Altair 2.0 is the newest version of the game Altair. For those who haven't played Altair before your goal is simple - line up four balls, up and down, across, or diagonally in the board grid and you win. The fly in the ointment here is that your opponent will generally 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.
New to this version:
Because the size and shape of the board influence subtly the dynamics of the game, I added an assortment of boards to play. I still don't know if this was worth the trouble so let me know what you think. I would appreciate the feedback.
I also tweeked the way that the computer opponents choose their next move. I did this to help keep things interesting.
Finally, I rearranged the interface a bit for no reason at all. I hope you like it.
How to play:
On your turn, use either the buttons or the keyboard numbers to drop your ball into any slot of the board you want. Your ball will fall into the next unoccupied spot. What could be easier?
You can play against another person or any one of four computer opponents. Use the popup menu under the mugshot (i.e. the box with the opponent's name in it ) to select your opponent.
You can choose which color will go first with the Options menu. Note: the computer always plays the blue colored ball.
Choose your board with the boards menu.
That's all you need to know. Good luck! And you be careful out there!
Altair 2.0 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, for anyone who sends the fee, I personally guarantee to have your name permanently enshrined in the Shareware Users Hall-of-Fame -- an honor with benefits which 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 2.0 requires a color Mac running system 7.0 or better and a color monitor
with at least a 640x480 screen size.
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 fourth 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.
