1,000 Games/Disc2.iso/CARD/PROG56/TONK.DOC

Text File | 1994-04-24 | 7.7 KB | 171 lines

TOMMY'S TONK (C) COPYRIGHT 1990 BY TOMMY'S TOYS
P. O. BOX 11261, DENVER, CO 80211 USA.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CATALOG #90-134-1A

INSTRUCTIONS:

AS OF 1990, PCS HAVEN'T PENETRATED ALL THAT FAR INTO BLACK GHETTOS, SO WE'RE
BRINGING THE CARD-PLAYING FUN THEY HAVE IN THE GHETTO TO YOU!

TOMMY'S TONK IMPLEMENTS THE NEAT CARD GAME SO POPULAR WITH THE BROTHERS
EVERYWHERE.  COMBINE WITH ITS COUSIN, TOMMY'S GIN RUMMY (CATALOG #67), AND YOU
CAN RUMMY IT UP.  (NOTE: A FUTURE UPGRADE TO THIS PROGRAM TO INCLUDE TONK'S
COUSIN COON CAN WILL BE PLANNED ONCE ENOUGH INTEREST IS GENERATED TO WARRANT
IT.)

HISTORY:
TONK WAS SAID TO BE INVENTED FOR GEORGE BUSH'S GREAT GREAT GREAT GRAND NEPHEW'S
IN-LAWS' COUSIN'S SHIPMATES ON A COTTON PLANTATION BACK OF THE SLAVE QUARTERS
FOR ALEX HALEY'S GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDPAPPY'S MAMMY'S COTTON-PICKIN'
BEST FRIEND'S COUSIN'S (TWICE-REMOVED) DEAD AUNT'S LORDY-CHILD, OR SOMETHING
I FORGET (ALIENS IN THE KNOW SAY IT WAS PIRATED OUT OF A PRINTOUT OF A MANUAL
FOR THE IOTIAN GAME OF KRONK THAT FELL OUT OF A STARSHIP THAT NEEDED TO EJECT
SOME DEAD WEIGHT TO MAKE SPEED) -- JUST KIDDING: ACTUALLY, TONK CAN BE FOUND
IN GENESIS CHAPTER 1.

PLAYERS: TWO, YOU AGAINST THE COMPUTER.  (ACTUALLY, TONK CAN BE PLAYED BY 3
TO 6 PLAYERS, BUT NOT IN THIS PROGRAM.)

THE DECK: IN TONK, THE STANDARD 52-CARD DECK IS USED, WITH ACES COUNTING AS
1 POINT, FACE CARDS AS 10 POINTS, AND THE OTHER CARDS THEIR PIP VALUES (2..10).

THE UPCARD PILE: IN EACH GAME THERE IS AN UPCARD PILE OF FACE-UP CARDS FORMED
DURING PLAY FROM DISCARDS.

MELDS: THE OBJECT OF EACH GAME IS TO FORM MELDS CONSISTING OF 3 OR MORE CARDS
OF THE SAME RANK, OR 3 OR MORE CARDS OF THE SAME SUIT IN SEQUENCE, JUST LIKE IN
ANY GAME OF RUMMY.

(NOTE: ACE RANKS LOW, KING HIGH, SO A-2-3 IS LEGAL AND Q-K-A IS NOT).

BETTING:
TONK IS A BETTING GAME, EACH HAND BEING PLAYED FOR A STAKE AGREED-TO
BEFOREHAND.  SINCE THE COMPUTER ACTS AS BANKER YOU START OUT BY SPECIFYING
YOUR BET, $1 TO $999 (IF YOU WANT THE SAME BET AS LAST TIME, JUST HIT THE
<ENTER> KEY).

YOUR POT:
WHEN YOU EXIT THE PROGRAM THE COMPUTER WILL AUTOMATICALLY SAVE YOUR POT ON THE
DISK AND RESTORE IT WHEN YOU PLAY THE GAME AGAIN; IF YOU WANT TO REFRESH YOUR
POT JUST DELETE THE FILE TONK.SCR.

THE DEAL:
STARTING WITH DEALER'S OPPONENT, CARDS ARE DEALT ONE AT A TIME CLOCKWISE UNTIL
ALL PLAYERS HAVE 7 CARDS.

THE NEXT CARD IS THEN AUTOMATICALLY DEALT FACE UP ON THE TABLE TO FOUND THE
UPCARD PILE.

THE OBJECT OF PLAY: IS TO GO TONK (RUMMY), THAT IS, TO MELD ALL ONE'S CARDS.
CARDS THAT ARE LEFT IN THE HAND ARE VALUED AS IN RUMMY, THE MELDS COUNTING 0
AND THE SO-CALLED UNMATCHED CARDS TOTALLED (ACE COUNTS AS 1, FACE CARDS AS 10,
THE OTHERS AS THEIR PIP VALUES); THE LOWER THE SCORE THE BETTER.

MELD TABLE:
MELDS THAT ARE LAID DOWN ON THE TABLE ARE KEPT SEPARATE FOR EACH PLAYER.

KNOCK BEFORE PLAY:
BEFORE THE FIRST PLAY IS MADE (PLUCK OR DRAW), ANY PLAYER MAY (REALLY SHOULD)
CALL TONK IF HE HOLDS NOTHING BUT TEN-POINT CARDS.  HE WINS AUTOMATICALLY.  IF
BOTH PLAYERS HAVE A WINNING HAND THIS IS REALLY A RACE TO SEE WHO CALLS TONK
FIRST, SO THE COMPUTER GIVES YOU A HANDICAP BY STOPPING FOR A RANDOM AMOUNT OF
TIME (1-6 SEC.) TO TIE ITS SHOELACES.

LEADER:
THE FIRST PLAYER (LEADER) IS THE OPPONENT OF THE DEALER.  AFTER THAT, PLAY
ALTERNATES.  THE INITIAL (FIRST HAND) DEALER IS CHOSEN RANDOMLY BY THE COMPUTER.

THE PLAY:

EITHER PLAYER MAY CALL TONK (IF IT IS THE COMPUTER'S TURN, JUST HIT "T" BEFORE
THE COMPUTER MAKES A PLAY).  IF NOT, THE PLAYER UP MUST EITHER PLUCK (TAKE THE
UPCARD) OR DRAW (FROM THE TOP OF THE DECK).  <NOTE: YOU CAN ALSO USE THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO SORT YOUR HAND 2 CARDS AT A TIME WITH THE S(WITCH) COMMAND.>

IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE ZERO UNMATCHED POINTS TO CALL TONK, BUT UNDERCUTS
ARE SEVERELY PENALIZED (SEE BELOW).

IF THE PLAYER PLUCKS, HE MUST THEN USE THE UPCARD IN A NEW MELD THAT HE LAYS
DOWN ON THE TABLE (EXPOSING THAT PART OF HIS HAND), OR RETURN THE UPCARD,
INDICATING THAT HIS HAND COULDN'T USE IT (WHICH ALSO EXPOSES INFORMATION ABOUT
HIS HAND): HE CAN NEVER PLUCK AN UPCARD AND MERGE IT IN HIS HAND, IT MUST STAY
FACE UP ON THE TABLE, THIS IS WHAT IS SO FUN ABOUT TONK.

  <NOTE: THE P STARTUP PARAMETER ON THE DOS COMMAND LINE WILL DISABLE THE
  ABILITY TO PASS, FOR THOSE OF THAT PERSUASION.>

THE PLAYER MUST THEN DISCARD ONE CARD FROM HIS HAND, EITHER TO THE UPCARD PILE
OR ONTO ONE OF HIS OWN MELDS ON THE TABLE (THE LATTER IS CALLED HITTING).

EACH PLAYER THUS ALWAYS HAS 7 CARDS EITHER IN HAND OR ON THE TABLE (LAYING DOWN
ADDITIONAL MELDS FROM THE HAND ON THE TABLE IS NOT PERMITTED).

WINNER AND NEXT DEALER:  AFTER TONK IS CALLED, THE TONKER WINS IF HE HAS THE
SAME OR LESS UNMATCHED POINTS THAN THE OPPONENT; BUT IF THE OPPONENT UNDERCUTS
(HAS LESS UNMATCHED POINTS), THE TONKER LOSES AND MUST PAY THE OPPONENT
*DOUBLE* THE AMOUNT BET.  THE DEAL ALTERNATES.

THE BREAK:
WHEN THE NUMBER OF CARDS LEFT IN THE DECK EQUALS THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN THE
GAME (2), THE GAME IS AT THE BREAK PHASE.  THE PLAYER WHOSE TURN IT IS TO PICK
UP THE TOP CARD OF THE DECK IS CALLED THE BREAKER.  (WHEN THE DECK IS DEPLETED
BY ONE MORE CARD, THE GAME IS SAID TO BE GOING ON "AFTER THE BREAK.")

NO PLAYER CAN TONK AFTER THE BREAK UNLESS HE HAS ZERO UNMATCHED POINTS (HE THEN
WINS).  IF THE DECK IS EXHAUSTED AND NO PLAYER GOES TONK, THE PLAYER WITH THE
LOWEST TOTAL UNMATCHED POINTS WINS; IN CASE OF A TIE, THE BREAKER WINS.

DEADLOCK:
SINCE A PLAYER CAN PLUCK THE UPCARD AND DISCARD IT, THE GAME IS CONSIDERED TO
BE DEADLOCKED IF BOTH PLAYERS DO THIS 3 TIMES IN A ROW; THE HAND IS CALLED
DEAD AND THE BET IS CARRIED OVER TO THE NEXT HAND, WITH THE DEAL SWITCHING
HANDS.

REPLAY HAND OPTION:
AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH HAND, YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF REPLAYING THE LAST HAND;
THE DECK IS RESTORED TO WHAT IT WAS AFTER THE SHUFFLE & CUT DURING THE LAST
HAND.  OF COURSE YOU CAN USE THIS TO GAIN AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE ON THE COMPUTER,
BUT THIS IS A TOY AFTER ALL, AND YOU ARE BOSS.

FUNCTION KEYS: THESE ARE HOT KEYS, MEANING THEY CAN BE HIT AT ANY TIME.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
    F1   *   SOUND EFFECTS TOGGLE
    F2   *   DEMO MODE TOGGLE.  IN DEMO MODE THE COMPUTER PLAYS BOTH HANDS
             WHILE YOU WATCH.
    F3       AUTOSORT MODE TOGGLE.  IN AUTOSORT MODE THE COMPUTER SORTS
             YOUR HAND FOR THE LOWEST UNMATCHED PV SCORE.
    F5       DISPLAY THESE INSTRUCTIONS
    F7       QUIT THE PROGRAM
    F10      (COLOR MONITORS ONLY) CHANGE THE SCREEN BORDER COLOR

*NOTE: THE LEGEND FOR A TOGGLE SWITCH INDICATES THE MODE THAT WILL BE ENTERED
BY PRESSING THE KEY, WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE MODE IN EFFECT AT THE TIME.

COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS:
   S    START UP WITH SOUND OFF
   M    FORCE MONO DISPLAY MODE
   C    FORCE COLOR DISPLAY MODE
   P    PROHIBIT PASSING

EXAMPLE: >TONK MS

NOTE ON STRATEGY:

THIS IS SOMEWHAT LIKE THE GAME OF CHICKEN, BECAUSE ALL YOU HAVE TO KNOW IS THAT
YOU'VE GOT AS GOOD OR A BETTER HAND, THEN TONK AND MAKE MONEY.  HENCE THIS IS A
GAME OF NERVES, EVERY NUANCE IN THE PLAY GETTING EACH PLAYER A LITTLE MORE
JUMPY.  (MAYBE THEY CALL IT TONK BECAUSE YOU NEED TO TAKE A TON-IC AFTERWARDS.)
THE WORSE SITUATION IS KNOWING YOUR HAND IS GARBAGE AND WAITING FOR THE OTHER
GUY TO FIGURE IT OUT.

----------------------
DID YOU LIKE THIS TOY?
DON'T FORGET TO TRY OUR GOBS OF OTHER NEAT LOW-PRICED GAMES AND TOYS FOR THE
IBM PC AND COMPATIBLES.  WE ARE WAITING TO SEND YOU OUR 5.25 INCH (360KB) OR
3.5 INCH (720KB) DEMO DISK, CONTAINING AN ELECTRONIC CATALOG PLUS OTHER
GOODIES, FOR ONLY $2 SHIPPING/HANDLING TO ANY U.S. ADDRESS, $3 OUTSIDE U.S.
(U.S. DOLLARS ONLY).

HAVE FUN!
TOMMY'S TOYS, P.O. BOX 11261, DENVER, CO 80211 USA.