PC-SIG: World of Games/PC-SIG World of Games (CDRM1080710) (1993).iso/3539/DARNIT.DOC

Text File | 1992-11-05 | 22KB | 449 lines

         BBBBBB    SSSSS   X   X
         B     B  S         X X
         BBBBBB    SSSS      X
         B     B       S    X X
         BBBBBB   SSSSS    X   X


         I n t e r n a t i o n a l

         presents...


         DDDDD     AAA    RRRRR   N    N   II  TTTTTT
         D    D   A   A   R    R  NNN  N   II    TT
         D    D  AAAAAAA  RRRRR   N NN N   II    TT
         D    D  A     A  R  R    N  NNN   II    TT
         DDDDD   A     A  R   R   N    N   II    TT


         Version 12.0

         A Shareware Solitaire Game of Extraordinary Magnitude


1.0 - Welcome.

  Welcome to Darnit 12.0! You keep buying it, so we keep improving it!
Users familiar with earlier versions can look forward to a host of new
features and  an  exciting  new play screen. Newcomers will rejoice at
the ease of play and happy fun times to be had all by one's lonesome.
  Solitude and loneliness. For many, these words  are synonymous.  But
here at  BSX, solitude  is  always  a  good time (none  of  your  damn
business, if you must ask!). And now it can be for you too!  Just fire
up DARNIT 12.0 and there you are.  So next time  you get stood up  for
that big disco date, or when all your friends get married, move out of
town and can  talk  about  nothing  but mortgages and baby clothes, no
problem!  You can spend some time with BSX and DARNIT 12.0, because we
know just  what  you're  going  through.  If you can play DARNIT while
those about you are getting married and blaming  it  on you, then, and
ONLY then, will you be a cardmeister, YOU BUM!
  Listen: only the  most  neophytical  of neophytes will  need to pore
over these dox.  Just start the  game and play.   Then, if you  got  a
problem, you can bet these dox will help you solve them.  Have fun!


2.0 - Legal Stuff. PLEASE READ!!!

 DARNIT 12.0 (C) 1992 BSX International

 DARNIT 12.0 was developed in Borland's Turbo Pascal 5.5.

  This  software is provided "as is" with no  guarantees of any  kind.
The developers assume no responsibilities other than  those  indicated
below. You may use and distribute this  product as you wish, but  only
under the following conditions:

1) You may sell this program without permission from BSX International
   but you MUST NOT  alter the  program or its documentation. You MUST
   NOT charge any fees  other than fees for  copying  and MUST clearly
   state that this fee is NOT a substitute for registration with BSX.

2) Do not  distribute this product if it has been  reduced in any way.
   You may add files, but you may not remove any of the originals.

3) Under no circumstances  remove the copyright  notices from the code
   or documentation.


2.1 - Shareware.

  This product  is SHAREWARE and  is distributed  in  good  faith  for
your enjoyment. You may play it for a short period to  become familiar
with it. If you  decide  you like  it and want to keep playing it, you
should send a $10 registration  fee to BSX, otherwise you should  stop
using it.  If only all software folks let you use their product before
you paid  for it,  the  world  would  be  a  much better place.  We've
bought so much BAD software that we don't use, and we're sure you have
too, that we feel GOOD programs should be rewarded.  If you don't like
DARNIT, we're not hurt; if  you do like our stuff, register, and we'll
keep making it.  We're  on our twelfth version of  this product, so we
think we're doing our part.
  This program is  not  "protected" in  any  way and is not altered so
that non-registrants will suffer. The authors don't believe in denying
anyone a chance to use our stuff. We are programmers, not businessmen.
We trust that  anyone  who  likes  DARNIT  and  wants more of  it will
register.  We're not naive, just a little idealistic.
  If you do not register you may still  distribute this  game provided
you follow the rules above. Also,  even if you have paid a distributor
for the disk this game was on, YOU ARE STILL NOT REGISTERED. We do not
receive payments from distributors.  They  just  help  us disperse our
stuff, and  we  help  THEM  by  giving them our stuff for distrubtion,
gratis.


2.2 - Registration.

 To register DARNIT 12.0 with BSX send a  check/cash/MO  for $10  (US)
 or  $12 (Canadian) PAYABLE TO ROBERT ROBERDS to:

                          BSX International
                          806 Park Ridge Road Apt. A8
                          Durham, NC 27713

      *************************************************************
      *** PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:  ROBERT ROBERDS        ***
      *** DO NOT MAKE THEM PAYABLE TO BSX INTERNATIONAL!        ***
      *** IF YOU DO, WE JUST HAVE A GOOD LAUGH AT YOUR EXPENSE  ***
      *** AND THROW THEM AWAY. AND YOU'RE STILL NOT REGISTERED! ***
      *** SO, THERE. WE'RE NOT JOKING. REMEMBER, THAT'S ->      ***
      ***                                                       ***
      ***             R*O*B*E*R*T R*O*B*E*R*D*S                 ***
      ***                                                       ***
      *** YOU'D THINK WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO REMIND PEOPLE LIKE    ***
      *** THIS, BUT WE DO. WE REALLY DO. OY THE STORIES WE GOT. ***
      *************************************************************

   For registering, not only  will  you  encourage  us to keep writing
 shareware, you will also receive:

  1) Our Gratitude.

  2) 1/2 Priced discounts on upgrades to this product.

  3) A meeting with the Government of Pakistan. (Just  send  them  the
     canceled check, and they'll do the rest.  Tell them "Farouk" sent
     you.)

  Your support and comments are appreciated! No foolin!
  Listen up: Please read BSXCAT.DOC  and  ORDER.DOC for  FULL  INFO on
the rewards you get for registering, and to see a current BSX catalog.

3.0 - Setup.

    A complete copy of DARNIT 12.0 has AT LEAST the following files:

  1) DARNIT.DOC - Documentation file you are now reading.
  2) DARNIT.EXE - The actual executable program.
  3) DARNIT.DAT - "Data" file needed for program execution.
  4) DARNIT.ICO - Windows icon file (not necessary to play DARNIT, but
                  provided for  expert  users  who  want to run DARNIT
                  under Windows 3.0+. DARNIT's NOT a Windows program).
  5) BSXCAT.DOC - BSX's latest catalog of stuff.
  6) ORDER.DOC  - E-Z-2-UZE BSX order and registration form. Print it!

  To run DARNIT 12.0 from a  hard  drive, make  a  directory  for this
game (we  don't care what you call it, but DARNIT  isn't  a  bad idea)
or pick an existing directory into which  you want  to  put the  game.
Copy the DARNIT.EXE and DARNIT.DAT files  into this directory.  Change
your  default directory to the  one  you  just  created (with the "CD"
command)  and  type "DARNIT".  It's as  simple as  that.  Or,  if that
directory is in your path, you can now type "darnit" from anywhere and
the game will start.  Presto!
  To run DARNIT 12.0 from a floppy, ensure that the files DARNIT.EXE &
DARNIT.DAT are  on  the  floppy. (Use the "DIR" command.)  Change your
default  drive  to the  drive  the  floppy  is  in (Type "A:" or "B:",
whichever applies) and type "DARNIT".  NOTE: We highly recommend  that
you run DARNIT from a hard disk, not a floppy, if at all possible.
  Refer to your DOS manual for help, if needed.
  If you're still having trouble, make  sure  your  machine  meets the
minimum requirements below:

  1) IBM PC,  XT,  AT,  PS/2 or  compatible  (any 80x88/80x86 machine,
     from 8088/8086 clear on up through 80586 and beyond).
  2) 256K RAM minimum.
  3) EGA or VGA video adaptor with at least 256K of video RAM.
  4) DOS 2.1 or higher or any other DOS-compatible operating system.
  5) Microsoft compatible mouse is supported, but not required.

        DARNIT 12.0 WILL NOT WORK WITHOUT A EGA OR VGA CARD!

  This game has been playtested on many, many  systems.  We cannot say
it will work on  every  possible  configuration, but it  does  work on
every system we have tried it on.  SO THERE!
  We cannot guarantee that  this  program will run under any operating
system other than DOS or that it will work with  any  TSR's (Terminate
and Stay Resident  programs)  or  memory  management  devices.  IT  IS
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you put:
files=20
buffers=40
device=ansi.sys
in your CONFIG.SYS file.  These shouldn't be necessary for DARNIT, but
it's best not to take chances.  So many problems  are  caused  by  the
omission  of these  lines that you'd be a fool not to put them in.  IT
IS  ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, if you do have problems with DARNIT, that
you unload and reload any TSRs before playing.  This often helps clean
up problems that other programs have left behind.
  Please try to recreate any problem on another, similar configuration
before assuming we have  screwed up.  If any of the above is confusing
to you, please refer to the manuals  that came with  your machine.  Or
you could talk to a computer salesman. (This won't solve your problem,
but it's always good for a laugh.)
  You can always  contact BSX, unless we're out on a date or something
(in other words, always).  Before beefing, though, please  re-read our
docs to make sure you aren't missing something.

  You may get in touch with BSX International  at [phone], just
about any time, or you can  send us a message on  the  Prodigy service
at JBVC54A, or on  GEnie  at  R.ROBERDS1,  or  on  VNet at 5 @9198, or
on WWIVNet at 5 @9979.
Drop us a line! If you call, you may get our answering service.  Leave
a message for Bob. He can get lonely.


4.0 - Rules of the Original Card Game.

  Some people call  this "Kings Corner" solitaire.   We  don't  really
know  of any  official  name of  this  type  of  solitaire  card game,
but  we  have  opted  to  call  it  DARNIT  because  we  seem  to  say
that an awful lot while  playing  it.   Well,  what we  REALLY say  is
unprintable in a family forum.  Anyway, Bob learned  it from a college
roomie, who had himself learned it  from  an obviously sadomasochistic
kid  at the summer camp where he worked.  And it goes something...like
...this:
  You shuffle the deck and, one  at a  time, take  cards  from  it and
lay them out in a 4x4 grid.  The goal is to get the face cards in this
pattern here:

                K | Q | Q | K
                -------------
                J |   |   | J
                -------------
                J |   |   | J
                -------------
                K | Q | Q | K

  Non-face cards can go in any position.  Face cards HAVE to  go  into
the  postions shown above. When you have filled the grid, you can then
discard all the  tens and all the pairs of non-face cards whose values
add up to ten (aces count as ones).  Then you fill the grid again, and
discard, and fill, ad nauseum, until the face cards are all out in the
above pattern.
  But you lose if you can't place a face card, or if you fill the grid
and it  has no tens or pairs that add to ten.  It's rough; it's tough;
it's in the buff.  Be prepared to get yer butt kicked  a lot.  But the
thrill of victory  makes all the agony of defeat worthwhile (usually).
  Variations: some people like to wimp out  and play by the rules that
let you not only eliminate tens and pairs that add  to ten,  but  also
to eliminate  ANY  groups  that  add  to ten; say  a six, a three, and
an ace.  This  is an  unbelievably  weenie  thing  to do,  but  DARNIT
offers it as an option.  You never know with some people.


5.0 - Using DARNIT...The Basics
  Just type:
darnit
at the DOS prompt. You'll see the opening screen and  cruise  on to an
all-nighter of solitaire madness.
  Now to  explain a  few  fundamentals.   First  off, if  you  have  a
Microsoft Mouse or  any  compatible device, you move  around with  the
mouse and  click with the left button.  If you don't have a mouse, you
move around  with the arrow keys and with PgUp,  PgDn,  Home, and End,
and click on things  with Return  or Spacebar;  also, command  buttons
onscreen can often be envoked with the  first  letter  of the command;
for example, hitting 'H' calls up the Help screen.
  You  take  cards  from  the deck by clicking on it.  You put the now
face-up deck card in a grid square  by clicking  in that square.  Note
that face cards will only  go into their appropriate positions.  Other
cards may  go into any empty square.  DARNIT has an "oh  jeez I didn't
mean to put it there" option, too. If you put a card in a grid  square
and then realize that that  wasn't what you  wanted, you  can hit  the
right or  middle button (or Escape or  Backspace, if you don't  have a
mouse) to put it back on the  top  of the deck  and place it  all over
again.  But  after turning over the  next card,  there  ain't no  such
option.  It ain't allowed in the card game, and it ain't allowed here.
CHEATING MAY RESULT IN DEATH AND/OR LOSS OF PLAYING PRIVELEDGES.
  Once  the  grid  is  filled  you can eliminate  tens  by clicking on
them, and you can eliminate pairs by first clicking  on  one  card  to
highlight it, then clicking the other.  If you change  your mind after
highlighting  a card,  just  hit the  right   or  middle mouse  button
(or Escape or Backspace) to unselect  it.  Click on  the deck to start
filling again.


5.1 - Features.
  Rule Varations:
  You have the option to choose to play  by  the easy rules;  that is,
allowing  the elimination of not just tens and pairs that add to  ten,
but of  ALL  groups that  add up to ten. 'Tis wimpy, but 'tis offered,
because BSX International has only YER best  interests at  heart.  You
may choose which rule to use by clicking on  the  Rules  button  while
playing the game.  DARNIT will remember that setting from  now on.  If
you  quit, DARNIT will still be in the rule you picked when  you start
it again.  Try it out!
  Run Silent, Run Deep:
  Another nifty  option is the silent playing  mode.   This  lets  you
play without any of  the  cute  music  playing  on startup  and  after
winning or losing.  So you  can  play  without  bosses/and or  parents
and/or  your  roommate(s) kicking yer hiney.  Just  click on the SOUND
button  on the playscreen.  And if you wanna make *sure* DARNIT starts
silently, just  use  the  parameter -s  on  the  command  line, as in:
darnit -s
  Good for the first time you install DARNIT at work!
  It's the Boss:
  This brings  us  to  the  Boss  option.  Say  you  got a real  dull,
pointless job, kind of like Bob's, and you  decide to  kill some  time
with a nice game of DARNIT.  But  yer  neo-facist  employer would  not
take a shine to that if he was  to  catch  you  at it.  Yer  boss, the
Master  Of  The Universe with his heroic Yale chin, would toss you  in
the shredder if he caught you goofing  on  this GAME instead of making
him money.  (An aside:  I'm using  the  male  pronoun  for simplicity.
I know there are plenty  of  horrible *female*  bosses, too.)  What to
do?  Well,  just hit the Boss button on the playing screen, and -POW!-
up comes a fake DOS screen. Yer boss walks by, none the wiser.   Cool,
huh?  This is a convincing  Boss  screen, not a  lame EGA "C>" like in
F-19 Stealth  Fighter.  All  you  have  to  do  is  type  "darnit"  or
"exit" to return to your game.  Or, if there's   an emergency, you can
type "abort"  to leave immediately and exit  right to DOS.  Your  game
will be  lost, but your job may well be saved.  It is an even swap.
  It has been brought  to  our  attention that only  bosses play games
at work.  So be it.  Then  you  bosses  may  think  of the BOSS option
as an EMPLOYEE option.  The song remains the same.
  Here's some other options available to you while playing:

  Help:  Puts up a full-scren help  facility.  Helps  you  to keep  it
straight!  As it were.

  Players: This enables you to look at the lifetime scores of up to 10
players.  Choose "USE" to play  with that  player,  or "NEW" to  erase
that player's stats and enter a new  name.  And there's  always "DONE"
for when you want to get back to the game.

  Cards: Choose from one of the eight available  designs for the backs
of the cards!  YOU make the call!

  Mouse:  If you're using a mouse  and  don't  like  the  response, no
problem! Click on  the mouse  adjust  button   and  use  the  VCR-like
controls to change the feel. If you don't know  how to  work a VCR  or
don't know what horizontal and  vertical  are, what the  hell are  you
doing using a computer?  Do yourself  a favor and  just get a lobotomy
right away.  One flew east, one flew west,  one flew over the cuckoo's
nest.  DARNIT will remember the mouse speed setting from now on.
  NOTE: If you have a mouse but don't wish to use it  to  play DARNIT,
just start the game with the -n command option, as in:
darnit -n
  One More Thing:
  DARNIT  is truly idiot-proof;  we know cuz we've tested it ourselves
a million times,  doing  all  sorts  of  idiotic stuff.  Lose the .DAT
file, or forget the rules of the  game, or  try  to  run  on  a system
w/o  EGA:  NO sweat!  DARNIT  WILL NOT crash.  Nothing's more annoying
than  a game  that  crashes.  Also,  it's  VERY user-friendly; mousers
seldom need touch the  keyboard, and  non-mousers seldom  need use any
hand but  the  one  on  the numeric  keypad.  Note  to   mousers:  You
might  want  to   disable  any  mouse-ignorant screen  savers,  or the
screen  may blank and scare the  very bejeebers  outta you,  until you
remember that all you gotta do  is  hit a key.  Used to happen to me a
lot when using mouse-only applications.


6.0 - Technical and Version Notes.

   DARNIT was conceived over a weekend  of  serious  beer-drinking and
hardcore Chinese  food-eating.  It was done in Turbo Pascal 5.5 on  an
IBM  PC  with  an  Intel Inboard 386, a Maxtor  120Mb  hard  drive,  a
Paradise Pro VGA card, and a Logitech bus mouse.

   The game was tested and docs  were written on a Gateway 2000 386/33
with Super VGA &  200MB Hard Drive running  MS-DOS 5.0  with  a  Kraft
Serial Trackball.
  The  mouse routines used were those in  the  Public Domain  TP  unit
known as EGAMOUSE, by Eduardo Martins.  This is a fine,  simple-to-use
unit  that  comes  with source, allowing  for  easy  modification.
  The unbelievably  buggy  background  music routines were adapted and
debugged from a  REAL  old   TP3   include   file   dating   from  the
Pleistocene (1985).

6.1 - Version Summary.

   Version 1.0 released  6 June 89 - Initial release.

   Many other releases followed until...

   Version 11.0 released 8 July 91 - Many  improvments  including  new
   play  screen,  card  back  selection,  mouse  sensitivity  control,
   extended win/loss tracking with player selection and  incorporating
   all other bug fixes since initial release.

   Version 11.1 released 16 Sept. 91 - Mouse action smoothified.  Some
   color changes.

   Version 12.0 released 5 Nov. 92 - Mouse   routines  replaced.  Dumb
   changing-mouse stuff eliminated.  Colors and  fonts changed.  Black
   gold.  Texas tea.



7.0 - About BSX International.

   BSX is mostly the fault  of  Bob Roberds,  sometime programmer  and
all-around  swell guy.  Partly  to  blame  is Dave Kotomski,  sometime
programmer  and fellow  game  fanatic.   Together  with  the  help  of
programmers and other computer  geeks, they  run  BSX International, a
shareware company.  Our amazing  growth and  diversity  is due  to the
large number of registrants and other enthusiasts  who contribute time
and money (mostly just time) in the form of registrations and ideas as
well as code, advice, the occasional  beer and shoulder to cry on.  We
appreciate it all. Mostly the beer, though.

  Bob and Dave  spend a  lot  of time on the phone.  We  usually  talk
about politics, music, modern life, last week's Star Trek:TNG episode,
and beer.  When Bob's not  on  the  phone,  he   eeks  out his  meager
existence in Durham, NC and writes our software and drinks beer.  When
Dave's  not on the phone with Bob, he's on  the  phone with his "wife"
(should I get call-waiting?)  or drinking beer in Trumbull, CT  (never
both. Maybe a new girlfriend?).  Both of us are playing games the rest
of the time, or we're  passed  out  somewhere  (often in  Baltimore on
bus-stop benches).

8.0 - Acknowledgements.

  Bob would  like to thank Dave for  being  a  true blue BSXian.  With
gratitude extended to local riff-raff like Elvis for testing and input
(GIGO, I always say). Endless dittoes to Spike the macaw for inspiring
the  ubiquitous  parrot imagery.  And,  miracle  of miracles,  LRG has
actually  STOPPED the  Silent Treatment for  a bit.  But, we're  sure,
only for a BRIEF bit.

  Dave would like to thank Bob, John, Debbie, Gail and Alexei for good
times and stuff. It's amazing to me that Bob  picks  up  the phone  as
often as he does when he knows I call so much. What's more  amazing is
he actually uses some of  my "suggestions" in  our games.  I suppose I
should  acknowledge some ex-girlfriends  out there.  There, I did  it.
Happy?

BSX International -

Bob "Sideshow Bob" Roberds - Development, Design & Beer.
David "I AM Klingon" Kotomski - Playtesting, Dox & Jack Daniels.

               So round, so firm, so fully packed...
                         It must be from
                          __   ___
                         |  \ /   \ \  /
                         |__/ \___   \/
                         |  \     \  /\
                         |__/ \___/ /  \

                          International

                  "Where the Future is Tommorrow"
           Rootin Tootin Computin for the 90s and Beyond
             Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
  We're fierce, we're BSX International,  and we're *IN YER FACE!*

   Serving your shareware needs for over a fiftieth of a century!

Ewwww...dogwater!
Peace.