SmartGo News
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Five levels of computer play
One of the most frequent comments on SmartGo One is that the computer is too strong. In the newest version, you can choose between five different levels of computer play, from ‘SmartGo++’ (full strength, plays like the old version) to ‘SmartGo--’ (making more mistakes). Note that the default ‘SmartGo’ will play weaker than it used to, especially when it’s ahead, giving you a chance. Read more about it in this blog post: smartgo.blog/2023/01/19/smartgo-too-strong/
This goes hand in hand with another recent addition: the computer may resign when too far behind. You can turn this off in Settings > Computer Play > Computer May Resign.
UGF, NGF, and GIB files
SmartGo One can now read go games in file formats other than SGF: UGF, NGF, and GIB (with file extensions .ugi, .ngf, and .gib). UGF is popular in Japan, NGF is used by the Korean wBaduk server, and GIB is used by the Korean Tygem server. More about this here: smartgo.blog/2023/01/08/read-ugf/
Subscriptions
I know many people don’t like subscriptions, and would prefer the old model of paid version upgrades (which Apple doesn’t support). I just want to point out that subscriptions are the reason I can keep adding features to SmartGo One and release them when they’re ready, instead of saving them up for a grand new version. $15/year is a small price to pay for continuous improvements as well as game collection updates (now over 116,000 games) – a heartfelt thank you to all of you who subscribe.
Tips & tricks
Some features you might not be aware of:
- In the Players tab, just tap on the link under Games to go directly to the games of a particular player.
- You can easily view games in book view, showing the game split into figures (as specified in Settings > Book View > Moves per Diagram), with diagrams for variations. This works especially well for annotated games. Just tap on the kebab icon in the lower left of the board, then on the Book View icon in the top row.
Staying connected
Twitter has taken a turn for the worse lately, and while I still post announcements of new versions there (@smartgo on Twitter), I've started posting more on Mastodon: @smartgo@mastodon.social And you can always reach me by email: support@smartgo.com
Enjoy!
Anders Kierulf