Streak
0
Best
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Bocce on a walled court against the computer. Pull back and release to roll your red balls closer to the small white pallino than the computer's blue ones — then knock its balls aside, bank shots off the boards, or nudge the pallino itself. First to seven points wins the match, and every match you win makes the computer a little more accurate.
The court is seen from above, with you throwing from the dashed line at the bottom. Each end starts with the small white pallino somewhere on the court. Press anywhere on the court, pull your finger back towards you and let go: the ball is thrown the opposite way from your pull, and the longer the pull, the harder the throw. A dashed line shows the direction and the bar on the right shows the power while you pull. A tiny pull cancels the throw.
Every ball flies through the air for the first half of its trip, so it passes over anything in the way, then lands and rolls the rest of the distance. Rolling balls collide with other balls and with the pallino, and all of them bounce off the wooden walls.
Each side has four balls per end. Whoever throws first is decided by the last end; after that, the side that is not closest to the pallino throws next, until it takes the lead or runs out of balls. When all eight balls are down, the side with the closest ball scores one point for every ball nearer than the opponent's closest, and those balls are ringed in green.
First to seven points wins the match. Winning a match adds one to your streak and starts the next match; losing ends the run and lets you save your streak. The computer throws a little more accurately after every match you win.
Distance control matters far more than aim. The ball travels about twice as far as the point where it lands, so judge the pull by where you want the ball to stop, not where it should come down. Throws that end just short of the pallino are usually better than ones that go past it, because a later ball — yours or the computer's — tends to push short balls forward, towards the target.
When the computer holds a ball right against the pallino, pointing closer is often impossible. A firm throw straight at that ball can knock it away, and a harder throw at the pallino itself can move the target next to your own balls. Both are risky, so keep them for when you are behind in the end.
The side walls are useful. A ball thrown at an angle into the boards loses about half its speed and rolls back into play, which lets you reach a pallino hidden behind a cluster of balls without hitting them.
Think about the order of throws. The side that is not closest keeps throwing, so if you take the point with your first ball, the computer may have to spend several balls trying to beat it. Saving your last ball until the computer has run out gives you a free, pressure-free shot at the end.