Backgammon 3D Ratings and Reviews

Played the medium and it was pretty fair win and lose. Went to hard and my rolls would be one and three or one and two. Computer repeatedly got doubles, mostly sixes. I don’t mind losing but not every time to such obvious bias. I love backgammon and am a pretty good opponent but not when the odds are ridiculous. Can’t someone write a program without skewing themselves to win 90% of the time. Takes the fun out of the game. I want to amend my original rating. My husband showed me how to repeatedly beat the computer on the hard setting. Obviously my skill level was the issue. He has about a 98% win. With my skill drastically, I can manage to beat the computer now….thanks to my wonderful husband. It’s a fun game and I recommend it.

I'd love to give this a 5-star rating, but at least in my mind the app is deficient in 3 areas: 1). Doesn't keep player stats (games won/lost) 2). When you bear off all your pieces, it counts as a win - but it doesn't take into account whether or not your opponent has borne off any pieces. The way I was taught the game, if your opponent had not borne off any pieces, this would then be a 'gammon', and you would be considered to have won two games, not just one. If your opponent still had at least 1 piece left on either the bar or within your inner table, this would be considered a 'backgammon' and you would be considered to have won 3 games instead of 1 or 2. 3). There is no ability to use a doubling cube. 4). I don’t play online and only play as a single, but I’ve noticed numerous times that the programming allows my ‘opponent’ to do something which is not allowed in backgammon. If the dice rolled allows for two moves to be made but playing one of the two moves would leave one of the opponent’s pieces exposed, the programming allows my opponent to just take one move, thereby not having his other piece exposed.

Yet again, I’m writing a review of a backgammon game where the programmers apparently think the only way to make the competition truly “hard“ is to allow the AI to get just the roles of the dice that it needs.

I only use the single player, so I can’t comment on playing others online. I am a decent backgammon player but by no means an expert. However, I can tell the difference between getting just the dice numbers you need and making crafty moves with what The odds give you. It’s not rocket science.

The good news is that graphically the game looks terrific. It’s designed very well in terms of how it’s played. So I give it that, it has a great look and feel when you’re playing it.

Unfortunately it does not keep track of the statistics (wins/losses) and there appears to be no way to purchase a more advanced model that does so.

I have not come to this decision hastily. I’ve played many, many games at the most difficult level and after a while you start to see a pattern. Yes, on rare occasions the AI allows you to win. It’s probably designed in this way to keep you playing. The lucky rolls are heavily in favor of your computer opponent.

This is at least the third backgammon game that I’ve had to write a similar review for. You’re probably getting the most realistic play at the medium difficulty level. Since it doesn’t cost you anything it’s not like you’re wasting your money, hence the three out of five stars.

The AI on this needs some work. I have noticed the following issue several times.

In a recent game I had points 6, 5, 4, & 2 covered in my home board and was bearing off. The computer had all its pieces in its home board on points 1, 2, & 3 except for two on point 1 in my home board. The computer rolled 5-2. It should have moved a piece from point 1 to point 3 and then to point 8. This would have left 1 piece uncovered on point 1 in my home board. Instead, the computer moved a piece 2 spaces in its home board and ended the turn. This type of movement has happened several times and every time it allows the computer to keep a point covered when it shouldn’t.

One other thing. The AI does generate rolls on the hard level that go against the odds. There was a game I should have won easily. I was bearing off and the computer still had 4 pieces it needed to get home. The computer’s next 4 rolls were 3 double sixes and a double 5. My rolls were no doubles with lots of 1’s, 2’s, & 3’s. Needless to say, I ended up losing. However, if you have any skill at backgammon even on hard and with the poor AI, you should be able to win 75 to 85 percent of the time. When it’s not cheating the AI makes some very poor moves even in Hard.

I’ve won enough against this app that, regardless of how good it looks, I’m going to try some other backgammon apps.

I downloaded four different backgammon apps to find the best one. I chose this one as my recommended. There are ads but they are a rectangle at the bottom of the screen, and so far they have been pretty tolerable visually. Unlike other backgammon apps which had ads pop up in the middle of games lasting 30 seconds and/or every time you opened the app.
Game play is what sealed the deal for me. The game rolls the dice for you, then you ‘hold’ the pieces you want to move, the game highlights where you can move for easy visualization, after your move you end your turn. It’s a super clean and simple backgammon game, which is all I want. (I like that this app rolls the dice for me but some might not.)

Fluid motions make it a great experience. The graphics are top notch. My wife and I play over a dozen games a night.

If the creator wants to design something for me, I would love to hear from them. The smooth motion and graphics is far above all of the others. I have reached out to their developer page and gotten nothing. But if you’re listening and you’d be interested in designing another Backgammon game for me similar to this, but with some revisions, then please reach out to me.

It’s really too bad the programmers of this game are so weak. If the programmers were better at the game, they would be able to build the algorithms so that the “hard” level is challenging because the computer opponent is more strategic and not because they program the computer opponent extraordinarily favorable dice rolls.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case in this game. Weak programming makes sure that the computer opponent gets exactly the rolls it needs to win. If you’re successful in protecting your pieces from getting hit, the computer just rolls as many doubles as it needs to overcome your strategy. As an example, in two back-to-back games, I rolled three doubles, which is consistent with ordinary odds. The computer rolled doubles 11 times.

There’s absolutely no enjoyment in playing a game of chance that’s rigged against you.

Obviously it’s a personal preference, but for me the board is up side down, with no option to rotate. Thankfully I can rotate the I pad and play up side down. About 1 add per move, but up side down less noticeable! Looks nice otherwise.

I play on the hard setting, and the device seems to get a lot of doubles at the end of the game, just now for 4 out of 6 turns.
Looks nice, not many options. Annoying confirm press required after you complete your move, slows the game down.
Probably won’t keep because the dice seem to cheat. Hand not played it enough to be sure, but just a couple of times is enough to take the enjoyment out for me.

I play the hard level. The dice are rigged in the computer’s favor. This is offset by the fact that the computer plays at a novice level which allows me to win 2/3 of the time. No fun for an advanced player. Lost a game tonight where computer rolled doubles sixes, double 4s and double 2s to beat me by one piece. Next game I had the computer blocked with 2 pieces off the board and it needed to roll exactly 6-1 twice in a row. You guessed it, COME ON MAN. Happens all the time. Backgammon is not that hard it’s not chess, pick up your game. Improve the computer’s play and stop rigging the dice and you would have the best backgammon game online. BTW, I’ve played all the other free games, same story.

I play this game every day for about 30 minutes to transition into my evening mode. I love it. As a designer, every time the game opens, I have to suffer through the incomprehensibly hideous front page before the very well designed game board appears. The front page is completely perplexing. A really bad mishmash of bad 3D images that don’t appear related, at all, to the well designed game graphics. PLEASE redesign your open page! That pettiness aside, once in a great while, the game hiccups and stacks checkers in odd places, or won’t let me undo. It’s rare. Overall, great job!