FAQ
Is
there a demo version of your product "Zillions of Games"
available for download?
Yes!
We have a demo of "Zillions of Games"
that allows you to play 48 games with no expiration date, for
free. There are several things the demo is missing however,
that are included in the full, unlocked version. Click
here for more information.
What
is an unlock key?
We
sell software in two different ways: download-only and on shipped
CD-ROM. If you purchase by download-only, we will email you a personal
key that is used for unlocking the demo, turning it permanently
into the full version. This is a convenient system: by downloading
the demo you can try before you buy, and no further downloading
is required if you do buy.
Is
there anything different between the download version (unlocked
demo) and the CD version?
No,
there are no significant differences between the version on the
CD and the downloadable version once it is unlocked. They both have
the full feature set. The advantages of the CD are that you'll have
a physical copy (a better gift!) and that the CD includes a DirectX
installer, which might benefit people who need to upgrade DirectX,
but have a slow (or no) Internet connection. The advantages of the
unlock key are that you can start enjoying the full version instantly
and it is cheaper. For these reasons, we recommend download-only
rather than the CD.
Do
you ship internationally?
Yes,
Zillions of Games can be shipped to most countries in the world.
The shipping and handling price is $15 for international orders,
$5 for U.S./Canada.
Which
games come with Zillions of Games?
Over
350 game and puzzle variants are included on the CD. You can find
a complete list of them here.
Where
can I get the latest patch?
If
you have version 2, the easiest way is to choose "Check for
Updates" from the Help menu. You can also download the latest
patch here.
If
you're still at version 1.x, you can download a patch
for upgrading to 1.3.1 here. We'd rather see you on version
2 of course. Send us information so we can verify you're a version
1 owner and we can get you an version 2 upgrade discount.
If
I buy Zillions of Games and use it to create an original game of
mine, can I then sell my game?
Assuming
you're using your own graphics for the board and pieces and your
own scripting code to implement it, then I don't see why not. However,
keep in mind that other users will need to own Zillions of Games
in order to play it. Think of the game rules files you create as
documents, just like Word processing documents. You can sell the
documents you create, but the purchaser will need a program to open
them with.
Zillions
of Games does not have the ability to generate stand-alone games,
although if you have a game that works in Zillions of Games, our
programmers can turn it into a stand-alone
game for a fee.
Will
I be able to develop new games in Zillions?
All
Zillions games are specified in a powerful, data-oriented, scripting
language designed specifically to describe game rules. There are
sections for describing pieces, the board, the goals, the help,
etc. Scripting is akin to very easy programming. If you have any
experience with any programming language, scripting language, or
formatting language like HTML, you shouldn't have any trouble writing
a Zillions Rules File. If you are good at math and logic, you should
be able to figure it out. If you have no experience in things like
this, then implementing new games may be beyond you, and you should
rely on the games other people are creating.
You'll
need the full (unlocked) version to develop new games, but other
than that nothing is required. New games are described to Zillions
in text files, so all you need to write a new game is a text editor.
WordPad will do, but others can
highlight keywords for you. Zillions comes with a built-in parser/compiler
that will alert you to syntax errors you make and can even detect
run-time problems like endless loops.
A
language reference manual is provided. Another great place to get
help is our discussion board (ee the "Designing
Games for Zillions" topic), where lots of friendly game authors
hang out.
I'm
a good Windows programmer and want to program my own AI for
my game. Is this possible?
Yes,
we support a plugin architecture where you can create a DLL that
overrides Zillions' AI for a particular game. This is documented
in the language reference manual. Also, we have created a sample
plugin.
in
the newest version of of Zillions (download
the newest patch).
I'm
curious whether ZoG's chess play has ever been rated, even
approximately. I know it's not entirely fair to compare a
general purpose game engine with one optimized for chess.
But from your extensive experience, how would you rank it with other
computer chess programs?
Zillions
has never been officially rated, but it is certainly much weaker
than today's commercial chess programs, including our own engines
(NOW, Innovation,...). However, on a really fast computer (I use
a 450MHz Pentium) on a faster time control it does seem better than
me, and I've been as high as USCF 2050. That probably makes it a
good match for an average tournament player on an average machine
and of course means it will slaughter 99% of the gamer population.
It gets all its strength from tactics as it doesn't understand some
long-term positional strategies like Pawn structure.
A
review in "Variant Chess" said, "Some testing seems
to show that Zillions' playing strength is about 1900 in chess and
probably about the same in most chess variants (as far as rating
comparisons between variant chess and orthodox chess make sense),
which is certainly very impressive." However, it was not stated
in the review what kind of PC was used, which is of obvious significance.
Zillions
has beat several masters in chess variant play, if that's saying
anything. In Grand Chess the engine beat IM David Levy, famous for
his bet that a computer wouldn't be able to beat him in such-and-such
a time.
It
would be quite possible to create a strong(er) chess engine that plugs into
Zillions to play Chess through Zillions' user interface with no
change to anyone's Zillions.exe.
Didn't
find the answer to your question? Try the other FAQs linked to at
the top of the page or email
your question to Zillions Development.
|