient_Eagle_Spirit  
(Version 5.1.6)

GAMMONSOFT  VEGGIEDUDE, in this case, you get what you pay for.  
(Version 5.1.1)

GAMMONSOFT  For those that might be tempted to try GNUbg, it requires special skills to install requiring additional software to be installed on your computer to use it.

It is not true mac software and does not use the mac interface. Since it was not written for the mac, it uses X11 software as its interface, not OS X.  
(Version 5.4.6)

GAMMONSOFT  This program is good for a beginner for several reasons:

1 - with the click of a button, it will suggest the 3 "best" moves. He can think what he might do then have the game give its suggestions to compare.

2 - it has 5 skill levels

3 - it has a learning mode where a smiley face will appear for bad or good moves. Yellow and smiling for a good choice or red and frowning for a bad choice.

4 - can take back moves and turns, so can experiment

5 - it is very easy and intuitive to use.

6 - can select from several different ways to move the pieces, so can pick which is easier or more intuitive to use.

7 - plus more.  
(Version 5.0.2)

GAMMONSOFT  NOTAFOOL from the previous review is truely not a fool. That is why he has played the game thousands of time.

Even though he is not a fool he is mistaken about the game cheating. It doesn't. The computer opponent has been continually improved over the last 18 years. It plays a pretty good game so it might seem like it cheats.

Happy Holidays!  
(Version 5.3.7)

GAMMONSOFT  The suggestion to calm down was from MacUpdate, not me.

You are welcome to do as you suggest in your review. I would be happy to have it done. Please email me with your plan. I will do what I can do to help.  
(Version 5.3.7)

GAMMONSOFT  Read the FAQ that comes with the game. Then email me at absolutegammon@aol.com and explain to me how the game could be cheating. Logic, not statistics, shows that the game couldn't be cheating.

But if you want statistics, the game keeps enough statistics to also show you that the dice rolls are random for both players. Just look at them and do some basic tests to see that they are.

Since you have played so many games now, you must have accumulated enough data to see. Please attach the file "Absolute Backgammon Preferences" to an email to me. I will take the time to examine them and give you an analysis.

One thing I have learned is that the better the game plays, the more it gets accused of cheating.  
(Version 5.3.7)

GAMMONSOFT  If you set the option to have the dice rolls saved to a file before the game starts, there is no way it can pick the dice to fit the situaiton, as you suggest.

I will most likely add a feature to input dice rolls later this year. I do have it in David's Backgammon. www.bestbackgammon.com

In my Acey Deucey game (includes backgammon), I have included the ability to get random numbers from random.org, then use them in the game. Perhaps I will add that feature also. www.bestbackgammon.com/aceydeucey

If you would email me with the complete message and circumstances surrounding the crash, I can fix it. An email with the exact message would be greatly appreciated.  
(Version 4.8.3)

GAMMONSOFT  LeftNoTracks you can finish a random half of the games in the demo version. Since you have been playing it for a long time now (years by your own admission in a previous post), I think you have had plenty of time to evaluate the game. Don't you think it is time to register it?

Thousands of people are enjoying the game without it crashing. It must be something with your machine. If you would email me, perhaps I can help determine what the problem is.

The cube works fine the way it is. I have tried to make the game as realistic as possible. I have no plans to change it to go beyond the 64 on real cubes.  
(Version 4.8.3)

GAMMONSOFT  Thanks for giving your name. I have located your last email to me. In it, because you don't think the dice rolls are random, you said you were sorry you purchased the game , that I deceived you and that you were going to let your fiends hear about it.

I did respond to you, but, from all that you said, I must have concluded that you weren't interested in the game anymore. if I had known that you were still interested, I would have sent the activation code then.

Now that I know that you are still interested in the game, I have sent you an email (to the address you had then) offering to give you the activation code to your game.

Since you think the game picks the dice rolls to fit the situation, I recommended that you try my other backgammon game - Absolute Backgammon. With it, there is a feature where you can be 100% sure that the dice rolls are not chosen to fit the situation.

Better luck.

David  
(Version 5.3.4)

GAMMONSOFT  if you identify yourself, I can check to see what happened. You can email me at macgammon@aol.com.

Most of the time when players think the game cheats it is because they don't do a well as they think they should. Their first thought is to think the game is cheating. Makes them feel better.

The game keeps statistics that show that the computer opponent does not have any advantage in the dice rolls.  
(Version 5.3.4)

GAMMONSOFT  Contrary, to what the previous reviewer said, the dice rolls are random in all circumstances.

Also, I do respond promptly to all emails and do give solutions to problems like crashed machines. In this case, once they had fixed their machine, I would give the person a new password/activation code for their game.

If they registered the game a long time ago and don't have a backup copy, they might have to pay an upgrade fee to use the current version of the game.

David's Backgammon has been available and improved for 10 years now.  
(Version 5.3.4)

GAMMONSOFT  The previous reviewer's comments are absolutely untrue. The dice rolls are random and do not favor either player in any situation except by luck.

All of the dice rolls, to the used in the game, can be saved to a file at the start of a new game. These can be viewed to see that the game is actually using them.

You can also select to use the computer's dice rolls if you feel it is luckier than you.

Also, the stats, kept by the game, will show that the rolling of doubles is statistically correct for both players.  
(Version 4.7.3)

DAVID BYRUM  I am the author of David's Backagmmon. This is response to the tirade by George R. O'Connor. Since he is not telling the truth in any way shape or form, I feel that I must respond.

First, I was not late in getting him the activation code. It took 3 days because I was on vacation. It was posted on my website that I was gone until then.

Second, he says he never got the activation code needed after saying he had a problem after doing a clean install of OS X. He is correct, I emailed him 7 times requesting the ID from the game so that I could determine the activation code, each time explaining how to get it from the game. He kept insisting that I didn't need it, so he never gave it to me so I could never give him the activation code.

Third, his comment "I get an add from him soliciting my purchase of his new "glass board" version of the program." refers to me informing him of a new backgammon game - Absolute Backgammon - that I created that he might check out. I also recommended that he download the current version of David's Backgammon and that I would give him the activation code for it.   
(Version 4.7.9)