A letter to the developer

I inquired about the fairness of the dice in a letter to the developer. He did write me back and said the AI is based on a neural network and that it is 100% fair. Below is my letter in response.

Thanks for the reply. I think your app is getting or has a bad reputation. Maybe the rolls are fair, but they dont "feel" fair. This perception of the game whether valid or not, is important.

Ive played it, and my girlfriend has played it and we both felt and said out loud "this game cheats". Not only is this the way weve felt, but when reading the reviews they echo the same sentiment. There is even a review by a statistics professor calling foul, and a 35 year veteran that doesnt see the fairness of the rolls.

Wanting to preserve this game, I think these true issues or matter of perception should addressed. The statement in game description that the game is fair is not enough. I personally think that it should be explained how and why its fair. It might also be worth considering a review of the dice algorithm. This, tending to peoples perception I believe is necessary to gain trust in the game. It could even issue a challenge, if people feel trust in the game and know its strong and fair they will try harder to beat it, instead like myself temped to, or have already deleted it in search of another game. Right now the game has a low star rating in the app store. I know backgammon will never be as big as angry birds, but I think there is potential for further financial growth as a developer, and player base.

idavidi about iGammon, v4.2