Various kinds of word puzzles have existed for years in many different forms. People spend hours trying to solve them, working tediously with pencil and paper. Many a newspaper has been worn through trying and retrying different solutions.
With the advent of computers, working these puzzles becomes more enjoyable because the computer screen provides a working surface that's easier to manipulate than paper and pencil. You can erase and retry as often as you wish and the screen will never wear out as paper is apt to do.
Still, many computerized versions of word games look dull. Just because it's a word game does not mean that it has to use text mode and black & white only. Why can't word puzzles be colorful, use high resolution graphics and even run with a mouse? Well, since Cipher for Windows runs under the graphical Windows interface that's exactly what it does.
Cipher for Windows is a "crypto-quotes" type of game. That is, a quotation is enciphered and displayed on the screen in its scrambled form. Your challenge is to figure out the cipher by replacing the scrambled letters with the actual letters. As you go along more and more of the puzzle will start to look like real words and eventually you should solve the whole puzzle and be able to read the quotation.
One set of puzzles is provided with the game. If you want more, you can register the game for $15 and in exchange you'll receive the latest version of the game plus many more puzzles to solve. For $22 you can order the "deluxe" version of the game, which includes a registered copy of the software, the additional puzzles plus a printed manual and binder to store everything in. Please include $2 shipping for the standard version or $4 for the deluxe version. Foreign shipping is $4 for either version.
Cipher for Windows is distributed by the Shareware system -- this allows you to try it before you buy it, but if you continue to use the game you are expected to register. When you register, please let me know what version you have (it's right on the info screen) and I'd also be interested to know where you got it from. Please, make sure you put your name and address on your letter! Or you can use the instant registration form in the file "orderfrm.txt". Just copy the file to your printer, fill it out, and mail it. If you're not familiar with the Shareware concept, please read the file "sharewre.txt".
If you have any suggestions or discover any problems with the program you can reach me via the )(evious BBS system (300/1200/2400, 14400 HST, 9600 v.32, 8N1) at 508-875-3618 or 617-449-7322. Leave a C)omment to the sysop to reach me. )(evious is the official support BBS for all my software and the latest versions are always available for downloading there. There is also a support conference for people to exchange game tips or ask questions. J)oin conference #31 and check out the latest tips. B)ulletin #1 always has the list of latest versions of all my programs, along with the file name if you wish to download them.
You can also reach )(evious through RelayNet. If there's a RelayNet board in your area send a routed message to me at node XEVIOUS. The Shareware conference would be the best choice, but if that's not available try TPascal, Games or even Common.
I'm also available through CompuServe's email system. Send mail to me at 71020,2613. Or join me and many other shareware authors in the Shareware forum (GO SHAREWARE). You can also reach me through Internet; address messages to 71020.2613@compuserve.com.
Cipher for Windows is pretty easy to use, so rather than reading all the instructions you might want to just start it up and play. The game includes complete instructions built in, using the standard Windows help interface.
INSTALLATION
Cipher for Windows is installed into Windows just like any other program, so you may want to consult your Windows manual if you're not familiar with the procedure. Briefly, here is how you would install Cipher:
1) Create a directory on your hard disk and copy all the Cipher files into it. For this example, let's say the directory is C:\CIPHERWN
2) From within Windows select the Program Manager, then under the File menu select New.
3) A dialog will pop up; select Program Item and click on OK.
4) Another dialog will pop up. Under Description enter "Cipher" or "Cipher for Windows". Then, under Command Line enter "C:\CIPHERWN\CIPHERWN.EXE". If you've used a different directory than the one suggested in step 1 above you'll need to modify this accordingly.
5) Click on OK and you'll be returned to the desktop where you should now see the Cipher icon.
PLAYING THE GAME
OBJECT:
The object of the game is to decipher the puzzle shown on the right side of the screen. The puzzles vary in difficulty and size. When you solve the puzzle correctly a message will pop up on the screen to let you know.
KEYBOARD MODE COMMANDS:
If you're going to be playing the game with a mouse, skip down to the "Mouse Mode Commands" section. Also see the section on "Common Commands".
Though Windows is primarily a mouse based interface, some people will find Cipher easier to play using the keyboard. When using the keyboard you will alternate between "select character" and "place character" modes. You will see a prompt at the upper right corner of the screen to tell you what the game is expecting.
You must first select a letter of the alphabet that you want placed into the puzzle. Just type that single letter and it will be highlighted on the left hand side of the screen.
Then you must decide where to place the highlighted letter into the puzzle. Hit the letter that you want translated to the letter you just selected. You'll see your selection placed throughout the puzzle.
The game prevents you from using a letter to translate more than one encrypted letter. Thus, if you change your mind on the translation of a letter you can just reuse the translated letter somewhere else and your previous use will be erased.
If you want to erase a guess without placing it somewhere else, hit the space bar when asked to select a letter and then choose where to place it in the puzzle.
MOUSE MODE COMMANDS:
If you're going to be playing the game with the keyboard, go back to the "Keyboard Mode Commands" section. Also see the section on "Common Commands".
Unlike playing with a keyboard, playing using a mouse is "modeless" in that you do not have to alternate between selecting a character and placing it into the puzzle. At the left side of the screen you'll see the alphabet displayed. Click on the letter you want to select for use in the puzzle. If your aim is off, just move the cursor and click again. The letter you choose will be highlighted.
On the right side of the screen you'll see the puzzle. After you have selected a letter point to the position in the puzzle where you want that letter used and click the mouse. The letter will be placed at that position and at all other positions that have the same enciphered letter.
The game prevents you from using a letter to translate more than one encrypted letter. Thus, if you change your mind on the translation of a letter you can just reuse the translated letter somewhere else and your previous use will be erased.
There are several options in addition to simply placing a letter. If you click on the top half of a letter pair on the right side, all occurrences of that letter throughout the puzzle will be highlighted but not filled in. Clicking the right mouse button instead of the left one will remove your guess from the position in the puzzle being pointed to.
COMMON COMMANDS:
Along the top line of the screen you'll see a menu of commands displayed. Just move the mouse cursor up to the command and point and click on the one you want.
The available commands are as follows:
Info
Provides some basic information on the game and how to register. Also displays the version of the program being used.
File
The file menu has a number of subfunctions:
Next Puzzle -- if you're stuck on the current puzzle or just don't want to play it select next puzzle to get the next consecutive puzzle in the puzzle file.
Previous Puzzle -- if you want to go back to a previous puzzle use this command. You will use this command fairly seldom because previous puzzles are ones you've already played.
Select by Number -- lets you select any puzzle within the current puzzle file by entering its number. Handy if two people want to play the same puzzle.
Change Puzzle File -- this command allows you to load a different puzzle file. All puzzle files end with the file extension ".cpz". The shareware version of the game only comes with one puzzle file so this command won't be useful until you register the game.
Save Game -- use this command to save the current puzzle along with your guesses to a disk file. All saved game files use the file extension ".sav"; it's optional whether you type this in or not when entering the file name.
Load Game -- use this command to reload a puzzle that you saved previously. Select the name of the saved game file you want from the displayed list.
Make Puzzle -- this function lets you enter puzzles from other sources and play them using Cipher. There are two types of puzzles that Cipher understands, the first being puzzles that are already encrypted like you might find in the newspaper or a puzzle book ("user quotes"), and second being plain language quotes that Cipher will scramble for you ("standard quotes"); these quotes can come from any source.
When you bring up the make puzzle window you'll have three edit boxes to fill in. The upper box is for the actual quote. The middle box is for the author's name; leave it blank if you don't know the author. The lower box is for the overall puzzle topic for the entire puzzle file; you only need to enter the topic once per puzzle file.
When you've entered the puzzle use the buttons to select either user or standard puzzle type and then click on the "OK" button. A standard file selection box will appear for you to choose which file you want the puzzle saved into. If you change your mind, click on the "Cancel" button and the puzzle will not be saved.
Note that user defined puzzle files are slightly different from standard Cipher puzzles, so do not try to add your own puzzles into the standard puzzle files or vice versa. You also lose one normal feature of the game when using user puzzles: the game can't determine when you've solved the puzzle. Several of the hints functions also don't work with user puzzles.
Clear Guesses -- use this function if you want to clear all your previous guesses and start the current puzzle over again. It also marks the puzzle as being unplayed; use this if you want to quit but play the current puzzle next time you play.
Hints
See Puzzle -- If a puzzle gets too frustrating you can "cheat" and see the solution. Once you've done this the puzzle is marked in the puzzle file as having been played to completion.
Get Hint -- This allows you to get a hint on a single letter. Enter the encrypted letter from the puzzle that you would like to see the matching unencrypted letter for and this letter will be entered throughout the puzzle.
Clear Wrong Guesses -- Selecting this will remove all letters from the puzzle that are incorrect.
Show Letter Frequencies -- It's well known that some letters of the alphabet are used much more often than others. In the English language, the most common letters, in order, are generally ETOANIRSH. Knowing this fact and knowing which letters in the puzzle appear most often is a powerful clue. This hint will show all letters of the alphabet along with the number of times they appear in the puzzle.
Options
See Hall of Fame -- Using this option you can see the all time high score list at any time. Click on the "Clear" button to erase all entries in the hall.
Select New Player -- Use this option to let a different player use the game. You will select the player name you want from a list, or you can enter a new player name or change an existing player name and use that.
Select Colors -- You can customize your screen colors with this option. Your selected colors will be stored so that your last selections will automatically be loaded whenever you play. Each player can have their own color selections.
Switch Mouse/Keyboard -- Use this option to switch between mouse and keyboard play at any time.
Help
Starts up the standard Windows help interface. Complete instructions are available on how to play Cipher, along with other information such as how to register, contact the author, etc.
CIPHER RECORD KEEPING
The game tries to keep track of which puzzles you've played in an intelligent manner. In general, it expects you to play the puzzles within a file in order so when you select a puzzle file it automatically loads the first puzzle within that file that you have not tried yet. When you've tried all the puzzles within a file, you're given the option of going back to the beginning and playing those puzzles you didn't solve the first time through.
These records are kept separately for each player, by player number. Changing a player's name does not change the records for that player number within the puzzle files you use.
CIPHER SCORING SYSTEM
The scoring system is fairly simple. When you start a puzzle you are given 1000 points. One point is ticked off every second, so the faster you solve the puzzle the higher your score. Clear Wrong Guesses and Get Hint will cost you 10 points each time you use them. Using Show Letter Frequencies doesn't cost any points, but the clock does continue to run while you're looking at the frequency list so you're losing one point per second. Using Show Puzzle sets your score to zero.
When you solve the puzzle, you get a 100 point bonus. You get an additional 100 points if you did not use any of the hint functions. If you managed to solve the puzzle with no wrong guesses you get a 100 point bonus. Finally, you get 20 points for each correct letter and lose 10 points for each wrong guess you made before solving the puzzle.
If your score is one of the top ten it will be entered into the Hall of Fame and the hall will automatically be displayed. If you wish to clear the Hall of Fame use the Clear button at the lower right of the Hall of Fame display.
