BG Software
achim_mueller
Hi folks,
In chess there are two main programs availible, "Chessbase and Fritz". Chessbase
is one of the best databases, Fritz a strong Computer player. You can use both
programs to save positions, games and matches, replay, analyse and edit existing
games, sort databases by name, openings, endgames or your own developed keys and
so on. There are at least half a million games of strong players availible. One
of the greatest features is, that you can connect Chessbase and Fritz, so that
Fritz will analyse a game or a position.
If you are playing chess you can profit a lot by using this software, and your
strength will arise, if you use it effectevely. I know that many professional
chess player are working with both programs.
Of course there is a lot of other chess software, but most of them try to make
the different sizes compatible to each other.
When I first surfed through the internet and tried to check out all the existing
software related to backgammon, I was a little bit confused. There is a lot of
software to save FIBS-matches (I'm not able to work with it up to now, :-(), a
few replay programs, Jellyfish and other playing stuff, bearoff databases and,
and, and...
Matches are recorded in html, gam, mat, pos, txt, pdf... i can't list all the
different sizes.
I'm not very good in backgammon (as you can see in FIBS and Gamesgrid rating
lists, :-)), anyhow I like it more than chess. But I try to improve and absorb
everything I can reach. Moreover I like to replay and analyse matches,
particularly my own. And I enjoy replaying (annotated) matches just to relax.
But I'm not willed to buy and install thousands of different programs to get
most of the backgammon stuff.
Please, don't misunderstand me. Acknowledgement to all software deployer, praise
to all who comment and publish matches and positions, thanks to everybody who
initiate backgammon related server and homepages. I think they all do invaluable
work where I can profit from. But it seems, that they all try to leave from each
other rather than working together.
In my opinion the development of backgammon theory and practise is in a stage,
that chess reached at the beginning of this century (if it's comparable at all).
There is one big advantage: we now have hard- and software making it easier to
walk through the mystery of this fascinating game.
Coming to the end: I would like to get a pogram that involves most or maybe
more of the features mentioned above. A program with good graphics, editor,
rollout feature, possible to play against and a working database. And I would
pay a fair price for it.
Good luck in all games
amue
MLeifer
Achim Mueller wrote in
Message-ID: <5q2tlu$3...@drn.zippo.com>
[snip]
... I would like to get a pogram that involves most or maybe
more of the features mentioned above. A program with good graphics,
editor,
rollout feature, possible to play against and a working database. And I
would
pay a fair price for it....
Achim, try BG-Blitz by Frank Berger at
http://www.netcologne.de/~nc-bergerfr/
It's free but still a work in progress. The author is seeking suggestions
for new features and
help with programming.
Frank Berger
MLeifer <mle...@aol.com> schrieb im Beitrag
<19970711001...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
Thanks for mentioning it. I had such a low feedback, that i wondered if
anyone uses it ;-)
In a few days i will release a new Version with the old features i.e.
- customizable board
- doubling strategy in matchgame and
- replay of save games in text-format for Fibs and Pbem (Pbem is buggy)
with
the possibilty to give comments.
the new version is completly coded in Java, so you need a Java runtime
system
(a browser is NOT sufficient, its an application not an applet)
- replay should be bug free now
- an integrated database for BG-Games where you can ask questions like:
"all games between Kit Woolsey and Hal heinrich on more than 7 points"
- its free until otherwise told (but i request at least an email (please
with
city) or an postcard (great!), so i have at least an idea who uses it)
- if there are volunteers outside, which are interested in co-developing
such a SW achim has requested together with me, i make my sources public. I
think such a project (then called GNU-Gammon?) would be a good thing for
BG. I agree with achim that BG is today at a stage where chess was, at
the beginning of our century (Kit's book "New Ideas in BG" is IMHO the
first book what has a scientific approach. A real milestone!) and that we
should do something about that.
There is plenty of work for bgblitz:
enhancing the database "show me all 3-1 backgames or prime vs. prime...
a playing module either person-vs-person (over tcp/ip) or against the
computer (those playing modules should be pluggable, so that every one
could
write such a module)
a better documentation
checking that it works on all platforms (ok Java should, but currently you
have to check it)
an agent like big_bother which records matches on Fibs (i suggest the
name little_sister :-))
the same for gamesGrid, netgammon, .....
a fibs client
a endgane database
and, and and
currentyl i have to do some testing and assure that it runs on Java 1.02
and 1.1 and rewrite the documentation in html and to polish up my homepage.
In August i think i will have done that. If you want the old C++-version,
you have to load it now. Through space restrictions i can't keep both
available.
ciao
Frank Berger