The Latest & Greatest Top 201 Games

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Text File | 1989-06-30 | 21KB | 460 lines

KLONDIKE Version 2.2 Copyright 1989 by Eduardo Martins _______ ____|__ | (tm) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER INTRODUCTION ============ Klondike, also known under a variety of local names such as Fascination and China-Man, is probably the best known solitaire card game (actually, many people are not aware of the fact that Klondike is just one of dozens of solitaire games, and use the name 'Solitaire' to refer to it). There are several shareware versions of Klondike available for MS-DOS machines, but most of them have very crude graphics (when they do have graphics at all!) and cumbersome user interfaces. This prompted me to write a version that would take full advantage of high-resolution EGA graphics. Several months and a few thousand lines of Turbo Pascal 4.0 source code later, Klondike 1.0 was released. User response was very enthusiastic (although, unfortunately, this did not translate into a significant number of registrations...), and several users made suggestions that were incorporated in version 2.0. The graphics were greatly enhanced, and compare favorably with commercial card games; new rules were added, making the game more flexible and easier to win; and full mouse support was added, making the user interface very fluid and intuitive. This version (2.2) includes a few bug fixes, a configu- ration command that saves customized settings such as rules, card back, and mouse usage, and a slightly improved user interface. I hope you'll enjoy Klondike 2.2, and encourage the development of high-quality shareware programs by filling out and sending the enclosed registration form. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS =================== Klondike 2.2 runs on an IBM-PC or compatible running under MS-DOS 2.0 or greater, with an EGA/VGA monitor and display adapter (it should run on an 8514 display adapter, but this was not tested). 256K of available memory are required. A Microsoft-compatible mouse is strongly recommended, but the game can be played from the keyboard. If you want to use the mouse, the mouse driver must be installed before you load Klondike; please refer to your mouse documentation for instructions. If you are running Klondike from a hard disk, make sure that klondike.exe and the *.scr files are on the current directory. A note on compatibility: Unfortunately, not all mouse drivers and VGA systems were created equal. Klondike 2.2 runs without problems using the Microsoft mouse driver version 6.00 or greater; if you are using an older version you should get an upgrade, or use the -nomouse option and play using the keyboard. A few users with VGA systems reported some problems, but so far I haven't been able to duplicate them. Klondike 2.2 was tested on an IBM PS/2 with the 8513 VGA monitor, and no problems were found. Finally, Klondike 2.2 is NOT DesqView aware. Later versions should have this feature, but, for now, avoid running Klondike on a DesqView window. KLONDIKE RULES ============== One regular pack of 52 cards is used. Deal 28 cards into 7 piles. The first pile at the left has one card, the second two, and so on, up to seven in the last pile. The top card of each pile is face up; all the rest are face down. On the piles you may build in descending sequence, red on black or black on red. For example, on the 8 of spades you can place either the 7 of hearts or the 7 of diamonds. All the face up cards on a pile may be moved as a unit, and matched according to the bottom card. When you uncover a face down card on a pile, turn it face up. If one pile is entirely removed, you may put a king in the space. Each time you free an ace, move it to the Foundation, a row above the piles. On the Foundation you build up in suit and sequence. For example, the 2 of hearts may be placed on the Ace of hearts, the 3 of hearts may be placed over the 2 of hearts, and so on. To win the game, you have to build each Foundation up to the king. Once placed on the Foundation, a card cannot be moved anywhere else. From the rest of the pack, turn up cards one by one. Put cards that you cannot use into a waste pile. You can always use the top card of the waste pile. You may go through the pack only once. The game ends either when you win by building each Foundation up to the king, or when your moves reach a standstill. Alternate Rules Klondike, as played by its original rules, is very hard to win (it has been estimated that the chances of winning are one in every thirty games!) and thus can be a bit frustrating. Two popular variations greatly increase the odds of winning. Under the first variation, cards are moved from the Pack to the Waste Pile in groups of three, and you can go through the Pack as many times as you wish, i.e., once the Pack is exhausted, you move all the cards from the Waste Pile back to the Pack. Under the second variation, cards are turned up from the Pack one by one, as in the original rules, but you can go through the Pack an unlimited number of times, as in the first variation. This is the easiest of all three playing modes. You can also use the 'relaxed movement' rule. Under the original Klondike rules, you must move all face-up cards on a pile as a unit (with the exception that, when you are moving from the pile to the Foundation, you move the top card of the pile alone). Under the 'relaxed movement' rule, you can move all face-up cards as a unit; the top card alone, or any contiguous block of cards beginning at the top card. Suppose you have a pile with a 4-5-6-7-8 face-up. If you're using the 'relaxed movement' rule, you can move all five cards as a unit, or the 4-5-6-7 block, or the 4-5-6, or 4-5, or the 4 alone. Through skillful manipulation of the cards, you can free cards that would otherwise be unavailable, and win games that would be unwinnable under the regular rules. This makes the game more challenging, because it gives you a greater chance of winning against a bad deal. COMMANDS ======== Mouse: To move a card, first place the mouse cursor over the card (or pile) you want to move and press the left mouse button, then place the cursor over where you want to put the card (or pile) and press the left button again. Notice that the cursor changes to a pointing hand whenever it is over a card or pile that can be moved. After you select the card (or pile) to move by pressing the left mouse button, the cursor changes to an hourglass to indicate that it is waiting for you to enter the destination of the move. Whenever you place it over a location that could be used as a destination, it will change from the hourglass back to a pointing hand (note that this does not check for a valid move. It merely tells you that you could move a card from pile 1 to pile 5, if the cards match, but that you could never move a card from pile 1 to the waste pile). If you select a card to be moved and decide not to move that card, press both mouse buttons simultaneously to cancel the move command. To move a card from the Deck to the Waste Pile, press the right mouse button. If a card is face down, just place the mouse cursor over it and press the left mouse button to turn the card face up. To change the rules, click the Rules button. Under rules 2 and 3 the Waste pile can be re-used. When the Pack is exhausted, click the right mouse button and the Waste Pile will be moved back to the Pack. Click the Finish button to have the computer move all cards that can be moved from the Tableau to the Foundation automatically. Click the Quit button to quit Klondike, Back to change the card design, Help to display a Help screen, and Info to display version and Copyright information. Keyboard: To Move a card, first press the key corresponding to the Origin, then press the key corresponding to the Destination. For example, to move from the Pack to pile 1, press 'P' then '1'. Valid Origins are 1 to 7, P, and W. Valid Destinations are 1 to 7, W, and F. If you select a card to be moved and decide not to move that card, press the 'Esc' key to cancel the move command. If a card is face down, press the key corresponding to that card and it will be turned face up. You can turn only the first card of the Pack and cards on the Tableau (1 to 7) that are face down. To change the rules, press 'R'. Under rules 2 and 3, the Waste pile can be re-used. When the Pack is exhausted, press 'P' and the Waste pile will be moved back to the Pack. Press 'F' to have the computer move all cards that can be moved from the Tableau to the Foundation automatically. Press 'Q' to quit Klondike, 'B' to change the card design, and 'I' to display version and Copyright information. COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS ==================== The following options can be specified when you load Klondike: -mouse: selects the mouse as the input device, and bypasses the 'Do you want to use the mouse?' menu. This option is ignored if a mouse driver is not found -nomouse: selects the keyboard as the input device, and bypasses the 'Do you want to use the mouse?' menu -inst: display instructions at the beginning of the game, bypassing the 'Do you want instructions?' menu -noinst: do not display instructions at the beginning of the game, bypassing the 'Do you want instructions?' menu -nosound: turns sound off (Default is sound on) -nomenu: suppresses the on-screen menu (this option is ignored when you are using the mouse; default is menu on) -back[n]: selects card back [n], where [n] is a number from 1 to 5 (Default is -back1) -rule[n]: selects rule set [n], where [n] is a number from 1 to 3 (Default is -rule1) -relaxed: selects 'relaxed movement' rule (Default is Strict) CONFIGURATION ============= A new command, 'Config', allows you to save your customized config- uration. Click the Config button (or press "C" if using the keyboard) and a dialog box will appear. Select whether or not you want to use the mouse by choosing 'Yes', 'No', or 'Ask'. If you select 'Ask', a dialog box will pop-up every time you run Klondike and ask if you want to use the mouse (assuming you have a mouse driver loaded). If you select 'Yes' but a mouse driver is not found, the game will go to keyboard mode. Then, select whether or not you want instructions displayed when you run Klondike. Choosing 'Yes' will display the instructions screens every time you load the program, 'No' will skip the instructions screens, and 'Ask' will pop-up a dialog box asking if you want instructions displayed. Finally, select Sound on or off. If you want to configure Klondike to use a rule set other than the default (Rule set 1), or a particular card design, choose the rule set and the card design (by using the 'Rules' and 'Back' commands) BEFORE you use the 'Config' command. When Config saves your config- uration, it will save the currently selected rule set and card design. Note that the mouse, instructions and sound options only become effective the next time you load Klondike. Since the configuration information is written on the EXE file itself, do not put a write protect tab on the disk if you're using a floppy, or set the Klondike.exe read-only attribute. Finally, note that the command line switches take precedence over the saved configuration. So, if you have Klondike configured to use the mouse, and you want to play using the keyboard, you can load it by typing the command 'klondike -nomouse' and the mouse option will be overridden. NOTES FOR USERS OF PREVIOUS VERSIONS ==================================== A few small but significant changes were made in the user interface, making it more intuitive and easier to use. * When using the mouse, you no longer have to press the right button to finish moving a card. Simply press the left button again and the move will be made. Press the right button to move a card from the Pack to the Waste Pile. You can still place the cursor over the Pack, click the left button, then place the cursor over the Waste Pile, and click the left button again, but it is obviously a lot easier just to click the right button (the cursor doesn't even have to be over the Pack). * The 'Re-Use' command is gone. After the Pack is exhausted, simply press the right mouse button (as if you were moving one more card from the Pack to the Waste) and the Waste will be moved back to the Pack (assuming, of course, that you are using either rule set 2 or 3). If you're playing from the keyboard, press "P" (for Pack) instead. * The Tutorial is gone. Klondike is getting bigger with every new release, and I suspect that very few (if any) people ever used the Tutorial, so it was deleted to save space. A new Registration procedure has been added. After you register, you will receive a registration number and instructions on how to 'burn it' into your Klondike copy. This number will then be displayed when you issue the 'Info' command, and the Shareware screen that is displayed on unregistered copies will be suppressed. Note that these are the ONLY differences between registered and unregistered copies; the 'evaluation copy' is fully functional, and is not crippled in ANY way. If you are a registered user of version 2.1 or earlier, send me a note and I'll send you your registration number. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ================ Klondike was written using Turbo Pascal 4.0 (and later converted to TP 5.0). I wish to thank Borland International for their outstanding compiler. Special thanks go to everybody at CompuServe's Borland Forum (especially Brian Foley). Their help and support has been invaluable. I'd also like to thank the following individuals: - Neil Rubenking, author of PianoMan, used to add the title and congratulation screen songs; - Michael Day, author of the Mouse unit, used to add mouse support; - Scott Bussinger, author of the Backplay unit, used to play the congratulation screen song on the background; - Tim Godfrey, author of the GrafText unit, used for the extremely fast graphics-mode screen writes; - [unknown] author of the DrawPics unit, used to display the high-resolution card images; and - Mael Martins, John Middleton, and David Blair, who made invaluable suggestions and beta-tested the program. ABOUT SHAREWARE =============== (Definition supplied by the Association of Shareware Professionals) Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with a printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. So, Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money- back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware- related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. You are granted a license to try this program for a period of 21 days. If you continue to use this program after the trial period is over, you must register by sending the registration form and $15 to Eduardo Martins Station A P.O. Box 2052 Champaign, IL 61825-2052 If you have any comments or suggestions, please write to the above address, or leave electronic mail on CompuServe to Eduardo Martins [73300,267] or on GEnie to e.martins. This program may not be sold in any form without the express written consent from the author. If you distribute Klondike to friends or to Bulletin Board systems, PLEASE distribute it under the name KLONDK22.EXE, and use the unmodified, self-extracting LHARC archive as the distribution copy. REGISTRATION FORM KLONDK22 ================= To register Klondike, please send this form and a $15 check to Eduardo Martins Station A P.O. Box 2052 Champaign, IL 61825-2052 NAME: _________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Where did you get your copy of Klondike? _ |_| CompuServe CIS User ID: ___________________ _ |_| GEnie GEnie address: _________________ _ |_| BBS (please give name and number): _____________________________ _ |_| Public (software) Library _ |_| Other (please specify): ________________________________________ Comments/Suggestions ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Thank you for registering Klondike!