
Pentet is a two player game (you against the computer).  The game is played 
by placing colored circles (pieces) on the intersections of the lines that 
make up the game board.  

The first piece to be played MUST be played on the center intersection. 
(The software handles this detail automatically.  That is, if the computer
goes first, it knows to play at the center.  If you go first, the computer
places your piece at the center and proceeds to take its turn.)

Each player makes his or her move by placing one piece on any empty 
intersection.  The other player then takes his turn.  

You move a piece to an intersection by positioning the mouse pointer at
the intersection and clicking the left button.  If the pointer is not close
enough to an intersection the machine will beep, and you need to try again.

Object of the Game:

    The object of the game is to win by one of two ways: 

        1) By placing your pieces on the board in such a way that you 
           have a line of five pieces in any direction (up/down, left/
           right, or either diagonal direction).

        2) By making five captures.
                   

How to Capture:

        A capture is made whenever player A surrounds two of player B's
        pieces with two of his own.  For example, if we let A and B stand 
        for the pieces of each player, then the following sequence of moves 
        gives A a capture. 

                A B  --->  A B B  --->  A B B A

        A has surrounded two of player B's pieces with two of his own.
        When this happens, the two surrounded pieces are "captured", and are
        removed from the board:

                A X X A                 (the Xs stand for empty spaces).

        A capture can be made in any direction (up/down, left/right, or
        either diagonal direction).  

        * A capture only happens when player A makes a move to surround
          the pieces of player B.  For example, the following sequence of
          moves does NOT give A a capture.

                A B X A  --->  A B B A
                

When either player makes a capture, the captured pair appears in the Captures
Window to the right of the game board.


Tips on game play:

        The "Open Four"
        ---------------------------
        If a player gets an "open four" piece configuration:

                X A A A A X

        then that player will win unless his or her opponent can win on
        the next move, because only one side can be blocked.  Even if a 
        capture is made "across" the line of pieces, the win will only be 
        delayed by one move.


        The "Open Three"
        ---------------------------
        An "open three" configuration leads directly to an "open four",
        and is therefore a configuration to watch out for (or to try to
        play up to).

                X A A A X X


        Watch out for Captures
        ------------------------------------
        It is a good idea to avoid placing your pieces in pairs so that
        your opponent will not have the opportunity to capture.


Game Variations:

        The Options menu gives you the option to turn "Tournament Rules"
        on or off.  Tournament Rules compensate for the slight advantage
        that the first player has by forcing the first player, on his 
        second move, to move at least three positions away from the center.

        For the naive version of the game, which makes no offensive moves
        until several moves into the game, Tournament Rules affect only
        the user.  (The computer will not move within three positions of 
        the center on its second move regardless of whether Tournament
        Rules are active).  The default setting is ON, and you can turn it
        off if you want to circumvent this restriction.


About Pentet and its Origin:

        Pentet is based on the game Pente.  It comes in two flavors, both
        of which are addictive by design.  The naive version is akin to 
        shareware (i.e., it is copyrighted but the author grants his per-
        mission for you to copy and distribute it without modification, 
        at no charge).  The naive version plays primarily by defense, 
        although it ``knows`` a winning opportunity when it sees it, and 
        will take such an opportunity if one arises.  

        The heuristics that direct the program's choices are intentionally 
        incomplete.  The idea is that after you play it enough, you will
        learn how to consistently beat the program (but watch out--it can
        spot some surprising opportunities).  Once you have reached this 
        level of expertise you can upgrade to the ``smart`` version of the
        program for a registration fee of $25.

        Neither version uses any sort of recursive lookahead algorithm to
        make decisions.  The program was originally written to use such an 
        algorithm but the game tree is MASSIVE, and performance becomes 
        unacceptable when such a method is employed.  For example, with a 
        21 x 21 grid after N moves, there are 441-N positions that must be
        searched.  Even with a "lookahead horizon" of 1, this amounts to 
        analyzing (441-N) ^ (441-N-1) possible moves.  Even after several
        moves this number would fill half of the screen, and would take a 
        fast 486 machine an unbearably long time to process.

        The upshot of all this is that the ``smart`` version is still 
        beatable.  You need not worry about spending $25 for a game that
        is no fun to play because the computer always wins (becuase it
        won't).  But the smart version does provide a much greater chal-
        lenge than the naive version.


License Agreement: Pentet (Naive Version) v1.0, September 1991.

        This software is the naive version of Pentet, and includes the 
        program itself (the file pentet.exe), and any documentation or 
        supplementary files.  You have the author's permission to use, 
        copy, and distribute it as long as you abide by the following 
        provisions.  By using and / or distributing the software you 
        are agreeing to abide by the terms of this agreement.
        
        (i)   The software may not be modified in any way, and must be 
              copied in its entirety.

        (ii)  The software must not be distributed in conjunction with any
              other product.

        (iii) You may only distribute the software to persons who agree to
              abide by the terms of this agreement.

        (iv)  If you distribute the software, the distribution must be 
               non-commercial, non-profit, and not for any charge.
      

The author (Christopher Guzik) retains all rights of title, ownership, and 
copyright of the software, and of any copies of it that you make, regardless 
of the form or media in or on which they may exist.  You are granted only a 
license to use the software.

This software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind.  The author
disclaims all representations, guaranties, and warranties, expressed or 
implied, as to the licensed software and its quality, performance, merchan-
tibility, or fitness for any particular purpose.  Under no circumstances will
the author be liable for any indirect, consequential, incidental, special, 
or exemplary damages arising from the use of or inability to use the licensed
software even if the author has been advised of the possibility of such 
damages.  Some states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability
for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation may not
apply to you.
