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- ┼╤╒┴╘╔╧╬╙ FOR THE ├OMMODORE 64
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- ┴RE YOU READY FOR A CHALLENGING GAME...A GAME WHICH
- REQUIRES THOUGHT AND FLEXIBILITY, WHILE NOT DEMANDING GREAT
- MANUAL DEXTERITY. ┼QUATIONS IS JUST SUCH A GAME. ╘HIS IS A TWO
- PLAYER GAME IN WHICH ONE OR BOTH PEOPLE CAN WIN WITHOUT
- DESTROYING 16 MILLION ALIENS, DEFUSING BOMBS, NEUTRALIZING
- ROBOTS, ETC., ETC., ETC.
- ╔F YOU HAVE EVER WATCHED ╩┼╧╨┴╥─┘ ON ╘╓ YOU HAVE A GLIMMER
- OF AN IDEA HOW ┼QUATIONS IS PLAYED. ┘OU ARE GIVEN A RANDOM
- ANSWER FROM ONE TO ONE HUNDRED, AND THE OBJECT OF THE GAME IS
- FOR TWO PEOPLE TO SELECT DIGITS AND OPERATORS FROM A COMMON POOL
- TO CONSTRUCT EQUATIONS THAT WILL EQUAL THE ANSWER. ╬OW, THE
- POOL OF ELEMENTS IS COMMON, BUT EACH PLAYER MUST CREATE HIS OWN
- EQUATION USING EVERY ELEMENT SELECTED. ╧F COURSE, YOU WILL WANT
- TO USE DIGITS AND OPERATORS THAT WILL CONVINCE YOUR OPPONENT THE
- ANSWER CANNOT BE REACHED. ┘ES, YOU WILL ACTUALLY HAVE TO THINK
- TO PLAY THIS GAME.
- ┘OU WILL OBEY STANDARD ALGEBRAIC RULES IN CONSTRUCTING YOUR
- EQUATIONS. ┘OU WILL HAVE ONLY DIGITS ZERO TO NINE, AND
- OPERATIONS. [+ - * / ╙╤╥() () = ^] ┘OU MAY NOT USE A
- NUMBER GREATER THAN 9. ═ATHEMATICALLY, THE HIERARCHY OF
- OPERATIONS IS FOLLOWED. ┬ASICALLY, THIS MEANS THAT ANYTHING IN
- PARANTHESES IS DONE FIRST, THEN ANY EXPONENTS/SQUARE ROOTS, THEN
- MULTIPLICATION/DIVISION, THEN ADDITION/SUBTRACION. ╙INCE
- BOOLEAN LOGIC OPERATIONS [X=(X=.)] ARE MOST OFTEN IN
- PARANTHESES, THEY WILL HAVE A HIGH PRIORITY.
- ╨ARANTHESES ARE AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN CREATING EQUATIONS
- AND, FOR ME, WHERE MUCH OF THE THINKING AND FUN LIES. ╨AY
- ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING! ╘HINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT
- THEY SEEM. ┴N EQUATION WITH IMPROPERLY USED PARANTHESES MAY
- LOOK PERFECT, BUT MAY NOT ADD UP.
- ╘HE FIRST THING YOU MUST ENTER IS THE LENGTH OF THE
- EQUATION YOU WILL BE CONSTRUCTING. ┘OU MAY SELECT FROM FIVE TO
- FIFTEEN ELEMENTS. ╘HE DEFAULT IS SEVEN IF YOU JUST PRESS
- RETURN. ┴ SHORT EQUATION CAN BE AS DIFFICULT AS A LONG ONE, AND
- SOMETIMES MORE SO.
- ╬EXT, YOU MUST CHOOSE THE HARD OR EASY MODE. ╘HE
- DIFFERENCE IS THE OPERATIONS YOU WILL HAVE TO USE. ╔N THE EASY
- MODE, YOU CAN ADD, SUBTRACT, DIVIDE, MULTIPLY, AND USE
- PARANTHESES TO CONSTRUCT YOUR EQUATION. ╔N THE HARD MODE, YOU
- ALSO HAVE EXPONENTS, SQUARE ROOTS, AND AN EQUAL SIGN FOR BOOLEAN
- LOGIC.
- ╞INALLY, YOU MUST ENTER THE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE
- PLAYING. ╘HIS IS A TWO PLAYER GAME, REQUIRING TWO JOYSTICKS.
- ╘HE FIRST PLAYER WILL BE ASSIGNED RANDOMLY NO MATTER WHICH NAME
- IS ENTERED FIRST. ╘HIS GIVES BOTH PLAYERS A CHANCE AT ENTERING
- FIRST, WHICH CAN BE A DEFINITE ADVANTAGE.
- ┴FTER THIS BRIEF SETUP, THE SCREEN WILL BLANK MOMENTARILY,
- THEN FILL WITH TWENTY-ONE RANDOM DIGITS FROM ZERO TO NINE. ╘HE
- GAME USES TWO SCREENS. ╘WENTY-ONE RANDOM OPERATORS ARE ON THE
- OTHER SCREEN. ╔T IS THIS SCREEN THAT IS BEING BUILT WHEN THE
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- SCREEN IS BLANK.
- ┴T THE BOTTOM OF EACH SCREEN, IN A LARGE PINK BOX, IS THE
- ANSWER YOU WILL BE TRYING TO ARRIVE AT WITH YOUR EQUATION, A
- LABEL SAYING EITHER '─╔╟╔╘╙' OR '╧╨┼╥┴╘╧╥╙', AND AT THE RIGHT,
- THE LENGTH OF EQUATION YOU SPECIFIED AT THE BEGINNING.
- ┴FTER BOTH SCREENS ARE CONSTRUCTED, YOU WILL BE LOOKING AT
- THE ─╔╟╔╘ SCREEN. ╔T WILL SAY '╧╨┼╥┴╘╧╥╙' AT THE BOTTOM, BUT
- THIS IS CORRECT. ╔ WILL EXPLAIN LATER. ╬OW IS THE TIME FOR
- EACH PLAYER TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTING AN EQUATION ON PAPER. ╔T WILL
- UNDOUBTEDLY HAVE TO BE MODIFIED AS THE GAME CONTINUES. ╔N ORDER
- TO SEE WHAT IS AVAILABLE, YOU CAN TOGGLE SCREENS AT THIS POINT
- BY PRESSING THE ╙╨┴├┼ ┬┴╥. ╫HEN YOU ARE READY TO BEGIN, PRESS
- ╥┼╘╒╥╬ AND YOU WILL ENTER THE GAME, ONLY THEN FINDING OUT WHO IS
- FIRST.
- ╘HE ROUTINE WHICH READS THE JOYSTICKS IS IN ═ACHINE
- ╠ANGUAGE. ╘HIS PROGRAM PROCESSES YOUR SELECTIONS, TOGGLES
- BETWEEN SCREEN 'PAGES', BEEPS, BONGS, AND INSTALLS THE SPRITE
- DATA. ╫HEN YOU PRESS ╥┼╘╒╥╬, AS DIRECTED ABOVE, YOU WILL BE
- OPERATING IN THIS ROUTINE.
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- ╘╧ ╨╠┴┘
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- ┬OTH PLAYERS SHOULD HAVE A PENCIL AND PAPER TO WORK OUT
- THEIR EQUATIONS. ╫HEN YOU SEE THE ANSWER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE
- SCREEN, USE THE DIGITS AND OPERATORS AVAILABLE TO MAKE AN
- EQUATION THAT WILL EQUAL THE ANSWER. ┘OU SHOULD HAVE ALREADY
- EXAMINED BOTH SCREENS AS DESCRIBED PREVIOUSLY. ╫HEN YOU SEE THE
- SPRITE POINTER ON THE SCREEN, ONLY THE PERSON WHOSE NAME IS AT
- THE TOP OF THE SCREEN WILL BE ABLE TO TOGGLE THE SCREEN PAGES.
- ┘OU WILL HAVE THE NUMBER OF MOVES YOU SPECIFIED FOR 'LENGTH'
- IN THE OPENING INPUT SEQUENCE. ╘HIS IS ALWAYS DISPLAYED AT THE
- LOWER RIGHT CORNER OF THE PINK BLOCK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE
- SCREEN. ╧F COURSE, THIS NUMBER IS DIVIDED BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR
- OPPONENT. ┘OU DO NOT EACH HAVE THIS MANY SELECTIONS.
- ┘OU WILL NOTICE THAT TWO BOXES REPRESENT OPERATIONS THAT
- REQUIRE MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER. ╘HESE ARE THE ╨┴╥┴╬╘╚┼╙╔╙ AND
- THE ╙╤╥(). ╘HESE BLOCKS COUNT ONLY ╧╬┼ AGAINST THE 'LENGTH'. ╔
- WILL DISCUSS THIS FURTHER SHORTLY.
- ┼ACH OF YOU WILL SELECT A BOX IN HIS TURN. ╘O FLIP BETWEEN
- ─╔╟╔╘╙ PAGE AND ╧╨┼╥┴╘╧╥╙ PAGE, JUST USE THE JOYSTICK TO MOVE
- THE POINTER TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN AND THE PAGE WILL FLIP
- AUTOMATICALLY. ╘HIS IS THE REASON THE LABEL ON THE SCREEN IS
- NOT WHAT IS DISPLAYED. ╔T IS TELLING YOU WHAT YOU WILL SEE WHEN
- YOU TURN THE 'PAGE'.
- ╘O SELECT A BOX, USING THE JOYSTICK, POSITION THE POINTER
- OVER THAT BOX AND PRESS THE FIREBUTTON. ┘OU WILL HEAR A BELL
- AND AN ASTERISK WILL APPEAR IN THE CENTER OF THE TOP OF THE
- SELECTED BOX. ╔F YOU ACCIDENTALLY SELECT A BOX THAT WAS ALREADY
- MARKED, YOU WILL HEAR A BUZZ AND YOU LOSE YOUR TURN. ╘HIS CAN
- BE A COSTLY MISTAKE, BECAUSE IT GIVES YOUR OPPONENT ANOTHER
- ENTRY.
- ┴╠╠ ┬╧╪┼╙ ╙┼╠┼├╘┼─ MUST BE USED IN THE EQUATIONS YOU ARE
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- BUILDING. ╘HAT MEANS IF YOUR OPPONENT SELECTS A '+' SIGN, YOU
- MUST USE IT ALSO. ╔F YOU HADN'T USED IT ORIGINALLY, YOU BETTER
- FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU MUST DO TO USE IT IN YOUR EQUATION.
- ╘HERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT YOU CANNOT MAKE AN EQUATION
- WITH THE OPERATOR OR DIGIT THAT YOUR OPPONENT SELECTED... THAT
- IT CANNOT BE DONE AT ALL. ╔N THIS CASE, YOU WILL CHALLENGE HIM.
- ╘O DO THIS, WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN, POSITION THE SPRITE POINTER
- OVER A BOX THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN SELECTED AND PRESS THE
- FIREBUTTON. ┴FTER THE BUZZ, IMMEDIATELY PRESS THE ├╧══╧─╧╥┼
- ┬╒╘╘╧╬. ┴ CHALLENGE CAN ONLY BE MADE IN THIS WAY. ┘OU CANNOT
- CHALLENGE IF YOU HAVE ENTERED A NEW BLOCK AS THIS WOULD GIVE YOU
- AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE.
- ╫HEN A CHALLENGE HAS BEEN ISSUED, A STATUS LINE AT THE
- TOP OF EACH SCREEN WILL DISPLAY ├╚┴╠╠┼╬╟┼ AND THE NAME OF THE
- PERSON WHO HAS BEEN CHALLENGED. ╚E WILL NOW HAVE SOLE CONTROL
- OF WHAT IS ENTERED, AND YOU MUST WAIT WHILE HE ENTERS THE REST
- OF THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF ELEMENTS.
- ╘HERE IS ONE SPECIAL INSTANCE WHERE A CHALLENGE CAN BE
- MADE, AND COOPERATION IS REQUIRED HERE. ╔N ANY EQUATION, THE
- PERSON WHO ENTERS THE LAST BOX HAS AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE. ╔T
- WOULD BE TOO LATE TO DO ANYTHING IF THIS BOX RUINED THE OTHER
- PERSON'S EQUATION. ┴ CHALLENGE MAY BE MADE AFTER THE LAST ENTRY
- IF NONE WAS MADE BEFORE. ╘HIS OPTION IS ONLY OPEN TO THE PERSON
- WHO ENTERED THE NEXT-TO-LAST BOX. ╔F THE SPECIFIED NUMBER OF
- BOXES HAVE BEEN ENTERED AND THERE WERE NO CHALLENGES, AFTER A
- SHORT DELAY, YOU WILL HEAR A BELL RINGING FOR A BRIEF TIME.
- ╨RESSING THE ├╧══╧─╧╥┼ BUTTON DURING THIS TIME WILL INITIATE A
- CHALLENGE ON BEHALF OF THE PLAYER WHO DIDN'T ENTER LAST. ╘HE
- PLAYER WHO MAKES THE LAST SELECTION SHOULD AGREE TO POSITIONING
- THE POINTER OVER HIS SELECTION AND PAUSING UNTIL THE OTHER
- PLAYER HAS TIME TO EVALUATE THE MOVE. ╚E SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED
- TO CHANGE THIS SELECTION AFTER MAKING HIS CHOICE KNOWN.
- ┬Y THIS TIME, YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHAT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
- A CHALLENGE IS. ╔F YOU CHALLENGE A PERSON AND HE HAS A
- SUCCESSFUL EQUATION, YOU LOSE. ┬UT IF HE DOESN'T, YOU WIN, AND
- YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO ENTER AN EQUATION. ┘OU DON'T EVEN HAVE
- TO HAVE AN EQUATION. ┬OTH PLAYERS HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN BY
- CONSTRUCTING A VALID EQUATION, OR RECOGNIZING THAT IT CANNOT BE
- DONE. ┘OU HAVE TO THINK. ┘OU HAVE TO PLAN. ┴ND AN ADDED BONUS
- IS THAT YOU SHARPEN YOUR MATH SKILLS IN THE PROCESS.
- ┴FTER ALL SELECTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE, IT IS TIME FOR THE
- COMPUTER TO EVALUATE THE TWO EQUATIONS. ╘HE EXCEPTION IS WHEN
- THERE IS A CHALLENGER. ┴ CHALLENGER DOESN'T HAVE TO ENTER
- ANYTHING.
- ╘HERE ARE A FEW OTHER RULES YOU WILL HAVE TO OBSERVE DURING
- THIS ENTRY. ┘OU MUST FOLLOW A DIGIT WITH AN OPERATOR, UNLESS,
- OF COURSE, IT IS THE LAST ELEMENT IN AN EQUATION. ╔N OTHER
- WORDS, YOU CAN'T ENTER TWO NUMBERS TOGETHER, MAKING AN ELEMENT
- GREATER THAN NINE.
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- ├╧╥╥┼├╘ 9*9+1
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- ╔╬├╧╥╥┼├╘ 99*1
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- ╘HIS COULD BE MODIFIED RELATIVELY EASILY IF YOU SO DESIRE,
- BUT THE GAME IS CHALLENGING ENOUGH WITHOUT IT.
- ┴LSO, IF YOU WANT TO START YOUR EQUATION WITH AN OPERATOR,
- ONLY ╙╤╒┴╥┼ ╥╧╧╘, ╨┴╥┴╬╘╚┼╙╔╙, ╨╠╒╙, AND ═╔╬╒╙ MAY BE USED.
- ╘HIS MAKES SENSE IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT. ┘OU COULD NOT START AN
- EQUATION WITH A MULTIPLICATION OR DIVISION SIGN.
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- ├╧╥╥┼├╘ ╙╤╥(9)*3
- (8*2)-1
- -1*(4^0)
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- ╔╬├╧╥╥┼├╘ *2+4
- /6*3
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- ┘OU MAY HAVE AS MANY PARANTHESES AS YOU CHOOSE, PROVIDED
- THEY WERE ON THE OPERATIONS SCREEN AND YOU SELECTED THEM. ╘HE
- SAME IS TRUE FOR PLUS AND MINUS SIGNS. ┘OU CAN PRECEDE A DIGIT
- WITH TEN OF THEM IF YOU LIKE.
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- ┼X. -----1 = -1
- +++++1 = 1
- +((1)) = 1
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- ┴LL SELECTIONS WILL BE DISPLAYED IN THREE COLUMNS AT THE
- TOP OF THE SCREEN IN THE COMPUTER CHARACTER SET. ╙OME OF THESE
- APPEAR DIFFERENT THAN THE ORIGINAL SELECTIONS:
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- '^' IS ┼XPONENT
- '/' IS ─IVISION
- '╙╤╥(' IS ╙QUARE ╥OOT
- '[' IS ╨ARANTHESES
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- ╔N ╥┼╓┼╥╙┼ ╨╥╔╬╘ WILL BE THE ╬╒═┬┼╥ ┘╧╒ ═╒╙╘ ╙┼╠┼├╘, AND
- AFTER THAT THE ACTUAL ELEMENT IN NORMAL PRINT. ╥EMEMBER, THE
- NUMBER IN REVERSE PRINT IS THE NUMBER YOU MUST SELECT.
- ┴T THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN YOU ARE PROMPTED TO ENTER THESE
- CORRESPONDING NUMBERS TO BUILD YOUR EQUATION. ╘HIS CAN BE
- CONFUSING. ┬┼ ├┴╥┼╞╒╠!!! ┼ACH ENTRY MUST BE COMPLETED BY
- PRESSING RETURN. ╔F YOU CATCH A MISTAKE BEFORE YOU PRESS
- RETURN, PRESS THE ─┼╠┼╘┼ KEY AND THE ERROR WILL BE ERASED.
- ╧THERWISE, PRESS THE ┬┴├╦ ┴╥╥╧╫ AND YOU WILL HAVE TO START YOUR
- ENTRY AGAIN.
- ┴S YOU SELECT AND PRESS RETURN, YOU WILL SEE THE EQUATION
- BEING BUILT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN AND THE SELECTED ELEMENT
- WILL BE ERASED FROM THE TOP OF THE SCREEN. ┘OU MUST USE ALL OF
- THE ELEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO CONSTRUCT YOUR
- EQUATION.
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- ╔F YOU HAVE PARANTHESES OR SQUARE ROOT CALCULATIONS IN YOUR
- EQUATION, YOU WILL NATURALLY HAVE OPEN PARANTHESES. ╘HESE MUST
- ALL BE CLOSED BEFORE YOU CAN FINISH YOUR ENTRY. ┘OU DO THIS BY
- ENTERING ')', THE ACTUAL SHIFTED 9 KEY. ╘HOUGH THIS REQUIRES
- ANOTHER CHARACTER, IT DOES NOT COUNT AGAINST THE LENGTH. ╘HIS
- CAN BE HARD TO FOLLOW IF YOU HAVE SEVERAL OPEN PARANTHESES, SO
- WITH EACH PARANTHESES YOU OPEN, THE BORDER COLOR WILL CHANGE.
- ╔F OR WHEN IT IS BLACK, ALL ARE CLOSED.
- ╔F, DURING THIS ENTRY SESSION, YOU REALIZE THAT YOU CANNOT
- MAKE AN EQUATION, PRESS '╤' AND YOU WILL ESCAPE, ALTHOUGH YOU
- WILL LOSE.
- ╞INALLY, THE COMPUTER WILL EXECUTE THE EQUATION/S AND THE
- SUCCESSFUL ONE/S, OR ANY CHALLENGER OF AN UNSUCCESSFUL ONE, WILL
- WIN. ╘HIS WILL BE DISPLAYED AND ANNOUNCED WITH BELLS AND/OR
- BUZZERS. ╫IN OR LOSE, A CHALLENGER'S ANSWER WILL BE A '0'
- PRECEDED BY AN ASTERISK.
- ╘HE PROGRAM IS 5╦ INCLUDING THE MACHINE LANGUAGE PROGRAM
- AND SPRITE DATA. ╔T USES THE DYNAMIC KEYBOARD METHOD TO
- PRESERVE DATA VALUES, CREATE YOUR EQUATIONS IN NEW PROGRAM
- LINES, AND THEN EXECUTE THOSE LINES TO TEST THE EQUATION AGAINST
- THE ANSWER. ╞OR THIS REASON, LEAVE THE LINE NUMBERS ┼╪┴├╘╠┘ AS
- ╔ HAVE THEM NUMBERED. ╘HIS MEANS SKIPPING TWO LINE NUMBERS
- TOWARD THE VERY END OF THE PROGRAM, BUT IT MUST BE THIS WAY FOR
- THE PROGRAM TO WORK PROPERLY.
- ╘HE PROGRAM CAN BE MODIFIED, ALTHOUGH SINCE IT HAS BEEN SO
- THOROUGHLY CRUNCHED YOU MAY HAVE TROUBLE FINDING THE REQUIRED
- LINES AND VARIABLES. ╙OME OF THE MODIFICATIONS ╔ THOUGHT OF
- WERE:
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- 1] ╔NCREASE THE NUMBER OF ELEMENTS TO A MAXIMUM OF 42. ╘HIS
- WOULD BE RELATIVELY EASY TO DO.
- 2] ┴DD NEW FUNCTIONS, LIKE ┴┬╙, ╔╬╘, ╘┴╬, ╙╔╬, ETC. ╘HIS
- WOULD BE A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT SINCE YOU WOULD HAVE TO DESIGN
- THE SQUARES AND TRAP FOR OPEN PARANTHESES.
- 3] ┴LLOW THE ANSWER TO BE NEGATIVE
- 4] ┴LLOW FOR COMMON FRACTIONS SUCH AS 1/4, 1/2, ETC. [EX.
- .250 .500 ETC.]
- ═Y WIFE AND ╔ ENJOY THE GAME. ╔T SERVES AS A TUTORIAL ON
- ALGEBRA AND GIVES A TRUE TASTE OF PROBLEM SOLVING, PARTICULARLY
- AS APPLIED TO PROGRAMMING. ╔T IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE SHOOT-
- EM-UP GENRE OF COMPUTER GAMES. ╔ HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.
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