20 Squares: Royal Game of Ur

The designer has done a wonderful job of implementing Dr. Irving Finkle of The British Museum’s ruleset. I do wish it had some sort of graphic representation of the tetrahedral dice and the ability to “roll” your own dice. I have to objection which keep my rating T Four. My biggest objection is THE AI CHEATS! On the highest difficulty level it almost ALWAYS gets exactly what it needs to knock you out, get a second roll, or to score... almost always. It’s even noticeable on difficulty II, but it is much more balanced. My second biggest objection is the amateurish graphic design. While this has no bearing on the game interface or playability, the visual appeal of the original source game Ur, or many other versions available as tabletop editions, just isn’t there. As a graphic designer myself, I look forward playing games that are pleasing to the eye. When I’m playing this it makes me wish I could help bring this best-of-the-ur-apps-so-far to the next level. Ultimately the gameplay is relatively intuitive(except the ~), smooth and enjoyable, which I suppose is most important.

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This is a fun implementation of the game. Plays the way it should, and everything is accurate. The ai logic is pretty good over all. It does use some catch-up logic that was obvious. I was one role from winning, and way out ahead. It must have given me 8 zeroes in a row until it got closer and let me finish. Don’t tell me you haven’t fiddled with it. give me a break.

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This game follows the most common piece movement flow pattern. There is an issue with the dice rolling, occasionally instead of a 0-4 coming up, a squiggly line appears which seems to be the same as a 0 roll. This appears to be a bug. Also, it would be better if the game allowed you to rotate the board 90 degrees and play from one side as I understand the game is meant to be played, as opposed to vertical. Lastly, it would be nice to see the pieces that you have completed bearing off.

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I have to agree with swhellweg on this. My enjoyment of the game is lessened because the ai cheats. When I play level 3, the ai almost ALWAYS gets the move it needs. So much so, I can predict, 9 times out of 10, how many moves it will get after I move my piece. I really enjoy this game, but that joy is short lived when I play.

I only wish the difficulty was higher. I haven’t lost to the virtual opponent ever. However this is a delight to play. Well done!