Fernhawk GamesPocket Pool is a simple eight-ball game against the computer. There are fifteen colored balls and a white cue ball. You pot your group of balls, then the black 8, before the computer does. The rules are simplified, so you never have to call a shot.
How to play
You take the first shot, which is the break. After the break, the first ball potted gives its player a group: solids (the balls from 1 to 7) or stripes (the balls from 9 to 15).
- Aim and shoot with a finger or the mouse: press on the table and drag away from the white ball, like pulling back a cue. The cue points the other way, and the farther you pull, the harder the shot. Let go to shoot.
- Aim with buttons: if dragging is awkward, use the arrow buttons to turn the aim, the plus and minus buttons for power, and then press Shoot. On a computer, the arrow keys or A and D turn the aim, W and S nudge it a little, and Space shoots.
If you pot a ball of your own group, you shoot again. If you do not, the turn passes to the computer. Pot all of your group, and then the 8, to win.
Some mistakes are costly:
- Potting the white ball is a scratch. The other player then places the white ball anywhere behind the head line, which is the line near one end of the table.
- Potting the 8 too early loses the game. So does potting the 8 together with the white ball.
The levels
The level changes how the computer shoots, and how much help you get.
- Easy: the computer often misses and chooses its shots at random. A dotted line shows where your own shot will first touch a ball.
- Medium: the computer pots the easy balls. The dotted line is still there for you.
- Hard: the computer aims well and thinks ahead a little. No dotted line.
- Expert: the computer almost never misses a clear shot and plans its next one. No dotted line.
Today's game
There is a Medium game each day, with the balls racked the same way for everyone. Walk away part way, and the frame is saved on this device.
Tips
- Soft shots are easier to aim. You do not need to pull far back for most shots, and a gentler pull gives you a steadier line.
- Use the dotted line on Easy and Medium. Look at where it touches the first ball and where the ball will go, and then adjust.
- Take the easy balls first, the ones close to a pocket and a straight line from the white ball. Save the awkward ones for later.
- Think about where the white ball will stop. A shot that leaves it in a good place for your next ball is worth more than a perfect pot that leaves it stuck behind other balls.
- Do not touch the 8 until your whole group is gone. It is the most common way to lose.
- If you must leave a shot for the computer, try to leave it a hard one, such as a ball that is behind a group of its own balls.
- When you place the white ball after the computer's scratch, put it where it has a clear line to your own balls.
Questions
Do I need to call my shots? No. Any ball of your group that you pot is a good shot.
Who breaks? You do. The first ball potted after the break decides who plays solids and who plays stripes.
What happens if I pot the white ball? It is a scratch, and the computer can place the white ball anywhere behind the head line.
Can I turn the aim without dragging? Yes. Use the arrow buttons for the aim, plus and minus for power, then Shoot.