Internet Gaming Zone
Rhonda200z
It was exciting to learn about NOBS... will try to visit it. But I am really
enjoying the Internet Gaming Zone. Was suprised this was not mentioned as one
of the good bg sites.
Patti Beadles
In article <19971116045...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
Well, I won't list it on my site because the system requirements are
far too stringent-- because it uses ActiveX, you must be running Win95
or NT and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
-Patti
--
Patti Beadles |
pat...@netcom.com/pat...@gammon.com |
http://www.gammon.com/ | "I trust you. It's just
or just yell, "Hey, Patti!" | that I'm scared of you."
FERRANTE
On 16 Nov 1997 04:52:23 GMT, rhond...@aol.com (Rhonda200z) wrote:
>It was exciting to learn about NOBS... will try to visit it. But I am really
> enjoying the Internet Gaming Zone. Was suprised this was not mentioned as one
> of the good bg sites.
It is the best site! Fibs and the other have graphics that are
horrible. How anyone could like those sites is beyond me. What people
have at The Zone is far more than they will find anywhere else and I
know as I have been to all of them.
People who do not visit: www.zone.com are doing themselves a
disservice.
I might also add that for those who enjoy The Zone, you should join
the Backgammon ladder at: www.burbs.com Great place to post challenges
and compete and just have lots of fun.
Mark Ferrante
MArk Ferrante
Kevin Dickover
On 16 Nov 1997 18:04:00 -0700, M.Fer...@juno.com (FERRANTE) wrote:
>On 16 Nov 1997 19:08:48 +0100, Morten Wang <warn...@online.no> wrote:
>
>>* rhond...@aol.com (Rhonda200z)
>> in article <19971116153...@ladder02.news.aol.com>
>>| I find the fact that Internet Gaming Zone is hardly ever mentioned
>>| in here. I wonder why that is.
>>| It is a free site, with very friendly people and tournaments all the time.
>>
>>* M.Fer...@juno.com in the article I'm following-up to
>>| It is the best site! Fibs and the other have graphics that are
>>| horrible. How anyone could like those sites is beyond me. What people
>>| have at The Zone is far more than they will find anywhere else and I
>>| know as I have been to all of them.
>>
>>there are a few things I'd like to say:
>>
>>first of all, after playing a lot of backgammon for the past 15 months
<Big snip>
>I will say I may have been wrong by saying that The Zone is the best.
>I can now see how that could offend others who like the other places,
>and for that, I am sorry. It is just that I love The Zone so much that
>I wanted to share it with others who might not know about it.
>
>MArk Ferrante
>
>
I would also add that the netizens there are more willing to help
newbies. I tried to sign on to FIBS and get a game but was ignored.
When I first came to the zone and asked for help someone led me
through the proccedures and practices that were commen at the zone.
For that reason I never returned to FIBS and have made the zone my
sole BG playing site. BTW I have returned the favor to other newbies
many times over. That is the way things should work....
Joshua 24:15
If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord,
choose for yourselves today whom you will serve:
whether the gods which your fathers served which are beyond the River,
or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living:
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord
Kevin Dickover
<)))><
Kevin Bastian
Went there once. *YAWN* Boring... The caliber of backgammon I found
there didn't come close to FIBS. But if all you want is fancy graphics,
glad you frequent the Zone and not FIBS.
FERRANTE <M.Fer...@juno.com> wrote in article
<346ef844...@news.primenet.com>...
> On 16 Nov 1997 04:52:23 GMT, rhond...@aol.com (Rhonda200z) wrote:
>
> >It was exciting to learn about NOBS... will try to visit it. But I am
really
> > enjoying the Internet Gaming Zone. Was suprised this was not mentioned
as one
> > of the good bg sites.
>
> It is the best site! Fibs and the other have graphics that are
> horrible. How anyone could like those sites is beyond me. What people
> have at The Zone is far more than they will find anywhere else and I
> know as I have been to all of them.
>
Rhonda200z
Sorry about that... I was not aware of the restrictions until I heard
tonight.... It is a great site.. wish it was not as restrictive.
FERRANTE
On 17 Nov 97 03:12:18 GMT, "Kevin Bastian"
<kbas...@DON.T.SPAM.ME.sctcorp.NO.SPAM.com> wrote:
>Went there once. *YAWN* Boring... The caliber of backgammon I found
>there didn't come close to FIBS. But if all you want is fancy graphics,
>glad you frequent the Zone and not FIBS.
Talk about boring, nothing is more boring than FIBS, at least to me
and judging by the numbers, apparently many others feel the same way.
Mark Ferrante
Rowena Marsh
FERRANTE wrote:
>
> On 17 Nov 97 03:12:18 GMT, "Kevin Bastian"
> <kbas...@DON.T.SPAM.ME.sctcorp.NO.SPAM.com> wrote:
>
> >Went there once. *YAWN* Boring... The caliber of backgammon I found
> >there didn't come close to FIBS. But if all you want is fancy graphics,
> >glad you frequent the Zone and not FIBS.
>
> Talk about boring, nothing is more boring than FIBS, at least to me
> and judging by the numbers, apparently many others feel the same way.
>
> Mark Ferrante
> >
about, but it doesn't support netscape, apparently!
2) fibs is definitely not boring if you want to play good quality
backgammon - it's brilliant! Plus, lots of very good players log in
there and I have had lots of unofficial lessons which have improved my
game no end - I wouldn't go anywhere else :-)
Kevin Bastian
I just checked Ferrante on FIBS and there is such an account, 1500 rating,
0 experience. Is that you, Mark? Thought you said you'd "tried them all."
How would you know what FIBS is like if you've never played there?
Again, it's not the graphics that keeps people playing on FIBS, although
they're perfectly fine. It's the caliber of play. I only extensively
experimented with one other backgammon server besides FIBS, and that was
GamesGrid. I played 1000+ games on the Grid, and found that I was ranked in
the top 1% of all players there. Perhaps I lost a couple matches at the end
and dropped down to the 98% percentile instead of the 99th. I don't recall.
The point is, I'm a 1650 player on FIBS, and I'm roughly 78th or 79th
percentile. Even THAT surprises me as I do the calculation. There are TONS
of players on FIBS who can have me for lunch at will. As a tournament
player I'm an intermediate player with absolutely no illusion of being
better than that.
I know of someone I used to play on FIBS who left FIBS for Netgammon. He
was in Europe, and lag was part of the reason he left, but the other reason
was that he quickly zoomed up to the top 1% of Netgammon players, whereas
he was 80% percentile or so on FIBS.
Clearly, "different strokes for different folks," and if the virtual
reality setting is what one is looking for, then the Zone might be the
best. The one time I played on there, it seemed like it was very strong on
3-D animation but light on skillful backgammon opponents. I will
acknowledge that the latter observation might have been too harsh or too
hasty. I've just never heard any of any of the top players who play on FIBS
also playing on the Zone. Nor have I ever seen any r.g.b posts from Zone
players commenting on anything but "how neat" the Zone is.
FERRANTE <M.Fer...@juno.com> wrote in article
<34705749...@news.primenet.com>...
> On 17 Nov 97 03:12:18 GMT, "Kevin Bastian"
> <kbas...@DON.T.SPAM.ME.sctcorp.NO.SPAM.com> wrote:
>
> >Went there once. *YAWN* Boring... The caliber of backgammon I found
> >there didn't come close to FIBS. But if all you want is fancy graphics,
> >glad you frequent the Zone and not FIBS.
>
> Talk about boring, nothing is more boring than FIBS, at least to me
> and judging by the numbers, apparently many others feel the same way.
>
> Mark Ferrante
> >
> >
FERRANTE
On 17 Nov 97 23:44:08 GMT, "Kevin Bastian"
<kbas...@DON.T.SPAM.ME.sctcorp.NO.SPAM.com> wrote:
>I just checked Ferrante on FIBS and there is such an account, 1500 rating,
>0 experience. Is that you, Mark? Thought you said you'd "tried them all."
>How would you know what FIBS is like if you've never played there?
>
It's been a while since I was there and I do not believe the above was
me as I was not using this name then. I did play a few games, not many
as initially I was not that impressed and more importantly--not that
good!
>Again, it's not the graphics that keeps people playing on FIBS, although
>they're perfectly fine. It's the caliber of play. I only extensively
>experimented with one other backgammon server besides FIBS, and that was
>GamesGrid. I played 1000+ games on the Grid, and found that I was ranked in
>the top 1% of all players there. Perhaps I lost a couple matches at the end
>and dropped down to the 98% percentile instead of the 99th. I don't recall.
>The point is, I'm a 1650 player on FIBS, and I'm roughly 78th or 79th
>percentile. Even THAT surprises me as I do the calculation. There are TONS
>of players on FIBS who can have me for lunch at will. As a tournament
>player I'm an intermediate player with absolutely no illusion of being
>better than that.
Ok, maybe there are better players on FIBS, but not everyone is a
great player. Also, the ability of players was not the focal point of
my initial post.
>
>I know of someone I used to play on FIBS who left FIBS for Netgammon. He
>was in Europe, and lag was part of the reason he left, but the other reason
>was that he quickly zoomed up to the top 1% of Netgammon players, whereas
>he was 80% percentile or so on FIBS.
As I stated before, there are many great players in The Zone. Two
rooms for those competitive types are there. Right now, I am just an
average player so I enjoy the people I play against. Maybe you might
try it and see what you think now? You may feel about FIBS as I do
about The Zone--I am satisfied there so I feel no need to go anywhere
else.
>
>Clearly, "different strokes for different folks," and if the virtual
>reality setting is what one is looking for, then the Zone might be the
>best. The one time I played on there, it seemed like it was very strong on
>3-D animation but light on skillful backgammon opponents. I will
>acknowledge that the latter observation might have been too harsh or too
>hasty. I've just never heard any of any of the top players who play on FIBS
>also playing on the Zone. Nor have I ever seen any r.g.b posts from Zone
>players commenting on anything but "how neat" the Zone is.
>
Well, you may never see the world's greatest Backgammon players at The
Zone and that is all right. Thousands of people like it. The same can
be said about FIBS. I guess we'll just have to agree to politely
disagree. The people who post to RGB do not always state where they
play when asking a question. To assume that they are all FIBS
devotees' would be making a blanket assumption that could be wrong.
Lastly, if Bill Gates does decide to start charging for access to The
Zone, as I believe he will, then I may join you at FIBS. Now wouldn't
that be poetic justice??
Kevin Bastian
Bill Gates decide to charge for using his products? Aw, Mark... Do you
really believe that the only thing Bill Gates is interested in is money?
He's only interested in our happiness! He's the most altruistic, generous,
sharing, ***ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!***
[KevinB is subdued, placed in a straightjacket, medicated, and
institutionalized.]
FERRANTE <M.Fer...@juno.com> wrote in article
<3470e0ec...@news.primenet.com>...
<snip>
Raydar
>[KevinB is subdued, placed in a straightjacket, medicated, and
>institutionalized.]
Some of us were wondering when this was going to happen. ;))
Ray
Kevin Bastian
For all of you who have expressed concern, KevinB is resting comfortably
and appears to be happy. His fingerpainting is a bit messy, but he seems to
be enjoying it. We'll keep you posted.
-- Dr. Ima Quackendok, M.D.
Director of Psychiatry
Bar Point State Hospital
Raydar <Ray...@foxinternet.net> wrote in article
<3471e...@news.prostar.com>...
FERRANTE
If my words added/caused your mental breakdown, I am truly sorry.
Mark Ferrante ;)
On 18 Nov 97 19:34:32 GMT, "Kevin Bastian"
mashadi
In article <346ef844...@news.primenet.com> FERRANTE wrote:
>On 16 Nov 1997 04:52:23 GMT, rhond...@aol.com (Rhonda200z) wrote:
>
>>It was exciting to learn about NOBS... will try to visit it. But I am
> really
>> enjoying the Internet Gaming Zone. Was suprised this was not mentioned
> as one
>> of the good bg sites.
>
>It is the best site! Fibs and the other have graphics that are
>horrible. How anyone could like those sites is beyond me. What people
>have at The Zone is far more than they will find anywhere else and I
>know as I have been to all of them.
>
>People who do not visit: www.zone.com are doing themselves a
>disservice.
>
I did visit the zone after reading your comments above, but I found that it
is not to my taste.
No. 1. there are no ratings. So win or lose, you do not get a record of
it. You do not know how strong the person you are playing with is.
No. 2. You will not be able to visit if you have netscape.
No. 3. After the long download and connection to the backgammon site, I
shouted six times that I am a beginner and need help. Not one person
answered. I asked how to start a game, and no answer. Some people who
apparently knew each other kept at a conversation.
No. 4. After I did start a game, I found that the only way to move any men
is by dragging them. A very slow process. I asked anyone if there is any
other way to move men, again no answer.
No. 5. If you invite someone to a game, that person will decide the number
of games in the match. So you won't be able to invite someone to your
desired number of games.
No. 6. The game zone help tells you that if you need help for a specific
game, go to that games site and press the help tab. When you enter the
backgammon site, there is no help tab.
>I might also add that for those who enjoy The Zone, you should join
>the Backgammon ladder at: www.burbs.com Great place to post challenges
>and compete and just have lots of fun.
>
I did visit this site also, and again found 100 unanswered questions.
Are there any games played at this site?
If not, where is a challenge posted at this site played?
Mashadi
>Mark Ferrante
>
>MArk Ferrante
Michael Fuhrmann
Hi,
This www.zone.com seems to suck as far as I'm concerned. I use Netscape
and cannot get on to the site. It seems you can only use Explorer to access
this site. Why is this?
To bad for the pigeons at www.zone.com. I've been clubbing my backgammon
opponents over the head for 25 years now, and have enjoyed every minute
of it :). I've also consumed large quantities of wine in the process, and my
liver is still functioning fine, thank you :).
Get Netscape working at www.zone.com and I'll be there to club the players
there down like dogs :).
FERRANTE wrote:
> On 16 Nov 1997 04:52:23 GMT, rhond...@aol.com (Rhonda200z) wrote:
>
> >It was exciting to learn about NOBS... will try to visit it. But I am really
> > enjoying the Internet Gaming Zone. Was suprised this was not mentioned as one
> > of the good bg sites.
>
> It is the best site! Fibs and the other have graphics that are
> horrible. How anyone could like those sites is beyond me. What people
> have at The Zone is far more than they will find anywhere else and I
> know as I have been to all of them.
>
> People who do not visit: www.zone.com are doing themselves a
> disservice.
>
> I might also add that for those who enjoy The Zone, you should join
> the Backgammon ladder at: www.burbs.com Great place to post challenges
> and compete and just have lots of fun.
>
> Mark Ferrante
>
> MArk Ferrante
JCDill
On 16 Nov 1997 04:52:23 GMT, in rec.games.backgammon,
rhond...@aol.com (Rhonda200z) shaped the electrons to say:
>It was exciting to learn about NOBS... will try to visit it. But I am really
> enjoying the Internet Gaming Zone. Was suprised this was not mentioned as one
> of the good bg sites.
Many others have posted reviews, I have only one more thing to add:
I have used the FIBS/W and BGBB interface to FIBS, and the GamesGrid
programs, and in all 3, when you have finished moving the checkers the
game does NOT progress until you pick up the dice. At the Zone I was
*very* surprised to see the game deciding on its own, a few seconds
after the second checker was moved, that the move was over, picking up
the dice FOR ME and then letting the opponent roll! Eeek!!!!
Beware! Don't play your move then *look* at the board to decide if
this is really the move you want, expecting to be able to take back
the move after a few moments reflection, as is common in complicated
positions.
jc
--
My first name has 2 letters, There's only one letter "J".
My last name's a bit longer, It just worked out that way.
I hate spam, and UCE, and all that unwanted mess.
So to reply, you have to edit my return address.
Patti Beadles
Since I have IE on my work PC, I decided to wander over to the Zone
and see what it was like. Here are my observations:
- Pretty board. Drag-and-drop for checker handling slows down play
quite a bit. You had to make intermediate moves... 13-3 had to be
played 13-7-3. The board colors were hard to see on my laptop, and
I couldn't find a way to change them.
- Breaking areas up into competitive and social is a good idea.
- There's no rating or other history mechanism, so you have no clue
about the strength of your opponent, or what his experience is, or
even what host he's coming from. The only information you have is
his name.
- The "choose an opponent" mechanism is awkward. You sit down at a
table and wait to see who appears. I still haven't figured out
exactly what the choose-a-match-length mechanism is. Are there
options for money games, Jacoby rule, beavers, turning off Crawford,
etc?
- What happens if you drop in mid-game? Is the game saved? I have
no clue.
- The game seemed s-l-o-w.
- The only communication mechanisms are shoutlike and kibitzlike....
there was no "talk to one player" mechanism except at the table.
- There's no automove or greedy type option, and you're forced to roll
the dice even if your opponent holds the cube or if you're closed out.
This slows gameplay way down.
On Sunday evening, I couldn't get a game in any of the competitive
rooms. The users were very snotty, and talked to me only long enough
to chew me out for sitting down at a tournament table. (How the heck
was I supposed to know it was a tournament table? There's no
indication anywhere.) So I went over to the social area and found a
game, and was dropped on shortly after closing my opponent out.
As mentioned elsewhere, the zone is ActiveX based, and therefor only
accessible through MSIE. It also isn't accessible through a firewall,
and the errors that you get in trying to do so are extremely cryptic
and awkward.
Summary: it's pretty, the interface is extremely unsophisticated,
it lacks most of the features that I would want in a competitive
environment, it's slow, platforms are limited. It seems like
something that would be OK for occasional social players.
And most of the screens contain ads. Thankfully, they were left off
of the actual board.
A.H. Osthoff
Michael Fuhrmann <Michael_...@bc.sympatico.ca> wrote:
> This www.zone.com seems to suck as far as I'm concerned. I use Netscape
> and cannot get on to the site. It seems you can only use Explorer to access
> this site. Why is this?
The site needs seemingly ActiveX to run. So this backgammon server is
only for people who like to post their credit card numbers and do not
fully understand that using IE Explorer with ActiveShit and Javascript
enabled is dangerous in terms of computer security.
ciao,
aki
--
There is only one war, and it's not between the whites and the
blacks, Labour and the Conservatives, Macintosh and Windows, or
the Federation and the Romulans, it's between those of us who aren't
complete idiots and those of us who are.