Rules

You play by moving pieces from the gameboard on the right to the gameboard on the left. On the right board pieces are placed completely at random and without any rules applyed to them, but on the board in the opposide, only pieces having identical symbols on adjacent sides can be neighbours. Pieces can be moved again and again and placed wherever you like until they’ll fit into its final matrix. The game ends and the watch stops when all fields are covered on the left board.

The typical game is unlikely to have more than one solution.

Developer


Why FreeWare ?

Some pepole I've talked to while developing this game found it hard to beleve that it was in fact free. But it was and still is free. My plan was to develop this one as FreeWare and the rest as ShareWare because I want to be absolutely sure that popole do like what I do - in generel. In that way I know what I'm doing and you know what you'll get.


Install and uninstall

To install PolyVex you.

To uninstall PolyVex you.

The game depends on these files.


Version

Except for updates when bugs are found, this is what I intend to put into next version (2.00).

Ps. Updates of the *.zip you download from http://home6.inet.tele.dk/mogensen/


Size

You are able to adjust the size of your game between 2 and 12 fields in both directions or, in other words, to have from 4 to 144 pieces to place all together.

This can be done in a number of ways. The most obvious method is to use the horizontal and vertical scroller found on the first page (the first tab) in the New(x, y)-property sheet. This dialog enables you to manipulate whatever game you can possible think of and the first page is for the dimension.

By dragging the tumbs of the scrollers you’ll see a primitive animation af the board you would have had if [OK] was pressed and from pressing the [Reset], values of the size you saw to begin with are reinsert. Arrows makes you jump ± 1 and from pressing the scroll-tracks the dimension-increase/decrease are ± 2.

See also

Type

Diversity

Buttonbar (QuickSet)


Type

To select a type means to select the type of symbols to play with.

What you do is that you check the radiobutton that referes to the symbolset you would like to have the engine to put on your pieces and for now it’s possible to have nine different sets. Sets are Numbers (1, ..., 9), Latin (A, ..., Z), Russian ([a], ..., [ja]), Greek (alfa,..., omega), Hebrew (alef,..., tav), Aboriginal (A [upside down], ..., Z [upside down]), Rune ([“A”],..., [“Z”]) , Unknown (?,..., ?) and Geometry ([triangle black],..., [white box]).

In order to prevent any kind of favoritism no sets range higher than other or, in other words, you’ll achieve the same score from playing with greek as with plain numbers in the same period of time. What counts are the time and size of the board and these only.

See also

Size

Diversity


Diversity

The diversity-page are split into two and this is where to ajust the range and the amount of symbols.

What you actually do from check’n the radiobuttons of the rangegroup, is that you get from 20% to 100% of the symbolset on your pieces. Say the set has 100 symbols in it. Then Tiny means you get from symbol 1 to 20, Small means from 1 to 40 etc. up to all symbols in the set from check’n Huge.

The amountgroup works in a similar way. If you prefere 4 symbols on a piece (a symbol per side) select the first and so on with 8, 12 and 16 symbols per piece.

See also

Size

Type


This dialog and this window has no controls at all
”... has no controls at all...”

The Scoreboard and the About dialogs looks (and is) a little unconventional and the same goes for the cards. Never the less the way to interact with these kind of specialized dialogs and windows really is simple, but perhaps a little different from what you are accustomed to.

A control-less dialog is closed from a single click and moved, like you are used to, from the caption.

A card-window, on the other hand, is moved from all over the client-surface (the internal greyish area) because it has no caption to grab. Now, since the window moves from a single click-and-drag-operation, this kind of window are closed from a doubleclick and not a single one. Rules are: dialogs closes from a single click and windows from a double.

In general the way to inter data into a control-less dialog is started from a menu. The menu are floating and therefore invisible until you need it. Say you have to put your name on the Scoreboard and say you’ve already typed it into the ad hoc opened editpane in the lower part of the dialog at the end of a game. Now, first press your right mousebutton when the mouse-pointer is inside the dialog. Then from the menu that appears select Add me and you are put on (the dialog can be closed from the menu too). Remember that you’ve only got one chance to do this right.

The reson for doing all this obviously is to promote my favorite artist M. C. Escher and all his wonderful Reptiles and Lizards.


Cards

The card-concept was invented by BassetSoft Denmark late 1997.

In a way this interface is more or less the lovest common factor among windows you one achieve - so to speak - but, I hope, never the less a convenient way for you to get jump-started at the topics my programs can offer you, although this game is perhaps not the most complex and obvious framework you can think of to justify the need. Anyway, the staff at BassetSoft intend to implement much more cards in the output for the future to come.

What is a card ?

Basically a card is a surface of information to inform you about something. This surface or plate contains text only and is in fact a special window in pretty much the same way as guides are. Only difference is that it don't guide you to do anything - it hints and informs, it has no caption, can't be sized, has no menu and can be moved from all over the plate/surface. Its color are the same as its frame and the width of the card defaults to 40% of the width of your screen. You can have up to five cards on screen simultaneously but if you want to print the contents of one, only that one must be displayed. Last restriction not because the print-operation can’t be completed having multiple cards on at the same time, but just in order to tell PolyVex which card that has the focus - this is the one for it to get.


Keys

You are able to navigate the game using keys in this way.

If you press [Shift] and hold it the mouse acts as the scroller, but the process must begin at a spot outside pieces. In this way you are able to apply a more slanted scroll.


Main menu

This menu really needs no deeper explanation just this handfull of hints of special things you can’t possible know, before you use all the functions for the first time.

The File-menu holds the usual New, Open/Save/Save as entries. You are able to save and load games and recently used files are placed at the file-menu below the Preferences. It holds a maximum of ten games all supposed to be saved as some_name.vex files (gets a binary format). Print can be used when one card (and one only) are shown and the Scoreboard and Preferences holds the list of winners and the Default game and General behaviour you like the game to have.

The Edit-menu takes care of things like Undo/Arrange/Mix/Solve/. Undo enables you to regret up to the 24 last moves, Arrange finds all your spread-around-pieces and put them back at their origo again. Mix, mixes pieces once more (if origo-board are full, one piece are moved to the destination-board for the duration of this function). Solve first moves all pieces that is not part of the solution to the origo-board and then solves the game for you.

The Remove misplaced/Remove all removes pieces from the destination-board and Rate my play still on the edit-menu, perhaps gives you some ideas about your skills in all this symbolic madness. It keeps track of all games played, solved games by you and by the engine till now etc. The rating is a card and therefore you are able to print it if you like. A rating can’t be saved on disk.

The Hint means to ask the engine to place a piece for you by random. This will cost you some time-punishment like when you get other kind of help. The punishment are not shown anywhere, but you’ll get it never the less.

The Options-menu holdes all the options you are able to select/deselect and the Help-menu holds cards, this help and About. (Almost) no fancy things about them...

See also

Floating menus


Floating menu
Floating menus

Suppose you have a piece that you simply can’t seem to find the right destination for or you have a field that is ‘missing’ its piece - then what ? Well, its where the floating menus comes in.

First situation. You want to place a piece. Put the mouse-pointer on the piece to place. Press your right mousebutton. Select, if possible, Place this piece from the menu that appears. Now the piece jumps to its right destination but you are punished in time for it (not shown). This item are disabled if the piece, for one reson or another, can’t be placed, like when it’s already placed right or it’s position are blocked by something in its neighbourhood including itself (to keep in mind).

Second situation. You want to cover a field. Put the mouse-pointer on the field to cover (field are empty). Press your right mousebutton. Select, if possible, Cover this field from the menu that appears. Now a piece jumps to its right destination but you are punished in time for it (not shown). This item are disabled if the field, for one reson or another, can’t be covered, like when it’s blocked by something in its neighbourhood including itself (to keep in mind too). You are able to cover a field from a doubleclick on it as well.

Last floating menu are found If you press your right mousebutton outside gameboards and pieces but inside the table. Now you get the opportunity of a New game, same settings.

Also you are able to setup your own gadgets of the statusbar in the bottom of the window. To do so you press the right mousebutton and select/deselect from the popupmenu. Notice that the Penrose-triangle is not pure decoration. It can be used to indicate when the program are gone into a idle state, like when a new game is setup and ready. So, in other words, look for the triangle because when it starts to spin, the game are able to respond to you and if it’s stopped you got to wait a while.

See also

Main menu


Default game

First page of the Preferences controls the initial or default game. A default game is the game you wish to begin with the next time you start up PolyVex. It’s possible for you to select a default size, a default symbolset and default diversity on this page.

Default buttons reinsert default values build into the game.

Preference-information are saved in PolyVex.ini.

See also

General


General

Second page of the Preferences holds simple selections. You are able to check/unckeck: Show splash screens, Show random card at start up, Doubleklick in client means exit , Start in maximized window and All animation are fast.

Show splash screens means to turn on/off the M. C. Escher. Lizards and copyright note when new games begin. Notice that this selection is not shown if your pc can’t handle 24 bit bitmaps.

Show random card at start up means to turn on/off cards with random hint whenever PolyVex begins.

Doubleklick in client means exit means to turn on/off whether a doubleclick on the table is to be understood as Exit.

Start in maximized window means to turn on/off the big window to begin with.

All animation are fast means to turn on/off whether pieces are always moved as fast as possible or at the speed that fits the function.

Default buttons reinsert default values build into the game.

Preference-information are saved in PolyVex.ini.

See also

Default game


The story behind BassetSoft Denmark

Since the start in the mid nineties my interest has evolved from relatively simple games to more complex and challenging ones. I stick to the kind of silent and profitless development that I'm best at and I'm doing it basically for my own sake and in order to get into contact with other programmers via the Internet, having approximately the same ideas and same interests.

On the other hand obvious I'll not refuse wishes from my users/players so whenever you feel like please contact me via e-mail or from my home page. Then tell me what you do like and what you dislike, all substantiated criticism are welcome.

I'm 31 years of age and is studying computer science at the university of Comenhagen, Denmark. I like to invent new games and hopefully next one are released late 1998.

Regards Michael.


BassetSoft Denmark
Oh I forgot...

...to say that pieces also can be moved in groups of max. 24. This is convenient when you got a column and/or a row you wish to move just like that (but any formation moves). Just block the actual pieces out, release the mousekey, pick up the group and drop it where it’s supposed to be.


Buttonbars

These are found in the top and in the bottom of your window. They can be moved around and placed at any spot you like. They even have menus attached to them to force them to appear at specific locations along the sides of your window. To show a buttonbar-menu (one menu for each situation) you press the right mousebutton above one of the controls in the bar, in pretty much the same way as you would have done in Word, Excel or Access.

See also

Buttonbar (Common)

Buttonbar (QuickSet)


Buttonbar (Common)

This is the buttonbar for common controls.

Buttons are just menu shortcuts and controls the same things as found on File and Edit.

See also

Buttonbar (QuickSet)


Buttonbar (QuickSet)

This is the buttonbar for quick setting new games.

Buttons are just menu shortcuts and controls the same things as found in New(x, y) except for the last one. New(?, ?) means to setup a random game. Every parameter of your game are then selected by random.

Ex. New(7, 7) means to have a 7 times 7 game in this base.

See also

Size

Buttonbar (Common)


Michael Mogensen

BassetSoft Denmark

Akacievej 1

3400 Hilleroed

Denmark

Internet http://home6.inet.tele.dk/mogensen/

E-mail: mogensen@post6.tele.dk


Excerpt of Reptiles 1939 (study)

by Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898 - 1971)


[SIDSTE SIDE]