3DFiBs Backgammon Support

Is there a quick start guide anywhere?

Yes, go to quickstart.html for online tips on geting started. There is also a help file within the program although it may be outdated and may not work with your version of Windows.

The program sure wins a lot of games. Does it cheat?

No, it does not cheat. It plays at a world class level which is good enough to beat most people most of the time. By the way, I did not create the gnubg player. That code is free and open source for anyone to examine it. 3DFiBs just plugged in a module to use the gnubg engine.

I have a lot of saved games, all of which are from my opponents dropping.

Use the repbot tool to filter your invites. All dropped games expire after a few weeks. Droppers eventually get bored with FIBS and leave. Most long term players on FIBS are very nice and friendly.

Repbot says I have a bad reputation. What can I do about it?

Try to make friends and get them to vouch for you. Finish your dropped games and be polite.

What happens if I get disconnected while playing?

FIBS saves incomplete games and allows the participants to resume. Invite the player again using the "S" option.

I forgot my password...

Usernames and passwords are case sensitive. If you saved your password with the save password option when logging in, 3DfiBs encrypts and saves your password in the registry along with all the other 3dFiBs settings that are saved when the program shuts down.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\3DFibs\Preferences

You can retrieve this password using this small program that reads the encrypted password and displays it in. There is no way to retrieve passwords from FIBS.

I try to roll or move and nothing happens.

Try the refresh button on the toolbar. If that fails, click leave from the action menu and rejoin the saved game. To move the smaller number first, use the right mouse click.

I tried to upgrade and now it doesnt even start..

Do a clean install. Delete 3dFiBs registry and re-install.

Start->Run->Regedit

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\3DFibs\Preferences

Most problems when upgrading are caused by settings that are no longer supported by the new version.

Board theme settings file types etc.. that changed from one version to the next can cause error messages.

By clearning out the 3DFiBs registry settings, you can install a new version without any old settings.

A saved game did not convert to Jellyfish format correctly..

3DFiBs saves a log file of a game while playing and converts to jf.mat at the end of the match. Sometimes the first few lines of a log file and mixed up causing the jf.mat converion to fail. This can usually be corrected by manually fixing the log file and usisng the convert log-"jfmat menu. Most common errors are missing match starting lines at the very beginning. Compare the file to a known good copy and transfer the lines and save.

Can I make my own custom style boards?

Yes, Here is a page with tips on making your own board. If you can copy, cut, paste and resize in MS Paint, you can make a nice board

How do I move the small number on the dice first?

Click the alternate mouse button to move the small number first

I have a question about FIBS or 3DFiBs, who should I ask?

A good place to start is www.fibsboard.com. Many differnt FIBS clients have their own forum page there and anything FIBS is actively discussed. If you are logged in to FIBS, you can try a shout (chat into the lobby area) for some answers.

Full screen mode isn't working for me?

When you switch to full screen mode, you may see a regular board that is offset from center. If this happens, use the mouse to drag the size of this window until only the menu and toolbar icons are visible. Once you do this, the play surface will be visible in the center. It should work correctly next time you start