The Game Master (3rd Edition)

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========================== | | | | | Simple Pleasures | | | | | ========================== Version 1.00 Copyright 1992 By Randy Rasa 18215 Troost Olathe, KS 66062-9208 Introduction ------------ Simple Pleasures is a collection of six challenging and addictive solitaire games in one easy-to-play, integrated program. All the games share a smooth, elegant, and consistent push-button interface and the same powerful, enjoyable features. Why is it called "Simple Pleasures"? 1. The games are "simple" because they all share one basic, overriding rule: cards are removed in groups that add up to a particular number, in this case 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. These games are all members of the "simple addition" family of solitaires. 2. The games are "pleasures" because they're fun to play, of course! Some of these games are pure exercises in luck, while others require great skill and concentration. They are all quite addictive and enjoyable. A few of the many features of Simple Pleasures are the following: - A flexible multi-player capability that can accommodate up to ten player's statistics and preferences. - A five-level undo capability - A "move alert" option lets the player know if any more moves are possible. - A "Hint" button. - Fully-configurable screen background and border colors. - Eight full-color card back designs to choose from. - Enhanced sound options. Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 2 Legalese -------- Simple Pleasures is shareware. As such, you can play it, copy it, and give it away as you wish. In fact, you are encouraged to pass along the shareware version of this program to friends, family, and strangers alike. This includes distribution via electronic bulletin board systems (BBS), user's groups, and disk-distribution services. All that I ask is that the package remains unaltered and complete, consisting of the following files: SP.EXE SP.DOC SP.ICO SP.PIF SPPIC1.PIC SPPIC2.PIC SPPIC3.PIC SPPIC4.PIC SPPIC5.PIC SPPIC6.PIC SPPIC7.PIC SPPIC8.PIC SPPIC10.PIC SPPIC11.PIC SPPIC12.PIC SPPIC13.PIC SPPIC14.PIC SPPIC15.PIC CARDS.CD1 CARDS.CD2 FILE_ID.DIZ Standard Limited Warranty: This software is sold "as is", without any warranty as to performance or any other warranties whether expressed or implied. Because of the vast number of possible hardware and software environments in which this software may be used, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. The user assumes the entire risk of using this program. Any liability of the author will be limited to product replacement or the refund of the registration fee. Credits ------- Concept, Design, and Programming: Randy Rasa Beta Testers: Bruce Findlay, Jay McDaniels, Laura Rasa Programming Tools: Microsoft Corporation: QuickBASIC 4.5 Crescent Software: QuickPak Professional Milestone Software: GFONTS DB/Soft Publishing: InstallPro Solitaire Reference: The Complete Book of Solitaire and Patience Games, Albert H. Morehead & Geoffrey Mott-Smith Special Thanks To: Laura, who helps out with the orders, and makes it all worthwhile. In Memory of my brother, Kenny, 1971-1991. Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 3 Registration ------------ Simple Pleasures is shareware. If you enjoy it, please support it. Registration is only $15, which gets you the latest registered version on the diskette of your choice, plus a "Hints & Strategy" booklet and a registration code good for all future updates of Simple Pleasures. The "Hints & Strategy" booklet is intended as a supplement to this document, and contains numerous hints for playing the games, along with strategy tips and some background on each of the games. The registration code allows you to change a program from a shareware version to a registered version. Essentially, what this buys you is unlimited "free" updates. If you acquire a newer version of Simple Pleasures from a bulletin board (BBS) or through a shareware disk distributor, you can convert the shareware version of the game to a registered version for your own use. To register, print the registration form from the initial shareware screen and send it in. To print the form, simply select the "Register ..." button, then select a destination, either to a printer or a file. If you elect to send the form to a printer, make sure it is on-line and ready. The form should print on any standard 80-column printer. If you want to save the form to a file, the file "ORDER.FRM" will be created in the current directory. You can then print out the registration form by entering the following command from the DOS prompt (with your printer connected and ready): COPY ORDER.FRM PRN Then just fill out the form and send it, along with cash, check or money order, to: Randy Rasa 18215 Troost Olathe, KS 66062-9208 When you order Simple Pleasures, you can also get a registered copy of Solitaire Suite (a $15.00 value) for only ten bucks more. Solitaire Suite is my original collection of seven addictive solitaires: Calculation, Concentration, Idiot's Delight, Midnight Oil, Monte Carlo, Osmosis, and Royal Cotillion. If you like Simple Pleasures, I'm sure you'd enjoy Solitaire Suite as well. I urge you to give it a try. Registered Users Of Solitaire Suite: If you're a registered user of any of my earlier games, I'll send you updated versions of all the games in the Solitaire Suite collection absolutely free when you register Simple Pleasures. Just write a note in the space provided on the registration form, to remind me that you're a registered user. Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 4 Program Requirements -------------------- Simple Pleasures requires approximately requires 512K of memory, EGA or higher graphics capability, and a Microsoft-compatible mouse. A hard disk is recommended. The files included in the Simple Pleasures package are: SP.EXE ......... Simple Pleasures program SP.DOC ......... Simple Pleasures documentation SP.PIF ......... Windows PIF (Program Information File) SP.ICO ......... Windows icon SPPICxx.PIC .... Simple Pleasures graphics files (1-8, 10-15) CARDS.CD1 ...... Card Graphics CARDS.CD2 ...... Card Graphics FILE_ID.DIZ .... Program description The only required files are the executable (SP.EXE) and the graphics files (CARDS.CD* and SPPIC*.PIC). The remainder of the files may be deleted if you're short on disk space. Shareware vs. Registered Versions --------------------------------- The shareware version of Simple Pleasures is not crippled in any way -- it is complete and fully functional. The only difference between the shareware and registered versions is that the shareware version displays a "beg screen" each time you run the program. This is just a gentle reminder that Simple Pleasures is shareware, and that if you play it you really should register it. You can also print the registration form from this screen by clicking on the "Register ..." button and selecting a destination for the form. Click on the "Play" button to erase the shareware screen and get on with the game. The First Time You Play ----------------------- When you run the program for the first time, you will be asked to enter your name, then you'll be shown the help and option menus (described elsewhere in this document). Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 5 The Player Selection Menu ------------------------- Simple Pleasures can accommodate up to ten players, keeping separate statistics and preferences for each player. The player selection menu provides an easy way to choose and manage the players. The player's names are shown along the left-hand side of the menu, with the currently-selected player's name highlighted and the statistics for that player displayed at the bottom of the screen. The order of the names in the list will vary, with the current player at the top and the least- used player at the bottom. To select a new player, simply point and click on the desired name (the highlight will move to that name and the stats will be updated) and then click on the "OK" button. The screen background and border colors will immediately change to the colors associated with the new player. The player selection menu is also a handy place to view and compare statistics for different players. Just point and click on a player's name to see that player's stats. You can click on the "Cancel" button to exit the menu. Clicking on the "Add Player" button brings up a dialog box where you can enter the new player's name, or press the "Esc" key to cancel. Note that if you try to add a player when the menu is already full, the program will beep and inform you that it cannot accommodate more than ten players. If you really want to add a new player, you'll have to delete an old one first. When you click on the "Delete Player" button, you'll be prompted to "Select a player to delete ...". Simply point to one of the names on the list and click the left mouse button. The player will be eradicated immediately. You can press the "Esc" key or the right mouse button to cancel. Clicking on the "Help" button will display a short summary of how to use the player selection menu. The player selection menu will be displayed automatically when the program is run (if there is more than one player to choose from), or can be accessed by selecting the "Change Player" button on the main menu screen. Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 6 The Help Menu ------------- The on-line help can be accessed by clicking on the "Help" button. You can page through the help text by clicking on the "Next" and "Prev" buttons, or exit by selecting the "Done" button. Clicking the "Help" button from the main menu brings up information common to all the games, while the help screens in each of the individual games provides assistance specific to the current game. The Options Menu ---------------- You can access the options menu by selecting the "Options" button from the main menu or from within any of the games. The parameters you can set from the options menu are: Sound Effects: The options here are "Sound Disabled", "Beeps & Blips", and "Beeps, Blips, & Tunes". The first choice is pretty obvious -- if sound is disabled the program will be absolutely quiet. The other two choices might be thought of as partial and full sound, the only difference being that the "beeps, blips, and tunes" option will play some music when you win or lose a game. Session Statistics: If this is enabled, a box will pop up when you exit a game informing you of your "session stats" (i.e. how well you did during that round of games). Move Alert: If this is enabled, the program will alert you that more moves are possible. This is handy for those of use who are sometimes too lazy to pay attention to the actual cards. Card Back: Simple Pleasures allows you to choose from several designs for the card back graphics. To select a new back, just point at it and click the left mouse button. Background Color: There are 64 choices for the background color -- just click on the up-arrow and down-arrow to cycle through the numbers until you find one that appeals to you. Border Color: As with the background color, you can select from 64 possibilities by using the up and down arrows next to the number. To accept and save all of the current option settings, click on the "OK" button. The "Cancel" button exits the menu without changing anything, and the final button in the option menu, "Clear Scores ...", invokes the menu described in the next paragraph. Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 7 The Clear Scores Menu --------------------- This menu allows you to clear the scores for any or all of the games, and for one or all of the players. You can click on the buttons next to the game numbers to select the games to clear. The "OK" button clears the scores you have selected, the "Cancel" button exits without changing anything, and the "Help" button provides a brief summary of what you can do in the clear scores menu. The Main Menu ------------- The main menu provides a means to select which of the games you want to play, as well as giving you access to the player selection menu, the help menu, the option menu, and a way to exit the game (the "Quit" button). To play a game, simply point the one of the buttons with a games number on it (e.g. 10's) and click the left mouse button. The Games ... ------------- The six games in Simple Pleasures all share certain common features and attributes. For one thing, they all share the same goal: to discard all the cards. Of course, each game goes about that in a slightly different way, but they're all based on the concept of removing groups of cards whose sum matches the titles of the games (for example, in 10's you removed pairs that total ten). In addition to sharing similar rules and goals, each game uses the same interface, with the same on-screen buttons and objects. These are: The Deck Box: This box displays the card back, the card faces as they're dealt, and the number of cards remaining in the deck. The "Move Alert" Box: This status box is displayed if the "move alert" option is enabled, and if any more moves are possible in the current game. The "Hint" Button: In case you become confused or stuck, clicking on this button will show you one possible move. It will not show every move, and it may not show the optimal move, but it will show you a move that you can make. The "Undo" Button: Click on this button to take back your last move. Simple Pleasures remembers your last five moves and allows you to recall them. This button can definitely be abused, but is intended as a sort of safety net for careless or ill-advised moves. Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 8 The "Same Hand" Button: If the current game comes to an impasse, and you can see that you're going to lose, but think back and say "if only I'd made a different choice ten moves back I could have won", give this button a try. The game you just played will still count against you, but instead of dealing a new hand, with new cards, you'll be given another chance at the hand you just lost. The "New Hand" Button: Click here to concede a hand and deal a new one in it's place. If you haven't started a game (i.e. if the score is zero), you can deal a new hand without having the current game count against you. Use this if the initial hand doesn't look too promising. The "Options" Button: Works the same as described earlier in this document. The "Help" Button: Works the same as described earlier in this document, except that game-specific, rather than general, help is provided. The "Main Menu" Button: Click here to return to the main menu. If the "session statistics" option is enabled, your session stats for the current game will be displayed. The "Exit To DOS" Button: Click here to quit Simple Pleasures without going through the main menu. If the "session statistics" option is enabled, your session stats for the current game will be displayed. The Score Box: This box displays your current score (the number of cards you've discarded), the number of games you've played, the number you've won (and percentage won), and your average score. Clicking on the score box will bring up the session stats box. Simple Pleasures is almost entirely mouse-driven, and uses the mouse buttons as follows: Left Mouse Button: Used to select the object being pointed to (normally a card or a button). Right Mouse Button: Normally this is used as an "Esc" key to exit a menu or dialog box. Middle Mouse Button: If you're using a three-button mouse, this button can be used to blank the screen. This can also be accomplished by pressing the left and right buttons simultaneously. Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 9 How to Play 10's ---------------- The layout is three rows of five columns each, and the object is to remove pairs of lower cards totaling ten, regardless of suit. The upper cards (10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings) are removed in quartets of the same rank. How to Play 11's ---------------- The layout is three rows by three columns, and the object is to discard pairs of cards totaling eleven. Face cards are discarded in triplets -- one Jack, one Queen, and one King, of any suits. How to Play 12's ---------------- The cards are dealt into eight piles of six cards each, with the remaining four cards going into a column on the right. The object is to remove pairs of cards totalling twelve (Jacks counting as 11). Queens and Kings are removed in pairs. Only the top card of each pile is available for play, and once a space is created, it may not be filled. How to Play 13's ---------------- The cards are arranged as three columns of five cards each, and as cards are removed from the layout, cards "fall" into the holes, and new cards are dealt in from the top. Cards are discarded in pairs that total thirteen, with Jacks counting as 11, and Queens as 12. Kings are removed singly. Pairs to be discarded must be adjacent, either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. When the entire deck has been dealt, and one of the columns becomes empty, you may move a card from the top of one of the remaining columns into the empty space. To do so, simply select the card to move, then click where you want to move it. How to Play 14's ---------------- The initial layout is five cards at the top of the screen (which expand into columns as more cards are dealt) and two at the bottom. The top card of each column, and the two cards at the bottom, are available for play. Remove pairs totaling fourteen, with Jacks counting as 11, Queens as 12, and Kings as 13. When all possible moves have been made, click on the deck to deal another five cards. If a space is created, the top of any other pile may be moved into the opening. The two cards at the bottom may only be used once. Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 10 How to Play 15's ---------------- The layout is three rows of four cards, and the object is to remove groups of cards that total fifteen. Only the lower cards are available to be grouped into fifteens. 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are removed in quartets of the same suit. Running Under Windows --------------------- Simple Pleasures, while not a Microsoft Windows program, can be run from Windows. The program must be run in full-screen mode and if you're running in 386 enhanced mode the "High Graphics" (under Advanced Options ... Display Options ... Monitor Ports in the PIF editor) should be turned off. The included SP.PIF file should help. In addition, adding the following two lines to the [386enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file may help improve performace of Simple Pleasures under Windows: TrapTimerPorts=off SyncTime=on I've also included a Simple Pleasures icon (SP.ICO) which you can use in the Program Manager. There's not room for all the details of setting up this program for Windows, but you should be able to figure it out. Command-Line Options -------------------- /NC -- "No Cheat" option disables the F10 (abort) key. Use this if you find yourself unable to resist temptation. /Rxxx -- This option is used to convert the shareware version of Simple Pleasures to a registered version. Refer to the "How To Use The Registration Code" section of this document for more information. /SW -- This option is used to convert a registered version to a shareware version. filename.ext -- This option is for alternate data files (see discussion below). Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 11 Alternate Data Files -------------------- Unless otherwise specified, Simple Pleasures uses SP.DAT as the name of the data file containing preferences and statistics for up to ten players. Normally, this is all you'll ever need, but in case you have more than ten players, you can provide the name of an alternate data file on the command line. This also might be useful if several different groups of players want to use the same copy of SP, for example in a classroom situation. As a fer'instance, suppose three families each wanted to keep separate data files. The Smith family could run the program with "SP SMITH.DAT" to use a data file called "SMITH.DAT", while the Jones family would start SP with "SP JONES.DAT" and the Foster's would use "SP FOSTER.DAT". The file extension does not have to be "DAT" -- it can be whatever you want, as long as it is three letters of less. Program Revision History ------------------------ Version Date Description of Changes ------- -------- --------------------------------------------------- 1.00 06-30-92 First Public Release Scoring ------- What is considered a good score? Good question, and one I don't have a definitive answer to. All I can really do is report what I've exper- ienced while playing the games myself. These are my current stats: Game Games Played Games Won Winning % Average Score ------ ------------ --------- --------- ------------- 10's 105 28 26.67% 24.3429 11's 105 25 23.81% 23.9238 12's 105 30 28.57% 37.4095 13's 105 22 20.95% 30.6000 14's 105 26 24.76% 34.4571 15's 105 19 18.10% 24.4857 These scores may be lofty goals or objects of derision, or maybe even a fairly decent average -- I don't know. If you are interested in improving your scores, I want to remind you that when you register you'll receive the "Hints & Strategy" booklet. I can't guarantee that it will make you an expert, but it might. Simple Pleasures Documentation Page 12 How To Use The Registration Code (Registered Users Only!) --------------------------------------------------------- This section describes the procedure that is used to convert a shareware version of Simple Pleasures to a registered version. It can only be used after the player has sent in the registration form to the author and paid the registration fee. As part of the registration package provided by the author, the player receives a "registration code". The shareware version of Simple Pleasures may be converted to a registered version by running the program with an "/R" command-line switch, followed by the registration code, like this: SP /Rxxx You would, of course use the proper registration code in place of the "xxx". Note also that there should be no space between the "R" and the registration code. After running the game with the /R switch and the proper code, you'll have a brand-spanking new registered version of the program. What this essentially amounts to is unlimited, free updates with each registration! The registration procedure has the following restrictions: 1. The name of the EXE files must be SP.EXE. 2. You cannot perform the registration procedure on a compressed version (i.e. an EXE file processed with PKLite, Diet, or LZEXE). The EXE file may be compressed after the registration procedure, but not before. 3. Please do not distribute registered versions of the programs. Note: You can also change the program back to a shareware version by using the "/SW" command-line switch. This function is subject to the same restrictions as the registration procedure (i.e. the program must be properly named and uncompressed). Please use this option to "un-register" the program if you wish to pass it along to anyone. Also, please include all of the files listed under the "Legalese" section of this document. Thanks. >>> THE END <<<