Best of www.BestZips.com (Collector's Edition)/Best of WWW.BESTZIPS.COM Collector's Edition (JCSM Shareware) (JCS Marketing).ISO/egames__/gtc32sc.zip/README.TXT

Text File | 1996-11-17 | 12KB | 262 lines

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Green Thumb Cards, Version 1.0 Shareware
Copyright 1996 Playful Minds
=================================================================

Thanks for downloading Green Thumb Cards!  We hope you'll enjoy
playing it as much as we enjoyed creating it!  This is a
Shareware version of Green Thumb Cards (GTC) that allows you to
play thirty hands before expiring.  In addition, Network play
(via the Internet) is disabled in this version.  If you'd like to
continue playing GTC after the game has expired, you may order a
Registration key at 1-800-207-7603.  You can also order a version
on 3.5" disks or CD-ROM.  Complete ordering information is
available in the online Help by pressing [F1] while GTC is
running.

Once you register, you will also be able to play your friends in
Green Thumb Cards using the Internet.  Up to four people can play
a game simultaneously, and while you're playing you may
communicate irc-style with the other players.

=================================================================
Contacting Playful Minds
=================================================================

To Order call:  800-207-7603

Tech Support:   209-383-9003
                [e-mail]

World Wide Web: www.playfulminds.com

Snail Mail:     Playful Minds
                PO Box 3972
                Merced, CA  95344

For the latest information and updates for Green Thumb Cards, be
sure to visit our website!

=================================================================
Version 1.00 Notes
=================================================================

There are two known sporadic problems:

1:  Sometimes the 16-bit version won't install from diskette.
Copy both disks to a temporary directory on your hard drive and
install from there.  If you have purchased a CD, this is not a
problem.

2: Sometimes on 256 color machines, the palette becomes out of sync
due to the fact that Green Thumb has to share a small palette
with other programs.  To avoid this, close all other applications
and rerun GTC. This problem does not occur on machines that are
running in a screen mode that supports more than 256 colors.

=================================================================
Entering your Registration Key:
=================================================================

Once you obtain a Registration key, you can use it to Register
your copy of Green Thumb Cards.  Each time you run the
Unregistered version of GTC you are prompted with a dialog box
asking you for registration information.  You must enter your
name and key exactly as received from Playful Minds.  The key is
Case Sensitive, so make sure you type it exactly, or you will not
be able to enter the game.  Once you have entered the key, this
dialog will no longer appear and you can play as many games as
you'd like and take advantage of Internet play, allowing you to
challenge your friends over the Internet!

=================================================================
How to Play:
=================================================================

For more detailed information, please see the included Help file,
which can be accessed any time within the game by pressing [F1]!

OBJECT:  Your object in Green Thumb Cards is to grow more plant
sets than your computerized neighbors.  Sets vary in size from
two to four with the larger sets having a higher point value.
Play consists of neighbors taking clock-wise turns drawing and
playing cards.  Each garden has a signpost that displays the
player's name and score.  The game ends when all of the cards
have been played.

The gardener with the most points at the end of the game wins!

START:  Click on the Deal button to begin a new game.  You, like
all the neighbors, will be dealt a five card hand.

DRAW:  Before you can play a card, you must draw your hand up to
six cards.  Click on the deck in the upper right-hand corner or
grab a plant out of the Wilds in the brick area.  Note that often
there are no plants in the Wilds, so you will have to draw from
the deck.  Near the end of the game, if there are no cards
remaining in the deck and no cards in the WILDS, all neighbors
stop drawing and just play from their hand.  A neighbor can only
draw and play one card per turn unless he has a SPECIAL card
which allows him to draw and play two additional cards.

PLAY:  You must now play a card, a PLANT, ATTACK, SPECIAL,
ENVIRONMENT, or BUG EATER.  Just click on the card you want to
play.  DISASTERS are played automatically for you.  DEFENSE cards
are played when another neighbor is attacking you on his turn.
You must discard a DEFENSE if you have no other moves available.
To do this, simply click on the DEFENSE card and it will be
removed from your hand, ending your turn.

DISASTER:  Disasters cause an unprotected neighbor or all
unprotected neighbors to lose one or two randomly chosen plants
to the WILDS.  Plants in the wilds can be redrawn next turn if
they are not taken by another neighbor.  The DISASTER card is
played immediately by the computer and is automatically thrown in
the trash after it does its damage.

PLANT:  Grab a PLANT card with the mouse.  Then plant it in your
garden by dropping it with a click in your garden area.  Your
garden contains a signpost with your name on it.  You can
with the mouse.  If you complete a set of plants they are no
longer subject to attack.  If you hold your mouse over each
plant, a little box will pop up to tell you how many plants are
in a set for that particular flower and what their point value
is.  Sets of two are worth one point; sets of three are worth two
points; and sets of four are worth three points.  Your total
score is shown on your sign post.

A special plant is the Bug Eater, which also provides a defense
against bugs.

ATTACK:  If a neighbor has a plant that you want or need, click
on a red attack card in your hand and drag it on top of the plant
you wish to attack.  If the neighbor doesn't have a defense, you
will be able to transfer that plant to your garden.  Note some
Environment cards as well as the Bug Eater will protect a
neighbor's garden from certain types of attacks.  Hold your mouse
over the Environment or Bug Eater to see what it defends against.

DEFENSE:  You may only play a DEFENSE card when a neighbor is
attacking you or when you have nothing else to play and must
discard.  Grab the DEFENSE card and move it on top of the
attacking creature.  The computer won't let you attack with
DEFENSE cards that won't work.  If you don't want to defend, just
click anywhere on the screen to let the attack be successful.
When you hold your mouse over the DEFENSE card, you will see a
list of the types of attacks which it defends against.  If the
DEFENSE card does not list the type of attack, it may not be used
as a defense.

SPECIAL:   To play a special, simply click on the card.  SPECIAL
cards allow you to draw and play twice more before ending your
turn.

ENVIRONMENT:   Play this card into your garden just as you would
a PLANT by clicking on and dragging it.   This card remains in
the garden for the remainder of the game and protects the entire
garden against certain ATTACK and DISASTER cards.

BUG EATER:  Play this card into your garden just as you would a
PLANT or ENVIRONMENT by clicking on and dragging it.  The card
acts as a PLANT card as it is part of a set of two and it may be
attacked by non-insect ATTACK cards.  When a neighbor has both
cards, the BUG EATER like other plant sets may no longer be
attacked.  Even when a neighbor has just one BUG EATER in his
garden, the BUG EATER protects that neighbor's entire garden from
all insect ATTACK cards.

VICTORY:  Once all the cards have been played,  the neighbor with
the most points wins.  Sets of two are worth one point, sets of
three are worth two points, and sets of four are worth three
points.

=================================================================
Internet Play
=================================================================

To setup a multi-player game via the Internet, each person who
wishes to play needs to have access to the Internet through an
Internet Service Provider.  To setup a Green Thumb Cards network
game, one player must setup his or her machine as a Server to
which the other players connect.

Dealer Setup
------------

To begin, log on to the Internet, run GTC, and let your friends
know that you are going to be the dealer.  From the main screen
click on the deal button, then click on the <<Advanced>> button.
Toggle the network buttons for each Internet opponent you have.
Then press the <<Start Server>> button to make your computer
ready to receive the Internet connections.  GTC will
automatically start once all the other players have logged on.

In order for other players to connect to your machine, they will
need to know your IP Address (four numbers separated by periods).
You can get your IP address by clicking on the <<Get IP Address>>
button at the bottom of the Advanced Deal window.  When you click
on this button (and you are online), your IP Address will be
displayed at the bottom of the window.  The <<Get IP Address>>
button will then disappear, and your IP address will be visible
at the bottom of this window until you shut down Green Thumb
Cards.  Once you have your IP Address, you will need to
distribute it to the people you wish to play with.  You can do
this via email, IRC (Internet Relay Chat), or by calling them on
the phone.

It is important to remember that your IP address may be
dynamically assigned to you by your Internet Service Provider
each time you login.  This means that your address may be
different every time you connect, so please keep this in mind if
you are playing GTC as a Dealer as you must provide your friends
with this address for them to connect to your computer.

At times your Internet Provider may not allow you to be the GTC
server.  Change roles and have your friend be the server if he or
she does not get through after a few tries.  (Don't forget to
start the server BEFORE they try to connect.)

The easiest way to communicate your IP address is to cut and
paste it into an e-mail or an IRC.

Player Setup
------------

To begin, log on to the Internet, run GTC, and get the dealer's
IP address.  Usually players will get this number via e-mail or
IRC (Internet Relay Chat).  If the dealer does not know his IP
address see Dealer Setup to find out where it is displayed in
GTC. Click on <<Connect to Server>>, then enter the dealer's
address.  If the dealer has a permanent address, you will
probably want to save the address for easy access by clicking on
the <<Add>> button after you've typed it in.  Once the dealer's
address is entered, click on connect and wait for the game to
begin.  The game will not start until all players have connected
to the dealer's machine, so it may take a few seconds before you
receive a response.

Chat Window
-----------

While you are playing a game of Green Thumb Cards with your
friends, you will often wish to communicate with them.  You can
do this by opening the Chat Window, which allows you to send
messages to everyone else playing the game (computer players
excepted, of course).  To bring up the Chat Window, you can click
on one of the player's signposts (not your own!), or just start
typing.

When you do this, a window will appear with a box at the bottom
that allows you to type text.  When you press [enter] your text
will be transmitted to the other players, prefixed with your name
so everyone knows who sent the message.  Once you open the window
you may leave it open for the duration of the game, although when
running in 640x480 you may find that it gets in the way!  At
higher resolutions, though, you have enough screen real-estate
where this isn't a problem.

The Chat Window can be resized by dragging the lower-right corner
of the window with the mouse.  You can close the Chat Window by
clicking on the close button in the upper right hand corner of
the window.