The Game Master (3rd Edition)

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Text File | 1991-09-07 | 16.7 KB | 345 lines

************************************************************************** * LA BELLE LUCIE * ************************************************************************** A Solitaire Game Release 4.0 September 1991 Gellman Software 431 Fifth Street, S.E. Washington, DC 20003 Programming by George Leotti and Robert Gellman. The program is in the public domain. La Belle Lucie is a simple but interesting game of solitaire. Although the game appears to be easy to win, it requires considerable thought and planning (and some luck) in order to be successful. The game is much more engaging than the more familiar Klondike solitaire. One reference describes La Belle Lucie as a "fascinating game that pays handsome dividends to intelligent planning." All of the program testers became addicted to the game very quickly. La Belle Lucie is especially well suited for playing on a computer. The game requires repeated shuffling and positioning cards, and the computer handles these mechanical tasks readily. La Belle Lucie is also known as Clover Leaf, Midnight Oil, and Three Shuffles and a Draw. ************************************************************************** * PLAYING THE GAME * ************************************************************************** To start the program, just enter LABELLE at the DOS prompt. If the file is on a floppy disk, enter A:LABELLE if appropriate. After the opening screen, there will be a prompt. Select the H (help) option and read the screen. Play the game for a few minutes, and any uncertainty about the rules will disappear. It will take a little longer to become a good player. The program will run under DOS 2.0 or better. The program requires less than 256K and is compatible with both color and monochrome monitors. A graphics card is not needed. If you have a color monitor, but prefer to play the game in black and white, enter LABELLE/B at the DOS prompt. A reminder of this switch is provided if you play on a color monitor. This new feature with Release 3.0 was added in response to a problem reported by a user. If you want to start playing, go ahead. 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. ************************************************************************** * RULES * ************************************************************************** The layout consists of a tableau and a foundation. When the game begins, all 52 cards are shuffled and dealt into 17 piles of three cards each and one pile with 1 card. This is the tableau. Four foundation piles appear above the tableau as the game progresses. The object of the game is to move all the cards from the tableau piles to the foundation piles. Only the top, or right-most, card in each tableau pile is available for play. Any available card may be played either to a foundation pile, or moved within the tableau. Foundation piles start with Aces and build in ascending order (two, three, four, etc.), according to suit. Cards moved within the tableau may only be played to the top card of another tableau pile in descending order, according to suit. Thus, the seven of spades goes on the eight of spades, the six on the seven, and so forth. Kings may only be played to their respective foundation piles. Kings cannot be moved among the tableau piles. When no more moves are possible or moves would be fruitless, you may reshuffle the cards in the tableau. You are allowed two re-shuffles. After the second re-shuffle, you are allowed a one-time option. On the first move, you may draw any card from the tableau and move it to any legal space in the foundation or the tableau. This is the only time you can move a card that is not on the top of a pile in the tableau. ************************************************************************** * HOW TO MOVE CARDS * ************************************************************************** The card to be moved is designated by a two character notation. The ace of clubs is AC. The two of spades is 2S. The ten of hearts is TH. The jack of diamonds is JD. The queen of hearts is QH. The king of clubs is KC. You must hit the ENTER key at the end of the input. You may use the backspace key to erase. When you select a card, the computer will first attempt to move it to a foundation. If this is not possible, the computer will then search the tableau for a legal move. If no move is possible, the computer will let you know you have made a mistake. For example, if you enter TC and the ten of clubs is available for play, the computer will first check the clubs pile in the foundation. If the nine of clubs is the top card, the ten will be moved on the nine. If the nine of clubs is not on the foundation pile, the computer will search the top card of the tableau piles. If the jack of clubs is on top of a pile, the ten will be moved there. If a card can be moved to a foundation pile, the computer will scan the tableau looking for the next eligible card in that suit. Thus, if the ten of clubs can be placed on the nine in the foundation, the computer will look for the jack of clubs. If the jack is available (i.e. on the top of a tableau pile), the jack will also be moved to the foundation. The computer will keep searching for and moving cards in sequence until the next card is no longer available. The automatic move feature has been provided because there is no reason to leave a card in the tableau if the card can be moved to the foundation. The automatic move feature saves many keystrokes during the course of play. ************************************************************************** * HOW TO FIND CARDS * ************************************************************************** A new feature has been added with Release 3.0. If you designate a card in the tableau to be moved, and the card cannot be moved anywhere, the card will be highlighted on the screen by a small arrow appearing above the card for a second or so. This feature was included because the game calls for a considerable amount of searching for cards. When there are a lot of cards on the screen, it can be difficult to spot the card you want. The computer will now find the card for you. But you must be careful. If you enter a card that can be moved, the computer will move it. If you are still thinking and haven't made up your strategy yet, this can be a big mistake. Since it is relatively simply to see the cards on the top of a pile, you should scan the piles before using the highlight feature. This will be easier than it sounds once you have played the game a few times. You may, of course, ignore the card finding feature if you find it to be confusing or disruptive. ************************************************************************** * OTHER COMMANDS * ************************************************************************** To shuffle the deck, enter S at the prompt. For help, enter H at the prompt. To quit the game, enter Q. The Q command will bring up another menu that allows you to exit to DOS, start a new hand, or return to the existing game. All entries can be in upper or lower case. Illegal keystrokes are not recognized by the program. If you make an illegal entry, the program will let you know with a light click and an error message. The message disappears on its own after a second and a fraction. ************************************************************************** * STRATEGY * ************************************************************************** Move all available cards to the foundations immediately. When moving a card within the tableau, consider how the move might block other important cards. The basic strategy is to THINK and PLAN AHEAD. Remember that you can't move kings except to a foundation. Thus, a card under a king is generally blocked, at least for a while. Identify blocked cards and learn how to use them to some advantage. The free move after the last re-shuffle must be selected with great care. Any card blocked by a king of the same suit must be moved or the game cannot be won. If two such cards are blocked, then failure is assured. The original documentation suggests that a good player will win about ten percent of the time. I haven't kept track of my results, but you should be able to do that well after you get the hang of the game. The scoring for each hand is totally artificial. The highest score possible is 100. It was added in order to provide an incentive to play after the last shuffle reveals that winning is not possible. Some players report that they like to maintain a particular average score. When you win a game, the computer also offers an audible cheer. If you are able to win without using one or both of the available shuffles, an extra cheer or two is provided. ************************************************************************** * HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM * ************************************************************************** This program started its existence as an interpreted BASIC program. The original author (George Leotti) rewrote the interpreted program using QuickBASIC 4.0. Because of the speed of the compiled version, it no longer needed an assist from machine language to display the cards quickly, (as did the interpreted version). The original compiled version was released in July 1988, along with the source code. I found LABELLE.ARC on a Washington, DC, bulletin board in October, 1988. I liked the game so much that I decided to rewrite it to make it easier to play. I reduced the required keystrokes for input by half, made the program a bit more efficient, rewrote the opening and help screens, and eliminated the need for color graphics. This allows the game to be played on just about any monitor. I also added an audible prompt at the second re-shuffle. This will remind you that a special option is available. There is also a visual prompt, but it is easily overlooked. The audible prompt is more noticeable. Version 4.0 contains a few small changes to the help screen and the sounds. A new closing screen was added. Also, the source code for both versions is no longer being distributed due to lack of interest. The code remains in the public domain. If you want the code, please contact me. Note, however, that the program now uses the PROBAS library of QuickBASIC programming tools. PROBAS is a product of Hammerly Computer Services in Laurel, Maryland. If you don't have PROBAS, you will not be able to recompile the revised version. The original author distributed a document file with his program. This file is based in part on his document. I am responsible for any errors or omissions in this document or in the revised program. *************************************************************************** * FEEDBACK * *************************************************************************** If you find any errors in the program or the documentation, please let me know. Please be as specific as possible in describing the problem. I would also appreciate any other comments -- favorable or unfavorable -- from users. All suggestions will be considered. Authors of public domain programs do not ask you to pay for their work. A little feedback would be nice. If you find a bug or make a suggestion that I adopt, I will send you a copy of the new version. ************************************************************************** * 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. Gellman Software disclaims all warranties, either express or implied. In no event shall Gellman Software be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of the use of or inability to use this program. The program is placed in the public domain. Therefore, it may be used or modified without any restriction. Please upload the program along with this documentation on computer bulletin boards anywhere. No registration or other fee is owed to the authors. Other Gellman Software products are freeware but are copyrighted. These other programs 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 written permission from Gellman Software is $6.00. This restriction does not apply to La Belle Lucie because it is in the public domain. Gellman Software asks that software distributors comply with the same restrictions regardless. ************************************************************************** * OTHER GELLMAN SOFTWARE PROGRAMS * ************************************************************************** As of the date of this file, Gellman Software has released these freeware games: POKER567 - Head to Head Draw Poker (freeware) 1POKER14 - Poker Solitaire (freeware) CALC14 - Calculation Solitaire (freeware) LABELLE4 - La Belle Lucie Solitaire (public domain) SIXLTR41 - Six Letter Word Game (freeware) The last two programs were coauthored by other programmers. In addition, Gellman Software has published two shareware programs: SPRM33 - STOCK PORTFOLIO RECORD MANAGER (shareware) This program stores, manipulates, and prints records needed to manage a portfolio of stocks. STOCK PORTFOLIO RECORD MANAGER totally replaces or supplements paper records. It provides powerful reports about your portfolio, transactions, and dividends. Both laser and dot matrix printers are supported. Anyone who has investments in the stock or bond markets should consider using this program. HBRM11 - HOME BASIS RECORD MANAGER (shareware) If you own a house, condominium, cooperative, house trailer, or any type of residence, you need HOME BASIS RECORD MANAGER. This program will help you keep track of the basis (or cost) of your home. This information is vital when you sell your home. By using the HOME BASIS RECORD MANAGER, you can be certain that you will have all the information necessary to minimize the taxes due on the profits from the sale of your home. 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. The bulletin board that is the home base for the shareware programs is THE MARKET in Potomac, Maryland. The number of THE MARKET is 301-299-8667. All users of THE MARKET must be registered on that system. This means that you cannot download on your first call. Copies of all programs are available from Gellman Software. Send a self-addressed, stamped mailer and disk to the address on the first page. State which programs you want. IMPORTANT: Please indicate if you know how to handle ZIP archives. If you want all programs, send one 1.2 Meg disk, two 360K disks if you can unZIP, or three 360K disks if you do not understand ZIP archives. There is no charge if you supply the disk, the mailer, and the postage.