True Backgammon Reviews

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 TrueBackgammon 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.

With its history and credentials, this game should be dominating the multimillion dollar backgammon app community. Instead, it’s a mess. Online play against random opponents does not work. No matches. It uses Game Center which is the old way of doing things and I have yet to be matched with one opponent. Standardized backgammon rankings are absent. No customer support option is offered. With all these deficits, this is one of the only apps which charges a fee to download. What is more is that it then asks you to make in-app purchases on top of the original cost. What a shame! Were TrueBackgammon offered for free, it would achieve the critical mass of members needed to have online matches. Then it could charge for extras — like standardized backgammon rankings, and all the frills on which other games are making a killing. Or ... just license out your credentials to one of the companies that is doing this right. I’m sure this is all well-intentioned but it is clear there is no sense of how to make a viable app in today’s “free economy” (where they can make obscene profits (good!) and give us the game we want)).

The developer insists that because you can see the programmed dice rolls ahead of time that the rolls must be random. However, I believe that the AI learns what moves you are likely to make with your rolls, which it knows based on the dice list. It then fills in the computer rolls based on your typical moves. I was playing at the medium level and winning most of the time at first. Then went to expert mode to see how it differed. Won most of the time at first, but now not very often. I believe the AI has me figured out and plans the rolls accordingly. Only true fair way to play is manually.

UPDATE. Done with this one and not wasting my time. Looking for a new app with higher user volume. No wonder this one has very low user volume.

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.

I love this game but I can’t help but feel it is somehow rigged. The computer seems to throw exactly it needs to go out or to land on me. It’s uncanny how often, the computer rolls doubles exactly when needed or the exact count each time in order to land on me. Happens way too often!

UPDATE: I appreciate the response; in reality, I realize it’s not rigged…just very frustrating. Thanks. 2nd Update: I have probably played dozens of games with TrueBackgammon and maybe “rigged” is not the correct word but I fund it uncanny that the computer can roll exactly the right number it needs to put checkers in home, the exact number always needed to land on my checker and the uncanny number of doubles the computer rolls, especially when the opponent is in their home court…definitely giving the opponent the advantage. It happens way too often. I am going to find another game to play with the computer and see if I get the same results. Thanks.

I know the developer has commented on the fairness of the dice engine in the past. And if I was even an average player, I would likely concede them a fairness level. Ive now played several 3 game matches against the computer and am holding my own but in the losses, I get hammered with rare dice (2 in 36 chance thrre times in a row with exactly what the computer needs) on TOO MANY occasions. And when I hope to be as fortunate and get out of jail on my first roll (with identical coverage), I seem to rarely get out. I’m not convinced the engine is fair dice, sorry. I still like the game but...

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.

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 TrueBackgammon. 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 TrueBackgammon’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.

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!

EVERY backgammon game on TrueBackgammon Store have a huge amount of reviews complaining about “the computer cheats.” As someone who played backgammon frequently as a child on a physical board and dice, while it can sometimes FEEL like things are rigged, that’s not at all the case. Developer of TrueBackgammon goes out of their way to prove this, even though it doesn’t really add any value to the playability.

Speaking of playability, it’s fantastic. Graphics look excellent, animations are smooth, and sounds are spot on. You just can’t go wrong for less than 5 bucks, especially since they don’t collect ANY user data.

In the “causal mode” the play appears fair, but the computer makes poor choices and is easy beaten. In the “advanced mode” this program consistently gets the better rolls. It wins the initial roll about 80% of the time. The computer rolls more doubles and uses them to rapidly block out it’s inner house. The human will always get odd rolls that force an unfavorable split. This pattern is so predictable that it cannot be random.
If you want to win, you can simply peak at the next few rolls (as the program does) before choosing your next move.
If you reinstall TrueBackgammon , it takes about a dozen games before it learns to cheat.
The developer response that the rolls are predetermined misses the point. They are not random!

True Backgammon is absolutely one of the best backgammon apps on iOS. I would rank this one right up there with Backgammon NJ and XG Mobile. This one has the cleanest interface of the three, best boards, world class AI and fair dice. No glitzy graphics and ads. The in app purchases are totally worth it and if you want to play on the same device or online against others that is all there. I would like to see a clock option to simulate matches irl and like online on Galaxy and perhaps a real time evaluation engine option but even if these things aren’t implemented it is a near perfect app. Icing on the cake would be a built in clock and score card to use for live backgammon matches but this is probably outside of scope of what TrueBackgammon is trying to be. Developer support is up to date and communicative too. In any case I highly recommend this one. I only have 5 BG apps on my phone after sifting through the sea of apps out there. True Backgammon is on par if not a notch above NJ for general play and features. XG is probably best for analysis. Galaxy best for online timed matches against strong opponents and BG Buddy for my scorecard and clock.

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.

Although I think this is the best, most attractive and easy to play Backgammon I have tried, once in a great while it seems to malfunction, and not let me move for a roll. Very very occaisionally.

There is one thing that totally bugs me: everytime I load the game, this damned GameCenter dialog box shows up. I will never use game center, and likely will never play an online game with anyone. The Game Center requestor should be optional, not in my face every time I load the game.

There is really nothing I have tried that I like better. I hate all of the ones with absurdly fancy graphics or themes. I prefer the beauty of the simplicity of this game! Much more realistic, like the physical board game, only more portable. Buy it!!!

This backgammon game could be the best one if it weren’t for one small detail: moving the checkers requires pointing to a specific checker rather than just the whole point (triangle) where the checker is. This makes it cumbersome to use. It requieres too much fine motor coordination. It is especially tricky to use on a small screen or on a triangle that has many checkers. I think the solution is simple, when using the high-low move mode, the interface should work by just clicking on the triangles (this is the same way in which Backgammon NJ operates and it’s much easier to use).

But apart from this interface issue, I really like True Backgammon: it plays very well (particularly with the BGBlitz extension), the interface is simple and well thought out, and analyses and recommendations it provides are strong and useful.

If the interface was fixed in the way I mention, this would be the best backgammon app for the serious players, above NJ and XG.

TrueBackgammon is fun, fair and a good way to learn the game. I’m a beginner and have tried many backgammon apps. This one is the best I’ve tried…no distracting ads, graphics, and nice layout.
One thing I’ve noticed reading reviews of this and many other apps is that backgammon players always seem to believe the apps are cheating them. I have to admit I saw some weird patterns myself in another app I played. But this one seems to have no motivation to cheat and the developer has gone out of his way to show that he isn’t including the option to roll your own dice.
I read some words of wisdom that placing your checkers in the best position
gives your rolls the most chance of leading to good outcomes. Makes sense to me!
In my opinion TrueBackgammon is well worth the small fee.

The computer play is solid, the best BG I’ve seen. I love playing on this. But I haven’t been able to lose unless I try. It doubles very conservatively, so don’t ever accept a cube. I think it accepts cubes very aggressively, and I win a LOT because of (what I consider) pretty loose acceptances.

You can “cheat” by resigning a clear, clear gammon which the computer will always accept and charge you with a single loss (according to current cube position). You can cheat by looking at upcoming rolls and adjusting your checker move accordingly. I don’t see ANY way the computer can “cheats.” It doesn’t. Promise.

I win a fair amount of 15-0 matches…some 15-3 or 4. A few 15-10+. I’ve lost once, maybe twice. I question some plays: it hits loose in his (or her) back court at times, and skips some hits for reasons I’m not seeing.

1 game opened with 5-1 computer, which the computer used a standard open. The following roll was 4-4 played by the computer! It was not my roll. I tapped and the third roll was mine and game was fine thereafter (I won). But I stared at the 2-roll setup for a long time…assuring I wasn’t crazy. I’m about 95% sure that it took two opening rolls. I’ve never seen any bug since…I may be crazy…I’m ok with that.

Nice work BG guy!

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!

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.

The dice are fair. Period. And the tutor is outstanding. I’ve played Backgammon all my life. Felt I was pretty good at it, too. Then came the tutor. I nearly quit playing it frustrated me so much. Then I started playing against the AI determined not to need hints. After several hundred games, I can almost do it. There’s no doubt my gameplay is improving. As someone who prides myself on always looking for a “better solution to any problem”, this taught me I’m not nearly as astute as I thought I was.

My only complaint, no one ever accepts a challenge. I assume that it’s due to a lack of available opponents. Hopefully, as this game becomes more popular, that will improve.

I haven’t bought the “world class AI” yet but probably will soon.