Backgammon hack wanted!

[SoundGammon]

12 hours ago, intvdave said:

The LTO Flash comes in a game board.

 

My game board will fit in a Mattel cartridge shell. Yes, it will fit in a Backgammon cart.

Ok, I'll take it!

[intvdave]

Here we see 2 things:

1) The PIP scores show and update during game play. No need to press the side button

2) At the end of the game, you go back to the game menu to select another game.

 

 

to-do: Show how many times each player has won.

Any other reasonable ideas?

 

[carlsson]

I'm ashamed to admit, but inspired from some other game in the making I looked up if strip backgammon is a thing. Apparently it is, but too much work to incorporate in this hack. I even found there is a such game for the Commodore 64!

[Zendocon]

14 hours ago, intvdave said:

Are you saying you are going to look into what it will look like with more than 15 pieces in a slot? I do not think anything needs to be done with this. I am not going to put a version of the game that has more than 15 pieces.  If you want a long game, play the Dutch version. All pieces start off on the center.

If we're capping the number of pieces at 15 for each player, then we're fine.  I did find the ROM location where pieces are displayed.

 

7 hours ago, intvdave said:

Here we see 2 things:

1) The PIP scores show and update during game play. No need to press the side button

2) At the end of the game, you go back to the game menu to select another game.

 

to-do: Show how many times each player has won.

Any other reasonable ideas?

How about a Doubling Cube?

[intvdave]

I have completed all the boards. For me, the game is done. One of them is random. Here are the screens:

 

(sample screen as they are random )

 

[carlsson]

If there would be a category for best hack in the GOTY, I think we'd have a strong candidate here.

[intvdave]

18 hours ago, carlsson said:

If there would be a category for best hack in the GOTY, I think we'd have a strong candidate here.

 

Hopefully, it will be boxing. Doing the update to backgammon was just a small distraction though i am happy how it came out. I just completed changing how quitting the game works. Instead of 9, you press the lower left side button. Last thing to do is write a small manual for it. Phew.. almost done.

[intvdave]

Super Pro Gammon is now available at:

 

http://intellivision.us/index.php

 

I can make a few game boards for those interested. Include it in your message to me.

 

Here is the manual for the game. It explains the differences.

 

Manual.pdf

 

[+intellivotion]

I'm in for a board!

[Kamikazi26]

Board here as well please. 

[+cmart604]

Messaged on your site. Definitely interested in a board for this. 
 

thanks! 

[wolfy62]

Looks awesome,PM sent!

[MonsterSky]

Lest message on your site for the board, Thanks!

[Jaxivision]

I would like one.

[Special Teams]

Message sent through your site.

Thanks!

[Gernot]

"Meier" respectively "Tic-Tac" my ex (a Maghreb) played very often with me, but for "Meier" and "Tic-Tac" you have no starting positions and will have to roll a double for every piece to place in the board.

"Meier" you play like Backgammon in counter movement, for "Tic-Tac" both players would play in the same direction but this in never played with her.

I can't tell how often we played it, every evening in the first couple of years of our marriage later far less - unfortunately.

 

To call what is played basically in Maghreb "Dutch Gammon" is nearly worth a war

It isn't Dutch neither it is French it is - the whole game is - from mediterranean sea, North Africa to be precise and seems to be based on probably the oldest game known to mankind "Serata" (known as well by different names) which is a "simple" counting game but not as simple as one could guess, it uses no dices but the general idea is quite similar. "Moles" for this game have been found older then 5000 years.

 

Next

My stepson learned in this manner counting before he could proper spell Swiss-German. My wife always said he's to young to understand the rules and i said always let him play he will understand and i was right.

 

Dunno if you changed the hardness but the Intellivision Backgammon is to easy for me but compared to my ex i'm a bloody beginner and need far to long for my moves.

A time limit would have been a good option here to force you to play fast which is expected of a Backgammon likewise when you see how they play Domino.

Unlike Chess these are no thinking games and you don't have all the time of the world to think about a move, "PLAY!".

Aged 16 (1982) i had a Backgammon computer, this was a quite hard to beat machine on which i learned the game it was nearly unknown to my friends, but after most of my friends beat me, i'm a to good teacher.

 

Side note, last week i dig through my mess at home and i found a Backgammon board i really forgot that i still have it, i even have a second one portable i made once myself from a steel sheet and small magnets, all hand painted. A bit difficult to pick up the pieces but therefore you could play head-over or in zero gravity.

 

Spoiler

 

And a quite different game i created once with my first girlfriend still lurks around, a bit washed out after 30 years, it's a board game basically a Monopoly, wrong a "Polypoly".

You know women have a problem with Monopoly, very soon no matter who plays it there are only two competitors left and the other two players will be bored, not very funny.

Thus i changed the idea a bit, first you don't have to know where the expensive fields are this causes that every player aspires only for the three end fields in Momopoly, for this i created an "empty" board and you have to draw a card from as set which is larger in count as you have fields on the board, this leads to that you won't know what will be the result and who will have the best positions, the purpose or "industry" (i chose industry and crafts including a cathouse and such rather uncommon crafts) you write on the fields with a marker (the board is plastic coated therefore). Further i implemented some role playing stuff, obstacles and especially fields which allow you to battle with an opponent of your choice (roll a dice the winner takes the card he is asking for if he loses he has to offer the one his opponent is requesting from him). Added some stupid things like assurances which no one likes to pay until you pick up a card "flooding" or "fire" then you will know what it is good for especially if you own a lot. You can even die in this game - and be resurrected, just pick a new handcrafted figure, either a shroom, a skull, a green leafy thing and such even uncommon figures.

Roll a dice (or roll a joint, even this exists and you will have to). It was a lot of fun to create and fun to play even, my first girlfriend and me liked board games much we even bought a "Mah-Jongg" which is nearly unknown in Switzerland.

 

 

Edited May 27, 2021 by Gernot

[Gernot]

It plays to safe and you can't win a safe play in Backgammon, you have to risk and most of all you have to know when you can risk.

(and you have to cheat, really yes but only do if you opponent is inattentive or takes to long for his moves).

[Gernot]

On 5/25/2021 at 2:59 AM, intvdave said:

Super Pro Gammon is now available at:

Fair offer i have to say.

 

Something else, who the heck needs a pip score?

Do you think she ever counted that?

But she won mostly!

That's what matters.

 

Probably it could be of interest if one plays for money and uses the multiplying dice (up to 64 times the bet) but still you can have a good position and lose a game in the end especially for what you call "Dutch Gammon" (Meier as i would call it).

Edited May 27, 2021 by Gernot

[Zendocon]

13 hours ago, Gernot said:

Probably it could be of interest if one plays for money and uses the multiplying dice (up to 64 times the bet) but still you can have a good position and lose a game in the end especially for what you call "Dutch Gammon" (Meier as i would call it).

I did suggest a Doubling Cube, but I guess that would have added too much to the original game.

[Gernot]

16 minutes ago, Zendocon said:

I did suggest a Doubling Cube, but I guess that would have added too much to the original game.

For a nothing it won't make any sense to me.

One lost once a Kingdom due to dice rolling...

And many lost their cattle or home with Backgammon.

 

[intvdave]

On 5/28/2021 at 8:36 AM, Zendocon said:

I did suggest a Doubling Cube, but I guess that would have added too much to the original game.

 

Good suggestion but for how many people care about Backgammon, I think the updates I did add enough value. I also wanted to get back to my other project

 

[+BBWW]

Thanks for this. I messaged through your website. 

 

[SoundGammon]

On 5/24/2021 at 6:59 PM, intvdave said:

Super Pro Gammon is now available at:

 

http://intellivision.us/index.php

 

I can make a few game boards for those interested. Include it in your message to me.

 

Here is the manual for the game. It explains the differences.

 

Manual.pdf 174.01 kB · 38 downloads

 

Can't find Super Pro Gammon!

[intvdave]

I pulled it from the site

 

We were talking of a cart release but I do not think that is going to happen. It may just be a ROM release and I can put it on a board for those interested.

 

Contact me through my site or PM me directly

[wolfy62]

Pm sent,thank you!?