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Playing - Game TableOnce you join or create a new table it will appear in a new window. There are a number of buttons and controls in this game table that will be explained in detail below. The controls are broken down into the following categories: Game PlayThere are several buttons that are used during game play. First of all, in order to play you and your opponent must let the table know that you are playing and that other players in the table are just watching. This is handled as if you were at a real game table. Each player that wants to play must "sit" at the table by clicking the Sit 1 or Sit 2 buttons. Sit 1 seats you as player 1, Sit 2 seats you as player 2. Once seated, you can "stand" to allow other players to play by clicking Stand. To exit the table, just close the window. Note: you can't exit the table if you are currently playing in a game. Once seated, both you and your opponent must notify the table that you wish to start a new game. Click the Play button to accomplish this. Once both players click Play the game will begin. Note: if you click play, and then your opponent changes one of the table options covered in the next section (for example, changes the timer from 20:00 to 1:00), then you will have to click Play again. This is so you don't get stuck with a nasty player who changes things on you and then you have to play in a game you didn't mean to start. Once the game is in progress, there are other buttons that can be used. If you make a move that you think was a mistake, you can request the move be undone by clicking Undo. Your opponent then can decide whether or not to allow the undo. Note: You may wish to discuss your beliefs on allowing/disallowing undos with your opponents prior to starting the game to avoid frustration. You can also request that the entire game be cancelled by clicking the Cancel button. Again, it is up to your opponent to accept or reject the cancel request. Finally, if you know you will lose the game, you may resign the game by clicking the Resign button. Resigning is a time saver and also a display of respect for your opponent. Table Options There are a number of options that affect the table, and the game play at the table. All options that affect game play can only be changed by the owner of the table. A player that joins an empty table is the owner. If later that player leaves the table, the player that joined next is declared the new owner of the table. A red square is displayed next to the name of the current owner of the table in the list of players in the bottom right of the table. Different games can be played at each table, the available games are Pente, Keryo-Pente, Gomoku, D-Pente, G-Pente, Poof-Pente and Boat-Pente. Also, each of the above games can be played in Speed mode, more on that later. The current game being played is displayed in the background of the game board, and can be changed with the drop down list in the upper left of the table. The owner of the table can also decide whether or not the game is rated or not using the Rated checkbox. Rated games affect player ratings and also enforce additional tournament rules in the case of Pente, Keryo-Pente and Boat-Pente, see the Game Rules for each game for more information. The timers used in the game are also set by the owner of the table by clicking the Set Timer button. The timers can be turned on or off. If turned on, the timers have 2 parts, initial time and incremental time. Initial time is measured in minutes and is the overall time allotted to each player. Incremental time is measured in seconds and is added to a player's time after each move made by the player. Incremental time is nice to have if you use up most of your initial time, at least you have a few seconds of incremental time to make each move and not run out of time. If you do run out of time, your opponent wins. The timers also determine if the game is classified as a Speed game or a normal game. Separate ratings/statistics are kept for speed games, see Game Rules for more information. The owner of the table also controls the table type, it can be either public or private. Public tables allow any player to join and watch or play. Private tables only allow players to join if they are invited by the owner. To invite players click the Invite Player button. If a player is bothering you, you can boot the player from the table with the Boot Player button. The other table options are available to all players, not just the owner of the table. These options, available by clicking the Options button, allow each player to set their own colors for each player's stones, the option to play a sound after each move, the option to highlight the last move made, and the option to display the stones with a 3D look or just as flat circles. These options will be stored on the pente.org server so you only have to set them up once. Table Chat and Player List Each table is also a chat room separate from the main room for chat about the game or anything else. The chat works the same way as in the main room. There is also a listing of all players in the table that works the same way as the main room. Game Board The game board controls the game and displays the game to all players in the table. Moves are made on the table by clicking on the board. When it is your turn in the game, a preview of your stone will be displayed as you move your mouse around the board before you click. In Pente and variants, captured stones are also displayed to the side of the board so you can keep track. Game History One of the nicest features of the game table is the game history window, located in the upper right. It displays a listing of all moves made in the game and also allows you to navigate back and forth through the moves made. By clicking on the <<, <, >, >> buttons you will move the game back to the beginning, back one move, forward one move, or forward to the current position respectively. You can also click on the move you wish to navigate to in the game history window to jump to that specific move. If you are viewing a past position of the game, and new moves arrive in the game, the game board will flash red to alert you. Below the game history window is a drop down list to change the type of coordinates used on the game board, you can choose either alpha-numeric or traditional. Alpha-numeric coordinates simply map one side of the grid into numbers 1-19 and the other side into letters A-T (Note: letter I is left out to avoid confusion with the letter L). Traditional coordinates are slightly more complicated. The first move is always represented as '0'. All moves afterwards are relative to the center. If the move is L1U3, the move is left 1 grid and up 3 grids from the center. Similarly, D3 is down 3 grids from the center. Also below the game history window is a button to email you a copy of the game in text format, click Email Game. The email will go to the email address you registered with, to change that email address, go to My Profile. Computer Opponent One of the most used features at Pente.org is the computer opponent, created by Mark Mammel. The computer opponent is great for beginner players to practice against and features 8 different levels. Once you can beat level 8, you will probably be ranked at the upper intermediate level. To play against the computer, you must be the owner of the table. First sit as player 1 or player 2. Then click Play Computer and use the options on the right hand side to invite a computer, make sure to tell it to sit at the correct seat. Then, once the computer is sitting, click Play to start the game. To dismiss the computer, just Boot Player it, it won't mind! << Main Room >> Turn-based Games |