Wednesday, October 20, 2010

100% Free Go SGFViewer2.1 for Android !

I got an Android recently and decided to develop an app for it.  I hadn't done that in years (and never in Java) but I had fun the last week doing something new...It is available from the Android market.

This app is a Go game viewer. It reads an SGF file (Smart Game Format) for Go (KGS and IGS use this format). You can download hundreds of  Famous Game files here.


Just save or download Go SGF files on your sdcard, launch the app, select the file and enjoy the review.

It is 100% free, no ad, no privacy concerns, etc...

I plan on improving on it in the future... Maybe even allow for it to connect to KGS or IGS to view games (I doubt I will ever make a full client...). See TODO list below.

Frequently Asked Questions:

- Why is the version number starts at 2.1?
Why not?

- Which variation in the SGF file do you display?
 Go SGF files can store many variations of the game (i.e. branches of moves). The viewer will only display the last one branch. This is consistent with games where undos are requested, and accepted.

- Does the viewer support comments?
No. There is not enough space on the screen to add more text... unless you use an hourglass.

- Why is the app only working in Portrait mode?
I just haven't got around to do it yet. That's on the TODO list.

- Does the viewer support handicap games?
Yes.

- Why is it free?
Because I am a go enthusiast and  I want to see more people learn and play Go.

- Where can I learn about go?
A good place to start is http://senseis.xmp.net/

- Where can I play go?
On the Internet, two of the best Internet Go Servers are KGS  and IGS. IGS players seem to be a little stronger but the KGS interface is nicer.

- Where can I get Go SGF files ?
Everywhere on the net. KGS keeps a history of every games played for all the users...

- How can I contact you or give feedback, bug reports, etc...?
Please submit posts on this blog.
You can also find me on each of these servers under the username... "TXRanger". My rank usually fluctuates with my mood around 2k-2d. At the moment, I am 1k on IGS and don't play much on KGS.

TODO List:


- add a last stone marker
- add First Move and Last Move buttons
- make it work in Landscape.
- connect to KGS to download SGF files from KGS Users' game history
- connect to KGS or IGS to watch game (unsure about that one, it would probably require too much time I don't have)
- fix bugs, if you can find some...

1 comment:

  1. Hello
    En nuestra empresa venimos realizando diseño e implementaciones de juegos serios para la Formación de Recursos Humanos, desde hace varios años. Involucramos diversas tecnologías, nivelando la cuota de juego versus la cuota de conocimientos que deben adquirirse, optimizando los resultados.

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