gammontool paints a backgammon board on the screen, and then lets you play against the computer. It must be run in SunWindows. The optional path argument specifies an alternate move-generating program, which must be specially designed to run with gammontool.
The game has three subwindows: an option window on top, a message window in the middle, and a large board on the bottom. The buttons in the option window are used to restart, double, etc. The message window has two lines: the first tells whose turn it is, and the second displays any errors that occur.
To start the game, roll the dice to determine who goes first. Move the mouse arrow onto the board and click the left button. One die appears on each side of the board: the die on the left is yours, and the die on the right is the computer's. If your roll is greater, then you move; if not, the computer makes a move.
When it is your turn, `Yourmove' appears in the message window. Place the mouse over any piece of your color, and click the left button. While holding down the button, move the mouse to drag the piece; the piece follows the mouse until you release the button. The tool checks each move and does not allow illegal moves. When you have made as many moves as you can, the computer takes its turn; after it finishes, you may either roll again, or double.
To play another game after winning, losing, or forfeiting, click the New Game button. To change the color of your pieces, click the mouse button while pointing at either the White or Black checkboxes. You may change colors at any time, even in the middle of a game. Changing colors in the middle of a game does not mean that you trade places with the computer; your pieces stay where they are, but they are repainted with the new color. Your pieces always move from the top right to the bottom right of the board, regardless of your color. As an additional cue as to your color, your dice are always displayed on the left half of the board.
If a single move uses more than one die (for instance if you roll 5, 6 and move 11 spaces without touching down in the middle) it is unpredictable where the program will make the piece touch down. This may be important if there is a blot on one of these middle points. The program will always make the move if possible, but if two midpoints would work and there is a blot on one of them, it is much better to explicitly hit the blot and then move the piece the rest of the way.
Created by unroff & hp-tools. © somebody (See intro for details). All Rights Reserved. Last modified 11/5/97