"FiveStones" is a traditional Chinese board game. The board is composed of 15x15 or 19x19 lines. In the game two players, each has their own color of stones (black or white), take turn to put their stones on the intersection of line□s. Once on the board, the stones can not be moved or overlaid or removed. The winner is the first person who has on the board five or more consecutive stones of his/her kind along lines or diagonally. The player with black stones move first. The first move is usually played at the center of the board. The player moves first has an big advantage. To get even, optional penalties for the black player are sometimes used. One of the penalties is to forbid the black player to play at the center 5x5 square at his/her second turn. The rules of this game are very simple, and using this program is pretty straightforward.
FiveStones v2.4 has four playing modes : man vs man, computer play black, computer play white, and computer auto play. The playing mode may be changed anytime during the game. Unlimited undo of moves is also supported.
FiveStones v2.4 can play at different levels. Generally, there are two different ways to set the level : by time limit and by level number. Each way has its own ups and downs. Setting level by time limit is the choice if you expect computer plays each move within a certain time limit. However, the absolute strength of the move computer plays depends on the computer you use. The faster the computer, the better it plays. Alternatively, the playing level may be set by level number (1-6) which specifies playing strength independent of the computer used. However, you may have to endure sometimes an annoying long waiting period for a certain moves if you have a slow computer (pre-Quadra) set at a high level number. The thumb of rules is if you have a slow computer set the level by time, otherwise it's your own choice. The playing level can be changed any time during the game.
FiveStones v2.4 always put the first move at the center of the board regardless of the playing mode. Since the black plays first, it holds a certrain edge against the white. So an optional penalty for the black is introduced to offset this black advantage : the black is forbidden to play in the central 5x5 square at the third move. You may turn this option on and off by selecting "Third Ply Restriction" under the "Preference" menu.
All the settings under the "Play", "Level", and "Preference" menus (including playing mode, level, sounds, board color, ...) in the current game can be saved as default by choosing "Save Current As Default" under the "Preference" menu. Next time when you start a new game, it will be automatically set accordingly. Multiple games are supported. Each game can have its own settings. However, if you want to close the current game and start a new game with exactly the same setting of the current one, you should choose the "Start Over" under the "Game" menu. The board size can be changed by click on the black size box at very right bottom part of the window and drag as you normally do to change the window size.
FiveStones v2.4 is a shareware. If you like this program, please send US $10.00 to:
Xin Xu
3253 Morrison Ave, Apt. 2
Cincinnati, OH 45220
It is free to the registered user of previous versions of this program.
Please send bug reports and/or suggestions to the same address.
You may distribute this program freely for non-profit purpose. HOWEVER, YOU MUST HAVE THIS DOCUMENT ATTACHED WITHOUT ANY MODIFICATIONS. DISTRIBUTION OF THIS PROGRAM FOR OTHER PURPOSES (LIKE IN CD-ROM) REQUIRES A WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR.
