True Backgammon

Name: True Backgammon
Rating: 4.37192 (1866 reviews)

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True Backgammon

Games

4.4

1.9K ratings

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CompuLab

In-App Purchases

$0.99 – $4.99

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User Reviews for True Backgammon

Best I’ve seen

This is the best backgammon out there by far, IMO, for several reasons:1. The UI. The pieces, board, and sounds are great. I can “feel” the smooth, heavy pieces as I slide them across the board. You can also tap and touch to move. 2. The choices. You can play black or white, left-to-left or right-to-right, single games or matches, with another player or alone.3. The computer opponent. You can set it to beginner to advanced, and it doesn’t “cheat” by giving you too much of an advantage or getting too lucky with the dice. I beat the advanced setting maybe 60% of the time, which is a satisfying percentage.FWIW, I have not encountered the issues with the dice rolls described by other reviewers. Sometimes in a real game, dice rolls can be funny—turning up the same combination two or even three times in a row. That rarely happens when I play.All in all, an excellent app!ETA: After playing for a while, I am now getting a bit suspicious about the randomness of the dice. I played a game in which the computer rolled doubles 7 times in a row, out of a total of 13 rolls. In the next game, I rolled 5-2 four times in a row. Maybe this is not statistically suspicious, but it does make me wonder.

Aslo White, Jan 02, 2021

the best I’ve found but…

I don’t share the common complaint that it’s unfair. I’ve played about five thousand games now and I win a good seventy percent of them (all on the hardest setting). However, lately this happens: I’m on the bar, computer has an unprotected pip on it’s 1, I roll a 1,5. It won’t let me hit the open pip and will only let me in on the 5. Also I’ve noticed that sometimes it seems to count the bar as a point/space, so if I’m moving into my home It might move a three two spaces instead of three. Not that big a deal since it’s easy to catch and correct. Update:Thanks for the response. Now I feel like an idiot. Of course that’s what it was. That counting the bar as a space thing is probably my imagination as well.

denalwa, Jun 30, 2022

Longtime user

I withheld judgement on the fairness of the dice to get a long term analysis. Ridiculous to claim the this works entirely at random - pay attention next time you leave a piece exposed - like clockwork the computer gets you, try gaining a substantial lead and then use auto finish… say all pieces at home with computer having 5 pieces outstanding; simple probability says you would win in this scenario more often than not, however with this app the opposite is true, computer wins probably 7 out of 10 times rolling multiple doubles in a row every time. Also the number of times the opening rolls are matching is preposterous not to mention the subsequent rolls often coming up as doubles. You can literally predict that if you get ahead the dice will immediately favor the computer by falling in perfectly favorable ways to very specific moves. Used to be good now it’s junk and not a good way to practice and relate to the real game as strategy here is based on knowing if you leave a piece open the computer will get you virtually every time.

f-red-b-head, Jun 05, 2021

All we want are randomized dice rolls!

This backgammon is just like the rest of them…laughably predictable dice rolls to the advantage of the computer. If you leave any uncovered, they will get you. If they leave any uncovered, you won’t get them and their next roll will neatly match up so they’re covered. If they get you out in the second half of the game, there is almost zero percent chance you will roll anything to get back in. The computer gets back in on the first or second roll. What’s even funnier is that 9/10 times, you’ll get a high doubles after these little entrapments, after the computer is well on their way to bearing off. Please—just give us randomized dice rolls.Edit (after getting the developers canned response): The AI knows the upcoming dice rolls too. Which is why they know exactly which spaces to leave open because they know the human will not roll the correct dice. This happens often: the AI leaves multiple marks open (even in home) and my dice sold never allow me to hit them. The only explanation is that the program watches the upcoming rolls and adjusts accordingly.

lopinabqqq, Sep 05, 2021

Challenging but fair

I’ve been playing this version for years and consistently winning matches, either 100 points and the more statistically significant 1000 pointers. I generally win between 65% to 70% of the points. The programmer is definitely an expert player and his/her expertise is reflected in the strategies the program employs. The previous version had a definite weakness with regard to when it would accept a double and it was possible to trick it into multiple doubles when it did not have the advantage. This problem was eliminated entirely. That said, the program still has a weakness that you can exploit for extra points. It will not accept a double in most cases when you have a pip count of 8 in your favor. That said, the programmer’s expertise is so good that if you have to play expertly and avoid mistakes. In the past I’ve read reviews where the reviewer felt the game cheats. Yes, it looks that way sometimes but the law of large numbers prevails and in the end the dice favor neither side.

Lts15, Nov 14, 2018

Dice don't seem right, but great game

Great game. Simple and clean. No ads. Tutor function is great. This was perfect for me. However...I know the developer is likely doing all the right things, but the dice do not seem 100% right. I am tempted to record the dice rolls over the course of 100 games or so to see if I can "prove" this, to myself mostly (and my doubting spouse too). The "problem" I notice is repeat rolls. I somewhat frequently (1-2x per game, maybe more) get the same roll repeated 2-3x. So my rolls will be 1-6, then 1-6, then 1-6 again. I was never good at likelihoods/stats, but I understand there is a good chance of this occurring - it's not as rare as one might think. (Maybe 12.5% chance?) It just doesn't seem like it should happen quite as much as it does. I know how this sounds, but I swear it happens too frequently for the randomizer to be working correctly. Ok, ok, I'm probably wrong.It could be what is frustrating is just how frequent dice rolls can screw up a well-played strategy. This isn't much of a game of strategy - it is both some strategy and chance.I've never played on the most difficult setting, but I'm sure it would trounce me, even after a few hundred games using the tutor function. (Tutor function is like 90% great, 10% overly intrusive.)Great game. But the dice do feel fishy. I wish they didn't!

MikeMikeMikeMike, Jul 16, 2020

Programmer won’t answer question

Question: If the dice are truly random, why does the first roll never end in a tie? Still waiting for an answer. My answer is the dice are not random. The higher the level you play, the bigger disparity in the rolls. At BB2, the computer rolls at least 4 x the number of doubles the player gets. If you trap the computer with only one move to get out, they always seem to roll it, especially doubles, flipping the game quickly. The higher the level of computer play, the more it seems the computer is just programmed to win. When you on trapped in your opponent’s board, good luck rolling a number to get out until the game has flipped. Please spare me the standard response about random dice and check the rolls coming up.

MRBSTAR007, Nov 18, 2020

Very nice but interface needs work

This is a very nice game but it’s not my go-to backgammon game (I play exclusively against the computer right now). I much prefer the one-tap movement found in the backgammon app by Adikus than the tap-tap movement in this app. You wouldn't think fewer taps would be a big deal but it really is, the other app’s interface is smoother and I can fly through a game in half the time. The other app also has the undo button on the screen, I don’t have to expose hidden buttons to undo a move.I’d like to be a better player so I’m intrigued by the BGBlitz tutor but I won’t buy it because I find this app’s interface somewhat annoying. This game is prettier though. I’m not a good enough player to comment on the relative strengths of their engines.

Radish5555, Mar 10, 2019

Dice don't seem right, but great game

SFLDMN, Jul 16, 2020

Something wicked this way comes!

I have been playing this game for roughly 6 months at the advanced level. I’ve read all the reviews and held my peace till I felt more comfortable commenting. So, I have to agree on the developers comments that there is no incentive to make a game that cheats, makes sense. Having said that, the last month has been scary, it’s like the game is possessed. Before then, would normally win about 50-52 % of my matches, the last month I can’t even win one out five, it’s ridiculous. I don’t understand it. It’s like I make my move and immediately know I’m dead, lol. I’m sure there is no logical answer so I will stop playing for awhile before my brain explodes. Great graphics though!

solrac999, Jun 15, 2021

Description

One of the most successful Backgammon games on the iPad/iPhone, one of the most powerful computer opponents worldwide, now has gotten even better. ALL THE FACTS IN UNDER 30 SECONDS * Play against computer or humans. Choose from three difficulty levels.

Play on a cool modern wood or metal board or choose from beautiful and richly ornamented optional boards. Play from left or right or play using black or white checkers. Play against friends in the same room or play against people anywhere on the internet. Your choice, your game. * One of the best backgammon AI in the world (BGBlitz) is available as an in-app purchase as your opponent or tutor. Find out how good you already are and let BGBlitz teach you how to get better. Because, who doesn't love to win? * Connect with friends by playing with them in 2-player mode on the same device or anywhere in the world over the network. An occasional game is a great way to stay in touch with friends or to meet new people. * Available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch (iOS 9 or later required). Optimized for the latest iOS. * You could be playing backgammon like never before in under a minute. What are you waiting for? NOT YET CONVINCED? READ ON... ALWAYS READY WHEN YOU ARE - COMPUTER OPPONENT No matter if it is in the middle of the night or your coffee break, your computer is always ready for a match. Choose from three difficulty levels, according to your skill. For those who only want to play against the best, there is an world class artificial intelligence opponent available as an in-app purchase (more below). Casual play or competitive match? True Backgammon has an opponent for you that is fun to play with or that is a teeth grinding challenge. PLAY WITH HUMANS NEAR YOU - GAME BOARD MODE Imagine you are together with friends and you want to pass some time with a match? Or you sit on a train, playing against the computer and one of your commuters turns out to be a backgammon player too? You don't need to carry a real board with you all the time. Instead True Backgammon is your board. Play against friends and acquaintances, any time and anywhere. CONNECT WITH FRIENDS OR PLAY AGAINST RANDOM OPPONENTS ONLINE - GAME CENTER You prefer to play against humans rather than an AI, but there is no prospective opponent in sight? Become part of the daily growing community of people who play True Backgammon online on an iPad, iPhone, iPod, iMac or MacBook. There's always someone willing to play a match. And you don't just play with them, you can also talk to them via built-in voice chat. BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER - GAME BOARDS We didn't just strive to make a good AI and fluid gameplay, we also made it our mission to make it look good. No, not just good... we wanted to make them look drop dead gorgeous good. We found a skilled designer and then tortured him with feedback until we were satisfied. The result are two boards (metal and wood) which look awesome, while providing little visual distraction to let you focus on your strategy. And for those who love a little distraction, we let the designer run wild with a selection of (optional) fancy boards, rich with decor and beautiful details. Which one is your favorite? AAAND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BOARD, A MULTIPLE OLYMPIC CHAMPION AI - BEEE GEEEE BLITZ From time to time there is an olympic tournament for backgammon programs. We managed to convince the maker of the three times winner BGBlitz to make his AI available to the users of True Backgammon. This AI is a world class opponent for those who only want to match up against the best. And it is a patient mentor. BGBlitz offers a tutor mode, that will point out moves that are less than optimal, and it will show better ones. WHAT ELSE CAN WE SAY? Long story short, we put a lot of effort into this app, not just into the game play, but on every level. If you choose it, we are sure you will not be disappointed.