Getting Started on IGS




If you are new to using computers and/or the Windows 95/NT interface, you might want to check out the brief overview on Using Windows.

Creating the Internet Server Document

The Go Assistant creates a document to store the informatio n required for signing on to IGS. To create a new Internet Server document use the File - New command from the menu bar or simply press the first button in the tool bar. This will bring up a list of documents which you can create. The third item on the list will be Internet Server. Select this item and click the OK button.

IGS Property Sheet


A property sheet will appear on your desktop and you can enter vital information required by The Go Assistant to create a connection with IGS. Enter the username you want to be known as on IGS. If this is a new account you may ignore the Password edit field for now, otherwise enter the password for the account in the Password edit field. The host address should be igs.nuri.net and the port should be 6969. You have entered enough information to actually conect to IGS now but you may want to change some of the information on the second page to customize your access to IGS.

Registering a new Account


If this is a new account , The Go Assistant will attempt to register the account when you logon to IGS. When the server informs the client that the username that the client attempted to logon on with is not a current account, you will be asked for your current email address. The Go Assistant will then register the new account with the server. Confirmation of the registration will be sent to your email address. This confirmation will include a password for the account. You will find this password at the bottom of the mess age. Simply reopen your Internet Server Document, Select the Edit - Properties selection from the menu and enter the new password into the Password edit field. After pressing the OK button you should be ready to logon to IGS.

The second page contains edit fields for setting the default match time, boyomi time, terminal size, and info. Also, there are several radio buttons which are used to set the state of your connection when you sign on to IGS. Initially you will want to set match tim e to 1 and boyomi time to 10. Also make sure that Poll and Multiple Games are checked and the other radio boxes are clear. Finally, push the OK button and a new internet server document will be created.

Signing On to IGS

Once you have created a new Internet Server document, have a registered account, and entered the proper username and password into the properties for this document, you will be able to logon to IGS.

When you open your new Internet Se rver Document, a view will be show up. This window will have command bar at the top with a group of four buttons labeled Terminal, Users,Games, and Known. After these four buttons you will see the buttons Sign On, AYT, Help, Refresh and Reset. Depending on the size of the window, you may not be able to see all of these buttons. Simply resize (see Using Windows if you don't know how to do this) the window and these buttons will appear.

The Sign On butto n (when pressed) will start the logon process with IGS. This process includes establishing a connection with IGS, getting current state information from the server, and setting the options for your connection as specified in the second property page for this document. While attempting to establish the connection to IGS, an Hourglass cursor will appear on you window (if you have changed your mouse icons the cursor associated with waiting will be displayed.) After connection, you will see your username in red letters in the terminal window. The client will then start sending commands to the server to setup the connection and retrieve user and game information.

Who is on IGS?

The IGS window provides two windows which give you information on who is on IGS and what games are being played. After the logon procedure is completed the Users window will have a list of all the users on IGS. These users will be sorted by strength. To view the Users window, simply press the User s button and the IGS window will switch to a list of users (if nothing appears, the client is still processing the logon procedure and a little patience will be in order.) The Users window shows the Name, Rank, Location, Wins, Losses, Games In, and Short Info line for each user currently logged on to IGS.

Most windows in The Go Assistant have extra functionality which can be reached by pressing the right mouse button. After selecting a user in the Users window (this is done by moving the curs or over the User name of the intended user and pressing the left mouse button) you will be offered several options by pressing the right mouse button. These options include, Match, Talk To, Results, and Stats. The Stats command will request further information from the Server concering the User. A window will appear with this information and can be dismissed by hitting the OK button. Match provides a means by wich you can ask another player for a game of go. When selecting Match, a small dialog box wil l appear. This dialog box will include fields for setting the time limits and further options.

Gaining Someones Attention

The Talk To command creates a small chat window which can be used for communicating directly with another user on IGS. This window, like the Users window, has extra functionality provided by the right mouse button. Like the Users window, the right mouse button provides access to the Stats of the person you are talking to and the ability to match them directly from the chat window. In addition to these commands, the Chat window includes access to lines of text that you have already entered. They Say menu option will bring open a menu of things to say. By simply selecting one of these options you will send a message to the other person without having to actually type any thing.

You can also directly type into the chat window and send messages to the other user. Anything you type will be displayed in a small edit field at the bottom of the chat window. Wh en you hit the enter key, this text will be sent to the other person you are chatting with. In addition, the text you typed will be displayed in the chat window with a colon preceding the text.

Matching a Player

After you have confirmed that a player is willing to have a game, you may simply use the match command (use the right mouse button again) and set the parameters for the game. After your opponent accepts your match request, a Go board will appear on the screen and you may start pla ying go. Game Overview contains a quick description of how to play a game on IGS.

Finding a player on IGS

There are three basic ways of obtaining a game on IGS. You can directly ask a player for a game by directly talking to them thru a chat window. Other players will ask you for a game via the chat window. The Shout window provides a general forum for communicating with other players on the server. A simple message requesting a game will often generate an o pponent. When you are a new player of some strength, you may find that it is easier to find a game by asking other players individually than by broadcasting a request for a game in the Shout stream.

Whose Playing on IGS?

The Games window in the Internet Server view lists all the games which are currently being played on IGS. These games will be listed in order of whites strength. Games can be observed by selecting (pressing the left mouse button when the cursor is ove r the game id) a game and using the right mouse button to select the Observe command. Shortly, a board will appear and the client will get the moves currently made and display them.

Playing a Game on IGS

Stones are placed on the board using the mouse. Move the mouse pointer to the place on the board where you wish to play next (a little cross hair will follow the mouse around the board showing the exact place at which the stone will be placed.) Pr ess the left mouse button down and after you have verified that this is the location at which you want to play your stone, let the mouse button up. The default setting is for animated stone placement. If this is still the case, you should see your stone glide gently into place. Stone animation helps when there are quite a few stones on the board and you want to see where your opponent has placed their last stone.

To Pass, simply press the right mouse button and select the Pass command from t he list of valid commands. A dialog box will apear and ask you if that is really your wish. Simply click on the OK button if you want to Pass, otherwise click the Cancel button.

Free Games

Games on IGS are normally rated. There are times when two players will want to play a game which does not count towards these ratings. Simply use the Free command before your first move and the game will no longer be rated. A message from the server should be displayed in a dialog box.
Playing Handicap Games Before black makes their first move, they can select the number of handicap stones to play with. With The Go Assistant, you simply right click in the game window, select the Handicap option and then the number of stones you wish to start with. The server will then be informed of the number of handicap stones and your opponent will be able to make their first move.

Undoing your opponents moves

Becuase many opponents will be playing on computers where mous e trouble or mistakes may occur, the IGS server has a built in function for undoing moves. Players may not undo their own moves but must request this from their opponent. If you desire to undo one of your opponents moves, simply select the Undo command from the menu of commands which appears when you press the right mouse button in the game window.

Resigning Games

On occasion a game will approach the point of being unplayable. To resign a game, you simply use the right mouse button i n the game window to bring up a list of menu commands. Select the Resign command and the client will ask you if you really want to resign the game. Press the OK button and the server will be notified that you have resigned the game. If you don't want to resign press Cancel.

Finishing a Game

After three passes on a game played on IGS, both players will be notified that the Server is ready to score the game. You will see a dialog box informing you of this change in state. Close the dialog box by pressing the OK button. You may then mark all the stones which are dead on the board by placeing your mouse over a dead stone and press the left mouse button. All the stones which are connected to the stone so designated will be marked.

After all the dead stones are marked, you may check the score by selecting the Score - Remote command from the menu box created by click the right mouse button inside the game window. The server will send the current score of the game and the cl ient will display this information in a dialog box. If the score is correct you can select the Done command from the list of commands presented when you click the right mouse button. If the score is not correct, then make sure that only dead stones are marked and that all the dead stones are marked.

If there are more dead stones to mark then you may mark them and check the score again. If live stones have inadvertanly been marked dead you will need to restart the whole scoring procedure ove r again. Select the Undo command from the menu of commands provided when you click the right mouse button and all the stones that were marked dead will be cleared and you will have to reenter these stones.

Summation

These instructions should get you up and active on IGS. Both IGS and The Go Assistant have many other features which can add to your Computer Go experience and more information can be found out about them in this manual and on IGS via the Help system.

If this is your first time playing on IGS, please be aware that your skill as a Go player is going to be impacted by your skill at using computers. Many of the best players on IGS will discard their first account after they have become proficient in using the Server. Don't get overconcerned with the initial learning period of using a new Client and IGS. In the long run you will be rewarded with many new opponents of many different styles and strengths.
[Using IGS]
Artificial Intelligence Research & Systems, Ltd.