If you are having difficulties connecting to Game Center or starting Game Center games, please take a look at the Game Center Tips page for detailed instructions on how to configure all the Game Center settings to enable multi-player games.
To start a Local Network match using either WiFi or Bluetooth, you must press the Local Network button on the main menu. The "Find Players" view will be displayed, which allows you to select the length of the match and the opponent. The list of available players will display all devices that are currently available. Both players must have the Local Network screen displayed in order to find each other.
If you start a match of unlimited length (∞), the match will continue until one of the players exits the match either by starting a new match or by closing the application and losing the connection to the other player.
Once you see a player in the list, tap the user to invite them to a match. The match length is specified in the view with the "Match Length" control. The remote user will receive an invitation to a match, which they can either accept or decline. If the remote user declines the invitation, the game continues to look for available players. If the remote user accepts, the Local Network match begins, with a randomly selected player going first.
To play a Game Center game, you must first create a Game Center account and log in to Game Center, either using the Game Center app or by using the UI that comes up in FMBG when you start. If you cancel the in app Game Center dialog more than once, you will no longer be prompted to login at the start of the application, and must go to the Game Center application to login.
Once you are logged in, the Game Center button becomes enabled and displays your nickname. Tapping the button will launch the "Find Players" view.
There are several ways to start a match:
In the Find Players view as well as the "Statistics" view, you can bring up the Game Center Achievements, Experience Leaderboard, Match Points Leaderboard and Games Won Leaderboard for FaceMe Backgammon. These only apply to Game Center games. Playing Computer games or Local Network games will have no impact on your achievements and leaderboards.
Once a player reaches the number of points required to win the match, the match will end. When appropriate, scores and leaderboards are updated.
If you choose to start a new match in the middle of an existing match, your opponent will be awarded the match win. Therefore, ending a match when you are losing will result in the same outcome as if you had finished it and lost except you have now upset one of the other players who may choose to not play with you again. So please finish matches even when you're losing, in order to be courteous to your opponents. Hopefully, they will be nice to you in return.
If you close the application, terminate the connection, or leave the application in the background for an extended period of time, the outcome will be the same as if you were starting a new match in the middle of a match, as described above.
If you are playing a Game Center Auto-Match game, each player has up to 60 seconds to make their move. If they do not perform their move before the timer expires, they forfeit the game and their opponent wins the match. Each time you send a chat message during the game, it resets the timer back to 60 seconds. This way you can have a conversation with your opponent and not forfeit the match.
While playing a Local Network or Game Center match, you can send and receive text messages. This is often a fun way of enhancing the game experience. For instance, you can be sympathetic to your opponent when the roll does not go their way, or when you think that luck has left you for good, and you need to justify your loss.
Messages you receive appear briefly on the bottom message line, as well as in the history box in the "Chat" view. The quick pick list on the right side of the "Chat" view, allows you to quickly send commonly used phrases without having to type them.
In the Chat window you can view your opponent's Skill Rating and Experience by tapping the Opponent Details button. You can then switch back to viewing the chat messages by tapping the Chat Messages button. The display will revert automatically to the Chat Messages view when you send or receive a chat message.
While in the Chat View you can Send a Game Center Friend request to your opponent. You do this by tapping the Send Friend Request button.