TIPS ON USING THE PROGRAM# # # # # Any printer should be set to depend on the computer for a line feed# (abbreviated LF in your printer manual) instead of generating the LF on its# own after it gets a carriage return (CR) from the computer. If the lines of# letters in the puzzle are separated by four blank lines and the word list is# double spaced, this feature needs to be reset by flipping a switch on the# printer.# # # Don't set up the program for a printer other than a Standard Ascii# printer unless your printer's manual says it is compatible with that# alternative printer. Even if your printer can act like one of the other# printers listed in the CHOOSE PRINTER menu, you may have to set a dip# switch on the printer. If a switch setting is necessary, your printer# manual will tell you how to do this.# @# The program will take longer to create a puzzle if:# a) most of the words in the word list are exceptionally large,# b) all or most of the words are close to the same size,# c) a large number of words are entered.# # # During the figuring phase of puzzle creation, the program may *appear*# to "hang up". This situation may occur if the program is having a hard# time getting a word to share a letter with any of the other words and is# having a problem finding enough space in the puzzle to accomodate the word.# Usually the program is trying to place the fourth, fifth, or sixth words# into the puzzle when words already exist in all puzzle directions except one.# At such times, the program will only allow insertion of the word in the# unused direction and when the program finally sees it doesn't have enough# room to place the word in the puzzle, it will increase the size of the puzzle# to make enough room for the word. The user should rest assured that the# program will take steps to correct the problem as soon as it is sure such# steps are necessary.# @# The user who wishes to submit some of his puzzles for publication in# a word search puzzle magazine should know that many editors will auto-# matically reject a puzzle without giving it a close look if they think it was# generated by a computer. The reasons for this behavior vary from one publisher#to the next. It may be due to them receiving a lot of unsatisfactory puzzles# produced by inferior programs. On the other hand, some editors hold the# emotional attitude that puzzles should be 100 percent human produced.# # Given the qualms of the aforementioned editors, the prospective# puzzle seller should print his puzzles with a *true letter quality printer* so# that it is *indistinguishable* from a work done on a typewriter. He should# make two printed copies of the puzzle: one copy with a solution print and one# without. Next he needs to reproduce the information produced in the com-# puter's solution print on the second copy by circling the hidden words in the# second copy. This second copy will be the solution page to be sent to the# publisher along with the uncircled puzzle and word list.# # # Any submitted puzzle should have a "theme", that is, all the words# in the word list should be about a particular subject. The two most common# reasons for the rejection of a puzzle by a publisher are either an unin-# teresting subject or the words not being "solidly" connected to the subject.# @# Thus, no matter how well this program performs, it relies on a human being# to supply the imagination and creativity to choose a subject that grabs the# player's attention. If the user has those two required qualities, he should# be able to get his puzzle published.# %
