Help Contents

  Gamos presents computer game named Nine™. This product continues famous Gamos series of logical games. Nine is computer analog of well known simple card game. Now we do not discuss all minuses and pluses of this card game. But we hope it is a good entertainment at leisure time.

To learn how to use Microsoft Windows™ 3.1 Help, press F1 or choose Using Help from the Help menu.

Introduction

Rules of the Game

Credits

How to...

Play the Game

Play the Game using keyboard

Keep Scores

Use Menu

Customize Environment

Understand terms

Resolve Problems

To keep the lawyers happy:

Microsoft is registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.  Microsoft Windows, MS Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.  IBM, PC, PC/AT, PS/2  are trademarks of IBM Corp.  Turbo C and Turbo Pascal are registered trademarks of Borland International.  Various other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders, or registered names of living or dead people.


Contents (Rules of the Game)
Rules of the Game

  The game consist of a number of rounds. At the begining of a round  each player stakes $20 at the Bank. Then cards are dealing among three players. Each player, moving clockwise around the board, selects a card to play in the following order:

- The Nine of Diamonds is played the first;

- Then are played the Eight or the Ten of Diamonds, or Nines of other suits;

- Further, nearest ranking card in the suit for all played Nines. An Ace placed at most right side and a Six at most left side.

If a player do not have suitable card (e.g You cannot play a Queen if a Jack of the same suit is not played yet, etc.), he must pass lead and deposit $10 at the Bank.

The round is over when one player has played all his cards. This player is winner. His takes all money from the Bank. Further, players begin next round. The Game is over when one or two players become bunkrupt(s).

_______________

See Also

How to Play the Game

How to Keep Score


Contents (How to Play)
How to Play the Game

  To start the Game You must register as a member of Nine Club. First, You can see the following:

- the list of members of Nine Club, including ten names and corresponding accounts;

- the Control Panel with five buttons.

For more information about buttons on this Control Panel, move the mouse over the graphic. When the pointer turns to a hand, click to display information in the pop-up window. Alternatively, press TAB to highlight an area on the graphic, and then press ENTER.

Club members take positions at the list in order to decrease their accounts. New member takes free position (if it exists). In other case, new member merge the member who has the fewest account. The last one is excluded from Nine Club. Also is excluded a member who do not have money on his account.

The F5 button (or the left button on Control Panel) is not active until You is not registered. To register press F8 (or the rigth button on Control Panel). Next, You must enter or click (if Your name already in list) Your name and then enter password.  Further, Your name is placed at the Nine Club member list and You get initial account $200. So, button F5 become active.

After You pass registration You can see the following:

- game table (in the center);

- You opponents on left and right side (both played by computer);

- the banker on top side.

The banker does the following :

- deals cards;

- collects money into the Bank and pays money;

- checks validity of all moves.

To make a lead You need to click an appropriative card. To interrupt the game press Esc. In last case You lose $200. You must play until finish.

So, Play and Win!

_______________

See Also

Rules of the Game

How to Customize Environment

Glossary


Contents (Using keyboard)
How to Play using keyboard

 You cannot select cells using keyboard, but the following functional keys are active:

F1 - call Help;

F5 - start the game;

F6 - turn sound on/off;

F7 - choose difficulty level (three stages);

F8 - register or identify Nine Club member;

Alt+F4 - terminate and exit to MS Windows™ shell.

Also You can invoke menu commands using keyboard. You may press Spacebar, Enter, Alt+Backspace and Microsoft Windows™ system keys.


Contents (Keep Scores)
How to Keep Scores

  If You have put all cards on desktop and made it first, then You may get all money from Bank. You have won!

If You win whole game, Your money are added to initial capital. You can look at Nine Club memberlist and see accounts when invoke "Game/Best Results..." menu command.

_______________

See Also

Rules of the Game

Menu Commands


Contents (Menu commands)
How to Use Menu

  To call menu, click right mouse button anywhere in game panel. A number of menu commands doubles buttons on game panel. Another commands give You additional facilities.

Menu "Game" includes the following:

"New" - start new game. You can press also the button on the game panel.

"Best Results..." - show list of Nine Club members.

"Undo" - undo last move.

Menu "Options" includes the following:

"Logo" - when checked, animated logo appears in game loading time. To terminate logo and start game You must press OK button. In other case simple logo also appears but You need not to do anything.

"Sound" - turn sound effects on/off. You can press also the button on the game panel.

"Save Settings" - when checked, all game settings including window position are saved on disk and restored in next session.

"Prompt on Exit" - when checked, You will be prompted to confirm choise.

"Cursor Shape..." - select mouse cursor shape. Not implemented.

_______________

See Also

How to customize Environment


Contents (Customizing)
How to customize Environment

  Program allow You to customize game environment and save settings on disk. For this purposes choose Save Settings from Options menu. Also You can save game window position on desktop and, of couse, results. Format of file of results is fully compatible with one used in the game version for DOS and also named NINE.RES. All settings are saved in file NINE.INI.

A few words about sound. All sound effects are stored in WAVE format and use standard MS Windows™ drivers to playback.

_______________

See Also

Menu Commands


Save/Load Game
Load/Save Game

You can save current game on disk to continue later by loading this game from disk. All savings will record into the file with .SAV extention. If You enter file name with another extention last one will be dropped and .SAV attached. If there is no any characters entered on edit control the OK button is disabled. You can save  game only once since new game started.

We hope You do not need our Help in using the Dialog Box controls.


Glossary

  There are some terms need to be explaned for You.

Click: Move mouse to locate mouse cursor on selected object and quickly press and release left mouse button.

Double-Click: See Click twice.

System menu: Appear if You click on left-side square in the window title bar.

Maximize: To enlarge a window to its maximum size by using the Maximize button (to the right of the title bar) or the Maximize command on the Control menu.

Minimize: To reduce a window to an icon by using the Minimize button (to the right of the title bar) or the Minimize command on the Control menu.

•  •  •  •  •


Problems

  There some problems that maybe or maybe not occur when You will run the game.

BWCC.DLL not found. This file had to been copied from distribution disk to MS Windows™ System directory. Another message can be displayed, "Program Manager could not find file or it's components".

Not enough memory. There are exist three following decisions: first - terminate currently unused applications; second - if You use 256 color video mode now, change to 16 color mode becouse graphics resources for this mode need less memory; third - install additional RAM chips. Another good idea to remove large wallpaper (if any used) from Control Panel/Desktop.

Some "snoring" sound when balls appear. This happend when some 16-bit wave drivers are used. Sorry, but we can't help You couse it's Mircrosoft problem or third party vendors.

Panel looks like damaged. Program do not support 1024x768 large fonts. Use another VGA or 8514 fonts.


Credits

  These people have made the game for You:

Eugenie Sotnikov - Project supervisor.

Vadim Kadyrov - Programming.

Igor Ivkin - Artwork.

Konstantin Mironovich - Sound, Help.


Control Panel. Start
Control Panel. Start the Game.

Press this button to start new game.You must pass registration in Nine Club before. So, press registering button.

Before Registration	After Registration


Control Panel. Sound
Control Panel. Sound.

Press this button to turn sound off/on.

sound turned on	sound turned off


Control Panel. Levels.
Control Panel. Difficulty level.

Press this button to change difficulty level. There are four levels of difficulty, each one imaged by icon.  Below You can see four icons for all stages correspondently in order to increase difficulty.

easy	complex	the most complex


Control Panel. Registration.

Press this button to register youself as member of Nine Club. Then enter Your name and password. To identify your membership simply click on your name at list and enter password.

Before Registration	Registering


Control Panel. Exit.

Press this button to terminate game and exit to Windows.