After you install backgammon

Framed doubling-cube panel with umber cube faces and dice pip hints.
Doubling-cube panel used across this install guide for the Releases zip path. Point Quill original doubling-cube geometry for this install guide (not a gnubg or Cute Gammon product logo).

The first hour after a board install should prove the extract, not decorate the desktop. You already downloaded windows_build.zip from Final-Release. Now confirm build.exe runs with its build_Data and DLLs, play one local game, and write the Releases URL on the ticket.

Home pillar: backgammon. Windows install: install on Windows.

Eight first-hour checks

  1. Confirm the extract folder. build.exe must sit beside build_Data and UnityPlayer.dll before you call backgammon installed.
  2. Launch the exe once. Open build.exe from that folder and wait for the board window on Windows.
  3. Play a short board game. Move pieces on points and bars and attempt one capture so mouse paths feel familiar.
  4. Offer a double if you can. Offer or accept a double when the cube is available so you see cube behaviour in this Unity build.
  5. Save a test game. Use the save dialog to write a local session files file you can find again after reboot.
  6. Optional replay file. Try recording if you teach reviews; local replay notes files are the replay format upstream documents.
  7. Bookmark Releases. Save the GitHub Releases URL for qawse3dr/Backgammon as the only update door.
  8. Skip mystery mirrors. Refuse portal zips that claim to fix SmartScreen by wrapping a different board binary.

Sound files are part of install

Upstream is explicit that build_Data and UnityPlayer.dll must share the folder with the exe. Silent play usually means a partial extract, not a broken board rules engine. Re-extract from the same zip before you hunt alternate downloads.

Extract guide: zip extract. Portable layout: portable folder.

Saves and replays

Create one local session files early so you know where dialogs point on this Windows profile. If you teach reviews, create one local replay notes replay and open it once. Details: save and replay.

Built-in browser backgammon scores do not import here. Treat this as a fresh board notebook, not a cloud sync client.

Update door and uninstall

Updates mean a newer zip from GitHub Releases, then a fresh extract. Uninstall means deleting the folder. Guide: update and uninstall. Do not invent winget upgrade lines; no winget id was found.

Offline expectation

After the first fetch, board can run offline from disk. You still needed network to obtain the zip. Offline notes: offline play. Safety: is board safe.

Keep Store boards as optional fallback

If SmartScreen blocks the exe during the first hour, keep browser backgammon available while you re-verify the GitHub URL. Comparison: vs browser backgammon. Switch plan: switch from browser backgammon.

Avoid installing freecell or chess packs in the same hour unless those tickets already exist. The cluster covers that phrase only.

Lab sign-off sentence

Write: board installed from windows_build.zip, extract verified, one game played, Releases bookmarked. That sentence is enough for most club handoffs.

Computer setup recap: set up on this computer. Releases: releases. Download safety: download safely. GitHub: board on GitHub. Rules: rules and doubles. First run narrative: first run.

If the first hour fails because VC++ runtime is missing on an old image, install the x86 redistributable from Microsoft and retry before you declare the board zip bad. Upstream mentions that runtime for XP-era machines; modern Windows usually already has it.

When the hour succeeds, stop downloading alternate board boards the same day. Extra mirrors undo the calm you just earned.

Sound check before you leave the desk

If the board opens without music, re-extract the windows_build.zip so build_Data and UnityPlayer.dll sit beside build.exe. Upstream is explicit about that layout. Do not download a second mirror to chase missing audio after a partial copy.

Write the Releases URL beside the folder path on the machine ticket. That pair of facts is enough for the next volunteer to update without inventing winget lines.

When the first hour succeeds, stop installing alternate board packs the same afternoon. Extra shortcuts labeled as casual games create duplicate support paths that undo the calm you just earned with this GPL-2.0 zip.

Folder layout worth screenshotting

Take a quick screenshot of the extracted folder showing build.exe beside build_Data, UnityPlayer.dll, and MonoBleedingEdge. Attach that screenshot to the machine ticket. Future you will thank present you when a student claims the binary “came empty.”

If Windows Search surfaces a second build.exe from Downloads, delete the stray copy so only the documented folder remains. Duplicate exes without build_Data and DLLs recreate the silent-board ticket forever.

Save once even if you play fast

Create a throwaway local session files during the first hour so open dialogs are proven. Delete it later if you want a clean bracket folder. Replay files are optional for teaching; saves are the minimum proof that local storage works after extract.

Related guide: save and replay. Rules primer: rules and doubles. Offline expectations: offline play.

What success looks like on the ticket

  • Releases URL written beside the OS version.
  • windows_build.zip noted as the download door.
  • Extract verified with build_Data and DLLs present.
  • One local game completed without a store account.
  • No Softonic shortcuts left on the Desktop.

That checklist is the entire first-hour bar. Anything else can wait until tomorrow.