Contents

SanDea’s Oh Hell Help

Copyright 1996 Sean Smith. All rights reserved.

Getting Started

Ordering

Default Rules

Menus (menus that are self-explanatory are not listed)

Stats/Info

Score Summary

Options

Undo Last Move

View All Hands

Reset Records

Create A Hand

Save/Load Hand

Save/lLoad Game

Modem

Customizing

Bid Delay

Play Delay

Trick Window

Throw In

Hand Sorting

Rules

Players

Save Customizing


Getting Started

SELECTING AN ITEM

Usually the highlighter will be red.  Use the arrow keys or mouse to move the highlight.  Then press the ENTER key or left mouse button to select the item.  There are a few exceptions such as a card being raised above the others to indicate it is ‘highlighted’.

CONTINUE

Whenever you see the CONTINUE box, you can continue by simply pressing the left mouse button anywhere.  The mouse doesn’t have to be in the box.

TEXT INPUT

Move the highlighter to the text or number.  Type in the new text/number and press the ENTER key.  If you begin typing in something but decide you don’t want to make any changes, move the highlighter to another item to cancel your input.

SELECTING YOUR NAME

When you initially start the program from Windows, a screen is displayed with the title of the game and copyright date.  At the bottom is a NAMES box.  Select one of the names in the box and that name will appear to the right under YOU ARE.  If you have not entered your name yet, type your name in one of the positions in the NAMES box.  Note: The screen with the NAMES box only appears when you initially start the program.

Separate win/loss records, saved hands, saved games, and customizing are kept for each name in the NAMES box.

OK & CANCEL

The OK & CANCEL buttons will usually appear at the upper left of a menu.

DISPLAY MODE

For easy to read text and cards, run Windows in a 640x480 display mode.  This can be done from WINDOWS SETUP.


Ordering

7 games available are:

1) DOUBLE-DECK PARTNERSHIP PINOCHLE

2) SINGLE-DECK PARTNERSHIP PINOCHLE

3) 3-HAND SINGLE-DECK PINOCHLE

4) 2-HAND SINGLE-DECK PINOCHLE

5) HEARTS

6) SPADES

7) OH HELL

Enhanced versions have complete score keeping.  Also, if you have a sound card, the players will speak at the end of the game (and for bidding if the game you order has bidding).

If you have a shareware version (or have an enhanced version but want to order additional games), there are 2 ways to order:

1) Print the file SANORDER.FRM and follow the directions on the form.  Our games are not setup for printing files.  You must do this from a Windows program that has printing capability (such as a word processor or Windows Write).

Or,

2) Include on a piece of paper the following:

1) Your name & address

2) Games you are ordering

3) Specify WINDOWS version.  (This is Important because there are also DOS versions of the same games.)

4) Whether or not you want to be on our mailing list.  You will not be on our mailing list unless you specify you want to be.

Also, include a check or money order made payable to SanDea Software.  One game is $10.  Each additional game is $5.  Or, order all 7 games for $35.  There is no PA sales tax charge - We pay the sales tax.  These prices are for the Windows versions only.

The games are designed for Windows 3.1 or later and are only available on 3 1/2" high density floppy disks.  Windows 32-bit versions may be available soon; call 717-543-6388 for more info.

Foreign orders: There is no extra charge, but payment must be in U.S. dollars.  Checks must be drawn on a U.S. bank or a foreign bank with a corresponding U.S. bank shown on the check.  International money orders are accepted.

Send your order with a check or money order to:

SANDEA SOFTWARE

PO BOX 1201

LEWISTOWN PA 17044-3201

If you have any questions, call us at 717-543-6388.


Default Rules

The following are the program’s default rules for OH HELL.

OBJECT

Score more points than your opponents.

DECK

52 card deck.  4 suits - clubs, diamonds, spades, hearts.  In each suit are the following: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

DEAL

Cards are shuffled and a card is picked from the deck (the computer does this).  The suit of the card picked is the TRUMP suit.

Cards are reshuffled and dealt.  For the first hand, only one card is dealt to each player.  For the second hand, two cards are dealt.  And so on, until the last hand where 13 cards are dealt.

BIDDING

After the cards are dealt, each player bids once starting with the player to the dealer’s left.  A player bids the number of tricks the player intends to win.  A player may bid NIL (or 0) indicating the player does not intend to take any tricks.

TRICK PLAY

After bidding, the player to the dealer’s left plays a card.  Play continues clockwise until everyone has played a card.  The 4 cards played are called a trick.  The suit of the first card played on the trick is called the ledsuit.  Each player must play a card from the ledsuit if able to; otherwise, a trump card must be played.  If a player doesn’t have any trump either, any card may be played.

The highest trump played wins the trick.  If no trump is played, the highest card  from the ledsuit wins.  Cards from highest to lowest are: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.  The winner of a trick leads the next trick.

SCORING

If a player bids NIL and doesn’t take any tricks, the player receives 5 points plus the number of cards dealt to each player.

For any other bid, a player receives 10 points plus the amount bid if the player wins the EXACT number of tricks bid.  For instance, if a player bids 5 and wins 6, the player doesn’t receive any points.

After the 13th hand, the player with the highest score wins.  If there is a tie, additional hands are played until the tie is broken.


Score Summary

Lists the score, etc for each hand.  It may look a little confusing at first, but after playing some games it will gradually make sense.


Undo Last Move

Selecting UNDO LAST MOVE will take back the last move you made in the game.

Example: You mistakenly play a JACK OF SPADES when you wanted to play an ACE OF SPADES.  Selecting UNDO LAST MOVE will let you replay and will wipe the JACK OF SPADES from the computer players’ memories.

Not all mistakes can be undone.


View All Hands

Selecting YES will let you see everybody’s cards.  When viewing all hands, the points for the hand will be added up and displayed but will not be added to the total score for the game.


Reset Records

Selecting YES will reset your win/loss and average score records to zero.


Create A Hand

Lets you pick which cards each player receives.  The cards for one of the suits will be displayed in the center of the screen.

Select one of the cards in the suit; it will appear to the left of the suit.  Now select one of the players.  Example: Select the ACE OF CLUBS.  Then select YOU.  This will give you an ACE OF CLUBS.  If you decide you don’t want an ACE OF CLUBS, select the ACE OF CLUBS that is in your hand to put it back in the deck.

After you have tinkered to your liking, select PLAY HAND or OK and any cards remaining in the deck will be randomly dealt.  When you create a hand, the points for the hand will be displayed after the hand is played, but will not be added to the total score for the game.


Save/Load Hand

If you load a hand, the points for the hand will be displayed after the hand is played but will not be added to the total score for the game.  You may save a hand at anytime before the next hand is dealt.  When loading a hand, you may rotate the hand so that you’re playing another player’s hand.


Save Load Game
Save/Load Game

The rules are not saved when you save a game.  Other than that, it’s fairly self-explanatory.


Modem

Modem play is great!  But, making your first modem connection can be difficult.  Most will have no problems, but a few may have mind-boggling nightmares.  For your first attempt, it may help to expect problems and not expect to play any cards.  Before trying to call another person’s computer and make a modem connection, read the following sections well!  (You might want to print this topic; select PRINT TOPIC from the FILE menu.)

Both computers must have modems that are auto-dialers, not manual dialers where you must do the dialing.  Manual dialers are obsolete and rare.

One computer will call the other.  I’ll refer to the calling computer as the ACTIVE computer, and the other computer as the PASSIVE computer.

MODEM MENU

Before attempting a connection, the following must be correctly set:

COM PORT: If you don’t know which COM PORT your modem uses, consult your modem’s user’s guide.  Or, if you have a communications program, it will probably be able to auto-detect which COM PORT your modem uses.  Once you know which COM PORT your modem is using, select it from the 4 listed in the upper right box of the MODEM MENU.

BPS: BPS (bits per second) or BAUD RATE.  Both modems need to be set to the same BPS.  Select the maximum BPS of the slower modem.  Select the BPS from the 6 choices in the upper right box of the MODEM MENU.

INITIALIZATION COMMANDS: You won’t need to change this unless you get an error when the modem tries to execute this string of commands.  If you do get an error, consult your modem’s user’s guide for help on which of the commands might be causing the error.  Note: If you need to make changes, write down on paper what is in the INITIALIZATION COMMANDS box because the box is cleared when you begin to type in new text.

DIAL COMMANDS: If your computer is going to be the active computer, you need to type in either ATDP or ATDT followed by the phone number.  ATDP is for a pulse (rotary) phone, and ATDT is for a touch tone phone.  For example, if you want to call 333-3333, and your phone is a touch tone phone, type in ATDT333-3333 and press the ENTER key.

If you have call waiting, disable it so that another call doesn’t cause chaos.  For a rotary phone add 1170, before the phone number; for touch tone add *70, .  DON’T FORGET THE COMMA; it causes the modem to pause a second or two before dialing the phone number.  So, if you want to call 333-3333 and you have a touch tone phone with call waiting, type in ATDT*70,333-3333 and press the ENTER key.

Once you’ve made all the necessary changes, save all of the changes by selecting SAVE CURRENT SETTINGS.  OTHERWISE, THE SETTINGS WILL REVERT TO THE PREVIOUS SETTINGS WHEN YOU EXIT THE MENU.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE MAKING A CONNECTION

The rules used are determined by the active computer.  Also, the computer players and table position of the other person are determined by the active computer.

VIEW ALL HANDS must be turned off for both computers to prevent cheating.

MAKING THE CONNECTION

Now it’s time to give it a whirl.  The passive computer must select WAIT FOR CALL before or within a few seconds after the active computer dials.

When WAIT FOR CALL is selected on the passive computer, the INITIALIZATION COMMANDS may or may not appear in the lower half of the computer screen (It depends on your modem’s prior settings).  Then within a few seconds an OK should appear indicating the commands were accepted and the modem is ready to receive a call.  If you’re just testing things out, press CTRL-BREAK (hold down the CTRL key and then press the BREAK key) to hang up.

INITIALIZATION ERRORS:  If you don’t get an OK, you could have one of the following errors:

1) ERROR ACCESSING COM:

A) You may have selected the wrong COM PORT.

B) Is the modem also being used for something else?  The modem will not be accessed if another program is using it.

C) If you previously attempted to DIAL or WAIT FOR CALL but did not make a connection and did not hang up, this error will occur.  Exit the program and reenter.  If this doesn’t work, you may have to reboot your computer.

2) ERROR INITIALIZING MODEM or no error message:

A) Your modem may not have been able to execute one or more of the commands listed in the INITIALIZATION COMMANDS box.  Consult your modem’s user’s guide to see if your modem supports all the commands used.  The commands S0=2 and S7=60 can be removed.  Or, if you have a communications program that works, copy the INITIALIZATION STRING used in that program.

When DIAL is selected on the active computer, the same scenario is followed as for WAIT FOR CALL (mentioned earlier).  After the OK appears, the DIAL COMMANDS should appear.  You should be able to hear the phone number being dialed through your computer’s speaker.  When finished dialing, the active computer will wait up to 60 seconds for an answer.  (This is set by S7=60 in the INITIALIZATION COMMANDS.)

If you get an error message, press CTRL-BREAK to hang up.  And see the previous paragraphs about INITIALIZATION ERRORS.

If the passive computer answers and a connection is made, then CONNECT will appear on the screen.  On the active computer, the following will appear: SELECT POSITION FOR OTHER HUMAN.  Select one of the choices.  On the passive computer the following will appear: OTHER HUMAN IS.  Also, WAITING will appear at the top left of the window.  This indicates that the passive computer is waiting for information to be sent from the other computer.  Once a table position is selected on the active computer, it will be sent to the passive computer and displayed after OTHER HUMAN IS.

Next, the active computer will send the rules to the passive computer.  SENDING RULES will be displayed on the active computer and RECEIVING RULES will be displayed on the passive computer followed by a number which should change about once a second or faster (depending on the BPS).

After that, the deck will be sent which may take a minute or longer.

If everything goes well, the hands and players will be displayed and the CONTINUE box will appear.

If not, the telephone line may be too noisy for the BPS rate you are using.  Try setting the BPS to a slower speed.

PLAYING THE GAMES VIA MODEM

SENDING and WAITING: Whenever you see WAITING in the upper left, your computer is waiting for input from the other computer.  Whenever you see SENDING, your computer is sending information to the other computer.  In both cases, you are unable to do anything other than hang up (CTRL-BREAK).

At the beginning of each hand, SENDING or WAITING may appear for several minutes (The active computer is sending the dealt hands to the passive computer).  This will occur immediately following the sending of rules and at the scorecard screen.

SENDING MESSAGES: If neither SENDING or WAITING is displayed, then it is your turn to do something (or, if you’re the active computer it may be a computer player’s turn.  During your turn you may type in a message to the other person.  When you press a letter on the keyboard, it will be displayed in the left blue box at the top of the window.  The other computer will display the letter in the right blue box.

2 good things to remember about sending messages:

1) DON’T PRESS THE ENTER KEY.  Your message is sent as you type.  Pressing the ENTER key will cause whatever is highlighted to be selected.

2) Don’t type a message and then sit around waiting for a response; THE OTHER PERSON CANNOT RESPOND UNTIL ITS THEIR TURN.

HANGING UP: When you want to hang up, let the other person know, and then press CTRL-BREAK (hold down the CTRL key and press the BREAK key).  DISCONNECTED should soon appear at the upper left.

SAVING A MODEM GAME: If you want to save a game during modem play such that you and the other person will be able to finish the game some other time, both of you must save the game when the scorecard is displayed at the end of a hand (the screen with the last 2 lines beginning with THIS HAND and SCORE).

To begin the game at a later date, both persons must load the game.  Then, before selecting CONTINUE, the two of you must make a modem connection.

The same table position must be selected for the other person.


Bid Delay

Choose the amount of time to delay between each bid.  0 is no delay, 1 is .1 seconds, 2 is .2 seconds, etc.  This does not include the time the computer uses to make calculations (which may be noticeable on slower computers).


Play Delay

Choose the amount of time to delay between playing each card.  0 is no delay, 1 is .1 seconds, 2 is .2 seconds, etc.  This does not include the time the computer uses to make calculations (which may take several seconds or more on slower computers).


Trick Window

If TRICK WINDOW has a check mark beside it, each player’s BID and TRICKS WON will be displayed during trick play.


Throw In

If THROW IN has a check mark beside it, the computer will end play for a hand when it is obvious who will take the remaining tricks and will credit this player with the remaining tricks.  The computer will not recognize all obvious situations.


Hand Sorting

If HAND SORTING is RANDOM, your hand will appear in the order it is dealt.  If HAND SORTING is SUIT & RANKS, your hand will be sorted according to the suit and rank orders listed in the menu.

To change the suit order, select one of the suits listed under SUIT ORDER WAS.  Then select its new order position by selecting one of the boxes under NEW SUIT ORDER.

If you do not fill in all 4 boxes, the suit order will remain unchanged.

If you make changes, usually the changes will not take effect until the next hand is dealt.


Rules

See Default Rules for an overview of all the rules.

MUST PLAY TRUMP IF UNABLE TO PLAY LEDSUIT

If YES, a player must play a trump card if the player does not have any cards in the ledsuit.

UP THE RIVER

FIRST DEAL & LAST DEAL

The number after FIRST DEAL indicates the number of cards each player will receive for the first deal.  If the number for LAST DEAL is larger than the number for FIRST DEAL, the number of cards dealt will go up one for each hand until the number of cards dealt equals LAST DEAL.

Then, if there are numbers other than zero for FIRST DEAL & LAST DEAL under DOWN THE RIVER, a similar scenario will be followed as above.

A common style of play is to leave UP THE RIVER the same as the default rules and put 12 in FIRST DEAL and 1 in LAST DEAL for DOWN THE RIVER.  This would result in the number of cards dealt going from 1 to 13 and then back down to 1.


Players

You may choose your opponents from 12 computer players.  Select one of the 12 players on the left half of the screen.  That player will appear in the box at the lower right corner along with some information about the player.  Now select one of the players at the upper right who will be replaced by the player pictured in the box at the lower right corner.

If you change your opponents, scores will be reset to zero and the hand will be redealt.


Save Customizing

Saves the settings of everything listed under CUSTOMIZING (Background Color, etc).  Then you won’t have to make changes every time you play the game; the settings will automatically load.