Copyright: ® 1994-97 by Thomas J. Bernthal.


Contents

WinBowl Version 2.6

Table of Contents

Menu Items

•   Game Menu

•   Players Menu

•   Practice Menu

•   View Menu

•   Help Menu

 Other Topics

•   Understanding the Main Menu window

•   How to Throw the ball

•   Foot Fouls

•   Throwing Error Messages

•   Sounds

•   Scoring

•   How to Register

•   Where to get Updates


Copyright

WinBowl is copyright (c) 1994-1997 by Thomas J. Bernthal. All Rights reserved. No warranties are expressed or implied. You use this product at your own risk. The author cannot be held responsible for any damages resulting in the use, misuse, or inability to use this product. It is not guaranteed to work in whole or in part.

With that said. it should also be stated that WinBowl has been carefully planned and tested and does not have any intentional bugs or viruses programmed into it. It is the author's wish that the program run flawlessly on every system. But we don't live in a perfect world and there will be unforeseen problems encountered from time to time. Whenever a bug is encountered, the author would appreciate notification so that it can be corrected as quickly as possible.


Players Menu

The Following are the choices under the Players Menu. Each item is briefly described here. Click on the each item for further details.

Add Player	Adds a player to the player list.

Edit Player	Allows modification of players in the player list.

Player Stats	Shows player statistics.


Add Player Dialog

This dialog is used to add a player to the list of available players and provide a definition for the player. Follow these steps:

1.  Choose a Player Name. Type in the name of the player you are creating. You assign names to both human and computer players. The name you type in is limited to 20 characters, but it is best to keep them under 12 so that the entire name can be displayed in the score card.

2.  Choose the Player Type. A player can either be a human or a computer player. The human player is controlled by a human using the mouse or throwing meter to control the direction and speed of the ball. The computer player throws automatically using artificial intelligence to simulate different skill levels.

3.  Choose a Player Level. The computer player can be defined as Average, Good, or Advanced.

The human players also have levels defined as Easy, Medium, or Difficult.

4.  Save the Player Definition. Press the save button to save the newly defined player.

Please Note: Added players are saved between sessions only after the game has been registered.


The average computer player level throws a straight ball on all throws, but is generally inconsistent. This level may occasionally come up with a good score, but will usually average under 150.


The good computer player level throws a curve ball on the first ball. This level has more consistency than the average player level, but still has trouble converting spares on a consistent basis. This player will usually average between 150 and 200.


The advanced computer player level throws a curve ball on the first throw and is more consistent in picking up spares than the good player level. This player will usually average 200 or above, and games in the high 200's are not uncommon.


The Easy level is best for beginners. There is a lot of leniency for throwing inaccuracies and the ball isn't affected as much by spin.

 When using the Throwing Meter, the Easy level shows an aim line that extends all the way down the alley and the meter goes up and down much slower than the other levels, allowing more time to get the stroke perfect.


The Medium level is similar to the single human level in previous versions of WinBowl. Throwing inaccuracies are penalized, but not too severely and the ball will spin quite well.

 When using the Throwing Meter, the Medium level shows an aim line that extends about 2/3 of the way down the alley and the meter goes up and down faster than the Easy level.


The Difficult level is for advanced play. Throwing inaccuracies are penalized more severely than other levels, but mastering this level also gives greater control over ball spin. If you like to (or just want to) throw a big hook, this is the level to use.

 When using the Throwing Meter, the Difficult level shows an aim line that only extends about 1/3 of the way down the alley and the meter goes up and down faster than the other levels.


Player Stats

Choosing the player stats menu item will show a dialog box that displays the saved player stats for the players listed. Select a player from the list by highlighting the name and the stats will be shown in the appropriate spots.

Resetting Games

Pressing the button marked Reset Games will cause a reset of the Games played and Series played for the currently selected player. This means the Average Score and Average Series Score will start over from this point on. Use this if you want to start over with your average, but want to preserve your high game or series.

Resetting High Games

 Select the Reset Highs button to cause a reset of the High Game and High Series for the currently selected player. The game and series average of the player will not be affected.

Resetting All stats

 Press the Reset All button to reset of all the statistics for the currently selected player.

This item is available only in the registered version.


Help Contents

This menu item will open the help file you are viewing now and take you to the table of contents of the help file.


Support
Product and Technical Support

To contact the author for

•   Technical Support

•   Bug Reports

•   Questions about the program

•   Suggestions for future releases

Please send e-mail to:

America Online:	RevTJB

Internet:	revtjb@aol.com

For Upgrades and other Accessories

Please visit WinBowl's Home Page on the World Wide Web (WWW).

The URL (Web address) is:

 http://users.aol.com/winbowl/


Registration

To register by cash, check or money order:

 Please send $15 in U.S. funds to:

Thomas Bernthal

RD#3 Box 6668

Barre, VT 05641-8603

To register by credit card:

For your convenience we have contracted NorthStar Solutions to process any order you may wish to place using your valid Visa, Mastercard, or Discover. They may be contacted for orders only via any of the following methods:

Voice:	Calls are taken 10 am - 8 pm

1-800-699-6395 (Toll-free calls from the U.S. only.)

1-803-699-6395

FAX:	1-803-699-5465 (Available 24 hours. International orders encouraged.)

E-Mail:	Compuserve: 71561.2751

America Online: STARMAIL

Internet: 71561.2751@compuserve.com

WWW:	http://users.aol.com/winbowl/ - online order form directly linked to NorthStar Solutions.

Regardless of how you register please have the following information ready:

1.  The program and version number you are registering.(WinBowl version 2.6 Product ID: 488)

2.  The address and/or email address your registration code should be sent to.

3.  Your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover # and its expiration date.

Important Notes:

1.  NorthStar processes registrations only; please contact the author for any product or technical support.

2.  E-mailed and FAXed registrations are encouraged but all registrations are very much appreciated!

Getting your Unlock Code

Upon receipt of registration, you will be sent a code which you can enter along with your name in the Register dialog under the Game menu. This procedure will unlock the registered version features of the game. This code will be valid for all future releases of WinBowl, thus making registration a one time process. All you need to do is download any new versions and enter your name/registration code.

Please provide your E-mail address

The preferred method of contact for sending the registration code is by e-mail. Please provide your e-mail address (or Screen Name) on the registration form or to the person you speak with on the phone when registering by credit card. This keeps costs down, gets you your code faster and enables you to receive update notices of new releases. Update notices are only sent to those who provide an e-mail address.

Technical Support

For user support or to contact the author for any other reason, see the  Product and Technical Support section.

Please do not send any correspondence about WinBowl toNorthStar Solutions. They only take registrations and do not offer any technical support for WinBowl.


Score Card

Scoring is based on the standard 10 pin scoring system. The score card window is a separate window so that it can be moved or minimized independently of the game window.

The name of each player in the current game is listed on the scorecard according to the order they were selected. The player who is up is highlighted in red text, otherwise the names are shown in blue text. Since the player name area is limited in size, players with long names won't fit and the text will be clipped. For that reason, it is best to keep the names under 12 characters.


Edit Player

This selection is used to edit a previously defined player(s). You can change any of the characteristics of the selected player.

First, select the player you wish to edit from the list of players. Then you may edit any of the items for that player. If you choose a new name, it is limited to 20 characters, but it is best to keep it under 12 so that the entire name can be displayed in the score card.

Once you have made your changes, select the Save button to save the changes permanently. If you don't like the changes you have made, select the close button and choose NOT to save the changes made.

Use the Delete button to permanently delete the selected player from the list. Please note that this action cannot be undone.


About WinBowl

The About dialog gives the version and copyright information of the program, as well as the registered user's name and registration code. If the game has not been registered yet, this information is replaced by the 'Unregistered Shareware' message.

See also the Copyright Disclaimer


Practice Menu

The practice menu is used to begin a practice session or to change pin setups during a practice session. The available commands are:

Practice Session	Used to begin a practice session.

Reset Pins	Resets the practice pin setup.

Select Pins	Brings up a dialog to select the practice pin setup.


Practice Session

This selection starts a practice session. If a game is in progress, you will need to save it (in the registered version only) before the practice session starts, otherwise the game will be quit in progress without saving.

 A practice session is helpful especially in practicing spares, but can also be helpful in getting used to throwing the ball without having your average suffer in the process. You have a number of options to choose for your practice session. These are selected in the Select Pin Setup dialog box which appears when you begin a practice session.


Reset Pins
Practice - Reset Pins

This menu command will reset all the pins during a practice session. This is the way to reset the pins when you are practicing in manual reset mode, but can also be used at any time during a practice session. Please note that pins will be reset the way they were previously chosen in the Select Pin Setup dialog box.

Keyboard Shortcut: F2


Select Pins

In Practice mode, this dialog is used to set up the pins you wish to have set up for practice. Press on a pin position to select or de-select an individual pin or use the buttons to set all or clear all pins.

You will also want to choose on of the following pin reset methods for your practice session:

•   Reset after each throw

•   Reset after all pins knocked down

•    Manual reset

Finally, you will want to select the player level at which you wish to practice. The following levels are available:

Easy, Medium, and Difficult.

Keyboard Shortcut: F3


In manual reset mode, the pins are not reset automatically. You must reset them yourself by choosing the Reset Pins menu item or pressing F2. This mode can be useful if you want to have control over when the pins are reset.


In this mode, the pins are not reset until all pins are knocked down. Then they are automatically reset according the previous setup. This is generally the most useful mode when you are trying to see how many balls it takes you to eliminate a particular setup.


In this mode, the pins are reset after each throw regardless of how many pins were knocked down. The reset occurs immediately, so you often don't get a chance to see which pins were left. This mode is most useful when you are trying to master a particular setup and want to practice only that pin pattern with each throw and not worry about picking up any remaining pins.


View Menu

The view menu offers you a choice of window sizes in which to run the WinBowl game. The default size is 640x480. The other selections will be enabled only if your current video configuration supports those resolutions, otherwise the entry will be disabled.

If the selected mode is full screen for your current video configuration, the WinBowl game graphic will fill the screen and the upper menu will disappear to give you maximum viewing of the screen. In order to make menu selections, you must bring up the  main menu window by clicking on the right mouse button or by selecting the button on the  status bar.

Please Note that selecting any view other than 640x480 requires scaling of the original graphic in order to be stretched/shrunk to fit the window. If your video card does not support hardware scaling, Windows must emulate this at the software level in real time, which can mean the animation slows down to almost a stand-still. If you experience this, you will probably need to play the game in 640x480 mode unless you are exceptionally patient. In the future a different method may be worked out which will yield desirable results independent of the video card you are using.

Series Summary: This menu item  is only enabled when you are playing a series. It only provides meaningful information during the second or third games of a series. Its purpose is to allow you to check what your current scoring situation is during the middle of a series. For example, in your third game you want to know exactly what you need to get a 600 series and can't quite remember what your scores were on the first two games - this command will give you a scoring summary of those first two games.


Foot Fouls

There are two ways that WinBowl handles foot fouls:

Warn on foot foul

Score foot foul


Using Sound

Sound is enabled or disabled by checking or unchecking the box in the Preferences dialog box. The sound system is controlled by the wbmix.dll which should have been installed when you installed WinBowl.The sounds will only work if you have a sound card installed in your system - the PC speaker driver will NOT work. The quality of the sound mixing will vary from system to system and depends a lot upon the quality of your sound card. If the sound doesn't sound too great- sorry. Just turn it off. Most people find it adequate.

If you have problems getting sound and get a Sound Initialization Error, please contact the author. Not every situation can be resolved, but most can.

Sound events: WinBowl has built in sounds to play depict the ball rolling down the alley and the pins being hit. With version 2.6, you can now specify other sounds to be played when certain events occur (like when you get a strike, or a gutterball, etc.). WinBowl is instaled with a default set of sounds in a collection. You may find these sounds adequate, but if you would like to change them, please see user Preferences for information on how to change sounds and manage wave collections.


Updates
WinBowl Updates

America Online

The latest versions of WinBowl can usually be found on America Online in the Windows forum under the "Other Games" library section. You can also easily locate it by typing in the keyword "QuickFind" and then entering "WinBowl" in the search box.

Internet

The latest version of WinBowl is generally uploaded to several major internet archive sites, with the most prominent being the WinSite location.

WinBowl Home Page - WWW

WinBowl also has its own Home Page on the World Wide Web and this is the best place to always find the latest versions and updates. Minor update patches are usually only available here and major releases are always posted here first (usually about a week before they show up on the above named sites). In addition, other information and accessories will be made available here for WinBowl fans as they become available. The URL (Web address) for the page is:

 http://users.aol.com/winbowl/


Game Menu

The game menu is used to start, save or resume games, set game preferences, enter your registration code or exit the program. The available commands are:

New Game	Used to begin a new game.

Resume Game	Resumes a previously saved game.

Save Game	Saves the current game in progress.

Preferences	Sets user preferences for game operation.

Use Throwing Meter	Toggles whether or not throwing meter is used.

Passwords	Enables or disables password usage.

Register	Used to enter registration code AFTER the game has been registered (paid for).

Exit	Exits WinBowl.


New Game

Select this menu item to start a new game. You will be presented with a dialog box. In that dialog...

1.  Select the number of players in the game from 1-4.

2.  Select the game type - either a single game or 3 game series.

3.  Select the players in the game from the drop down list. The number of player positions available depends on your selection in step 1.

4.  Press the OK button to start the game.

 To add a player to the drop down list, Choose the Add Player button and define your new player. You may also type in a new name directly into the drop down list edit control box. If the player has not yet been defined, you will be prompted to define the player before proceeding.

If you want to play with two or more human players in the Shareware version, it is easiest to simply use the default defined human players (either 'Easy', 'Medium' or 'Advanced') for each player. If you want to keep track of individual stats during the session, you can go ahead and define players for each player, but these players will not be saved after your session is over until the game is registered.

Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+N


A single game will end after the last player finishes the last frame. If more than one player is playing, the winner is based on the single game score.

A 3 game series is not finished until three consecutive games have been played. If more than one player is playing, the winner is based on a cumulative total of all three games. This means that one player could actually win two of the three games of the series, but still lose the series itself if his/her three-game series total is less than the opponent(s).


You can change any of the players for a particular position by choosing a different player from the appropriate drop down list by the player name. If you want, you can even have the same player play in each of the positions.

 Note - Players must be defined before they can be used to play a game. If you want to add a new player to choose, use the Add Player button at the bottom of the dialog. Alternatively, you can simply type the name into the edit control box for the appropriate position. If the name you type in is not in the player list, you will be asked to define the player before proceeding.


This button to adds a new player to the player list and allows you to define the player. This is the same as choosing the menu item Player|Add Player.


Resume Game

Select this item to resume a previously saved game. A file selection dialog will appear showing all the available games saved under the default *.BWL extension. If you have saved a game under a different extension, you will have to type it in.

When you select a game to resume, you start at the exact spot the game was saved at.

Unlike previous versions of WinBowl, once you resume a game, it must either be played to completion or saved again. You can not continue to play the same game over and over. This was implemented to keep the Hall of Fame scores more honest.

 Available only in the registered version


Save Game

This selection allows you to save a game at its current position. This is especially nice if you have a really good game going and you want to preserve it for posterity. It can also be nice if you are in the middle of a 4 person series and you have to quit - just save it and pick it up again later.

 Available only in the registered version


Preferences

The following dialog is used to set various game preferences. click on each item to see what it does:


Use this scroll bar to control the speed of the game animation. On slow machines, slide it all the way to the left (fastest setting). On fast machines, you may want to adjust the scroll button to the right until you find a speed that is suitable for you.

This version is slower than previous versions of WinBowl because of the larger graphic. You may have to re-adjust your settings to find a good speed if you are upgrading from an earlier version of WinBowl.


Use this scrollbar to control the time limit for throwing when using the Original Mouse throwing method. The scroll button can be positioned from the original 1 second time limit (all the way to the left) to 3 seconds (all the way to the right). You may want to start with the 3 second limit and then scale it back as you become more proficient. The stroke time limit selected is in effect for all players regardless of their playing level.


If checked, a prompt message is shown before quitting. This can be a safety measure in case you accidently press the Exit selection by accident. But some people don't like to be bothered with having to confirm that they really do want to quit every time. This preference is offered if you are one of those people.


WinG is a set of .DLL's put out by Microsoft that increase video performance under Windows 3.1. WinBowl can run with or without it. If you don't have WinG installed on your system, this selection will be disabled. Otherwise, you can see which way you like it. Using WinG normally makes the animation faster and smoother, but it may not affect performance all that much with higher-end video cards. In addition, if you have a very fast machine, using WinG can almost be too fast. If that's the case, you can uncheck this box.

WinG is not included with WinBowl, but a copy of the zipped package is available at WinBowl's Home Page on the World Wide Web for downloading. See Product Support for information on the Home Page location. WinG is only recommended for slower machines (386 class) or for systems with lower-end video cards.


If you are playing competitively against another human player - you may want to check this item. Foot fouls will then count as a scratch, which makes for better competition. If you are competing only against the computer players, you may want to only have foot fouls as warnings, since the computer doesn't foot foul and you would only be risking it for yourself.


By default, a foot foul is not scored against you - only a warning message is given and then you can try again. While this is not what happens in real bowling, it can be helpful to make your 'virtual experience' more pleasurable and is especially helpful when you are first learning - otherwise your score might really suffer!


Passwords

You can password protect certain features of the game to prevent other people who play the game from modifying your setup. For example, if you don't want your kids resetting the High Games in the Hall of Fame (especially after you've just bowled a great game!), you can password protect the resetting feature so that only you can reset the high scores.


Use Throwing Meter menu item

Choosing this selection will toggle the use of the  throwing meter. When the throwing meter is enabled, this item is checked. When you enable this feature, the  throwing meter appears in the lower left corner of the screen and two aiming arrows appear behind the foul line.

You may still throw using the original mouse method, but can now also throw Using the Meter.

See also: How to Throw


Register

After registering, you will receive a registration code that you can type into this dialog along with your name in order to activate the full features of the program. This code will be able to unlock ALL future versions of WinBowl, so you only have to pay a registration fee once. You will need to register and get an unlock code from the author to perform this registration procedure. See How to Register for ordering information.

Please Note: You are encouraged to share the program with friends, but you may not distribute a registered version. Please distribute only the archive (winbowl.zip) or the self-installing file (winbwlsi.exe or winbowl.exe). If you no longer have this file, please unregister your copy before making copies for distribution.


Exit

Use this selection to quit the current game in progress (if any) and exit the program. If you do not wanted to be asked whether or not you really want to quit each time, you may de-select this option in the Preference Dialog.


Sound Event Setup

The following dialog is used to setup sounds with various events. Click on each item to see what it does:


Enables or disables sound. You must have a sound card for this to work - the PC speaker driver won't work! The sound of the ball rolling down the alley and striking the pins are built in sounds. Sounds for other events are completely user-configurable using the button below (Sound Event Setup).

Sound should work fine on most systems equipped for it, but it may not work as well (or at all) on some systems. If you would rather not have the sounds, simply uncheck this box and you can play in silence.


Use this button to add, delete or change the sounds used when certain events occur.For more information on how to do this, see the  Sound Event Setup section.


This is a list of all the events for which you can assign a sound. The current association for the hilighted event is shown in the top edit box on the right side.


This shows the current association for the hilighted event. The location of the sound is shown in parentheses. In this example, the wave file Yeah-hoo is associated with a Spare. The wave file is stored in the WinBowl Wave Collection file by the name Winbowl.wwc


Use this button to change the current event sound to be associated with a wave file on your hard drive. You will be presented with a browse window that you can use to locate the wave file you want to play when the selected event occurs.

This allows you to use any wave files you may have or record to make your WinBowl experience truly unique.


Use this button to change the current event sound to be associated with a wave file that is stored in a WinBowl Wave Collection file. A sample collection is included with WinBowl, but you may extend it or create your own collection by using the Wave Collection Manager.

Note: If a winbowl.wwc file is present, this file will be loaded and it's contents displayed automatically. If you intend to use several different collections, you will want to rename or delete the winbowl.wwc. This will cause a select file dialog to display in which you can then select the collection you wish to retrieve from.


Use this button to change the current event sound to be associated with a System Sound. This works properly under Windows 3.1, but may not display all the system sounds properly under Win95. You can still use system sounds, but you will have to use the Select WAV file button and point to the actual Wav file on disk.


Use this button to manage WinBowl Wave Collection file(s). A wave collection is a set of wave files that have been converted to work properly with WinBowl and then compressed. Depending upon the type of WAV file that you select to add, the conversion and compression can decrease the storage requirements of the WAV by at least 50% and up to 80%.

The best use of the collection is for use with WAV files that you would normally only use for WinBowl and/or that you normally wouldn't otherwise store on your hard drive. Add them to the collection and then you can then delete the wav file from your hard disk.

If you need the wave file for other purposes and are going to keep it on your hard drive anyways, it is probably better to just use the Select Wave File button.

For more information see the WinBowl Wave Collection Manager topic.


Use this button to Clear the current wave selection without choosing a replacement. For example, if you don't want to have any wave sound associated with a spare, just select Spare, and then press this button. Now whenever you get a spare, no sound will play (but other events will continue to play).


WinBowl Wave Collection Manager

The following dialog is used to manage Wave Collections. Click on each item to see what it does:

Please Note: If you store a WAV file in a collection and then delete the WAV file from your hard drive, make sure you have a back-up of it somewhere (on a floppy or tape) in case you ever want to use the WAV file for something else. The current version of the WinBowl Wave Collection manager does not allow you to extract WAV files from a collection - you can only add or delete them.


This is a list of all the wave files currently contained in the collection. It includes the name of the WAV file, the original size of the file on the disk, the compressed size, and the percentage of compression. Use this box to select a WAV file to listen to or remove from the collection.


Use this button to add a WAV file to the collection. You will be presented with a browse dialog so that you can select a wave file from anywhere on your drives or directories.


Use this button to delete the selected WAV file(s) from the collection. Deleting a file from the colection does not extract it to the disk - so be sure you really want to delete the sound - it can't be undone unless you have the original WAV file to add back again!


Use this button to listen to the selected WAV file from the collection. This can be helpful as you are trying to decide which event to associate it with or if you are thinking about deleting the sound and want to make sure you are deleting the right one.


Use this button to open an existing WAV collection. WinBowl comes with a sample collection named winbowl.wwc. This will be the only one present unless you have added a collection or received a collection from some other source.


Use this button to start a new (empty) WAV collection. Then you can add as many of your own WAV files as you want. Remember, you can always just add your own files to the default winbowl.wwc. But this feature can be useful if you want to share your own WAV collections with other WinBowl users.


Use this button to save the currently opened WAV collection by a different name. If you plan to use more than one WAV collection, it is recommended that you rename the default winbowl.wwc to something else.


This area shows total statisics of the currently opened WAV collection. It also displays the compresion progress when you are adding WAV files to the collection. When idle, the first number displays how many files are in the collection. The next two numbers show the total size of the original WAV files followed by the compressed size of all the files. The final number is the total compression ratio of all the WAV files in the collection.e


How to Throw

Throwing the ball can be accomplished using 2 methods. The original method uses the mouse in a free-style action. See the following topics for more information.

 Original method - with the mouse

 Mouse throwing Basics

 Throwing Curves with a Mouse

 Meter method - with mouse or keyboard

You can also throw the ball using a  throwing meter. Select the topic below for more information.

 Throwing with the Meter


The throwing meter is initially located in the lower left hand corner of the game window whenever the 'Use Throwing Meter' selection is selected from the Game Menu. You may move the meter anywhere on the screen you prefer by click-dragging the meter by the arrow handle in the lower right corner of the meter.

The meter is activated by clicking the left mouse button on the portion of the meter that says 'THROW' or by pressing the space bar. The meter registers power at the top and accuracy at the bottom.

The spin selection slider below the throwing meter can be used to adjust the amount and direction of spin applied to the ball when thrown.


Meter Throwing

To enable meter-based throwing, select the 'Use Throwing Meter' from the Game Menu. A meter and two aiming arrows will then be displayed on the screen.

First Aim

When it is your turn, the first thing you need to do is set your aim line.

Using the mouse, simply click on the arrows and drag them. As you drag, the aim line will be displayed down the alley. The length of the aim line that is displayed will depend on which level you are playing at. The advanced level only goes 1/3 of the way down the alley while the easy level goes all the way down to the pins.

Using the keyboard, the Right and Left Arrow keys move the back aimer while the Shift + Right or Left Arrow keys move the top aimer. Press the Insert key to show the aim line at any time.

 Please note that the aiming markers are reset after each throw except in practice mode. Also, if you are dragging the aiming markers with the mouse, please note that the ball must completely return into the ball return before the markers can be moved.

 Then Throw

 Once you are satisfied with your aim line, you are ready to throw the ball. You do not need to pick up the ball to throw with the meter. Throwing with the meter consistsof 3 steps:

 Using the mouse, place the cursor over the portion of the throwing meter that says 'THROW'. Then...

1.  Press and hold the left mouse button until the meter gets up to the desired power level.

2.  Release the mouse button and watch the meter go back down, and

3.  Click the left mouse button one more time when the meter reaches the bottom line.

 Using the keyboard, follow steps 1-3 above except use the Space Bar instead of the left mouse button.

 Power is achieved by how far up you let the meter go. Going up to the line at the 12 o'clock position achieves good power with no accuracy penalty. Going past the 12 o'clock position increases the power but also magnifies any spin or inaccuracies you create at the bottom of the meter.

Accuracy is achieved when the meter is on the way down. Clicking when the meter reaches the 6 o'clock position achieves a perfectly accurate throw that travels straight along the selected aim line. Stopping the meter before it reaches that position produces a pulled stroke (for a right handed player) where the ball will start on a line to the left of the selected aim line. Stopping at the 7 o'clock position produces a mild pull while stopping at the 9 o'clock position produces a severe pull.

 Going past the 6 o'clock position produces a push (or a left handed pull) where the ball travels on a line to the right of the selected aim line. The more you go past that position, the greater the error. The error may also be accentuated if you throw with extra power.

 Spin is achieved by adjusting the slider button in the Spin Control section at the bottom of the throwing meter. Use the mouse to adjust the level of spin you want to create either right or left. You can also adjust the slider button with Ctl + Right Arrow or Ctl + Left Arrow keys. When the slider button is in the middle, no spin will be produced. Move it to the left to produce right to left spin (a right hand hook) or to the right of center to produce left to right spin (left hand hook).

Please note that each skill level has different amounts of spin and accuracy error. The easy level produces very little spin and is quite forgiving of inaccuracies, while the difficult level produces maximum spin, but also penalizes throwing errors more. If you want to simulate a big hook, you will need to use one of the two higher levels.


Basic Mouse Throwing

There are 4 basic steps to get the ball rolling down the alley toward the pins. Once you have figured out how to throw, you can study how different strokes have different effects on the ball. Once you have mastered the basic stroke, you can move on to  advanced throwing techniques to learn how to throw  curves for better pin action. Here are the 4 basic steps. They will be described more fully afterwards:

1.  Pick up the ball by single clicking over the ball with left mouse button

2.  Press and HOLD left mouse button in throwing area to start the stroke

3.  Immediately pull back and push forward the mouse while holding the left button down

4.  Release the left mouse button to finish the stroke and send the ball rolling toward the pins

Picking up the ball

 When it is your turn, the ball will appear in the ball return. The first step is to pick up the ball. You do this by clicking ONCE on the Left mouse button while the "Hand Cursor" is positioned over the ball and then releasing. The ball disappears from the ball return and the cursor should change to a hand holding a ball. The cursor will change back to a Hand if you move it outside the throwing area. This is simply to help you position the ball properly for throwing. As soon as you move the cursor back into the throwing area, the "hand-ball cursor" will reappear. Thethrow area is the area that extends from gutter to gutter behind the foul line to the bottom of the window. Since there is a 3 dimensional view involved, the throwing area is actually narrower near the foul line and wider as you move toward the bottom of the window.

 Making the stroke

 When you are ready to begin your stroke, press and hold the left mouse button, immediately pull back and then push forward to the place of aim and release the button. The starting point should be somewhere near the foul line (but not too close) and the mouse cursor should be pulled back at least 1/2 inch for a valid stroke. The direction and speed the ball travels depends on several factors:

1.  If the ball is pulled back straight and pushed forward straight the ball will go straight without veering right or left.

2.  The longer the button is held down, and the less the ball is pulled back (backswing), theweaker the throw.

3.  Releasing the button before the point of aim will cause the ball to be pushed right. Releasing after the point of aim will cause the ball to be pulled left.

The throw occurs best in one smooth motion. If there is any hesitation or inaccuracy in the throwing stroke, do not release the left mouse button. Instead, keep it down and move the ball back to the ball return area. Release the button, and the ball will be released into the ball return without penalty or message.

Tip - Most people find it easiest to uses as little arm or hand motion as possible. Rest your wrist on the table. For the pull-back motion, press the button with your pointer finger and then gently curl that finger toward you. To make the forward stroke, simply extend the finger and release the button. This minimal amount of motion produces the most consistent results and is less fatiguing on the hand muscles.

 Throwing Messages

 When you first begin, you may get several different messages telling you your stroke was not executed properly. These are meant to help train you to execute the stroke properly so that sufficient data can be collected to throw the ball. The messages are detailed under the topic Throwing Error Messages.

 All of these messages will appear from time to time as you learn the game. Once you have become comfortable with the throwing procedure, you will see them only on rare occasions when you make a mistake.


Throwing Curves with the Mouse

After you master the basic throwing technique, you will want to master the curve ball. The curve is thrown by starting your stroke to the right or left of your intended release spot in the direction you want the ball to curve. For example, to make the ball curve from right to left, start your stroke on the left side of the alley. As you pull back, also pull to the right. When you start your forward stroke, make a straight stroke back down the center of the alley. The ball will start going down the middle, but will then curve back to the left. The illustration below might help you visualize it better:

 Click on the numbers for instructions.

This example is for a right to left curve. For a left to right curve, simply start on the right side.


This is the starting point. In this example we want the ball to curve to the left, so we begin the stroke to the left of our aim line.


This is the back of the backstroke. As we pulled back, we also pulled to the right.


The forward stroke made a straight line from our backstroke down the intended aim line. Notice how the aim line is slightly right of the middle, since we are expecting the ball to curve back to the middle.

As the ball rolls down the alley, it keeps the direction of the original aim line for most of the way, but as the ball loses speed, it begins to curve into the direction we originally started the stroke.


Throwing Error Messages

In  order for the WinBowl program to know how to execute your stroke with proper direction, speed and spin, it needs to collect at least a minimal amount of information from your stroke. If not enough information could be collected to execute the stroke, an error message will appear.

The following are messages that might be generated by an improper stroke when using the original mouse throwing method. Each message is described below along with some possible remedies:

•   Pull mouse back farther - This message means that you did not pull the mouse back a far enough distance before you started your forward stroke. This sometimes can happen if you start the stroke too far back and simply try to push the ball forward. Remember you have to pull back and then push forward to the starting point, so your starting point should be near the foul line.

•   Push mouse forward farther - This message means that even though you pulled the mouse back far enough for the backstroke, you didn't push it forward far enough before releasing the mouse button. Try to push the mouse all the way back to the starting point before releasing.

•   Release ball sooner - This message means you took too long a  time to execute the stroke. You have from one to three seconds to execute the entire stroke. The time limit is imposed because otherwise it would take some of the skill out of the stroke. While you don't have a time limit in real bowling, you do have to go through with the stroke once you start (if you want to make a decent throw at least). The motion also has to be fluid and not stop-and-go, otherwise the ball wouldn't have any momentum. It has been found that the time necessary to make the proper stroke only takes and average of 1/2 a second, but may take longer if you are just beginning or if you are using an alternate pointing device (like a track-ball). If you get this message often, try adjusting the Stroke Time Limit in the Preferences dialog. After you get used to the throwing motion, you won't feel rushed about it and should be able to lower the time limit for more challenge.

•   Ball out of range - This message means you released the mouse button when the cursor was in an invalid part of the window. The throwing area is the only area where the ball is allowed to be released. To determine where the throwing area is, drag the ball-hand cursor around the window before you begin your stroke. When you move out of the throwing area, the cursor changes to the hand only. The area is basically the area from the foul line to the bottom of the window and from the left gutter to the right gutter. If you were allowed to release the ball outside this area, the ball would roll off the alley somewhere, so be sure to release the ball in this area to avoid this message.


Help Menu

The Following are the choices under the Help Menu.Each item is briefly described here. Click on the each item for further details.

Contents	Takes you to the Contents of the help file.

 How to Register	How to Register WinBowl.

Product Support	How to obtain technical support.

Tutorial	Gives a brief throwing tutorial.

Throw Evaluator	Toggles the throw evaluator window.

About	Information about WinBowl.


Throw Evaluator

This menu command toggles the visibility of the throw evaluator window which is shown below. Using this window is most helpful during a practice session. The three panes show the different parameters of the throw. Since

Note: This window has to be updated in real time, so it there will be a slight delay after releasing the ball and when the ball actually starts rolling.


Tutorial

Using this menu command will begin a brief tutorial of how to throw the ball using the original mouse method. It is designed for those who just need to get an idea of what the throwing stroke looks like. It is not interactive. It simply shows how the basic straight ball is thrown, step by step.

 During the tutorial, you simply read the descriptions and watch the animation. To advance to the next step, you either press a key on the keyboard or click the left mouse button. To end the tutorial before it is finished, you may press the escape (Esc) key.

 If you try to advance to the next step while an animation is taking place, your key press or mouse click will probably be ignored, so wait until the animation is finished before you try to advance to the next step or exit.

Since the tutorial only covers the basics of the throw, you will probably want to read more about the throwing stroke under the topics of Throwing Basics and  Advanced Throwing.

See also: Throwing with the Meter.


Menu
Main Menu

The WinBowl main menu is as follows (click on each item to show it's topic):

The main menu can be invoked at any time by clicking the right mouse button or by pressing the button menu button on the  status bar.


This button closes (hides) the main menu window during the course of a WinBowl session. It does NOT exit WinBowl - use the File menu Exit command to exit the game. The main menu will normally be hidden and shown automatically at specific points (like when a game is over, it will automatically appear). But there may be other times when you need to invoke the menu to perform some task. In order to close the menu and continue with the game, use this button.


Status Bar

The status bar displays at the bottom of the window and gives a current scorecard view for the player up. This enables you to hide the main scorecard window during game play and only pop it up when you want to view the whole thing. Click on each item or 'pane' below for a further description.


This area shows any messages such as whether a strike or spare was thrown.


This area shows the name of the current player who is up.


This area shows the scorecard of the current player up.


This button toggles the visibility of the scorecard. This enables you to resize the scorecard to a larger size, and then hide it during game play. You may then view the card any time by pressing this button.


This button toggles the visibility of the main menu window. This allows you to make menu selections while playing in full-screen mode.