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1996-12-26
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ULTIMA 21 BLACKJACK FOR WINDOWS (tm)
====================================
*****************
SHAREWARE VERSION
*****************
Copyright (c) 1993-94, All Rights Reserved
Bitwise Software International, Inc.
21620 N. 19th Ave, #A-11
Phoenix, Arizona 85027
Voice: (602) 582-4468
Fax: (602) 516-8697
BBS: (602) 492-9747
CIS: 72074,2677
AOL: Bitwise SW
Internet: BitwiseSW@aol.com
Our New Internet WWW Home Page:
===============================
http://www.Qhost.com/bitwise/index.htm
ON-LINE INTERNET ORDER FORM:
===========================
Our new internet site now includes the latest versions of our games
as well as an on-line SECURE order form for placing credit card
orders.
NEW TOLL FREE ORDER LINE:
=========================
Customers in the USA can now call 1-888-83-VEGAS to order products
toll free. Customers outside the USA must call the regular toll
line 1-602-582-4468.
ERRORS AT STARTUP
=================
If you encounter either of the following two errors at startup:
1) "OVERFLOW"
2) "Invalid Control Index"
then the startup files (ULTIMA21.DEF, ULTIMA21.CNT, & ULTIMA21.SAV)
may be corrupted or may be the wrong version. Try renaming these
files to something else and restarting this game. The program
will use its own internal game settings since it will not be able
to find these files. All three of these files should be exactly the
same length. If not, there is a problem.
You should first try renaming the ULTIMA21.DEF and restarting the
game. 99% of the time this file is causing the problem.
Once the game has started successfully, use the FILE MENU and select
the option to save the current settings as the default for a new game.
This will create a valid (new) ULTIMA21.DEF file on disk.
There are other "Known problems" discussed later on in this file.
Please take a moment to read through the discussion.
If you still have problems after trying this procedure, please contact
the Author by mail on Compuserve or by phone.
REQUIREMENTS:
=============
Windows 3.1, windows compatible PC computer, windows compatible
VGA display with 640x480 resolution or higher, 6 Meg RAM,
5 Meg free on hard disk.
Recommended:
============
Windows 3.1, windows compatible 386/486+ computer running at
25Mhz+, windows compatible SVGA display with 640x480
resolution or higher, 16+ colors, 8+ Meg RAM, 5+ Meg free
on hard disk, Mouse, and Sound Card (not required).
INSTALLATION:
=============
To install this blackjack game from the distribution diskette, simply
copy the file "ULTIMA.EXE" to the desired directory ("\ULTIMA21"
suggested) on your hard disk and run the program.
This is a self-installing packed file and running it will unpack
and install all the needed program files and icons. Once self-
installation is complete, this file (ULTIMA.EXE) can be removed.
However, you should always retain a copy of this file on diskette
or tape just in case you need to reinstall it in the future.
The installation process will ask you a few questions regarding
where you would like the program files installed to and what
Windows Program Group you would like the icon added to. The
installation process is automatic and very easy to use. It can
be cancelled at any time by pressing a CANCEL button on any of
the installation windows.
The installation process run from within Windows and will
automatically the game program once installation completes.
WINDOWS ENHANCED MODE:
======================
NOTE: Be sure you are running Windows Version 3.1 or higher and your
are running Windows in "386 Enhanced Mode" (not Standard Mode). Check
your \WINDOWS directory and see if you have a WIN.BAT file.
Be sure the WIN.COM or WIN command in the batch file DOES NOT include
the /S switch. This causes Windows to start in Standard Mode. Be sure
the command is followed by blanks or /E to insure you start in Enhanced
Mode. Otherwise, this game may not operate correctly. If you cannot see
the 386 Enhanced Program Item (icon = computer chip) on the Windows
Control Panel, then you are not running Windows in the Enhanced Mode.
Please see your Windows Users Manual for more information.
Also, once you are running Windows in 386 Enhanced Mode, you should set
up as large a Permanent Swap File (not Temporary) as Windows will allow.
This allows Windows to use free disk space as computer memory and it will
allow you to run bigger programs. This is done from Windows Control Panel
with the 386 Enhanced Icon.
VBRUN300.DLL RUNTIME FILE:
==========================
NOTE: If you obtained a copy of this game from Compuserve or Ziff-Net,
the file VBRUN300.DLL WAS NOT INCLUDED in the packed file ULTIMA.EXE.
This file is the Visual Basic Runtime Library (DLL) of routines for
all programs written in Visual Basic Version 3.0. Once you have this
file on your computer, all programs (not just those from us) written
in Visual Basic 3.0 can access and use this file. Place this file in
the windows system directory for all Visual Basic Programs to use it.
This directory is called \WINDOWS\SYSTEM and just place the
VBRUN300.DLL file in there.
This was done to save download time and related costs. Actually,
CompuServe, Ziffnet, America On-Line, Prodigy, and other BBS systems
WILL NOT LET US include this file in our package for you to download.
The file VBRUN300.DLL is available in most BBS forums -- check with
your forum's Sysop or search the BBS files by name for VBRUN300.DLL
or "Visual Basic". You can also call our BBS to download this file.
Some BBS store this file as VBRUN3.ZIP. Try looking for this file with
a wild card search such as VBRUN*.*. It is on the service somewhere,
so do not give up looking. Remember, you are looking for the "Visual
Basic" Version 3.0 Runtime Library DLL.
There have been 3 versions of the Visual Basic Runtime DLL so far.
The first was version 1 and was called VBRUN100.DLL. The next was
version 2 and was called VBRUN200.DLL. The current version is
VBRUN300.DLL and THIS IS THE REQUIRED RUNTIME FILE for this program
to operate. Be sure to download and use this file!!
If a message appears asking you whether or not you wish to replace an
existing file in the ULTIMA21 directory, answer with a "Y". DO NOT USE
OLD FILES WITH A NEW VERSION - FATAL ERRORS WILL RESULT.
PLACEMENT OF VBRUN300.DLL
=========================
As with most Windows programs, the main program looks for its needed
DLL and VBX files in the same directory as the ULTIMA21.EXE file. If
it cannot find them there, it looks into the default Windows system
directory called \WINDOWS\SYSTEM. If it cannot locate the file it
needs, it issues an error message stating it cannot locate or find
the needed file.
You have two choices for loading the VBRUN300.DLL runtime library
file. Placing it in the game's directory will allow the program to
find it but no other Visual Basic programs can. Placing it here
makes it easy to keep track of all of the program's files for easy
uninstall. However, you may end up with multiple copies of this same
file all over your System (one for each Visual Basic 3.0 program).
Most people will place this file into the Windows System directory
(\WINDOWS\SYSTEM) so all Visual Basic 3.0 applications and programs
can find it. This way, you only need 1 copy of this file on your
computer system. The choice is yours - either way this game program
will function correctly.
ERRORS AT STARTUP
=================
If you encounter either of the following two errors at startup:
1) "OVERFLOW"
2) "Invalid Control Index"
then the startup files (ULTIMA21.DEF, ULTIMA21.CNT, & ULTIMA21.SAV)
may be corrupted or may be the wrong version. Try renaming these
files to something else and restarting this game. The program
will use its own internal game settings since it will not be able
to find these files. All three of these files should be exactly the
same length. If not, there is a problem.
You should first try renaming the ULTIMA21.DEF and restarting the
game. 99% of the time this file is causing the problem.
Once the game has started successfully, use the FILE MENU and select
the option to save the current settings as the default for a new game.
This will create a valid (new) ULTIMA21.DEF file on disk.
There are other "Known problems" discussed later on in this file.
Please take a moment to read through the discussion.
If you still have problems after trying this procedure, please contact
the Author by mail on Compuserve or by phone.
MISSING FILE at STARTUP
=======================
If you receive a message like "Missing DLL file" or "Missing File",
then you most likely do not have the VBRUN300.DLL on your system.
It must be downloaded from your BBS and placed in the game program's
directory or in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. Please see other
sections in this text file for more information on getting a copy
of this standard file from your local BBS.
If you still have problems after trying this procedure, please contact
the Author by mail on Compuserve or by phone.
STARTING THE GAME:
==================
To start the blackjack game, run the file ULTIMA21.EXE from Windows
File Manager or double click on the icon for this game in the Program
Group you selected for installation.
The icon file ULTIMA21.ICO contains the icon for you to use if you wish
to manually setup this blackjack game in your Games Program Group
or set one up just for this game. Please see your Windows Users
Manual for instructions on manually adding Program Items and
setting up Program Groups from the Program Manager. Also, the help
file (ULTIMA21.HLP) that comes with this game also provides step-by-step
instructions for setting up Program Groups and Items in Windows.
This program was written in Visual Basic V3.0 and REQUIRES the
following files: VBRUN300.DLL (normally included), QCARD.DLL
(included), FXTOOLS.DLL (included), QPRO200.DLL (included),
BSISOUND.DLL (included), MHDES200.DLL (included), MHRUN200.DLL
(included), CSGROUP.VBX (included) FXIMG200.VBX (included),
FXLAB200.VBX (included), MHMQ200.VBX (included), RSW31.DLL
(included).
Be sure ALL these files are all located in the directory where you
loaded and installed the ULTIMA.EXE file.
NOTE: Occasionally, Microsoft will release an updated VBRUN300.DLL
file which will correct some bugs in their runtime modules. You
should periodically compare the date/time/size of this file to the
latest one available on CompuServe in the Microsoft MBASIC+ Forum.
If a later one is released, please download it and place it in the
game's directory. The game program will use it automatically from
then on.
FILES:
======
BSISOUND.DLL - Deal card sound effect routines.
RSW31.DLL - Speaker/Sound Card Routines (Licensed).
FXTLS210.DLL - Special Effect Routines (Licensed).
FXIMG210.VBX - Licensed VB Control.
FXLBL210.VBX - Licensed VB Control.
MHRUN400.DLL - Special Effect Routines (Licensed).
MHMQ200.VBX - Licensed VB Control.
CSGROUP.VBX - Licensed VB Control.
QCARD.DLL - Steven Murphy's Card Drawing Routines (FREEWARE).
QPRO200.DLL - Special Effect Routines (Licensed).
VBRUN300.DLL - Microsoft's Visual Basic Runtime Library (Licensed).
READ.ME - This file.
ULTIMA.EXE - Self-installing packed distribution file.
ULTIMA21.EXE - Unpacked Windows blackjack game program.
ULTIMA21.HLP - Help File for this program.
ULTIMA21.ICO - Icon for adding to Window's Program Manager.
ULTIMA21.CNT - Custom card counts save file.
ULTIMA21.DEF - New game default settings file.
ULTIMA21.SAV - Saved "NEW" Game.
ULTIMA21.SGY - Default playing strategy file.
ULTIMA21.STx - Hand Stats Tracer File (when activated).
BACKUP.CNT - backup copy of file ULTIMA21.CNT.
BACKUP.DEF - backup copy of file ULTIMA21.DEF.
BACKUP.SAV - backup copy of file ULTIMA21.SAV.
BACKUP.SGY - backup copy of file ULTIMA21.SGY.
BSIDIAL.EXE - DOS Communications program to call our BBS.
BSIORDER.EXE - Windows program to view our product catalog,
place orders, and call our BBS.
M*.WAV - various digitized (male) Computer Voice sound files.
BASIC OPERATION:
===============
This game program true windows application which can be run and
controlled by you just like any other windows application.
When first loaded, the program will display its opening window
while it initializes itself. Next a photo of the Casino will appear.
Shortly after that, the Casino's Manager will appear and ask you to
enter your name and then he will take you to a blackjack table.
When it starts, it loads a file called "ULTIMA21.DEF" as the default
table rules, player names, playing strategy, and other environment
variables. If it cannot find this file, it will use its own
pre-programmed default settings. See the next section for more
information regarding saving/restoring games and the default settings.
Next, the program will attempt to load the file ULTIMA21.CNT
from disk. This file contains custom card count settings and will
override those stored and loaded from the defaults file ULTIMA21.DEF.
These count settings control the calculation of the running count,
the true count, and the user count. If this file cannot be loaded,
the program will use its own pre-programmed card count settings.
Finally, the program will attempt to load the default playing
strategy file called ULTIMA21.SGY. This file controls how Auto Play,
Auto Help, and Auto Focus operate. This file contains a set of
playing option strategies (hit, stand, double, split) that should
be made based on the dealer's up card and the player's current hand.
When the blackjack table is first displayed, you will notice several
buttons at the bottom of the screen. Some of which will be disabled
(grayed out) and some of which will be enabled. At the start of a
new hand, the DEAL button will be the default button and should be
used to deal the next hand. To deal, move the mouse pointer to the
DEAL button and press the left mouse button.
The other buttons will be enabled/disabled depending on what is
happening at the table. For example: the DOUBLE button will only be
enabled when a player's hand is such that a double down is allowed.
The same is true for the SPLIT and SURRENDER buttons as well. The
status of these two buttons is determined based on the double down
and split rules for the table and on the cards currently dealt to
the player.
The HIT and STAND buttons are always enabled during a hand. The HIT
button will deal one card to the player. The STAND button will tell
the dealer the current player's hand is done and play will transfer
to the next player's hand. If there is not a next player, control
will transfer to the dealer's hand.
The DOUBLE button will allow the player to double his/her bet and
receive one card and one card only. Play will then transfer to
the next player's hand. There are several double down rules you
can customize and control.
The SPLIT button will break up a pair into two hands. This is normally
allowed on like pairs (8 and 8 or A and A) or on a pair of face cards
(J and Q). When a hand is split, one card is moved to second hand
(split hand) and the player must match the bet of the original hand.
There are several splitting and resplitting rules you can customize
and control.
The other buttons on the screen and their functions are:
BETS: will prompt you for each player's bet and is available
only at the start of a new hand.
SHUFFLE: will reshuffle the deck before the next hand.
PEEK: will allow you to peek (view) the next few cards to be
dealt.
STRATEGY: will access the Playing Strategy Window where you
may view, change, save, or load the playing strategy
for this table. The playing strategy is used in
conjunction with the automatic decision help.
A playing strategy consists of hit, stand, double,
and split rules for a player's hand based on what the
dealer is showing in his hand.
EXIT: will allow you quit playing this game.
SPEED: will access the Set Game Speed Window which allows you
to control how fast the cards are dealt by the dealer.
STATS: will display the current playing statistics for each
player and for the dealer.
COUNT: will display the current card counts. This shows the
number of cards dealt (ace, two, three...) as well as
other card counting information.
SAVE: will save the current game to disk.
HINT: will display a window that displays the correct play
(hit, stand, double, split) based on the current
playing strategy in effect.
REDRAW: updates the playing table and redraws all controls,
cards, and messages.
SAVING & USING THE GAMES DEFAULT SETTINGS:
========================================
This game program allows you to customize the table rules, number of
players, bank balances, playing strategy, etc... Once you have the
game set up how you like to play, you may save all the current
settings as the "defaults" for a new game.
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE DEFAULT SETTINGS FILE -- please see the
SAVE/RESUME section below for information on saving/restoring
multiple games.
To do so, click on the FILE menu & select the SAVE SETTINGS AS DEFAULT
option. This will save the current settings into a disk file called
"ULTIMA21.DEF". Each time a new game is started, the program will
read this file and set itself up according to what was saved in it.
Note: in order for the program to locate and load this file
automatically, it must reside in the same directory as the game
program.
If it cannot find this file, it will revert back to its own
internal settings.
SAVING AND RESUMING A GAME
===========================
This blackjack program allows you to save a game and resume playing
it at a later time. This should not be confused with the saving of
default settings explained above.
You may save as many different games as you like and resume playing
them at any time in the future.
Saving a game saves everything about the current game so you may
resume playing where you left off at a later time. When you save a
game, it is normally stored in a disk file called "ULTIMA21.SAV".
However, you to can save multiple games by changing the name of the
the save file when saving a file to disk.
To save a game, click on the FILE menu and select either the SAVE
or the SAVE AS option. The SAVE option will just save the current
game to the current game's save file name. Normally this is a file
called "ULTIMA21.SAV". This works the same as clicking the Save
Button on the main table.
If you choose the SAVE AS option, a file name prompt window will
appear and you may select a file name you prefer. You will always be
required to enter a file extension of ".SAV".
At any time, you may resume a previously saved game by clicking on
the FILE menu and selecting the RESUME GAME option. The program will
prompt you for the name of the save file you wish to resume. The
default is "ULTIMA21.SAV" but you select another save file from the
file list displayed.
SETTING UP MULTIPLE CASINOS
===========================
This program allows only 1 default settings file which is used when
a new game is started. The default settings file CANNOT be used to
set up the rules of multiple casinos.
Instead, use the save/resume features to do so. Normally, the save/
resume features are used to save games already in progress so they
can be resumed at a later time. However, they can also be used to
set up multiple casinos.
To use the save/resume features to set up multiple casinos, follow
these steps:
1) Start a completely new game. This will clear the table,
reset all game settings, and load the default settings
file. Select the NEW GAME OPTION from the FILE MENU.
2) Set all the playing options as played at your favorite
casino. When everything is set, use the SAVE AS
option from the FILE MENU. Then enter the name
of the casino followed by the .SAV extension. Be
sure the casino name is no more than 8 characters
long.
3) Use the RESUME feature from the FILE MENU anytime you
wish to switch play to one of your saved casinos.
Just click on the file name saved in step 2, and
you will begin a new game at that casino.
Since you may save/resume as many games as you wish, you can use
the steps above to save as many different casinos as you wish.
>>>> BE SURE that step 2 is done immediately after step 1 & before the
DEAL BUTTON is pressed. This way when you resume the saved game, you
will always be starting with a brand new game.
CHANGING PLAYING OPTIONS
========================
The game program's menu system (located at the top of the playing
table) allows you to change every aspect about the casino options,
rules, table limits, player names, bank balances, card deck picture,
playing strategy, etc...
The following items can be accessed from the FILE menu:
a) Start a new game.
b) Resume a previously saved game.
c) Save the current game to disk in the default save file name.
d) Save the current game to disk in a selected save file name.
e) Save the current playing settings as the default for a new
game.
f) Exit the game.
The following items can be accessed from the VIEW menu:
a) View the players statistics.
b) View the card count statistics.
c) Peek at the next few cards to be dealt.
d) View a deck of 52 cards.
e) Non-Decision Buttons ON/OFF.
The following items can be changed from the OPTIONS menu:
a) Double down rules.
b) Surrender rules.
c) Splitting pairs rules.
d) Splitting aces rules.
e) Dealer hitting soft 17 rules.
f) Insurance options.
g) Six card hand winner options.
h) Push Hand Winner.
i) Hand totals display options.
j) Dealer hole card display options.
k) Speed of the game.
l) Automatic decision help.
The following items can be changed from the SET menu:
a) Table limits.
b) Table color.
c) Payoff amount for a blackjack .
d) Number of decks in play.
e) Number of players at this table.
f) Each player's name.
g) Each player's bank balance.
h) Card deck picture.
i) Shuffle point.
j) Number of cards to bury.
k) Active Dealer Controls.
l) Dealer first two cards each hand.
m) Player's first two cards each hand.
n) Playing strategy.
QUICK OPTION CHANGES
====================
In addition to using the menu system, you may also access and change
most of the items on the menus by using the mouse and clicking on
certain items on the table.
Examples:
Clicking on a player's name, will display the Change a Player's
Name Window.
Clicking on a player's bet will access the Change Bet Window
for that player.
Clicking on the "table limits" text in the Game Stats Window
will display the Set Table Limits Window.
When the main playing table is visible, the mouse pointer will change
as it moves to help identify the quick option areas. When the mouse
pointer is located over an area that does not support a quick option
change, or is not allowed at that time, the pointer will display as
a circle with a line drawn through it.
When the mouse cursor is located over an area that supports a quick
option change, the pointer will display as the default windows arrow.
THE MOUSE POINTER CHANGES ONLY OCCUR WHILE THE MAIN PLAYING TABLE IS
SHOWN. One all other forms, windows, and controls, the mouse pointer
is always displayed as the default windows arrow.
CHANGING A PLAYER'S BET
=======================
When you wish to change a player's bet, there are 4 easy methods
to use. NOTE: you may only change your bet at the start of a new
hand (just like in the casinos).
1) Press then BETS Button at the bottom of the screen. This button
brings up the Enter Player Bet Window for EACH active player at the
table. This window allows you to enter a new bet from the keyboard.
This is by far the most flexible way to enter bets for ALL active
players.
2) Move the mouse cursor over the Player's Bet square on the table
and press the LEFT Mouse button. This will bring up the Enter Player
Bet Window for this player only. This is just like option 1 except
the window only appears one time (for the current player).
3) To the left of each player's bet square are 2 buttons for
increasing (+) and decreasing (-) the player's bet. These 2 buttons
modify the current bet based on the last "original" or "base" bet.
Each time you access the Enter Player Bet Window, this sets "base"
bet equal to the bet you enter. From then on, whenever you press
the increase or decrease bet buttons for that player, the bet will
be increased or decrease by the base bet.
Each player has their "own" base bet and their own increase/decrease
buttons.
4) To quickly return to the original or base bet, move the mouse
cursor over the player's bet square & press the RIGHT Mouse button.
This will instantly change the player's bet back to the base bet.
You could always use the increase/decrease bet buttons to accomplish
the same thing, however, this feature is must faster and easier.
NOTE: A new feature in Version 2.7a+ it the ability to control whether
or not double down bets play the next hand ("let them ride"). On the
Double Down Option Window, you can select whether the previous hand's
doubled bet is left on the table or removed for the next hand. If you
let it ride, your bet will remain the amount is was increased to by
the previous double down. If you select to remove it, the next hand's
bet will be the previous hand's original bet before the double down.
CHANGING THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS
==============================
Our blackjack game allows for 1 to 3 players and there are two ways
to change the number of players.
The first method is to use the "Change Number of Players" option
on the SET Menu. If you change the number of players during a
hand, the change will be delayed until the start of the next hand.
The second method is a new feature in V2.7+. It allows you to
quickly change the number of players simply by pressing the keys
"1", "2", or "3" on your keyboard. Unlike the first method above,
the quick access keys only work when the DEAL Button is enabled
(start of a new hand). When allowed, pressing the "1" changes you
to 1 player, "2" changes to 2 players, and "3" to 3 players.
AUTO DECISION HELP
==================
When this feature is active (see the OPTIONS menu), the dealer will
help you make playing decisions. That is, the dealer will tell you
whether you should hit, stand, double down, or split your hand.
Auto Help is always based on the current playing strategy in effect
at the table. Since you can customize the playing strategy, you also
control the Auto Help decisions that are displayed or required.
There are two types of Auto Help:
a) Anticipation Help
b) Correction Help
Anticipation help will display the correct playing strategy for the
current player's hand. This will be displayed just below the dealer's
shoe and will be displayed at all times during the player's hand. This
feature "anticipates" or displays suggestions before you make each
playing decision. You may still play the hand anyway you like since
this type of help is only for assistance.
Correction help will maintain a close watch on your play to insure you
follow the current playing strategy. Instead of displaying the correct
playing strategy at all times, it will only inform you when you do not
make the correct playing decision.
For example, if you click the Hit Button when doubling
down is the correct decision, a window will appear
telling you HIT is not correct.
This feature REQUIRES you to play along with the current playing
strategy.
Another feature available while Auto Help is active is called Auto
Focus. An option button on the table has "focus" when it is the
default button to be executed when the Enter Key is pressed.
Auto Focus sets the focus to the correct playing option button (based
on the current playing strategy). This way all you need to do is
press the Enter Key and the correct decision will be made for you.
Great for new blackjack players or for Auto Play.
CUSTOM PLAYING STRATEGIES
=========================
Playing strategies are stored in disk files and are identified with
the file extension ".SGY". The default strategy is located in the file
"ULTIMA21.SGY" and is found on the master diskette you received.
When the game first starts, it attempts to load the default playing
strategy tables from the file "ULTIMA21.SGY". The program looks for
this file in the same directory as it was started from. If it cannot
locate this file, you will need to access and set the playing
strategy tables manually and save them back to disk. This is done by
clicking on the STRATEGY button or using the SET menu and selecting
the PLAYING STRATEGY option.
A single playing strategy file contains two tables of playing options
that make up a game's Playing Strategy Logic Rules. The program allows
you to control (change) the two tables that make up the game's
Playing Strategy Rules.
The first table is called the BASE PLAY TABLE. It controls all HIT
and STAND play decisions and acts as the default table at all times.
The second table is called the SPECIAL PLAY TABLE. It controls all
DOUBLE DOWN, SPLIT, and SURRENDER play decisions. It also allows you
to enter a "N/A" (not applicable) in a cell. This means you wish the
BASE PLAY TABLE's decision used for this cell.
NOTE: The program always checks the SPECIAL PLAY TABLE first to see
if a double down, split, or surrender is recommended for the hand.
If not, it will retrieve the BASE PLAY decision for the hand.
If the program cannot use or find a cell decision from the SPECIAL
PLAY TABLE, it will switch to the BASE PLAY TABLE where a HIT or
STAND decision will always be present.
Therefore, the BASE PLAY TABLE is used as a default table whenever
the SPECIAL PLAY TABLE contains a decision that is either: "N/A"
(not applicable) or not allowed (like a double down when the hand
contains more than two cards). Remember, if you code a "surrender"
decision into a SPECIAL PLAY TABLE cell and surrenders are not
allowed, the HIT/STAND cell decision in the BASE PLAY TABLE will be
used instead.
When Auto Help is active (or when the Hint Button is pressed), the
program will check the current strategy tables and determine the
correct playing option (hit, stand, double, split, or surrender).
The correct option it returns will come from either the SPECIAL
PLAY TABLE or the BASE PLAY TABLE.
The Set Playing Strategy Window allows you to view and change the
various playing options for the current tables. You view and change
the entries for only one table (BASE or SPECIAL) at a time. To switch
to the other table, press the Table Button located in the lower
right hand corner of the window.
If you are on BASE PLAY TABLE, the table button will say "SPECIAL
TABLE" and pressing it will take you to the SPECIAL PLAY TABLE.
When you are on the SPECIAL PLAY TABLE, the table button will say
BASE TABLE and pressing it will take you to the BASE PLAY TABLE.
Once all changes to the playing options have been made on both tables,
you can save the entire playing strategy to disk. This way, the program
can load them automatically each time you start a new game.
During any game, you may switch to another playing strategy by loading
a playing strategy file from disk. This is done by pressing the Load
Button on the Set Playing Strategy Window.
Both the save and load features allow you specify a file name and a
directory. This allows you to set up and use many different playing
strategies. Our blackjack game is very flexible and can help you
build a winning strategy & practice your card counting and other
blackjack skills.
CARD COUNTING
=============
This blackjack game contains three very flexible card counting systems
and you may customize how card count systems are maintained and
calculated.
There are three card count systems used in this game. They are
called the Running Count, the True Count, and the User Count.
The Running and True Counts calculations are initially set to the
generally accepted formulas recommended by the blackjack "experts".
The User Count is provided to allow you to customize and test your
own point-count system. While you may customize the Running and
True Counts, most players prefer to leave those two count systems
alone and use the User Count to test their own systems. This way
you can test your system "against" the experts.
Once you customize the card count systems, you may save them to disk
in a file called ULTIMA21.CNT. This file should always be stored in
the same directory as ULTIMA21.EXE in order for the program
to automatically load it each time you start the game.
If you wish to see the three card count systems in action, you may
elect to have them displayed while hands are being played. This way
you can test yourself against the counts as well as see them in
action. This is done from the Card Count Window by pressing the
Display Button. The Display Button brings up a window that allows
you to turn on or off the card count display.
A new feature in Version 2.7+ is the ability to quickly view the
card counts. This is done from then main playing table by pressing
the "9" on your keyboard. Pressing the 9 displays a window that
shows you the current card counts. This allows card counters to
check their count against the computer's without having to display
the card count at all times.
GAME SPEED
==========
As with all windows applications, the faster your CPU and video card
are, the better the performance will be.
Our blackjack program's default game speed is designed to run on a
486-33 CPU with a VGA display. If you experience slow card dealing
or slow video performance, try changing the game speed to "very fast".
This will improve the card dealing speed and improve some of the
game's video performance.
This game is written in Visual Basic for Windows, Version 3.0, by
Microsoft. We have taken great care to get the maximum performance
from Visual Basic. However, some areas of Visual Basic, such as
graphics display, are INHERENTLY SLOW and our hands are tied
(for now).
However, if the game is still too slow when you set the game speed to
"very fast", contact us to see if we may have a faster version (If
Visual Basic has been upgraded and made faster by Microsoft).
Since all WAV sound files must be read from your hard disk each
time they are played, a slow hard disk will cause the game to
slow noticeably during sound file reading and playback. Be sure
you have a disk caching program like Smart Drive loading and
running. All Windows programs will benefit from disk caching.
NOTE: when the game speed is set to VERY FAST, the exploding
window special effects will be turned off.
SOUND EFFECTS
=============
Starting with Version 2.5a, this program now plays digitized sound
files known as "wave" files. These files have the extension WAV and
are normally reserved for playing on expensive add-in sound boards
like those from Creative Labs. Microsoft, and Adlib.
*********************************************************************
<<<< HOWEVER >>>>
This game plays digitized sound files thru your PC's Speaker
or most add-in sound boards!!!
*********************************************************************
This allows almost every Windows user to experience the exciting world
of digitized sound and speech. You control whether sound is active and
whether it is to be played on the PC Speaker or on the Sound Card
that may be installed in your system.
You can control whether or not the following are active:
a) Dealing cards sound effect
b) Shuffle deck sound effect (sound cards only)
c) Hit, Stand... button pressed speech
d) Hand total speech
e) Winner/Loser hand results speech
f) Game actions speech (cocktails?, Insurance?...)
g) Male or Female Computer Voice
NOTE: since the PC Speaker is very limited in design, the quality
of the PC Speaker's sound output will be less than an add-in
sound board. Some of the more elaborate sound files will not sound
very good when played on the Speaker and therefore, this game will
only play them when sound is being sent to a Sound Card.
NOTE: To improve card dealing and overall game speed, turn all
sound effects and speech OFF.
NOTE: To reduce system resource usage (memory), turn all sound
effects and speech OFF.
This game is shipped with the sound effects OFF as the default.
If you experience problems when starting this game, be sure to
set the default for sound effects to OFF. If you delete the
ULTIMA21.DEF file from the \ULTIMA21 directory, the game will
reset all defaults including all Sound Effects (to OFF). This
should then allow you to start the program successfully.
Since all WAV sound files must be read from your hard disk each
time they are played, a slow hard disk will cause the game to
slow noticably during sound file reading and playback. Be sure
you have a disk caching program like Smart Drive loading and
running. All Windows programs will benefit from disk caching.
WAVE FILES INCLUDED
===================
Since digitized WAV files can take up a lot of disk space and
increase the size of downloading and distributing this game,
the shareware version of this program only includes the smaller
male WAV files.
Bitiwse Software International, Inc. may add additional (longer)
male voice wave files or even female computer voice wave file.
If these are available, registered users can obtain the entire
complete set of wave sound files directly from the Author.
RECORDING HAND STATS
====================
Added to version 2.7b, the game now allows you to record the results
of each player's hand as each hand is completed. The game will save
the stats from each hand into a disk file. The stats include initial
bets, initial hands, card counts, playing decisions made, hand results
starting/ending bank balances, etc...
Player 1's hand stats are stored in file ULTIMA21.ST1. Player 2's in
file ULTIMA21.ST2. Player 3's in ULTIMA21.ST3. These files are cleared
and restarted when each new game is started.
The default is NOT to record hand stats. To turn on recording of hand
stats, select the STATS RECORDING button on the Player Stats Window.
This will bring up a window which allows you to on/off the hand stat
recording.
NOTE: The card counts will be stored as 0's if the display card count
feature is NOT turned on. To record the 3 card count stats in the hand
stats file, turn on the card count display.
NOTE: split hands are recorded in the hand stat files as player 1a,
1b, and 1c, player 2a, 2b, 2c, or player 3a, 3b, 3c.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
KNOWN PROBLEMS:
===============
Microsoft Visual Basic Versions 2.0 and 3.0 are not fully compatible
with certain third party S3 Video Drivers (Windows Video Drivers for the S3
Graphics Chip soldered onto your accelerated video card).
You may experience "out of memory or resources" problems,
"Object Was Unloaded" problems, as well as other unexpected
application errors while using ANY Graphic Intensive Visual Basic
program with these type of S3 video drivers.
These problems are NOT under the control of our program, Visual
Basic, or Windows. ONLY the video driver Company can correct the
problem. Please contact your video driver Company to get the
latest copy of their Windows video drivers. Most Companies will
update their drivers every few months to fix bugs and add
enhancements.
If you use the super or regular VGA Video Drivers supplied with
Windows 3.1, these types of problems will most likely go away.
To test your driver, install one of Microsoft's standard VGA Drivers that
comes with Windows and see if your problem(s) go away. If so, then
the other Company's Video Driver is the problem. Contact the driver
Company and report the problem. Tell them you tested it against
Microsoft's standard VGA Windows driver and it has to be their
driver (since the problem went away).
This game is shipped with the sound effects OFF as the default.
If you experience problems when starting this game, be sure to
set the default for sound effects to OFF. If you delete the
ULTIMA21.DEF file from the \ULTIMA21 directory, the game will
reset all defaults including all Sound Effects (to OFF). This
should then allow you to start the program successfully.
=======================================
POSSIBLE "OUT OF MEMORY" ERROR SOLUTION
=======================================
In the January 24, 1994 issue of Info World, Brian Livingston has
written in his weekly Windows column on a cure for what he calls
"the most important cause of Windows instability." The instability
is reflected in messages such as "Out of memory", "This application
has violated system integrity", or "Application error" which happen
even when plenty of memory and resources are available. It occurred
to me that this may be related to some of the random problems that
users are experiencing with WPWin 6.0, so I am summarizing his
column here.
The solution to the problem is to insert a single line into the [386
Enhanced] section of your SYSTEM.INI file, reading:
MaxBPs=768
"MaxBPs" is an abbreviation for "maximum breakpoints." Breakpoints
are small pieces of memory, about 10 bytes each, that Windows uses
to save the state of a "virtual machine" (VM). All Windows
applications run in a single VM, and each DOS session runs in its
own VM. Windows applications may also create additional VMs for
various reasons.
Normally, Windows allocates 4K of RAM for breakpoints, which means
that 358 breakpoints are set up when it starts. Windows immediately
uses about 200 of these, leaving about 158 remaining. It is
possible that in a long Windows sessions these could get used up,
causing the strange errors described above.
Setting MaxBPs to any number from 359 to 768 uses an additional 4K
of RAM. The number could be set higher (up to 1,177) at the cost of
yet another 4K.
Windows 95 Alert!
=================
If you are using an S3 video board with Windows 95
and are running your computer with LARGE FONTS ON,
you may experience strange problems with our games.
These problems will cause certain items on the screen
to NOT line up correctly. Change your system back to
the normal SMALL FONTS mode.