middlebridge,
For Backgammon NJ, all online matches are standard backgammon games with the doubling cube enabled and no Jacoby rule. We currently don't have plans to implement Jacoby for online play. We're not sure you can consider Jacoby standard, since there are those who like it and those who don't. We also think that if we did implement it online, it would probably cause confusion for the majority of players who didn't understand or know of the rule. For offline play, Jacoby is an option in the app settings.
For real-time online matches, there isn't a way to tell which player is disconnected or whether the disconnection was intentional or not. Backgammon NJ interfaces with Apple's Game Center framework, but we don't actually control the internet connection on your device. Thus we don't have any control over connection issues because that's all handled by the iOS and the device itself. When a match is disconnected, the Game Center framework sends Backgammon NJ a message telling it that the match was disconnected. That's the extent to what the app knows.
The best you can do is to use the tools we've provided in the app to choose your opponents carefully and also make sure that your own internet connection is as strong and stable as possible:
1) If you highly value playing real-time matches to completion, look at the statistics for your opponent in the window that first pops up when you are auto-matched. If your opponent has a low Completed Match % or a high Aborted Match %, then consider declining the match or blocking him so that you're never auto-matched with him again.
2) If you're getting disconnected a lot, try playing online from the same room that your Wi-Fi router is in to make sure that you have as strong of a connection as possible.
3) If you're playing over a cellular network, you're more likely to be disconnected, especially if you're moving around and your connection changes from one cell tower to another. Again, this all depends on how the iOS, your device, and Game Center decide to handle the connection. It's not something that BGNJ controls.
4) If your device is running iOS 8, there have been many reports of Wi-Fi connection issues for various apps. More info:
http://z15.invisionfree.com/bgnj/index.php?showtopic=66
5) An update for both the HD and non-HD versions of BGNJ will be released soon. In the update, we've put in a workaround that may help the iOS 8 disconnect problem. However, we have very limited control over this, and the actual fix, if any, will need to be made by Apple.
6) Finally, remember that no matter how the match ends, both players will always gain or lose the Elo points that they deserve based on their equity in the match at the point the match ends. FAQ:
http://gamecenter.njsoftware.com
