Instructions for WWIV Backgammon (ASCII version)
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These instructions assume that you already know how to play Backgammon.
They describe the operation of the WWIV Backgammon program only, not
the game of Backgammon.
Main Menu Commands
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C - Change set number
There are 2 "sets" of 9 games in the program. When you enter the game, the
game set defaults to 1. Use this command to change the game set number. For
example, if you are playing in a game in set 2, you must first change to set
2 before you can view your game or make moves in your game.
E - Enter a game
This will allow you to sign up for a game. If you sign up as player 2
the game will start. If you sign up as player 1, the game will start when
another player signs up as your partner.
I - Instructions
This help file.
M - Make move(s)
This is where you will actually make moves in a game that you are playing.
When you select (M) from the main menu, you will be presented with the
"game select menu", which is described in more detail below. You choose the
number of the game that you wish to make moves in, and if you are playing in
that game and it is your turn to move, the program will roll the dice for you
and you will be presented with the game board to make moves. (The game board
is also described in detail below). If you are not playing in the game that
you select, or if it is not your turn to move, the program will notify you
of this.
If it IS your turn to move, you will be presented with the game board and
your roll of the dice. You make moves by entering the letter of the point
you want to move FROM, and then the letter of the point you want to move
TO. If you have been bumped (indicated by a ON BAR value of greater than
0), then the FROM point will be entered by the computer as BAR. When you
have all 15 of your pips in your "home board", use "Z" as the TO point to
begin taking the pips OFF BOARD. When all 15 of your pips are OFF BOARD,
you have won the game. When you have finished all your move(s), then you
will be asked "Is this Ok? ". Answering Yes will save your moves. If you
decide you want to do the moves differently, answer No and the process will
start over (with the same roll of the dice, of course). There may be cases
where there are NO moves possible with your roll - the program will then
automatically save the game, since there's nothing you can do. Be aware
that the program checks for illegal moves. Also, once you save your moves,
you can't go back and change them.
V - View a game
This command will present you with the game select menu, and you may choose
any of the 9 games. The game board will then be displayed for that particular
game.
Q - Quit to BBS
Hitting "Q" returns you to the BBS main prompt as usual.
The Game Select Menu
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When you choose "V" or "M" from the main menu, the game select menu will be
displayed. The current game set number is shown in the first line, and the
9 games in this set are then listed. The player who's turn it is to move is
shown right after the game number. For example:
1: [2] THE HIGHTAILER vs. BUGS BUNNY
The "2" indicates that it is Bugs Bunny's turn to move. Player # 2 is always
listed 2nd in the game title. If there had been a [1] after the game number,
then it would be The Hightailer's move. The turn number can have 4 possible
values. If the turn number is 1 or 2, then it is that side's turn to move in
the game. If the turn number is 3, that means that Player 1 has already won
the game. A turn number of 4 means that Player 2 has won the game. If you
don't wish to View a game, or if you see that it is not your turn to Move,
then you can hit "Q" at the game select prompt to return to the Backgammon
main menu.
The Game Board
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Once you have selected "V" or "M" from the game select menu, you will be
presented with the game board, which looks like this:
[-] THIS IS PLAYER TWO'S NAME
ON BAR: 0 OFF BOARD [Z]: 0
X W V U T S R Q P O N M
+--+--+--+--+--+--++--+--+--+--+--+--++
| 2 -5 | -3 3 |
|--+--+--+--+--+--++--+--+--+--+--+--+|
|-2 5 | 3 1 1 -5 |
+--+--+--+--+--+--++--+--+--+--+--+--++
A B C D E F G H I J K L
[+] THIS IS PLAYER ONE'S NAME
ON BAR: 0 OFF BOARD [Z]: 0
TOTAL MOVES: 2
[+] LR: 43 LM: M-J M-I
The 1st 2 lines show Player Two's data. The "[-]" indicates that any negative
number on the board is the number of Player Two's pips on that point. For
example, on point S there are 5 of Player Two's pips. The number ON BAR is
the number of pips that the opponent has bumped. The number OFF BOARD is the
number of pips that have been taken off the board (using "Z" as the TO point).
Below that is the actual game board: The 24 points are referenced by the
letter associated with that point. Below the board are Player One's data -
same as Player Two's, except his pips are indicated by the positive numbers
on the board. The last line is the game "status line". The first 3 characters
will be either "[-]" or "[+]". This indicates who was the last player to move.
A [-] means that Player Two moved last, while [+] means Player One moved last.
"LR: 43" means that the Last Roll was a 4,3. "LM" stands for Last Moves. As
can be seen, in this example the last moves were from point M to point J, and
from point M to point I (corresponds to the Last Roll). There can be up to
4 Last Moves, if the player who moved last rolled doubles. Other examples of
Last Moves are:
BAR-E: This means that the player had been bumped, and had to move from the
BAR back onto the board.
E-OFF: This indicates that a player took one of his pips OFF BOARD from
point E.
NO-MOVE: In some cases, you will not be able to move with the roll you have.
This will indicate that condition.
M-I(BUMP):If a move resulted in a bump of one of the opponent's pips, the
Last Move for that move will have "(BUMP)" indicating this.
Additional Items
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The game should be pretty easy to understand as long as you know how to
play Backgammon. If you have any questions or notice any problems with
the game, notify the Sysop.
Have fun....
- The Hightailer