Copyright 2011, Trivial Technology LLC
Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to the Trivial Technology FAQ! Below you will find answers to some of the more common questions related to our games and the devices they run on. If you have a question regarding one of our games that isnt answered below please contact us via the support page.
Multiplayer
Peer To Peer / Bluetooth
Q: I can't connect two devices. They don't see each other.
A: We've been aware for some time that the Bluetooth feature, as offered by Apple, can be finicky when attempting to connect two devices (seems to be much worse on initial connection for some reason). If you just seem to be hitting a wall, try re-booting both devices and try again.
Game Center
Q: I'm having issues inviting friends
A: The most common source of problems with invitations is one or both users having their Game Center notifications disabled. To check the status of Game Center notifications:
Go to the 'Settings' application
Select the 'Notifications' menu
Verify that notifications are "on"
Check the Game Center App. Make sure that all notifications are enabled (Badges, Alerts & Sounds)
Additionally, if both users have notifications enabled, and you are both able to receive invitations, we have found restarting both devices to be an effective way to get the process working.
Q: How do I add a friend?
A: To add a friend in Game Center (assuming you are both logged into game center) you need to:
Press the device's home button to return to the main screen (if you aren't already there)
Find the Game Center app and launch it
Tap the "Friends" button on the bottom of the screen
Tap the new '+' button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen
Here you can enter either your friend's email or game center gamer name
Tap send. At this point your friend should receive an invitation notification and can accept it
Devices
Q: How do I take a screenshot ? (iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad)
A: Press the Home and Sleep buttons at the same time. The screen will flash white and make a camera shutter sound. To access your screenshots go to the Photos app and look in Camera Roll or Saved Photos.
Q: How do I reboot/restart my device?
A: Hold down the screen lock button until the power off slider appears. Slide your finger to power off your device. Wait until your device finishes turning off then press the screen lock button until the device powers on (displays the Apple logo)
Games
Cribbage
Q: Why didn't I get points for a flush in the Crib?
A: The standard rules of Cribbage explicitly state that a 4-card flush in the Crib doesn't count to the player owning the crib. Only 5-card flushes count.
Backgammon
Q: What is this number on my icon?
A: This is an indication that you have one or more turn-based games awaiting your attention. To clear this, you need to open the game, select multiplayer > turn-based and either play or forfeit any of your games in progress.
Q: Dice Rolls Are Unfair!
A: Backgammon uses a simple random number generator for creating dice rolls. It neither picks dice rolls, nor does it bias rolls towards one player or another.
Q: What are the Dice Roll Options?
A: 'True Random', 'Fair and Balanced' and 'Manual'
True Random: This uses just a good random number generator to generate dice rolls. Dice rolls are made independently of any player or AI. If you want dice rolls that are as true to life as possible - this is the option you want.
Fair and Balanced: This uses an algorithm to limit the number of doubles and runs so that over the course of a game no player gets substantially more doubles than the other (we essentially force a re-roll if a player starts to get too many doubles). The intent here was to provide a more balanced set of dice rolls to both players. If you want to play games where no player can have overly favorable dice rolls, this is the option you want.
Manual Dice: This is an option for those who really think all of the other options are dissatisfactory. Instead of the computer rolling for you, the user must enter their own dice rolls at every turn. Frankly this option is a hassle for all but the most hard core people.
Peer To Peer / Bluetooth
Q: I can't connect two devices. They don't see each other.
A: We've been aware for some time that the Bluetooth feature, as offered by Apple, can be finicky when attempting to connect two devices (seems to be much worse on initial connection for some reason). If you just seem to be hitting a wall, try re-booting both devices and try again.
Game Center
Q: I'm having issues inviting friends
A: The most common source of problems with invitations is one or both users having their Game Center notifications disabled. To check the status of Game Center notifications:
Go to the 'Settings' application
Select the 'Notifications' menu
Verify that notifications are "on"
Check the Game Center App. Make sure that all notifications are enabled (Badges, Alerts & Sounds)
Additionally, if both users have notifications enabled, and you are both able to receive invitations, we have found restarting both devices to be an effective way to get the process working.
Q: How do I add a friend?
A: To add a friend in Game Center (assuming you are both logged into game center) you need to:
Press the device's home button to return to the main screen (if you aren't already there)
Find the Game Center app and launch it
Tap the "Friends" button on the bottom of the screen
Tap the new '+' button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen
Here you can enter either your friend's email or game center gamer name
Tap send. At this point your friend should receive an invitation notification and can accept it
Devices
Q: How do I take a screenshot ? (iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad)
A: Press the Home and Sleep buttons at the same time. The screen will flash white and make a camera shutter sound. To access your screenshots go to the Photos app and look in Camera Roll or Saved Photos.
Q: How do I reboot/restart my device?
A: Hold down the screen lock button until the power off slider appears. Slide your finger to power off your device. Wait until your device finishes turning off then press the screen lock button until the device powers on (displays the Apple logo)
Games
Cribbage
Q: Why didn't I get points for a flush in the Crib?
A: The standard rules of Cribbage explicitly state that a 4-card flush in the Crib doesn't count to the player owning the crib. Only 5-card flushes count.
Backgammon
Q: What is this number on my icon?
A: This is an indication that you have one or more turn-based games awaiting your attention. To clear this, you need to open the game, select multiplayer > turn-based and either play or forfeit any of your games in progress.
Q: Dice Rolls Are Unfair!
A: Backgammon uses a simple random number generator for creating dice rolls. It neither picks dice rolls, nor does it bias rolls towards one player or another.
Q: What are the Dice Roll Options?
A: 'True Random', 'Fair and Balanced' and 'Manual'
True Random: This uses just a good random number generator to generate dice rolls. Dice rolls are made independently of any player or AI. If you want dice rolls that are as true to life as possible - this is the option you want.
Fair and Balanced: This uses an algorithm to limit the number of doubles and runs so that over the course of a game no player gets substantially more doubles than the other (we essentially force a re-roll if a player starts to get too many doubles). The intent here was to provide a more balanced set of dice rolls to both players. If you want to play games where no player can have overly favorable dice rolls, this is the option you want.
Manual Dice: This is an option for those who really think all of the other options are dissatisfactory. Instead of the computer rolling for you, the user must enter their own dice rolls at every turn. Frankly this option is a hassle for all but the most hard core people.
