Office Darts 301

Version 3.0 Help Contents

Thank you for trying Office Darts 301.  Please feel free to distribute complete unaltered files of Office Darts 301.

General Information:

The Throw

The Board

Ordering Information

The Card

About

Game Rules:

301, 501, and 701

Double In and Out

Count Up

Cricket

Golf

Tic Tac Toe

 Features:

Multiple Players

Computer Players

Real Darts Scorekeeping

Best Scores


OD301
Office Darts 301

Office Darts 301 is the freeware version of Office Darts.  It contains all the features of Office Darts but only for Double In and Double Out variations of 301, Count Up 500, and Tic Tac Toe dart games.

Ordering Office Darts

301, 501, and 701

Double In/Out

Tic Tac Toe


The Card

The Card is color, laminated, and contains your name and license number.  The unique license number represents the number of people that has licensed Office Darts at the time of your order.  The Card is a lifetime software license.  Card Holders will never have to pay an "upgrade cost" to receive the latest version of Office Darts.  You may show your card to another card holder that has a higher version of Office Darts to receive a copy of that version.  If someone mentions your name and license number when ordering Office Darts, the latest version of Office Darts will be sent to you at no cost.  At the most, as a card holder, you may have to pay shipping and packaging to receive the next latest version.  All current card holders have been sent a copy of version 3.0 of Office Darts.  None of them have had to pay anything extra for this version.  The great promise of "shareware" is to provide quality software at a low cost.  This can only be made possible by people supporting the software by licensing it.  The current card holders have supported the development of Office Darts to bring it to this level.  If you decide to get The Card, you will help support new features for Office Darts; more games, 256 colors, modem, network, and internet play.  You will also have the ability to affect how Office Darts develops.   In the future, Office Darts Cards may not be made available, and the cost of Office Darts will rise.  Office Darts Card holders will still be supported even if Office Darts goes commercial.  Office Darts for WIN95 is on the drawing board.  (This version of Office Darts will run on WIN95.)  The design for the WIN95 version will better use screen space and take advantage of WIN95's graphics ability.


The Throw

Office Darts Scorekeeping must be selected under Game | Scorekeeping to simulate the throw on the computer using the mouse.

- Just click on a dart to pick one up.

- Move dart over the board to aim.

- Press and hold the left mouse button.

- Immediately pull back approximately 1/3 of an inch.

- Push forward to place of aim and release the button.

Watch the scrolling messages for hints on how to throw.

     	See the following for more...

For information on the Side and Top View see View Information.

For information on setting the dart weight see Dart Weight.

For information on the Throw Analysis see Throw Analysis.

For common throw problems see Throw Problems.

For mouse sensitivity see Mouse Sensitivity.


The Board

The dart board was designed centuries ago.  The outer thin circle is worth double the point value marked. The thin inner circle is worth triple the point value marked.  The center full circle is the bull's eye (double bull), 50 points.  It is surrounded by the  bull, 25 points. The highest amount of points one dart can score is 60, a triple twenty.  A Hat Trick is three bulls or bull's eyes in three darts of the same round.

For information on setting up a dart board see Dart Board Setup.


Double In/Out
Double In and Out

Double In and Double Out are variations of  301, 501 and 701.  For Double In, scoring does not begin until a double is hit.  For Double Out, a game can only be won by hitting the correct double and the player will bust with a score of one.  Any combination of Double In and/or Double Out may be played.


301, 501, and 701

The object of 301 is to reach zero with the fewest darts.  The point value of every thrown dart is subtracted from 301.  Zero must be  reached exactly.  If zero is exceeded in a negative direction, a bust will occur.  If a bust occurs, the score will return to what it was at the start of the round, and the remaining darts of that round will be lost.

501 and 701 are variations of 301 where the starting score is 501 or 701.


Count Up

There are three different variations of Count Up; 250, 500, and 1000.  The first player to meet or exceed the appropriate score is the winner.


Tic Tac Toe

Two Tic Tac Toe boards will appear in the score  board area.  In the top Tic Tac Toe board, a B for bull will be in the center box and the other boxes will be filled with randomly generated numbers between 1 and 20.  No two boxes will have the same number.  The bottom Tic Tac Toe board will keep track of how may times the numbers in the top Tic Tac Toe board has been hit.  Only two players can play Tic Tac Toe.  The first player will be X and the second will be O.  A player wins by taking three boxes in a row, column, or diagonally.  If no player can take three boxes in a row, column, or diagonally, the player with the highest score once all boxes are taken is the winner.  A player scores by hitting numbers for boxes that that player has taken.

Taking a Box

If the Computer Players' level is set to beginner or standard (It doesn't matter if a computer player is playing or not.), a player must hit the number on the dart board that corresponds to the number in the Tic Tac Toe box three times (3 singles or 1 triple etc...) to take that box.  A box can be marked by both players but only taken by one.

If the Computer Players' level is set to advance or professional, a player must hit the number on the dart board that corresponds to the number in the Tic Tac Toe box five times to take that box.  If a player does not take the box, but marks it, the opposing player may remove those marks by hitting that number.


Cricket

A Cricket board will appear in the score board  area.  The center will be numbered from 20 down to 15 and then a B for bull.  Only those numbers and the bull are active in Cricket.  The first player to close everything active and has the highest score is the winner.  To close a number, the player must hit that number 3 times (or 1 triple, etc...)  After closing a number, the player can score points on it until all other players have closed it.

Call it Cricket is a variation of Cricket where the each player must "call out" the number the player is aiming at.  The player can then only mark or score on that number with that dart.  This game is not yet supported with Office Darts Scorekeeping or computer players, however, this game may be played when selecting Real Darts Scorekeeping, if all players agree to it.


Multiple Players

1 to 4 players can play any game except for Tic Tac Toe.  Only 2 players can play Tic Tac Toe.  Each player can be either human or a computer player.


Computer Players

Computer players are available for any game.  The computer players ability level can be selected as either Beginner, Intermediate,  Advanced, or Professional.   The computer players ability level can also be fine tuned.

Computer players ability level will slightly increase when a computer player looses a game, and slightly decrease when a computer player wins a game.  No adjustments will be made in the course of a game.  These adjustments will help match the computer players' level with the dart game player's level.  The adjustments are made favoring the dart game player.  Under Games | Options | Miscellaneous, the automatic Computer Players level adjustment can be enabled or disabled.


Best Scores

Best Scores will be kept for fewest darts or highest on all major dart games.  Best Scores will not be kept for Computer Players or Real Darts Scorekeeping games.


Real Darts Scorekeeping

Office Darts is able to keep score for any game played on a regular dart board.  Click the mouse over the position on the Office Darts board that was hit on the regular dart board.  Only enter the darts that actually count towards the game.  If less then the three available darts counts towards the game, click in the darts that count and then press the Remove Darts Button. All darts that count towards the game must be entered.  For example, when playing Double In, if no dart hits a double in the first round, just press the Remove Darts Button to advance to the next player.  When playing Golf, all darts must be clicked in, since each dart represents a stroke.

When the Remove Darts Button is lit, usually after the third dart of a round or when it is pressed, an Undo Place Dart Button becomes available.  Pressing that button will undo the darts that were just clicked in.

For information on setting up a dart board see Dart Board Setup.

Besides keeping score for dart games played on real dart boards, Real Darts Scorekeeping may also be used with Computer Players for practice.


Golf

The object of Golf is to achieve the lowest score.  Each dart thrown will be considered a stroke.  Each hole, numbered 1 through 18, has a par value of 3, 4, or 5, as shown above.  A green will appear in the Score Board area.  The hole number will be written on the greens flag, and the par value written on the green.  In addition, two boxes will appear in the score board area.  The first box, titled Distance, will contain the distance to the hole.  Before throwing the first dart, for that hole, the Distance box will contain the par value.  The distance value will then decrease when a dart hits that hole.  It will decrease by three for triples, two for doubles, and one for singles.  The second box, titled Strokes,  will contain the number of darts (strokes) used at that point, on that hole.  The distance value must reach exactly zero to complete that hole.   For example, if a par 3 is hit with a double, the distance will go down to 1.  If on the next dart, a triple is hit, the distance will go up to 2.  The hole was over shot by two.  If then, on the third dart, a double is hit, the player would have completed that hole with three strokes.   Players turns will switch after every three darts until that hole is competed.  That hole must be completed by all players to move on to the next hole.  It is possible then, that the last player to complete the hole, will throw on two or more consecutive rounds.


Credits

 Office Darts 301 Version 3.0

        (c) Eugene Briski 1995

Programming, Graphics, Sound, Production

 Gene Briski

Sound

Russell Cole

Graphics Assistance

Mike Jackson & Mike Mansfield

Programming Assistance

Burt Montague

Testing

Special thanks to everyone who helped!

Don't sue me clause.

Absolutely no warranties (guarantees or anything) in any way. Use this product only if you agree to these terms.


Ordering Information

Latest full licensed version of Office Darts, and The Card

Only $17.00!  Free shipping!

Call  1-800-WIN-DART   (1-800-946-3278)

     Visa or Master Card orders only.  Have credit card ready.

     Orders taken through Beans and Briar.

    	Hours weekdays:  9am - 6pm  (Central Standard Time)

 Saturday:  10am - 4pm

For check orders see Check Ordering.

For orders from outside the US see International Orders.

Office Darts is delivered on 3.5 inch disks.

If you found out about Office Darts from an Office Darts card holder, please mention their name and card number.


Scorekeeping Menu

Select Office Darts Scorekeeping if the dart game is going to be completely played on the computer.  The dart throw can then be simulated using the mouse.  For information of how to simulate the throw see The Throw.

Select Real Darts Scorekeeping if the dart game is going to be played on a regular dart board.  The dart board must be in the same room as the computer, or with a laptop, the dart board can be located anywhere.  For instructions on setting up a dart board see Dart Board Setup. For more information on Real Darts Scorekeeping, see Real Darts Scorekeeping.

Office Darts or Real Darts Scorekeeping can be selected with any dart game, and both can be played using computer players.  Pressing OK from this menu will start a new game.


Games Menu

Select the game you wish to play.  For rules on the games see:

301, 501, and 701

Double In/Out

Count Up

Cricket

Golf

Tic Tac Toe

Double In and Double Out variations of 301, Count Up 500, and Tic Tac Toe can be played with "Office Darts 301".  The other games are only available for play with the full licensed version, "Office Darts".  To order Office Darts see Ordering Information.  Pressing OK from this menu will start a new game.


Computer Players Menu

Computer players can be activated or de-activated for any player position.  If a computer player is activated for a position that is not set within the number of players menu, the computer player will not play.  (Example: Computer Player 3 was activated but number of players was set to 2.)

Computer players ability can be selected as one of four levels.  Each level has an associated color that the computer players' score will be displayed in.  Computer players ability level can further be refined with Level Fine Tune.

See Computer Players for more information.

Pressing OK from this menu will start a new game.


Number of Players Menu

Select the number of players including computer players.  To de-activate computer players enter the Computer Players Menu.  Pressing OK from this menu will start a new game.

Due to the nature of Tic Tac Toe, only two players can play Tic Tac Toe.  When attempting to set number of players for other games, first select that game under the Games Menu.


Sound Menu

No Sound, Beep when darts hits board, and Use Windows Sound Card can be selected.  If the sound doesn't operate correctly when selecting Use Windows Sound Card, make sure the *.wav files are located in the working directory.  Pressing OK from this menu will not start a new game.


Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous Menu

If Auto adjust computer level is checked, the computer players level will adjust to the dart players level based on winning or loosing a game.  For more information see Computer Players.

If display Throw Analysis is checked, the Throw Analysis Window will be displayed if Office Darts Scorekeeping is selected.  For more information see Throw Analysis.

If Scroll all messages is checked, all messages that scroll under the dart board will be displayed.  If it is not checked, messages similar to the airplanes that scroll when a trip twenty is hit will not be displayed.

Pressing OK from this menu will not start a new game.


Auto Remove Speed

The setting for the Auto Remove Speed will determine how quickly the Remove Darts Button will be automatically pressed after all 3 darts of a round are thrown.

Pressing OK from this menu will not start a new game.


About

For information on credits see Credits.

For information on ordering see Ordering Information.

For information on contacting Gene see Contact Information.

Gene Briski is the author of Office Darts and Office Darts 301.


Dart Board Setup

For a normal dart board, the center of the double bull must be placed 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) above the floor.  The throwing line must be 7 ft 10 in (2.37 m) back from the face of the dart board.

For a soft tip dart board, the center of the double bull must be placed 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) above the floor.  The throwing line must be 8 ft (2.44m) back from the face of the dart board.  Soft tip dart boards have a larger scoring area than normal dart boards.

Buying a dart board.

My recommendation would be to not buy a soft tip dart board.  Soft tip dart boards are made of plastic and the darts tend to bounce out more than on normal dart boards.  Soft tip darts will still put a hole in the wall and they can be just as hazardous as normal darts.  Soft tip dart boards has recently taken a surge in popularity due to the development of Electronic Dart Boards.   If you plan on buying an electronic dart board, don't expect it to support all the games and features that Office Darts supports, unless your willing to spend a few thousand dollars on an electronic dart board with its own monitor.

Normal dart boards are made of several different types of materials.  The type of material the dart board is made of will affect its cost, durability, and bounce out rate.  Avoid dart boards that are made completely of wood products.  Although they are less expensive, they tend to not last long and cause several bounce outs.  Dart boards made of bristle are of good quality and value.  Other more expensive dart boards are made of materials such as horse hair.  When a dart is pulled out of a quality dart board, the hole the dart left will start to close.  I personally use a bristle dart board.  I can even throw soft tips darts at it.

Protecting your wall.

Even good dart throwers will occasionally miss the board.  Most misses of the board occur just below or above the dart board.  It is best to place something between the dart board and the wall that extends out at least 2 inches from the sides of the dart board, 4 inches for the top of the dart board, and 8 inches from the bottom of the dart board.  This should cover all unintentional misses of the dart board.  An inexpensive, yet great solution, would be to buy a large cork board from a store that sells office supplies.  They come framed, sell for less than ten dollars, and the hardest thrown darts won't penetrate them.  If you buy one of these, make sure to set it up vertically, with the dart board centered from the sides, but have the dart board raised to allow for more misses below the board.  If you can find a store that caters to darting supplies, you will find very nicely made frames for dart boards.  They will cost move than ten dollars.  If you have any skills at woodworking, you might consider building you own frame.  Cabinet dart boards also help protect your wall.  Cabinet dart boards tend to not provide enough protection below the dart board.  If you decide to buy a dart board that comes with a cabinet, make sure to place a small cork board right under it.

Set up for young ones.

Darts is probably not a good game for kids under 8.  However, for older kids, set up the dart board so that the center of the double bull is about equal to the child's eyebrow height.  Set the throwing line about a foot or two beyond the child's height.

If the child can reach the top of the dart board when the dart board is set up normally, set the dart board and throwing line to its normal position.


Contact Information

Gene Briski is the creator of Office Darts and can be contacted at the following addresses:

EMail

Internet:  gbriski@sirinet.net

CompuServe:  73073,1166

Snail Mail

Gene Briski

PO Box 3591

Lawton, OK 73502

Visit the Office Darts Home home page on the Internet.

Will be open by October 31, 1995.


Orders by check.

Send name, address, and $17 check or money order to:

Eugene Briski

PO Box 3591

Lawton, OK 73502

Make check payable to Eugene Briski.

If you found out about Office Darts from an Office Darts Card Holder, please mention their name and card number.


International Orders

Orders outside of the US are welcome.

Send Master Card or Visa Card number and expiration date.

 - or -

Send check or money order that is drawn off of a US bank.

- or -

Other currencies accepted at current exchange rates.

The cost is slightly more due to the additional cost of shipping.

Canada & Mexico	US $18.00

Other Countries 	US $21.00

Send name, address, and payment to:

Eugene Briski

PO Box 3591

Lawton, OK 73502   USA

Make payable to Eugene Briski.


Top and Side View Information

If the dart is pulled back straight and pushed forward straight, the dart won't veer to the left or right.  This can be seen in the Top View.

The Side View will show how strong and high the dart was thrown.  The longer the button is held down, and the less the dart is pulled  back, the weaker the throw.  Releasing the button before the point of aim will cause the dart to go up, releasing after the point of aim will cause the dart to go down.

The throw occurs best in one smooth motion.  If there is hesitation or other inaccuracies in the throw, do not release the left mouse button.  Keep it down and move the dart over the darts area.  Release the button, and the dart will be returned without penalty or message.

For information on setting the dart weight see Dart Weight.

For information on the Throw Analysis see Throw Analysis.

For common throw problems see Throw Problems.

For mouse sensitivity see Mouse Sensitivity.


Throw Analysis

The Throw Analysis Window is good to use when first learning how to throw the dart with a mouse.  The direction angle shows the direction that was read by the computer coming off of the throw.  The power shows the amount of power applied.  The height angle shows the height angle as read by the computer.  You must get the throw off for the Throw Analysis to display this information.   Once you get the feel for the throw, you'll know as soon as you let go of the dart how that dart is going to go.

Since the Throw Analysis Window displays information that the computer reads from your throwing motion, it is not effected by the dart weight.  (The dart weight will effect the darts flight and outcome.)

The Throw Analysis Window can be enabled or disabled by selecting Game | Options | Miscellaneous, and then checking or un-checking the Throw Analysis check box.

For information on the Side and Top View see View Information.

For information on setting the dart weight see Dart Weight.

For common throw problems see Throw Problems.

For mouse sensitivity see Mouse Sensitivity.


Throw Problems

The most common throwing problems is that too much time is taken pulling back, hesitating, and then pushing forward too fast.  This is understandable.  The actual power is computed by dividing the distance traveled by the time taken.  Once the mouse button is pressed (and held) the time is taken, and then again the time is taken when  the mouse button is released.  These time measurements are accurate within fractions of a second.  The difference of the two times is the time taken on the throw.  To gain more power, pull back further, quicker, and don't hesitate before pushing forward.

Pushing forward too fast can also causes problems.  The height angle is determined by when (where) the mouse button is release.  If the mouse button is released before the point of aim, the height angle will go up, and if the mouse button is released after the point of aim, the height angle will go down.  When pushing forward too fast it is quite difficult to control where the mouse button is released.

The best throws occur in a smooth motion.  The speed the dart is pulled back being roughly equal to the speed the dart is pushed forward with little to no hesitation in between.  Once you get this smooth motion down, you'll notice that you don't have to push or pull that fast.

For information on the Side and Top View see View Information.

For information on setting the dart weight see Dart Weight.

For information on the Throw Analysis see Throw Analysis.

For mouse sensitivity see Mouse Sensitivity.


Mouse Sensitivity

The mouse sensitivity can be changed in Windows by selecting the Main and then the Control Panel menu items.  When the mouse is pulled back 1/3 of an inch, the cursor moves several multiples of that on the screen.  If the mouse feels too sensitive, slightly lower the Mouse Tracking Speed.  If it feels sluggish, slightly increase the tracking speed.  This should give you better cursor control in all of your Windows Applications.

If your mouse seems to be acting strange, make sure that sensors in your mouse are clean.  Mouse balls tend to pick up dust and attach that dust to the mouse's sensors.

The Ballistic Effect

Some high dollar mice use the "ballistic effect".  Different mouse makers may call it different things.  What this does is allow the mouse to move very fast when you are moving the mouse fast, or very slow when your moving the mouse slow.  So, if you move your mouse an inch, it could move five inches or half an inch on your screen, depending on how fast you moved that one inch.  This is fine, if that's what you want.  High dollar mice makers usually add it to help justify their price.  The problem is that the ballistic effect does not allow you to move your mouse quickly and accurately.  It's either quick or accurate, and it is very un-natural.  If your mouse uses the ballistic effect and its ballistic effect can be set, make sure you set it to the amount of ballistic effect you want to use in Windows.  It is usually not necessary to turn it off, but it does seem that the default settings are too high.

For information on the Side and Top View see View Information.

For information on setting the dart weight see Dart Weight.

For information on the Throw Analysis see Throw Analysis.

For common throw problems see Throw Problems.


Dart Weight Menu

Use the scroll bar to change the weight of the dart used when Office Darts Scorekeeping is selected.

For more information see Dart Weight.

Pressing OK from this menu will not start a new game.


Dart Weight

The dart weight can be changed for the darts thrown when Office Darts Scorekeeping is selected.   The effect of the dart weight is completely similar to that in the real world.   Usually, beginners have an easier time with lighter darts and heavier darts can provide more control for the more experienced dart throwers.  It is best to select the dart weight that is most comfortable to you.

To change the dart weight select Game | Options | Dart Weight.

For information on the Side and Top View see View Information.

For information on the Throw Analysis see Throw Analysis.

For common throw problems see Throw Problems.

For mouse sensitivity see Mouse Sensitivity.


Office Darts 301 Limitations

The selected game is not supported with Office Darts 301.  Office Darts 301 is the free version of Office Darts.  The selected game will be demonstrated.  Select one of the following games to play while using Office Darts 301:

  + 301, including any combination of Double In and/or Double Out.

  + Count Up 500.

  + The skill and strategy game of Tic Tac Toe.

If you want to get the latest full version of Office Darts see Ordering Information.