Copyright: Copyright ©1996, Jim Wakeen


Contents

I hope you enjoy TakeFive; I enjoyed building it!  I would like to thank Terrie Tardie for her ideas and for her help with the artwork and graphics.  If you have comments or would like to recommend enhancements, please let me know.

Dice Options

File Menu

High Scores

How to Play

New Game

Player

Registration Information

Roll

Scoring

Status Bar

Toolbar

View Menu


Dice Options

Click the [image] to set or see the dice options.  Use this command to change the roll speed and/or the roll duration of the dice.  For the roll speed, the bigger the number, to slower the dice will roll.  For roll duration, the smaller the number, the less time the dice will roll.  For example, a duration of 0 will show no animation of the dice as they roll.


File Menu

The File menu offers the following commands:

New Game	Starts a new game.

Exit	Exists TakeFive.


High Scores

Click the [image] button or use the High Scores command on the Options menu to set or see the highest scores on record and who scored them.  To get on the High Scores list, you need to score a game that is better than the highest 10 games on record.  When you first start playing TakeFive and there are no games on record, every game will be registered on the High Scores list.  However, after the first 10 games, only scores larger than the top 10 will be added to the list.


How to Play

To play TakeFive, roll the dice and take a score in the boxes provided.  The highest possible score is 565, but the highest score I've ever seen is 487.  If you get a higher score, please let me know!

To accept a score, just click with the mouse in one of the score boxes.  If the score does not register, it's because it is not valid and you are not permitted to take the score for the current set of dice in the box you chose (for example, you're trying to take a Full House in the Flush box).

To determine which dice will roll and which dice you want to keep across rolls, use the mouse to click the dice you want to keep.  The dice that will roll appear normal, but the dice that will not roll appear to be crossed out.  To roll a die that has been crossed out, just click it again.  The clicking action is like a toggle that turns the rolling ability of a die on and off and displays the die with a cross-hatching to indicate its roll ability.

You get 3 rolls per turn.  You do not have to use all of your rolls (a wise strategy when you get a Straight right out of the can).  You must take a score for each turn, however, even if there is no place to take your score.  If there is no valid place to take your score, you must take it in an invalid box, in which case you'll get a big red X for that score, commonly called a scratch.  No points are attributed for a scratch.

You can continue to click score boxes until you are happy with the scores for any given turn.  The score will be tallied in each of the total boxes as you take your rolls.  To undo a score, just click in some other score box.  This has the effect of undoing the score you took, and reassigning the current dice values to the new box.  If you take a score but you still have rolls remaining for the current turn, you lose your ability to use your other rolls for that turn.  So only start taking the score when you are absolutely sure you're done rolling.


New Game

Use this command to start a new game in TakeFive.  This will reset all the dice and set all of the scores to 0.


Player

Click the [image] button or use the Player command on the Options menu to set or see the name of the current player.  If this name is not set by the time a game is completed, the high score, if one is achieved, will show only a numeric score with no name to which to attribute it!


Registration Information

Click the [image] button or use the About command on the Help menu to show information about TakeFive and to find out how to register TakeFive.


Roll

To roll the dice, click on the [image] icon or press the space bar on the keyboard.


Scoring

The TakeFive score pad, shown below, allows you to view which scores are assigned to each value.  It is displayed on the main screen of the game.

The left side of the pad in called the Basic Section.  In it, you can take scores that consist of all one, twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes.  All of the scores in the Basic Section are comprised of the total number of dice in the current roll, times the number showing on the dice for the box you select.  For example, if your roll contained 3 fours, and you elected to take the score in the Fours box, a 12 would appear in the Fours box.  Bonus points are awarded depending on the total in the Basic Section.  The Basic Section Total will reflect any bonus as it accumulates.  The Game Total will also reflect any bonus.

The right side of the score pad is called the TakeFive Section.  In it are typical scores in order of difficulty, starting at the top and working towards the bottom.  Bonuses are awarded on a per box basis, meaning that each box has its own bonus.  The bonus values and the requirements regarding what constitutes each score are listed below.

2 Pair Same Color:  There is no bonus for this box.  The scored value is a total of all the dice in the roll.  Typical combinations are a pair of ones and a pair of sixes, twos and fives, or threes and fours.  Also Four of a Kind fits here.

3 of a Kind:  There is no bonus for this box.  The scored value is a total of all the dice in the roll.

Straight:  This box has a standard value of 30 points.  The only possible combinations for a straight are 1-2-3-4-5, and 2-3-4-5-6.

Flush:  This box has a standard value of 35.  All dice must be the same color.

Full House:  This box has a scored value of the total of all the dice in the roll, plus a bonus of 15.  Possible combinations are any pair along with any 3 of a kind, or a 5 of a kind.

Full House Same Color:  This box has a scored value of the total of all the dice in the roll, plus a bonus of 20.  The rules for this box are any Full House that is also a Flush.

4 of a Kind:  This box has a scored value of the total of all the dice in the roll, plus a bonus of 25.

Yarborough:  There is no bonus for this box.  The scored value is a total of all the dice in the roll.  This is a freebie, since any roll fit in this score.

TakeFive:  This box has a scored value of the total of all the dice in the roll, plus a bonus of 50.


Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the TakeFive window.  To display or hide the status bar, use the Status Bar command in the View menu.  The far right side of the status bar contains 2 panes.  The first (leftmost) one displays the sum of all five dice as they currently appear.  The rightmost pane contains the number of rolls remaining before you must accept a score or scratch.


Toolbar

The Toolbar is displayed across the top of the application window, below the menu bar.  The Toolbar provides quick mouse access to many features used in TakeFive.  To hide or display the Toolbar, choose Toolbar from the View menu.


View Menu

This menu contains the following commands:

Toolbar	Use this command to hide or display the Toolbar

Status Bar	Use this command to hide or display the status bar.