Copyright: Help File ® Curtis Cameron
Citation: Copyright 1996 Curtis Cameron


Dominoes Contents
Dominoes for Windows

Contents

This is the classic game of single-spinner dominoes.  It's you against one, two, or three computer players.

How to play Dominoes
Strategy
Computer skill levels
Menus and controls of Dominoes

Giving the program to your friends

Revision History

Dominoes for Windows is shareware.  If you continue using the program after initially evaluating it, you must register.

As new versions of the game come out, they will be made available on the World Wide Web at the address http://users.aol.com/FREEWHL44/ .  Registered users can upgrade without losing their registration.


Introduction to Dominoes
Dominoes for Windows

Introduction to Dominoes


Revision History
Dominoes for Windows

Revision History

v1.35  Changed the game-saving method.  Before, it would save the old game when you exited or opened a new game.  Now, it asks you if you want it saved.  I did this because if you saved a hand that you wanted to play later, that hand would be overwritten with a later setup if you weren't very careful.

Improved the way the dominoes are laid out on the table when one of the arms bends at an edge.

In versions 1.1 through 1.3, the dominoes would not be drawn properly the first time the game was run. Successive times the game was started would be no problem. This was fixed in v1.35.

In versions 1.1 through 1.3, the computer opponents would be set to the easiest level (Selectric) by default, instead of the intended hardest (Deep Thought) skill level.  This was fixed in v1.35.

v1.3  Added the history of open games.

Fixed the bug that would sometimes let someone play two dominoes in one turn. Fixed the bug that would not count a domino at the end of the hand, if that domino was picked up by the mouse when the hand ended.

v1.21  If the option was selected to allow the person who dominoed last to play first next game, there was a bug which would keep this from working right. It was fixed with this version.

If this option were selected and the previous hand was blocked (no one dominoed), previous versions would give the next down to the person with the fewest points in his hand, or in case of a tie, to the person who downed last. This version changed that to decide the down as if it were the first hand in a game, either by drawing for down or by highest double.

v1.2  In previous versions, if the shuffling process was interrupted to open a new game, then things could get confused. This was fixed in this version by waiting for all event handlers to finish before opening a new game or starting a new game.

Added was the ability to select how many dominoes each player starts with at the beginning of a hand.

v1.1  The ability to save the game setup and open it later was added. Also, when the game is exited the complete setup is automatically saved so that when the game is started again, you are right where you left off.

Added was the ability to let the person who dominoed, go first the next hand.

v1.0  This was the original released version.


How to Play Dominoes
Dominoes for Windows

How to Play Dominoes

In the game of Dominoes, each player takes turn placing domino tiles end-to-end.  One end of the domino played must match the outside end of the last domino, so that the two matching ends are together.  Doubles, however, are played sideways.  The first double played is called the "spinner", and after both sides have been played to, its ends can be played as well.

Scoring

After each play, the outside ends of the last dominoes are added, and if the total is a multiple of five, then the person who played last scores that many points.  If a double is the last tile in an arm, then it is played sideways and both of its ends count towards the total.  If dominoes have been played off the spinner, then the last domino in each of those arms is scored too.

If a player can't play with a domino in his hand, he must draw a tile from the "Bone Yard", where the leftover dominoes are kept, until he draws one that he can play.  A player is not allowed to draw unless he must to be able to play.
When a player plays his last domino, he gets to score the total of the spots in his opponent's hand(s), rounded to the nearest five.  If all players still have dominoes and the Bone Yard has been emptied, and none can play, then the game is blocked.  All players then count the total spots in their hands, and the person with the fewest gets to score the points in his opponent's hand, rounded to the nearest five.


Strategy
Dominoes for Windows

Strategy

The strategy of dominoes can be broken down into three categories:
1. Scoring
2. Preventing your opponent from scoring
3. Blocking

These are listed in order of increasing difficulty, and therefore are charactersitics of domino players of increasing ability.

Scoring

You can more quickly and easily figure if you will be able to score on a play by looking at the points on the board before you play, and figuring the difference between what's there and what it will need to score.  For example, if there are currently 17 points, then you can make it a multiple of five and therefore score by taking away two, or by adding three.  Then look for dominoes in your hand that can do this.

There are certain "magic" or "repeater" dominoes which you should try to hold on to because they make scoring easier.  If your opponent has just scored, then you won't be able to score without one of these, and if you score, it then makes it more difficult for your opponent to score.  These dominoes are the 0-0, 0-5, 5-5, and 6-1.  If you opponent scores with a blank, five, or a non-double six or one on an end, then you would also be able to score with one of these.

Other magic dominoes can score when there is a double on an end.  These are the 1-2, 2-4, and 3-6, which can duplicate the points in a 1-1, 2-2, and 3-3.  Other magic dominoes are the 3-1, 4-3, and 6-2, which will score five fewer points after a 3-3, 4-4, and 6-6, respectively.

Preventing your opponent from scoring

After you get good at finding scoring tiles in your hand, you will be able to start looking for potential scoring plays that your opponent could make, and play ones from your hand that give him the least opportunity.

Blocking

The simplest form of blocking is achieved by noticing when your opponent is forced to draw from the Bone Yard, and making a mental note of which numbers he could have played to.  Then, try to make those numbers his only options again.

You can also consider that if you have several of one number, or if several have already been played, your opponent is more likely to be out of them.

Another strategy related to blocking, is to use you low dominoes to try to force the low dominoes out of your opponents hand, then when you go out, he will have more points left in his hand.  Try to remember to use your larger dominoes for scoring, and your smaller ones for blocking.


Menu and Controls Index
Menus and Controls

To learn more about a command in one of the following menus, click its name.

File  New game, Save game, Save current game as, Open saved game, View statistics, Exit, Open file history.
Options  Game options, Players, Colors, Enable sounds, Enable status bar, Optimize table layout, Hand domino size, Table domino size.
Help  Register, Contents, About.


File Menu
Dominoes for Windows

File menu

New game   Starts a new game, erasing any score so far in this game.

Save game...   Saves the game to the file name that was opened last.

Save current game as...   Lets you save the current game, including the disribution of all the dominoes and everyone's score, to a file that you name.  By default, the files will have the extension .dom .  Also, the saved file is in simple text format, so it can be easily e-mailed.  Any time you exit Dominoes, it will ask if you want the game to be saved to the currently opened game file.  Then next time you start, that file will be automatically loaded, so you will be in the exact situation where you left off.

Open saved game...   Lets you open a game file that you previously saved. Only registered users can open saved games.

View statistics...   Dominoes for Windows keeps track of how many times you and your computer opponents win, and the scores.  It can report to you whether you are winning your share of games, where 100% is considered your share.  For example, in a two-player game, a score of 100% means that you have won half of the time.  It also tells you how many points you score relative to your opponents.  Both of these statistics are kept separately depending on the skill level you have selected for your opponent.

Exit   Closes Dominoes for Windows, and the help file if it is open.

Open file history  If you save a game, you can quickly get back to any one of the last four open games by clicking its name here. Since this is really the same as opening a saved file, it is only available for registered users. This feature can be used if there are two or more people who might play the game at different times, because it lets a person switch back to his game easily.


Options Menu
Dominoes for Windows

Options menu

Game options...   Here you can choose how many players there are in a game, and if there are four, you can either be all playing individually or as partners.
You also have a choice of who gets to start playing the first hand of each game.  In the default way, you will each draw a domino and the person drawing the most spots will get to play first. The other way is for the person who holds the highest double will always start with that one.  After the first hand, you can either alternate who gets to go first, or selct to let the person who dominoed last go first. If you choose the dominoed-last option and the previous hand was blocked (no one dominoed), then the down will be decided as if were the first hand of the game, either by drawing for down or by highest double.

You can change the number of tiles that each player draws at the beginning of each hand.  Valid choices are between 5 and 11, but not more than 28 dominoes divided by the number of players.

Also, you can define how many points there are in a game.

Players...   You can name your computer opponents, and choose how skilled each is.

Colors...   You can make the dominoes and the table surface any color scheme you want.  If you are not registered, then the colors will not be saved for the next time.

Enable sounds   If this is checked, then clicking, sliding, and shuffling sounds will be made.  This feature requires a Windows sound driver, and that the files click1.wav, click2.wav, click4.wav, and shuffle.wav be present in the same directory as the program.

Enable status bar   If this is checked, a small strip will be placed across the bottom of the main window, prompting you with instructions.  After you learn how the program works, you may want to turn this off, and use the extra space to make the table bigger.

Optimize table layout   When one of the arms of the dominoes reaches and edge of the table, the next domino will be bent around so that it will fit.  Sometimes, this can result in one of the arms being curled up in one corner of the table, with the rest of the table area hardly used.  If you would like them rearranged, click this item and the layout will be optimized so that each of the four arms has room to grow.

Hand domino size   The dominoes that are displayed in your hand can be made to be larger or smaller independent of the size of the dominoes displayed on the table.

Table domino size   Larger dominoes are easier to see, but they can get crowded on a small table.  Pick a size that is easy for you to see, but not bigger than they need to be.  With smaller dominoes, the layout of the table will be more orderly.  If you ask for a domino size that would be too big to fit them on the table well, you will be told that you need to resize the table by dragging its border with the mouse, then try again.


Help Menu
Dominoes for Windows

Help menu

Register  Dominoes for Windows is shareware.  This means that you can obtain the program for free, and give it to your friends.  If you continue to use it after seeing what it can do, you are then expected to pay for it.  To find out exactly how this is done, read the Register help page.

Contents  Select this to bring up the Contents page of the help file, dominoes.hlp (you're reading that file now). You can also bring up the help file at any time while using Dominoes by clicking the F1 key. Also, the F1 key is context-sensitive, meaning that it will open to the help page appropriate to what you are doing at the time.

About...   Displays a window with info about Dominoes for Windows.


Register
Dominoes for Windows

Registering

Dominoes for Windows is shareware.  You can try it out for an evaluation period without it costing you anything.  If you continue to use the program, the license agreement between you and me says that you must then register by sending $15 U.S. to this address:

Curtis Cameron
1520 Glastonbury Dr.
Plano, Texas  75075

Also include your return e-mail address or postal address.

Dominoes for Windows and Win42 can be registered together for $25 instead of $15 each.

In addition to meeting the license terms, you will receive a "code word" which will make the program load much faster, and enable some of the features which have been disabled.

This code word is specific to you - it is dependent on the spelling of your name, and when registered your name will appear on the opening title for Dominoes.  See Giving the program to your friends for information on which files to copy so that your name won't be on every copy that gets made after that.

When you receive your code word, go to the Register window by clicking Help, then click Register.  Enter your name, with the same spelling that is tied to your code word.  Capitalization or punctuation don't matter.  Then enter your code word and click the Register button.  From this point forward, the program will load much faster and all the features of the game  will be enabled.


Giving Dominoes to your friends
Dominoes for Windows

Copying the program for your friends

Please give the game to as many people as you think might like it.  The simplest way is to tell your friend to get it from the web page at the address http://users.aol.com/FREEWHL44/ .  Doing it this way will require some familiarity with the computer's file system and how to unzip files.  For the novice, both Dominoes for Windows and Win42 have a feature which allows you to make a fresh install disc by selecting Copy the program for a friend... in the File menu.  This will copy all the files you need, assuming that you haven't deleted any since you installed them on your machine.

In the program's directory:
The following files should be together in their own directory.  When copied to the friend's computer, they all should all be placed in a directory that is created just for Dominoes and Win42.

dominoes.exe  The program itself.
dominoes.hlp  The help file (you're reading it now).
threed.vbx  This is a library file that must be present for Dominoes to run.  Some computers already have a threed.vbx file in their windows system directory, but it's a good idea to keep this one in the same directory as the program, since there are some minor compatibility problems between different versions.
*.wav  All file names with the .wav extension are the various clicks and sound effects.

In the windows system directory
These two files can be found in the windows system directory, usually at the location \windows\system.  Copy them to the windows system directory on the destination computer too.

vbrun300.dll This file must be present for Dominoes to run, but since many other programs also require the same file, keeping it in the system directory lets them all share the same copy, and uses less room on your disk drive.
ctl3dv2.dll This is another shared library file.  To work properly, it must be in the windows system directory.


Skill levels
Dominoes for Windows

Skill levels

You can choose how much skill your computer opponents have.  There are four levels, and each is explained below.

Selectric	This is the easiest level.  A player with this skill level will only try to match the ends and get rid of his dominoes, but pays no attention to scoring.  It has all the brains of the classic typewriter.

ENIAC	A player with this skill level will try to get rid of his dominoes and score as many points as possible.  He is not able, however, to consider how many points someone else might score as a result of his play.  The name is that of the first electronic computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator.

HAL 9000	HAL can do everything ENIAC does, plus consider the points that someone else might score, and the probability of doing so.  The HAL 9000 was the name of the computer that achieved self-awareness in Arthur C. Clarke's classic story, 2001: A Space Odyssey.  By the way, Mr. Clarke emphatically denies the rumor that the letters H-A-L were chosen because they alphabetically precede I-B-M.

Deep Thought	This level player can do what HAL can do, plus he will notice whether his opponents are out of a particular suit, or likely to be so, and attempt to block them from playing.  This is the most difficult level - Curtis Cameron himself can beat this level only about a third of the time.  Deep Thought was the name of the computer built by a race of philosophers, to calculate the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, in Douglas Adams's book The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  The answer, revealed after 75000 generations of computing, was forty-two.  The problem is that you don't really understand the question.