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1989-09-16
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268 lines
THE SIX LETTER GAME
Release 3.0 September 1989
Ralph Nottingham Robert Gellman
620 S.E. Federal Highway 431 Fifth Street, S.E.
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441 Washington, D.C. 20003
(C) Copyright 1988-1989 Ralph Nottingham and Robert Gellman
The SIX LETTER GAME is a simple but challenging word game that tests
your vocabulary and your powers of reasoning. The program randomly selects
a six letter secret word from a dictionary of over 5600 words. Your goal
is to identify the secret word. You proceed by guessing six letter words.
The computer will tell you how many letters in your guess appear in the
same position in the secret word.
Keep making guesses until you have figured out the word. The computer
will then rate your effort based on the number of guesses, the difficulty
of the word, and the familiarity of your vocabulary.
You can also play competitively against another person by letting the
computer select a word at random for the first player. You then enter the
same word and let the second player guess it. Decide in advance whether
the higher score wins or the fewest guesses.
***************************************************************************
* PLAYING THE GAME *
***************************************************************************
To start the program, just enter SIXLTR at the DOS prompt. The two
essential files are SIXLTR.EXE and SIXLTR.DAT. Both of these files must be
in the current directory when the game is started. If SIXLTR.DAT is not in
the current directory or if the file is corrupted in any way, an error
message will appear and the program will terminate.
The program will run under DOS 2.0 or better. The program requires
256 K and is compatible with both color and monochrome monitors. A
graphics card is not needed.
If you want to start playing, go ahead. The first screen explains how
the program's mechanics work. Try some words and you will catch on very
quickly. Nothing in this short DOC file is vital. Read it once, but the
documentation is not worth printing. The file was created with margins at
5 and 75. There are form feeds approximately every 60 lines.
You may use upper or lower case letters. All input will be translated
into upper case.
***************************************************************************
* SCORING *
***************************************************************************
The program will calculate a score for each secret word. The scoring
is artificial, but you may find it makes the game a bit more interesting.
The score is based on the number of guesses it took, whether you used
recognized words in making guesses, and the degree of difficulty of the
secret word.
Each word begins with a value of 100. Each guess reduces the value by
3 points. However, if you use a word that appears in the program's
dictionary, only 2 points are deducted. The idea is to encourage the use
of real words rather than meaningless collections of letters. This makes
the game more challenging.
If you guess a word that is in the program's dictionary, a small dot
will appear to the right of the number of hits. If your guess is not in
the dictionary, no dot will appear.
The last element in the score is the degree of difficulty of the
secret word. Words are rated based on the number of hard letters (such as
J, Q, X, Z, and a few others), the presence of double or triple letters,
and the presence of only one vowel in the word.
Ordinary words (such as CRADLE or TAILOR) will have a degree of
difficulty of 1.0. Harder words (such as JAILED or BUBBLE) will have a
higher rating. The highest rating is 2.0.
The total score is calculated by multiplying the score you have earned
times the degree of difficulty. The total score for each word and the
results for the five best words of the session are displayed after the
secret word has been identified. If a word was entered rather than
selected by the computer, it will appear with a dot on the "high five"
screen.
***************************************************************************
* OTHER KEYS *
***************************************************************************
Once a word has been selected, the F1 and F10 keys are available.
Hitting F1 brings up three separate help screens. The first screen shows
the basic rules, and it is identical to one of the introductory screen.
The second help screen explains the basic reasoning necessary to play
the game successfully. The strategy is not repeated in this document.
The third help screen explains the scoring briefly.
Hitting F10 during a game allows you to exit. You are first asked
if you want to know the current word. You then have the chance to start
another game or to exit to DOS.
***************************************************************************
* COMPETITION *
***************************************************************************
Before each game, you will be offered the option of entering your own
secret word rather than allowing the computer to select a word. This
permits you to play a competitive game with others. Allow the computer to
select the word for the first player. That player then enters the same
word for other players. Other forms of competitive play are possible.
In order to play competitively using the same word, only the current
or past players can see the screen. If you play a competitive game, take
care that later players do not see the screen. Erase all evidence of the
previous effort before the next player approaches the screen. This can be
accomplished by reentering the secret word at the prompt. The screen will
be cleared.
The program will accept any secret word that you enter. Your word
will not be checked against the dictionary so you can enter any combination
of six letters that you want.
***************************************************************************
* THE DICTIONARY *
***************************************************************************
There are over 5600 words in the program's dictionary. While that is
a lot of words, not all six letter words have been included. An attempt
has been made to exclude obscure words, proper names, and foreign words.
Nevertheless, although the dictionary has been edited with care, some
unsuitable or incorrect words may have slipped through. If you have a
reasonably good vocabulary, you should recognize at least 98% of the words.
Not all ordinary words are in the dictionary. You will guess some
simple words and find that the program does not know them. Your score may
be reduced a bit as a result. Sorry about that, but it is difficult to
identify all forms of some words. We have certainly missed some words in
the past tense, the plural form of some words, and others as well. We have
deliberately left out words that we considered to be questionable.
If you identify some missing words or have serious objections to words
in the dictionary, please feel free to let us know. During testing, we
continually found good six letter words that were not in the dictionary.
You will almost certainly have the same experience. Write down any words
that you find to be missing and send them to Robert Gellman, 431 Fifth
Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003.
Please note that you are specifically prohibited from altering the
dictionary on your own. In any event, making any additions, subtractions,
or changes in the dictionary will not likely to accomplish your objective.
The program expects to find the dictionary exactly as it is. Any
alterations to the dictionary may prevent the program from operating as
intended or at all.
***************************************************************************
* TECHNICAL NOTES *
***************************************************************************
The original program (written in BASIC) and the first dictionary were
put together by Ralph Nottingham. This version was written by Robert
Gellman in Microsoft's QuickBASIC 4.5 using the PROBAS Professional BASIC
Programming Library. PROBAS is a product of Hammerly Computer Services of
Laurel, Maryland.
***************************************************************************
* LEGAL STUFF *
***************************************************************************
This program and accompanying documentation are provided "as is"
without warranty of any kind. The entire risk of using the program is
assumed by the user. Ralph Nottingham and Robert Gellman disclaim all
warranties, either express or implied. In no event shall we be liable
for any damages whatsoever arising out of the use of or inability to use
this program.
This program is freeware. You are licensed to use the program and
to give copies to others. You may upload the program together with this
documentation on computer bulletin boards anywhere. No registration or
other fee is owed to the author. However, both the program and this
documentation are copyrighted by Ralph Nottingham and Robert Gellman. No
one is authorized to make changes to either. Also, no one is authorized to
sell the program except as specifically provided in this documentation.
The program may be distributed by software clubs, computer bulletin
boards, and shareware/freeware libraries at a standard charge for media
and distribution. The maximum charge permitted without specific written
permission from the authors is $6.00. No other forms of distribution
for money are authorized.
***************************************************************************
* FEEDBACK *
***************************************************************************
If you find any errors, please let us know exactly when and how they
arose. The program has been extensively tested, but we cannot guarantee
that it is bug-free. Our addresses appears on the top of this document
and on the first screen (hit ENTER at the first screen). Any suggestions
for changes or improvements will be considered.
***************************************************************************
* OTHER GELLMAN SOFTWARE PROGRAMS *
***************************************************************************
As of the date of this file, Gellman Software has released five
programs:
POKER565 - Head to Head Draw Poker (freeware)
1POKER13 - Poker Solitaire (freeware)
CALC12 - Calculation Solitaire (freeware)
LABELLE3 - La Belle Lucie Solitaire (public domain, with QB source)
SIXLTR30 - Six Letter Word Game (freeware)
The last two programs were coauthored by other programmers.
These programs are available from the Public (Software) Library, P.O.
Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235. The latest versions are normally sent to PSL
as soon as they are released. I recommend PSL to anyone interested in
shareware or freeware. Gellman Software programs are also available on
finer computer bulletin boards in the Washington, DC area and elsewhere.
***************************************************************************
* HISTORY OF RECENT VERSIONS *
***************************************************************************
Version 1.00 - This was the original BASIC program by Ralph Nottingham.
Version 2.00 - A completely revised and enhanced version written in
QuickBASIC was released as shareware in February 1989.
The dictionary was revised, and the program screens
were totally redesigned. The scoring system was added.
Version 3.00 - Released in September 1989 as freeware. Many minor changes
were made to the screens and the internal workings of the
program. The scoring screens were revised to contain more
information. Over 100 words were added to the dictionary.