Altair is a simple game with a simple goal - line up four balls, up and down, across, or diagonally and you win. The fly in the ointment here is that generally your opponent will have the exact same goal. And I know for a fact that all of Altair's computer opponents hate to lose, so you'd better play smart.
The game board is a 6x7 grid into which you will drop your ball. On your turn, use either the buttons or the keyboard( keys 1-7 ) to drop your ball into any slot you want. Your ball will fall all the way down into the next unoccupied spot. What could be easier?
Play against another person or any one of four computer opponents. Use the popup menu under the mugshot to select your opponent. The options menu lets you choose which color will go first ( note: the computer always plays the blue colored ball ).
That's all you need to know. Good luck! And you be careful out there!
Altair is distributed as shareware. The author asks for a $10 shareware fee if you play it and like it. If you are down on your luck and REALLY can't afford it, send any amount you feel comfortable with. Also, anyone who sends the fee I personally guarantee to have their name permanently enshrined in the Shareware Users Hall-of-Fame -- an honor whose benefits are, for all practical purposes, negligible. Trust me. Future generations will marvel at your integrity and character.
Feel free to distribute Altair however you want. I only ask that you include this README file along with the application file.
REQUIREMENTS:
Altair requires a color Mac running system 7.0 or better.
Altair has only been tested on a Mac LC due to a shortage of resources. Please send any bug reports or problems to me -- so that they can be fixed in future updates.
TECHNICAL NOTE:
The algorithms I used to generate my game tree and evaluate the board positions are already into the third generation and both work tolerably well. Even so, the best opponent is set to look up to at least six moves into the future and on a slower computer play may seem a wee bit pokey. If that's the case for you stick to the dumber opponents.
Thank you for your trouble, and I hope you enjoy the game.
