Mancala 2.0 is released as shareware. It may be distributed freely, as long as it remains together with this text file, and as long as the application and this file are not altered in any way. If you keep this game, please send the $12 registration fee to:
Jamie Kowalski
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Silver Spring, MD 20910
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Mancala is an ancient ﾒpit and pebbleﾓ game from Africa, originally played with stones or beans on a playing field carved into the dirt. It is also known by other names, including ﾒOwari,ﾓ and there are many known variations. Some of these variations can be played with Mancala 2.0 (see ﾒOptionsﾓ below). Mancala is beginning to become popular, and you can probably find a nice wooden set in your local game or toy store, if you wish to play a human opponent. Practicing with this computer version will give you a major edge against them.
WARNING: Mancala is highly addictive, and has been known to hinder general productivity. Iﾕm not kidding.
The playing board has 14 circular depressions called ﾒpits.ﾓ You control the 6 pits along the bottom, and the computer controls the 6 along the top. The oblong pit at the right side is your ﾒhomeﾓ pit, and the one on the left is the computerﾕs. The basic game begins with 3 beans (pebbles) in each of the twelve center pits.
When it is your turn, you do the following:
1. Choose a pit on your side of the board that has at least one bean in it by clicking on it with the mouse.
2. The beans in that pit are scooped out, and placed one at a time, starting with the next pit to the right, and continuing around the board in a counter-clockwise direction, including your home pit, but not your opponentﾕs. This is called ﾒsowingﾓ the beans, and is carried out for you automatically.
3. If the LAST bean sown lands in your home pit, you must take another turn.
4. If the LAST bean sown lands in an EMPTY pit on your side of the board, and the opponentﾕs pit DIRECTLY ACROSS from that pit is not empty, you have made a capture. Your last bean, and all the beans in the captured pit, are placed into your home pit.
After you move, the Mac will think for a second, and make its move. It will blink a pit momentarily, and then sow the beans it contains. While it is the Macﾕs move, the cursor will become a watch. When you get the arrow, it is your turn to move again.
The game ends when either player has no beans left on their side of the board. All remaining beans are placed in the home pit of the opposing player. The Winner is the player with the most beans in their home pit.
When you begin to win too many games, you will want to make things more interesting by choosing a higher level of play from the ﾒLevelﾓ menu. There are eight levels of difficulty, and the highest levels are damn tough. On levels 7 and 8, the Mac may take a little thinking time on slower computers.
Human Opens/Mac Opens:
Let the Mac start a game now and then--itﾕs only polite. Choose the player who moves first from the ﾒOptionsﾓ menu.
Number of Beans:
The game really starts to get interesting (and a little tougher) when you begin with 4, 5, or 6 beans in the pits. Good luck at the higher levels and 5 or 6 beans per pit--the Mac will show little mercy!
Self-Capture:
In some versions of the rules Iﾕve seen, a bean that captures by landing in an empty pit on your side, is not placed in your home pit with the captured beans. If you prefer this version of the rules, turn off the ﾒSelf-Captureﾓ option from the ﾒOptionsﾓ menu. By default, Self-Capture is set to ﾒon.ﾓ
Sound:
Turn off the sounds from the ﾒOptionsﾓ menu if the Macﾕs chatter begins to unnerve you. The bean-sowing animation will go faster when the sound is off.
Take Back Move:
Choose this from the ﾒOptionsﾓ menu to undo any major goofs on your part. The board will reset to the position it had just before your last move. (We look down on such activity here at Wayfun.) Note: This option is not available in Match Mode.
All strategy Iﾕve learned about this game was taught to me by the Mac, after initial programming. Mancala 2.0 has a simple ﾒlook-aheadﾓ algorithm, but it appears to have brilliant insight in certain positions. Among the things it has taught me are:
1. Except in rare situations, itﾕs a good idea to play a single bean from the far right pit immediately.
2. Try to hoard the beans when the game is nearly over. You may be able to force your opponent to run out, and you will reap the remainder.
3. Playing from the far left 2 pits is a good defensive strategy. The other 4 pits are harder for your opponent to capture.
4. Playing from the far right 2 pits is more offensive. It can threaten captures if your opponent has hoarded beans on that end of the board.
5. Thirteen is a magic number. It always captures.
6. Let your opponent capture if it leaves him vulnerable to an even bigger capture.
This will all make more sense after you have a few games under your belt.
Match play is an original touch to this implementation of the game. It mixes things up a bit, and allows for a broad range of scores for the high score page.
Set the desired level and game variations before you begin match play. They cannot be altered after the match has begun. Choose ﾒNew Matchﾓ from the ﾒFileﾓ menu to start the match. A green scoring slate will appear, showing the game number, the level of play, and the score for you and the Mac. You may not take back a move during match play.
A match consists of 12 games, each starting with a different forced move. In the first 6 games, you move first, and the pit with which you must start will blink until you click on it. The Mac will start the next 6 games, each with a different pit.
The scoring slate will always show the current score. You get one point for a won game, a half point for a drawn game, and no points for a lost game. Match play is tougher than regular play, because you must adapt a new strategy for each different beginning move. The first game of a match in a 3-beaner is a real bear!
You may make a high score during match play. Your total score for purposes of the Hall of Fame is figured using the following formula:
Level x beans per pit x your match score.
At any time, you may view the Hall of Fame list from the ﾒFileﾓ Menu. If your little sister plays and pushes your high score down a couple of notches, you can erase all high scores from this screen, and start over. Itﾕs your computer anyway, right?
Wayfun Software makes no claims or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the suitability of this product for any person or computer system. Wayfun Software is not responsible for any loss of data or productivity stemming from the use of this product. If your boss finds you playing when you should be working, and takes punitive measures, itﾕs just not my fault. It really isnﾕt. No, I swear -- my wife is a lawyer.
