Really fun to think about what the consciousness was in ancient Egypt by playing this game. The thematics of it also really added a lot.

I am giving this 5 stars, even though there seems to be a bug with the stats page. After winning, the stats showed 100% loss, along with other issues on the stats page.

Functionally, worked great

TB44

3 years ago

Generally very good, but a few negatives

I played the earlier version of this in PalmOS many years ago, and then the earlier version of it for iOS, and now the newest update.

What I like about it most is that this the ONLY version of electronic Senet that doesn’t automatically alternate players after each throw, but gives additional throws on 1, 4, 5 as is correct. Nice!

What I *don’t* like is that for some inexplicable reason, pieces move on the second row of squares from left to right (!), instead of from right to left preserving the S-shaped path of piece movement as is traditional. Why??? What is the logic in that? (That’s why the one reviewer thought his piece moved ahead ten spaces, because pieces on the second row now start at the left side).

And smaller issues—
—> pieces should be safe from attack on the last three squares
—> pieces should be safe from attack on the square 25 (nefer).
—> pieces which fall into the water square should emerge in square 15, the one marked with an ankh.
—> the constant “jiggle” of the throw sticks is visually REALLY annoying.

It’s still a good game, but it used to be much better; I hope that one day it can be as good as it once was, especially with the correct movement path.

RK_Denver

3 years ago

V2.2.2 Broke the game

Pieces are skipping all over the board. I rolled 2 and the piece I selected moved 10spaces??? On another roll I selected to move and my piece chose to move backwards when a valid forward move was available. This update broke more than it fixed. Completely unplayable now 👎

System2600

5 years ago

Rules are wrong and no 2 player

Paid money for a poor version of an ancient game my ancestors played. If you are going to misappropriate my culture at least get the rules of the game right. Also no human vs human play option...overall the game is garbage

Plufis

5 years ago

Response from developer

Thank you so much for your review. Senet Deluxe accommodates several rule sets, start positions and more based on current academic understanding of the game. If you are aware of a set not included, we would definitely like to know about it. Contact us directly via our email address listed here or simply use the suggestions link in the app itself.

Programmed to cheat

I kept a log and over 90% of the time the computer get extra rolls to my single rolls. Also for some reason 100% of new games the 1st roll is a 3. Clearly not random

Gene 11223344

5 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks so much for your review. That is frustrating of course, but we are unable to reproduce either behavior described at this time. Please consider sharing those logs.

It cheats

The computer gets the numbers it needs. The computer gets to roll again much more often than the human. It appears that better rolls for the computer were a substitute for actual strategy algorithms. Frustrating.

Halloween!!!!!!

9 years ago

Response from developer

Hi there and thanks for your review. Devs are finally allowed to answer, so here goes. There is no bias. All players use the same random number generator. Then there are several difficulty settings and one can switch sides even, but results will even out eventually. The algo at its base assigns the same value to all possible moves it can make. Then it picks a random one. It could still beat an opponent just with that, mind you, because luck of the dice plays such a big role in the game. In the higher difficulty settings, however, the algo will prefer moves that constrict its opponent so that they lose turns at throwing sticks as they can't move. That is the basic math of Senet – the more often you get to toss the sticks – the better your chances at winning. The program evaluates boards several moves ahead in this fashion – counting basically. There is a bit more to it as there are also opening and endgame considerations. But still, these methods are easy and more effective than trying to sway a random generator one way or the other. Let's also not forget that Senet is a predecessor of modern turn-based games. One-move turns as in chess, checkers are a later abstraction. In Senet you usually get 2-3 throws to reposition your armies once it is your turn. That is the rule – if one throws anything other than 2 or 3 one gets to go again. Games have been known to be rigged of course, but there really is no upside to it and we wouldn't think of it. Thanks again for taking the time to review Senet Deluxe.

Fun & Well Done

This second version of Senet available for iOS is also five stars in my opinion. While not as graphically sophisticated as the other competitor, game play is a bit better due to implementation of the rules requiring clearance of the top row before any of a player's pieces may be removed from the board at the end of the third row, and the "blocking" feature where three or more consecutive board spaces occupied by a player's pieces block an opponent's pieces from passing, regardless of the throw count made. It also features an optional setting to require backward moves on the board if no forward move is available, which would enhance and extend game play for more experienced players. Also importantly, this version offers a two-player option. App works well on my iPad Air, with very good graphics and sound/music, and like the competing game, offers an optional "suggested legal moves" setting to help beginning players learn the game - this can be turned off when the player becomes more proficient. I'll probably play this version more than the other as I become more experienced, because the first row clearance and blocking game rule features referenced above make game play more fun.

palmcvp

11 years ago

Great game

Works perfectly and has great graphics, the only thing missing is an option to play with a friend. It gets boring playing by yourself sometimes. But in any case great to pass the time with.

Эдик87

11 years ago

Response from developer

Thanks so much for your review. A second player option would be a great addition. Specifically for larger devices. We will be looking into it.

Broke

Every time I try to enter the application, it closes making it unplayable.

InfamousBGFJ

14 years ago

Unplayable on iPad2

I saw the Senet Deluxe HD sale, and remembered I had purchased the iPhone version. When I went to play it to see if it merited the upgrade, the game crashed each time. Reboot, reinstall, deleting apps in memory -- nothing works. It's a shame the developer doesn't update this to iOS4. As such, I cannot recommend it.

vbspurs

15 years ago

Very disappointing.

The game is beautiful and I had high hopes. But as another reviewer observed (and I realized too late), the number generator is incorrect for the game. It does, indeed, appear to generate random numbers 1-5 with equal probability. This ruins the strategy of the game, which relies heavily on the unequal probability of throwing a particular number. They need to fix this in the next update. If it were fixed, it would be a 5-star game. As it is, it's not senet, but a senet-wannabe and not worth the $7.99. Very disappointed.

GWGregg

15 years ago

Not fixed

$6.99 app and still not working!
Updated many times and still not fixed. DO NOT BUY !!!

Romanone

15 years ago

FIX PLEASE!

After the update it keeps crashing at the title screen. Hope it gets fixed soon it's a great game.

Ish Scout

16 years ago

2 player please

I want to play this with my wife. We need a 2 player update ASAP.

Old Spirit

16 years ago

Good game

Ever since I was young I have been facsinated with Egypt. I'm so glad I've gotten to play this game. One improvement could be making it a two player game as well. That's all of the updates I can think of right now. But dtill great game.

ZakKoch13

16 years ago

Really Addictive Game

I love backgammon, and I love this game... I long time ago I heard of this game, whilst looking up the origins of backgammon and wondered what it was all about, and then came Senet Deluxe This is so addictive and the dynamics constantly change, like backgammon it's a race, and just when you think your home and dry, you can get sent back to the house of rebirth (Ankh symbol) or land on the house of "water", and you have some catching up to do! Throw a 1, 4, or 5, and you throw again...The graphics are excellent. If you love backgammon try this, You will likely have to read the instructions a couple of times but you pick it up quite quickly soon after, but activating the "Valid Moves" button helps with the learning of the game. I would have liked the background music to be more ancient Egyptian style or atmospheric if you get my drift.(5 stars when this happens) Now I'm off to play another game of Senet....

Jazz&Co.

17 years ago

Good Game

Senet Deluxe is a great game based on an ancient Egyptian game named Senet from thousands of years ago. The game is a 'race' board game and fans of Backgammon or Cribbage will enjoy it. This was one of my favorite games on the Palm and I was glad to have an iPhone implementation. All of the bugs that I noticed have been fixed in the latest release. With the new price drop, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys strategy board games!

L1L