The ZBuffer : An initial look at TrayGames

I've mentioned TrayGames a couple (announcement, call for developers) of times in the past year but they recently entered their open beta so I thought it was time for a look at what is currently available.

Joe Pantuso, one of the founders, describes the concept like this:

"It adds games to your chat. No browser, no DHTML or Java shoe-horn nonsense. Now you know what it is and what it does. It just works, one click and you have a new game, another click or two and you are playing."

Installation is simple. The installer for the client ensures that the .Net 2.0 runtime, DirectX and Managed DirectX are installed and future updates are handled automatically.

Once the client is installed you can access it at any time by clicking the icon in the system tray. Now before I get a hundred emails telling me that its not called the system tray I already know becuase I too read Raymond's blog and if we start calling it the 'notification area' then TrayGames will have to change it's name!

Once you have the client up and running you will notice that it looks similar to most instant messaging programs with the addition of a list of games on the left hand side.

From this interface you can chat to your friends and then start a game, or you can start a game and select your friends to play with. Either order works and shows the integration between the chat and the games.

All games on TrayGames are multiplayer - some allow you to practice by yourself but all of them have some multiplayer content. Some are direct head to head competition like checkers and backgammon and others are massively competitive games like Spell Combat or Trivia Burst where hundreds or thousands of people are competing in the same game.

Right now they only have 6 games in the list and one of them, TriviaBurst, is not yet available for download.

Big2 is a card game I have not come across before. I had to look up the rules before I could start playing so lets hope there is a tutorial at some point. The idea of the game is to get rid of al your cards by playing poker like hands onto the table.

Checkers - well everyone knows checkers, though in the UK we call it draughts (pronounced "drafts").

Outbreak is a game where you play pieces of different shapes and sizes to possess and block as much of the board from the other players as possible. THe pieces can be rotated and flipped to make them fit. The winner is the one who has the most of the board covered. It's a fun game and it's not too hard to beat the computer, which I like. However I don't find it very easy to see which piece will fit where which gets very frustrating at the end of the game when the computer 'knows' you have one last piece that will fit but you cannot find the correct place or orientation.

Backgammon is another board game classic and just like every online backgammon I have played it has an uncanny ability to start rolling double sixes when it is behind.

Spell Combat is a great new style of game where you can play against hundreds of other people at the same time. The game runs constantly and you can join at any time. At the start of each round you are given 7 letters, the same 7 letters as everyone else playing the game, and your job is to find all of the anagrams from those letters. You don't see what all the other players are doing but you can see your own score relative to the leader and the current average of all players. Getting the 7 letter anagrams will give you the most points.

So all that is left for you to do is get the client from the TrayGames download area and don't forget to add 'Zman' to your friends list so that I don't have to play the cheating computer at backgammon any more.


Search ZBuffer News Articles Downloads Links FAQ Blogs/People Games Applications Technology Game Engines Tutorials Books Game Dev Tools Resources Forums About Advertise Contact ZMan Privacy Partners Ad Survey	An initial look at TrayGames I've mentioned TrayGames a couple (announcement, call for developers) of times in the past year but they recently entered their open beta so I thought it was time for a look at what is currently available. Joe Pantuso, one of the founders, describes the concept like this: "It adds games to your chat. No browser, no DHTML or Java shoe-horn nonsense. Now you know what it is and what it does. It just works, one click and you have a new game, another click or two and you are playing." Installation is simple. The installer for the client ensures that the .Net 2.0 runtime, DirectX and Managed DirectX are installed and future updates are handled automatically. Once the client is installed you can access it at any time by clicking the icon in the system tray. Now before I get a hundred emails telling me that its not called the system tray I already know becuase I too read Raymond's blog and if we start calling it the 'notification area' then TrayGames will have to change it's name! Once you have the client up and running you will notice that it looks similar to most instant messaging programs with the addition of a list of games on the left hand side. From this interface you can chat to your friends and then start a game, or you can start a game and select your friends to play with. Either order works and shows the integration between the chat and the games. All games on TrayGames are multiplayer - some allow you to practice by yourself but all of them have some multiplayer content. Some are direct head to head competition like checkers and backgammon and others are massively competitive games like Spell Combat or Trivia Burst where hundreds or thousands of people are competing in the same game. Right now they only have 6 games in the list and one of them, TriviaBurst, is not yet available for download. Big2 is a card game I have not come across before. I had to look up the rules before I could start playing so lets hope there is a tutorial at some point. The idea of the game is to get rid of al your cards by playing poker like hands onto the table. Checkers - well everyone knows checkers, though in the UK we call it draughts (pronounced "drafts"). Outbreak is a game where you play pieces of different shapes and sizes to possess and block as much of the board from the other players as possible. THe pieces can be rotated and flipped to make them fit. The winner is the one who has the most of the board covered. It's a fun game and it's not too hard to beat the computer, which I like. However I don't find it very easy to see which piece will fit where which gets very frustrating at the end of the game when the computer 'knows' you have one last piece that will fit but you cannot find the correct place or orientation. Backgammon is another board game classic and just like every online backgammon I have played it has an uncanny ability to start rolling double sixes when it is behind. Spell Combat is a great new style of game where you can play against hundreds of other people at the same time. The game runs constantly and you can join at any time. At the start of each round you are given 7 letters, the same 7 letters as everyone else playing the game, and your job is to find all of the anagrams from those letters. You don't see what all the other players are doing but you can see your own score relative to the leader and the current average of all players. Getting the 7 letter anagrams will give you the most points. So all that is left for you to do is get the client from the TrayGames download area and don't forget to add 'Zman' to your friends list so that I don't have to play the cheating computer at backgammon any more. Updated 3/9/2006 8:00:00 AM by Zman