Free ball in Snooker

Hi, for years I have been frustrated that your snooker games don't play the free ball rule correctly. I'd hoped it would have been corrected by now, has it even been flagged? I know its not "real" snooker, just a version of it, but presumably if you want to correctly apply the rule it would be no more difficult than (currently) incorrectly applying the rule. Does FlyorDie want accuracy or are you OK just with what you have, flawed though (in this case) it is? Thank you

DEVELOPER

please elaborate

Planet Saturn

OK, happy to thank you.

In snooker, a free ball is awarded after a player commits a foul and if the opponent has only an obstructed view of an available object ball. That means that if the opponent can see BOTH sides (to hit) of the object ball, a free ball is NOT awarded.  In Flyordie snooker games though this rule is misapplied, and a free ball is awarded even if the player CAN see both sides (to hit) of an available object ball. It is very frustrating as it does happen quite a lot and gives an unfair advantage to the player awarded the free ball incorrectly and presumably it wouldn't take much to correct this error in the Flyordie programme.

I have copied and pasted below a definition of the free ball rule from snookerhq.com which corroborates what I have said above:

"A free ball may be awarded only after a foul, when the incoming player is left snookered. In snooker, the cue-ball is not considered snookered if at least one ball on can be struck at both extreme edges (in a straight line) without obstruction by any ball not on. If no ball on can be struck on both extreme edges, the cue-ball is snookered and a free ball may be called. In practice, this means a player can still see part of the ball on and be awarded a free ball if they cannot hit both extreme edges of any ball on".

Thank you for reviewing this on behalf of snooker players frustrated by this Flyordie error.

DEVELOPER

The game's implementation should follow the official rules.

Could you please send us a top-view screenshot showing a situation where a free ball is awarded even though it shouldn't be? That way I can check whether it's a bug.

Thanks!

Planet Saturn

How do I attach a graphic file please?
I need to send you 2 examples:
1) when a free ball is not given and should have been
2) when a free ball is given but should not have been

I have an example of 1 to show you but I havent had a recent example of a 2) yet since our discussion.

Thanks.

DEVELOPER

Please upload the screenshot to an image hosting service such as Postimages and post the link here.
(Make sure the screenshot does not contain any private or sensitive information.)

Thanks!

suchandsuch

I've had similar problems with this.
One thing you might not know is that it doesn't count if the red is snooked by another red. 
But i had a player - Gixxer who was leveraging the rule against me - Putting me in snooks when he had a pot on. Eventually i was winning and put him in a great snook.  He kept replaying shot but eventually the game stopped rewarding the replay. He missed, so Why?

DEVELOPER

Still not having received any screenshots that we could use to reproduce the reported Free Ball issues, I did a thorough review of all code related to Free Ball, Foul and a Miss, and replay handling.

The following changes have been made:

● In accordance with a WPBSA rule change from 2019, cushions will no longer affect Free Ball detection. This superseded the previous rule introduced in 1995.
● Frames will now also be terminated automatically after a foul if the point difference becomes too large (for example, when 5+ snookers would be required to draw level). Previously, this automatic termination was only checked after completing a break.
● Replays after a Foul and a Miss can now be requested indefinitely where the rules allow it.
● If full-ball contact was available before the original Foul and a Miss, the third consecutive failure from the restored position will result in an automatic loss of frame. Before the third attempt (the second replay shot), a "Last try!" warning will be displayed. This is in accordance with WPBSA rules.
● In accordance with WPBSA rules, a time foul does not count as a Miss. However, if a time foul occurs during a replay sequence, the opponent may still request another replay and continue that sequence. Choosing Pass instead will end the replay sequence.

If you still encounter a position where you believe a Free Ball was incorrectly awarded, or should have been awarded but wasn't, please post a top-view screenshot of the position so that we can analyze the geometry accurately.

Thanks!

Edited by DEVELOPER

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