That for Windows 95/That - For Windows 95.iso/PINOCHLE/READPIN.TXT

Text File | 1996-09-29 | 15KB | 347 lines

Pinochle (Version 2.1) - READPIN.TXT
====================================

Introduction
------------
Pinochle is a well known card game combining similarities to the
Rummy and Whist families of games.

You play against the computer, which can be set to use a number of
different skill levels.  At Champion and Master levels, the
computer is hard to beat and provides a very challenging game.

Customizable features include:
    Colors
        Sound effects
        MIDI music
        Speech synthesized messages
    Card backs
    Screen resolution and custom resizing
        Card sizes
    AutoMouse (moves mouse pointer automatically)
    Opponent skill level
        Rule variations

System Requirements
-------------------
To use Pinochle you need Microsoft Windows 3.1 and a mouse.
Pinochle also has been tested with no problems under Windows '95.

An Intel 486 class system or better with 8 megabytes or more of
RAM is the optimum configuration.  An Intel 386 class system with
4 megabytes of RAM is considered to be the minimum.  Pinochle has
not been evaluated on less capable systems, but should present no
problems other than responsiveness and speed.

You are recommended to take advantage of the comprehensive help
file information in order to learn how to play Pinochle.  Perhaps
the best first step to learning Pinochle is to use the "Assistant
| AutoPlay" option and watch the computer play against itself.

Installation
------------
The installation requirements are that all supplied files reside
in the same directory except that VBCTL3D.VBX and WSPLIB20.DLL
are to be placed in the windows\system directory.  Also,
VBRUN300.DLL must be present in your path (typically in the
windows\system directory).  VBRUN300.DLL should be downloaded
separately if you don't already have it on your system.

To use the sound effects and Speak-To-Me capability, you must
either have a sound card installed in your system, or have the
speak.exe driver installed to use your system's regular speaker.
Speak.exe is a freely distributed product from Microsoft, and is
available on most online services and bulletin board systems.
Pinochle is distributed with a few sound files, others may be
obtained from libraries on most online services and bulletin board
systems.  To enable sound effects, you must check "Enable" from
the "Sounds Effects" option under the "Configuration" menu.
Remember to "Save Configuration" to make the setting permanent.

Midi music files are not distributed with Pinochle for copyright
reasons.  You may acquire these from regular online sources.  You
will probably find canyon.mid in your Windows directory as this is
distributed with Windows by Microsoft.

Note that some systems are unable to handle midi music and other
sounds at the same time.

Registration
------------

Pinochle is shareware, and is fully functional.  You may evaluate
this program for a period of 21 days after which you must register
it or remove it from your system.  To not comply with this
condition is a violation of United States and international
copyright law.

To register Pinochle, please use the printable order form under
the "Help" menu of Pinochle.  The cost of registration for the
version you are currently evaluating is $15.  If you are unable to
print the order form, please make sure that you:

1. Specify that you are registering Pinochle
2. Include sales tax if you are a Massachusetts resident
3. Enclose a check drawn on a U.S. bank, or an international money
   order, for the correct amount, in U.S. funds, payable to Carol
   Bufton

We return checks made out incorrectly, or drawn on a non-U.S.
bank.

You will receive your registration code by mail.  The registration
code is encoded from your name, so be sure to provide your name
exactly as you wish to be registered.

If you require a diskette (3╜" only), add $5 making the total cost
$20.  The diskette version may contain a later version of Pinochle
if improvements have been made since the release of your
evaluation copy.  Because we cannot track which versions are
currently available at what locations, it is possible that
Pinochle will have been updated since your evaluation copy unless
you downloaded a recent version from CompuServe, America Online,
or the MeggieSoft Games worldwide web site at:
                 http://members.aol.com/meggiesoft

Please allow 28 days for your registration to arrive, although
every effort will be made to mail your registration within 5 days.
Your registration code licenses you to use the version of
Pinochle that you are currently evaluating, irrespective of which
is the latest version currently available on America Online,
CompuServe, our web site, or registered diskette.  Your
registration may also be valid for future versions as they become
available.

You may not share your registration code with others.  Your
registration permits you and other users to use Pinochle on any
single-user computer system. You may also use Pinochle on any
other computer system of which you are the primary user, such as a
laptop.

Distribution
------------
You may distribute Pinochle to others provided that you derive no
revenue other than that associated with the act of distribution,
provided you make it clear that Pinochle is shareware, and
provided that you distribute the following, and only the following,
files intact and unaltered:

        READPIN.TXT  - This file
    PINOCHLE.EXE - The program
        PINOCHLE.HLP - The help file
    RUMCRD1.WMF  - The small card images
    RUMCRD2.WMF  - The regular card images
        RUMCRD3.WMF  - The large card images
        RUMCRD4.WMF  - The extra-large card images
        VBCTL3D.VBX  - The Visual Basic 3D Effects extension
        WSPLIB20.DLL - The WinSpeech function library
        GENERAL.WSD  - The WinSpeech dictionary
        USENM11A.WSF - The WinSpeech voice font
        VBRUN300.DLL - The Visual Basic Runtime (if desired)

To the best of our knowledge, the wav sound files may also be
distributed freely.


Revision History
----------------
Version 1.x  - Development and test versions.

Version 2.0  - First shareware release.  Fully functional.

        2.01 - Fixed problem where stock card could be dragged
               to play area.
        2.02 - Maintenance release
             - Detects "Invalid File Format" message related
               to old VBCTL3D.VBX and directs user accordingly.
             - Detects invalid sound file definitions and
               ignores sound instead of giving "Bad File Name"
               message.
        2.03 - Fixed problem where opportunity to meld a flush
               was not being correctly detected.
        2.04 - Fixed problem where card display in player's
               hand was sometimes not correctly refreshed when
               highlighting and melding.
               Changed shuffle method to attempt to circumvent
               very rare reports of the same cards being dealt
               repeatedly.
        2.05 - Fixed problem where card actions for player's
               hand were not correctly enabled after taking a
               trick.

Version 2.1  - Hint mode "Do it" now takes card from deck when
               this is only alternative.
             - Significantly improved "Master" skill level.
             - Fixed problem where Pinochle meld was incorrectly
               prohibited after Dix meld.
             - Fixed problem where Flush meld was incorrectly
               prohibited from using cards from Roundhouse meld.
             - Incorporated WinSpeech technology as an
               integral part of Pinochle.  WinSpeech is
               licensed by MeggieSoft Games from PC WholeWare.
             - Speak-To-Me facility now includes ability to
               change pitch, tempo, and volume.
             - Changes to file selection facility for music and
               sound effect files.


Frequently Asked Questions
--------------------------

Q. In what programming language is Pinochle written?

A. Microsoft Visual Basic.  See the "For The Technically Curious"
   section of the help file for more information.


Q. Where did the name "MeggieSoft Games" come from?

A. See "Help | About" when running Pinochle.


Q. Why do I get an "Invalid File Format" message when I try to run
   Pinochle?

A. Because there is an older, and incompatible, version of
   VBCTL3D.VBX on your hard disk.  Pinochle is loading this
   rather than the version distributed with Pinochle.  Make sure
   that the copy of VBCTL3D.VBX distributed with this version is
   present in your \windows\system directory and make sure you
   delete any older copies of VBCTL3D.VBX which are on your system
   (possibly in the directory where you previously kept Pinochle,
   or your \windows directory).

   [If you have multiple programs on your system which use
   VBCTL3D.VBX and they require different versions of VBCTL3D.VBX,
   you can install a copy of the required version in the same
   directory as each program that requires it.  Such a copy will
   be loaded in favor of the "central" copy in the /windows/system
   directory.]


Q. Why does my mouse not work correctly in Pinochle?

A. We have had a couple of reported instances of this problem, but
   we are unable to replicate it or guess at what the problem
   might be.  One customer found that the problem disappeared when
   he upgraded from Microsoft Windows 3.1 to Windows for
   Workgroups 3.11.  We therefore surmise that this problem is
   system configuration dependent in some way.


Q. What happens if Pinochle causes system messages, "bombs out",
   or freezes?

A. These problems are almost always to do with the way your system
   memory is configured or managed.  Check that you have around
   450K minimum of low memory available and that your memory
   manager (e.g., EMM386) is not causing the conflict.  Pinochle
   is quite intensive in its use of system resources and runs on
   99% of customers' systems without problems. However, sometimes
   such problems are reported, and all we can do is offer the
   advice noted here.


Q. Why do I get white rectangles displayed where the cards should
   be (and other strange behavior)?

A. Very occasionally we receive reports of this problem, which is
   a result of your graphics configuration not being able to load
   and/or display the card images.  If your graphics card is
   manifesting such problems, try setting the number of colors it
   displays to 256, or even 16.  Alas, there is little we can do
   about this situation without severely comprising Pinochle's
   display speed, since this is predicated upon holding relatively
   large card image maps in memory.  However, you might find that
   an updated driver is available for your graphics card if you
   contact your system manufacturer.


Q. Why do I get "subscript out of bounds" error messages and/or
   see Pinochle start to behave erratically?

A. Pinochle is designed to respond to single mouse-clicks, not
   double-clicks.  In earlier versions it was possible to trip
   Pinochle if it reacted to the second click before it had
   finished processing the first click.  In versions 4.3 and
   later, Pinochle traps and ignores extra clicks when it is
   busy.


Q. I have my graphics display set to "Large Fonts".  Why are some
   of the fonts displayed smaller?

A. Many graphics drivers (particularly for Windows 95) alter the
   Twips parameter of the display in order to display everything
   larger - not just the fonts.  Pinochle compensates for this by
   shrinking some of the font sizes on those windows which display
   card images, particularly the main playing window.  While this
   makes everything fit the result is not as attractive as when
   "Small Fonts" is the enabled graphics display mode.


Q. How do I permanently change the default colors or card designs?

A. Set up the screen as you want the defaults to be.  Then select
   the "Save Configuration" choice from the "Configuration" menu.
   Consult the help file for more information.


Q. Does Pinochle cheat by peeking at the player's cards?

A. No!  However, at the higher skill levels, Pinochle will
   remember every card that you have played, and will also make
   probability estimates of which unseen cards might be in your
   hand versus the stock.


Q. Why didn't you respond to the suggestions for enhancement I
   made?

A. Our first priority is to provide a quality game at the lowest
   possible price and this prevents us from entering into much
   personal correspondence.  Most suggestions are incorporated
   into the next version of Pinochle. This is our way of
   responding positively to your suggestions.


Q. Why don't you accept credit cards or online registrations
   through CompuServe, for example?

A. Again, our first priority is to provide a quality game at the
   lowest possible price and thus we keep our overheads to a
   minimum.  With respect to online registration, our customers
   obtain Pinochle from a wide variety of sources and it would be
   impractical for us to offer different registration means for
   each source.


Q. I am a shareware distributor.  How do I obtain permision to
   distribute Pinochle to my customers?

A. As noted earlier in this file, permission is automatically
   granted provided you distribute only the files noted herein.
   Include VBRUN300.DLL if your customers might not otherwise have
   it on their systems.


Q. I am a software developer.  Are you able to share any of the
   Pinochle program code?

A. No.  All Pinochle code is proprietary to MeggieSoft Games,
   except for the third-party components which are described in
   the help file (in the section called "For The Technically
   Curious").


Q. Does MeggieSoft Games market any other games?

A. Pinochle is our third product and was first released in July
   1996.  Rummy 500 was our first offering, released in August
   1994.  We released Gin Rummy, our second product, in February
   1995.  See the help file for more details regarding Rummy 500
   and Gin Rummy.


Pinochle  ⌐ MeggieSoft Games 1996.  All Rights Reserved.