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Backgammon (APF M1000, 1978)


Mezrabad

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Backgammon (APF M1000, 1978)

 

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Backgammon is an ancient and respectable game. My experience with it, prior to chronogaming, is limited to wondering what the design on the back of my checkerboard was when I was in grade school. Remember those? You'd have a checker board (or chess board) and on the other side there'd be these two dozen triangles and we'd be like "what the heck is this design?" and some other kid would always say it was backgammon but nobody knew how to play it. At least, no one around me did.

 

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This is close to the opening. I'm playing the blue pieces.

 

So far, there's only two Backgammon games out in our universe of videogames. Backgammon for the Fairchild Channel F and Backgammon for the APF M1000. In a duel to the death, APF's Backgammon wins because it has something not often found in the videogame versions of boardgames during this era: a computer opponent.

 

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clearly, victory is close at hand.

(EDIT 2021: The screens got kind of scrambled so I honestly do not know if this screenshot is appropriate for the caption beneath it, as I've forgotten anything I've ever known about playing Backgammon.)

 

Of course, the Channel F's Backgammon actually had the instructions for how to play Backgammon, where as the APF's version just tells you how to implement the software.

 

So, with Channel F instructions in hand and the APF cart in, I play my first genuine Backgammon game against a computer and I win! Or at least I think I do. There's no fanfare whatsoever at the end of the game. I've born off all of my pieces and the computer continues as if nothing is amiss, even expects me to take my turn when I have quite clearly beaten it soundly. In fact, I don't think the computer has any AI to speak of. It's as if it's "phoning in" its Backgammon moves while playing a game of 3-D Go with someone in another timestream.

 

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Of course there's no blue piece on point, I've already won, you cybernetic simpleton!*

 

Oh, there's no doubling cube in case you were wondering. Channel F's has a doubling cube, but of course one had to provide one's own friend to play it with, so I guess it's a trade off.

 

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It's an impossible move because I'VE BORN OFF ALL OF MY PIECES, you misguided mechanical misery!*

(EDIT: Again, if you know Backgammon, it's very possible that the screenshots have no relation what-so-ever to the captions beneath them. Mea culpa.)

 

Screenshots later (EDIT in 2021: Added them, but many years late unsure which ones went with the captions). It's a nice board, actually. Graphics, no complaints. The fact that it HAS a computer opponent: thumbs up! The fact that the computer opponent is a little "special": meh.

 

Next entry will be the fabled Dungeon Hunt cart! Yay! Early D&D themed gaming! Yay! I want to fight a Ballhog!! ("I SHALL NOT PASS!!!")

 

*Insults courtesy of Dr. Smith.

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It's Balrog, or was that intentional?

When they awoke, all was quiet once more, and after a hasty meal of cakes and ale, they addressed themselves to the problem of which passage to take. As they stood debating, there came from deep in the earth a steady drumbeat. Dribble, dribble, dribble, shoot, swish.

...

Before long the passageway sloped more gently down until with a final plunge it led into a great chamber lined with huge metal lockers and dimly lit by a fiery glow. As they entered the rumblings grew louder: Dribble. Dribble. Fake. Dribble. Fake. Shoot.

...

As Goodgulf stepped onto the bridgethe passage echoed with an ominous dribble, dribble and a great crowd of narcs burst forth. In their midst was a towering dark shadow too terrible to describe. In its hand it held a huge black globe and on its chest was written in cruel runes, "Villanova."

 

"Aiyee," shouted Legolam. "A ballhog!"

 

Goodgulf turned to face the dread shadow, and as he did, it slowly circled toward the bridge, bouncing the grim sphere as it came. The Wizard reeled back and, clutching at the ropes, raised his wand. "Back, vile hoopster," he cried.

From Bored of the Rings

:lol:

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lol, ok, I was wondering what that Ballhog thing was. It wasn't the first time I came across it. :-)

 

On the game, I couldn't play it on MESS. Judging by the screenshots, it seems to run on APF's high resolution mode, which I think MESS can't emulate atm. Too bad - I think I'd learn the rules again to play against the AI (which would be my first time playing the game).

 

You'd have a checker board (or chess board) and on the other side there'd be these two dozen triangles and we'd be like "what the heck is this design?"

 

That happened to me as well!

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