Figure 22 : Game Modes

3.1.1 Single Game 

Your objective in this game mode is only try to solve the puzzle. If you can do that, you'll be able to achieve a position in the 'Fastest Times' or 'Fewest Moves' Records of the Board or Puzzle selected.

To play a single game, you can choose five things :

1. A board, that is, information about the 'Board Zone' and the location of the 'Flow Elements'.
2. An IP (Initial Pattern).
3. An OP (Objective Pattern).
4. A Time Limit.
5. A Moves Limit.

But only two main combinations are possible : 

a) Take the 'Board Information' and OP from a board file, use a randomly scrambled IP, and no Limitations, or
b) Take the 'Board Information' from a board file, and the rest from a puzzle file.

To learn how to choose any combination, read the next topics with more details about game files, patterns, and limitations.

3.1.2 Against Computer 

The game against the computer is played in turns, not simultaneously. In this game mode you not only have to solve the puzzle, you also have to beat the computer score. In this case, to achieve a position in the Top 10 Scores, is used the difference between both scores.

The features of this game mode deserve a special treatment. Read the topic 3.5 for full details.

3.1.3 Campaign Mode

As mentioned before, a campaign game is an ordered collection of Puzzle Files played successively. Each puzzle of the campaign (called 'levels') have their own time and/or move limitations. When you can't solve any of these levels the campaign is interrupted and considered not completed. If you solve all the levels is considered completed and this gives you the possibility to achieve a position in the Top 10 Scores of that campaign, using the total time and moves performed.

The only thing that you can choose if this game mode is selected, is the Campaign File to use. The rest of the features of the 'Game Configuration' window will be disabled.

Figure 23 : Game Files

3.2.1 Board Files

These files (with extension .BRD) are located in the 'Boards' folder of the installation directory of Tilerama. They are the most important files of the game, because they have the minimum necessary information to play. Board files contain:

• The 'Board Zone' information, including the location of Jumps and Turns.
• A pattern, used as OP in 'Single' and 'Against Computer' games.
• Additional information about the board's name, author and recommended Tile Set.
• Its own Top 10 Scores list.

The function of board files is to provide the vital 'Board Information' for all the game modes. Also, they have a pattern that is used as OP when no Puzzle File is selected. They can be used to play single games (as described in the previous topic) alone, or against computer.

• An Initial Pattern (IP).
• An Objective Pattern (OP).
• A Target Zone (read the description below).
• A Time Limit.
• A Moves Limit.
• Additional information about the puzzle's name and author.
• Its own Top 10 Scores list.

These files doesn't have 'Board Information', so they need a specific Board File to be used. When you choose a puzzle file in the corresponding 'puzzle' combo, the board file needed is auto-selected in the 'board' combo. If this board file needed doesn't exists, an error message will appear.

The function of puzzle files is to provide different IP's and OP's for the same board files, and suggest a number of moves and time to solve them. They can be used to play single games (as described in the previous topic) and also as 'levels' for the Campaign Files.

New in v1.3! : A new sub-folder inside the 'Boards' folder, named 'Puzzles Only' stores board files which can't be used for random IP's, only for puzzle files. If a selected puzzle file uses a board stored in this folder, the 'Board File' combo will remain empty. If the board file needed for the puzzle doesn't exists in the 'Boards' or 'Boards\Puzzles Only' folders, the error message will appear.

New in v1.3! : Target Zone : Since Tilerama 1.3, Puzzle Files may include a 'Target Zone' specification. Pieces outside that zone won't be considered; a puzzle will be solved if the pieces inside the target zone are in place, ignoring the others.

When you load an older version of a puzzle file, which doesn't contains any target zone information, all pieces must match the OP to be considered solved, that is, by default, the entire board is considered as target zone.

All the OP previews existent in Tilerama will show the target zone, if available. When the current puzzle has a target zone definition, the pattern is drawn as usual, but with diagonal lines over the non-target zone, leaving perfectly visible the target zone.

If your'e not playing any game, the board itself will also show the non-target zone with diagonal lines. You can set the corresponding option if you want to keep this indication over the board during the game.

3.2.3 Campaign Files

These files (with extension .CPN) are located in the 'Campaigns' folder of the installation directory of Tilerama. They are simpler than the other game files; they only contain: 

• The list of levels (Puzzle Files) to play.
• Additional information about the campaign's name and author.
• Its own Top 10 Scores list.

These files need all the Puzzle Files listed to be used. If any of these Puzzle Files doesn't exists in the 'Puzzles' or 'Puzzles\Campaign Levels' folders, an error message will appear.

The only function of campaign files is to provide the list of puzzles to play, so they can be selected only when the 'Campaign Mode' has been chosen.

Figure 24 : Initial and Objective Patterns

Figure 25 : Time and Moves Limit

Figure 26 : 'Game Against Computer' Options

3.5.1 Computer Speed and Accuracy

As you can see in the Figure 26, you can set the speed and the precision (or accuracy) of the computer. There are three levels of speed : slow, medium or fast, and also three levels of accuracy : poor, medium or high. The total time needed by the computer to solve the puzzle will be directly influenced by the speed level. On the other hand, the total number of moves needed will be directly influenced by the level of accuracy selected. A 'high' level of accuracy doesn't mean that the computer will solve the puzzle without useless moves .. read the topic 3.5.3 for more details about computer's behavior.

3.5.2 Turns - Using Opponent Score as Limitation

You can also set who plays first, selecting or not the 'Human Plays First' checkbox.

As said before, the time or moves limitations of a puzzle file can't be used, but you can still use the score of the first player (Human or Computer) as a limitation for the second player, in which case the turn isn't irrelevant. This limitations can be selected individually by the corresponding checkboxes : 'Use Opp. Time as Time Limit' and 'Use Opp. Moves as Moves Limit'. If both limitations have been selected, a third option will be available : 'Use Time AND Moves Limit' or 'Use Time OR Moves Limit'. In the first case, both time and moves counters of the second player must be higher than the score of the first player to stop the game. In the second case, when any of the counters reaches the score of the first player, the game is stopped.

When the game of the second player is stopped because of the limitations, the winner in both categories is the first player and the score differences aren't calculated, avoiding the possibility of Records.

3.5.3 About Computer Behavior ..

If you test the computer behavior in all the boards you'll find that it seems to be smart in the hard puzzles, but stupid in the easy ones. This is because the algorithm that solves the puzzle (and controls computer's movements) is too methodic : the minimum number of moves needed by the computer to solve a puzzle depends on the number of tiles, not on the puzzle's difficulty.

In this version of Tilerama I've decided to prevail computer's effectiveness, not its intelligence, so even in the 'high' level of accuracy it may produce useless movements, but it will always solve the puzzle. In future versions this algorithm will be improved, including some serious A.I.. By the moment, use this game mode just for fun (or to have some time or moves limitations in boards with random IP),  but don't take computer's solutions as an example of good gaming.