Q: I am new to FIBS. Now that I've connected to it, how do I go about playing?

You may want to check out the FIBS web site. You will find many resources there, including links to a user's guide to the commands.

In my opinion, the quickest way to getting familiar with the FIBS environment (without being a burden on others) is to play against some of the computer players which regularly play on FIBS. Some names of computer players are: MonteCarlo (Gamer Cafe's own computer player), TD_one, jellyfish, Snowie, SnowWhite, motif, pubeval, and several more (I couldn't list them all).

To play against any player (human or silicon), you would first click BBGT's 'Players' button to see who is ready to play. (see Players Window screen shot)  From the listing which appears, click on the name of the player you want  to invite and then press the 'Invite' button. (see the Invitations screen shot)  Just enter the matchlength to invite them to a match. (There's not much you can do if the player you invite doesn't respond. Since you are new to FIBS, you might do best by inviting people with a rating and experience close to your own.)

This should be enough to get you started. If you need more help, you can check out the web page listed above for lots of information, or you can even probably find a friendly player on FIBS who is willing to help you.
 

Q: When I try to connect to FIBS, I get the message "Cannot resolve host's address. Connection failed." What can I do?

The error you are receiving means that the computer you are using to connect to FIBS is unable to convert the hostname 'fibs.com' to an IP numbered address. This can be the result of a few things:

(1) Your internet connection has been disconnected. Perhaps you thought you were connected when you really weren't, or your connection was interrupted without you knowing it. Check that you are connected, or try logging into your internet service again.

(2) There is a problem with the network you are connecting to. This means that your internet provider's computer's may be experiencing a temporary problem, most likely with their Domain Name Server (DNS). This problem usually goes away by itself.

(3) Incorrect network settings on your computer. (If you were able to connect in the past and nothing has changed this probably isn't the problem)

It's usually either (1) or (2) and is rarely (3). If you continue to experience trouble, you may want to try this: Select 'Settings' from BBGT's menu-bar then select 'Login'. In the dialog box that appears, replace 'fibs.com' with '208.44.194.40' for the IP address and try connecting again.
 

Q: How do I review/save/load a match with BBGT?

The match review and match save/load functions all work from a "position list". Each time a new board position is received, BBGT adds it to this list. You can then use the match review buttons (the <<, <, >. >> buttons toward the upper right corner of the display) to move thru the position list.

To save a match, you would use the match review buttons to display a position from the match you want to save, then select 'Review' from the menu bar and 'Save Match' from the popup menu. This will save all positions in the position list between the 2 players to a file of your choice. Note that these steps should be performed after the match you are saving is completed. If you save a match before it is complete, you will only be saving the moves currently in the position list.

The match-save feature is somewhat limited in the unregistered version of BBGT. At some point during your session you will receive a message stating that sounds are being disabled and that no more positions are being saved for match review. After this point, any positions you receive will not be added to the position list and so you will not be able to save them to a match file.

Also, there is a sample.mat file included in the BBGT download which you can load by selecting 'Review' and then 'Load Match'
 

Q: Sometimes BBGT freezes when I try to maximize its window. What's wrong?

This is an intermittant bug which I am still investigating. Sometimes when you maximize the BBGT window, it will behave strangely, and will seem to be frozen. When this happens, you can restore normal behavior by right clicking on the BBGT icon in the System Task Bar, and then selecting 'Restore' from the pop-up menu. (This will restore BBGT's previous window sizing and placement.)

It's not as convenient, but you can resize the BBGT window by dragging the corner of its border when the  maximize button doesn't work properly.

Sorry for the inconvenience, I will issue a notice to all registered users and to the rec.games.backgammon newsgroup when this bug is fixed.