Software of the Month Club 1996 May/Software of the Month Club 1996 May.iso/mac/ISO9660/ZIPFILES/SEAHAVEN.ZIP/SeaHaven.HL_/SeaHaven.HLP

OS/2 Help File | 1994-11-24 | 18.9 KB | 398 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Extended help for Seahaven Towers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Seahaven Towers Overview:

Seahaven Towers is a solitaire type card game designed to be played by one
person.  Much of this game was modeled after a game by the same name written
for the Apple Macintosh by Art Cabral and the Longwood Associates.

Related information:

     Object of the Game
     Board Setup
     Rules of the Game
     Options
     Keyboard Short Cuts
     Unregistered Version Differences
     About SeaHaven Towers for OS/2
     Future Possibilities
     Revision History


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Object of the Game ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The object of SeaHaven Towers is to pile all of the cards in suit and in
increasing order starting with the aces.  This is done by moving cards about
the columns and towers.  The game ends when either all four stacks are complete
(ace through king)  or when the player gives up.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Board Setup ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The board has three distinct areas of play.  The first area is the set of
columns located in the lower section of the playing window.  The second is the
set of Towers located in the top center section.  To either side of the towers
are the ace stacks.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Rules of the Game ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The rules of the game are fairly simple:

   1. Cards can only be dragged onto cards of like suit. (hearts onto hearts,
      spades onto spades, etc...)

   2. Cards dragged onto an ace stack must be the successor to the one already
      there except for the ace which starts the ace stack. (example: a three of
      hearts can be placed onto the two of hearts)

   3. Cards dragged about the columns must be the predessessor of the card it's
      being dragged onto. (example: the two of hearts can only be placed on the
      three of hearts)  The exception to this is Kings which can only be placed
      in empty columns.

   4. The towers can each hold one card.  That card can be any card, but it
      must be removed before another card is added.

   5. Only one card can be dragged at a time.  You can use the towers to
      temporarily store cards to drag more than one card.  If there are empty
      towers, multiple cards can be dragged, but only up to the number of empty
      towers.  For example, if there are two empty towers, three cards can be
      dragged.  What this does is make it more convenient to play.  By the
      general rules of the game, you would normally have to drag the two cards
      up to the towers, move the third card, and then drag the two down from
      the towers again.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Seahaven Towers contains several options that can be controlled by the Options
notebook page.  These options include:

     Quick Cards
     Sound
     Show Scores
     Scale Cards
     Sequential Games
     Empty Column Card
     Fast Draw
     Multi-User
     Freecell

 The other pages in the Options notebook are Undo  and Game Type.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Quick Cards ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This option allows the player to toggle whether or not the computer
automatically pulls eligible cards up to the ace stacks.  This is a big time
saver type option.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Sound ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This option toggles a beep that occurs whenever the computer does something
automatically such as during an undo or quick card process.  This is highly
useful so you know exactly when a card is being moved.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.3. Show Scores ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This option toggles whether the scores are displayed at the end of each game.
The shareware version only keepes track of of the current winning or loseing
streak. The registered version also keeps track of the longest winning and
losing streak and total number of games won and lost.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.4. Scale Cards ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This option controls how extra pixels are taken care of on high resolution
displays.  With this option turned on, the cards are scaled with the spaces
between columns remaining constant.  With this option off, the card size
remains constant and the spaces are changed.  This allows the users to be able
to play on high resolution displays without having to strain to see the tiny
cards.  When this option is changed, it will take a few seconds to reload the
cards.  With it turned on, it also takes a few seconds to reload when the
window size is changed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.5. Fast Draw ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This option dramatically speeds up the drawing during the dealing and
autoplaying. Some people, myself included, like to have the effect of watching
the cards being dealt one by one.  Others prefer to have it just be put up as
fast as possible.  This option hopefully allows everyone to be happy.  Note
that this option has little effect on slow computers.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.6. Empty Column Card ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This options enables/disables the display of a blank card in empty columns.
This makes it easier to see how many empty columns there are.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.7. Sequential Games ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When a new game is called for, the game number can be chosen in one of two
ways. With this option set, the current game number is just incremented by one.
Otherwise, a random value is generated.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.8. Multi-User ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If more than one person is using the game, this option could be very
convienient. If enabled, the game creates a section in the INI file for each
player to store their scores and settings.  When the game starts, the user is
prompted to log in.  This feature allows new users to try playing without
messing up the original players stats. That was the basic reason for adding
this feature.  My roomates kept ruining my stats by losing games.  This option
also enables the Login funtion under the Filie menu so that the user can be
changed in the middle of a game.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.9. Freecell ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Freecell option switches the rules of the game from the normal SeaHaven
Rules to the rules use in Freecell, the game shipped by Microsoft  with the
Win32s libraries.  By these rules, a card can be dragged onto a card of the
opposite color, but in the normal SeaHaven sequence.  For example, the 5 of
hearts can be placed onto the 6 of clubs or the 6 of spades.  The other changed
rule is that any card can be dragged to an empty column, not just a king. These
usually make the game easier, so Freecell is normally played with 8 columns, 4
towers, deal to the columns.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.10. Undo ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

There are two types of undo in Seahaven Towers.  The first type is Undo Last.
This type of undo only undoes the last move made by the player along with all
of the automatic moves made by the computer caused by that player move. (If
Quick Cards is enabled.)

The other type of undo is Undo many. This type of undo brings up a dialog box
with a slider in it.  This slider can be used to undo/redo actions all the way
up to the start of the game.

The Undo page in the Options notebook can be used to set the actions performed
by each of the four methods of activating Undo.  (CTRL-U, menu, left undo
button, and right undo button)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.11. Game Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SeaHaven Towers can be dealt out in different ways to make the game easier or
harder depending on the individual.  To make the game easier, more towers can
added as well as more columns.  Also, the extra cards that are normally dealt
to the empty towers can be dealt to the columns.  Conversely, columns and
towers can be taken away to make the game more challenging, and maybe even
impossble.

While the game can be customized to have anywhere between 2 and 6 towers and
between 6 and 12 columns, there are three buttons which set these values to
preassigned values.  The EASY button selects 12 columns and 6 towers with extra
cards being to the columns to maximize the number of empty towers at the start
of the game.  The HARD button selects 8 columns and 4 towers with extra cards
being dealt to the towers, filling them completely. The NORMAL button selects
10 columns and four towers, with the two extra cards half filling the towers.
(This is the default game)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Keyboard Short Cuts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In general, SeaHaven Towers must be played with a mouse.  But there are a few
keyboard commands to help make things a little easier.  They are :

 CTRL-N    New Game

 CTRL-R    Repeat Game

 CTRL-U    perform Undo action

 ALT-F4    Quit SeaHaven Towers


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Unregistered Version Differences ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The only difference between the registered and unregistered versions is that
the scores are not kept in the unregistered version.  This does not hamper the
playing of the game in any way so you can still play the game for the complete
trial period of 30 days. See also Registration Information.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. Registration Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SeaHaven Towers for OS/2 v2.2 is not freeware.  All though you are highly
encouraged to distribute the program to anybody, if you continue to use the
program after a trial period of 30 days, you are required to send in a
registration fee of whatever you feel is appropriate. (suggested $15(US))

Advantages af registration:

   1. All scores are kept track of when a game is lost or won.

   2. Free updates and bug fixes.

   3. I'm encouraged to write more and better programs which in turn benefits
      you because you get more and better programs.

   4. Your conscience is relieved from the burdens of using unregistered
      software.

 Now you should be asking "How do I register?"  Well, the answer to that is
 simple.  Send the registration fee, check or money order preferred, to:

  J. Daniel Kulp
  2257 Fillmore Avenue
  Deltona, Florida  32725
  United States of America

  This is my permanent home address (AKA - parents) and sometimes mail sent
 there does not get forwarded to me for about a month.  Until August 1995, it
 might be quicker to mail it to my school address:

  J. Daniel Kulp
  14 Roseland St.
  Dorchester, MA  02124
  United States of America

 Also include your name and address so that I can send you a a registration
 number which can be used to register all future versions of SeaHaven Towers
 for OS/2.  If you send me an internet e-mail address, I can send you the
 number via e-mail letting you get it quicker and saving myself the postage.

 I have also put it on Compuserve in the OS2SHARE forumn.  It can also be
 registered on-line, in which case I'll send you a registration number via
 compuserve e-mail in very few days. Anyway, my Compuserve ID is 75052,1436 if
 you need to contact me on there.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. About Seahaven Towers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

  SeaHaven Towers for OS/2

     Written by J. Daniel Kulp

     E-Mail: [e-mail]

     Compuserve: 75052,1436

     Copyright 1994

Please send any bug reports or suggestions to the above e-mail address or
include it with your registration fee.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Future Possibilities ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If the interest is good (AKA- I get a lot of registrations) I hope to
incorporate a few of the following into SeaHaven Towers:

     Clicking the left button on a card would highlite the previous card.
      (example: left clicking on 5 of hearts would highlite the 4 of hearts)
      Right clicking would highlite the next card. (6 of hearts)
     Better and more sound such as MMPM support.
     Better help file. If anyone has suggestions on improving the help file,
      let me know.
     Bug Fixes - I tried to make this as bug free as possible, but little bugs
      do pop up.
     User suggestions.  Heres you chance to help make SeaHaven a better game.
      Let me know what you think could be done to improve it.  In the past
      several months, I have recieved many suggestions that I've tried to work
      in to the game.  Thanks to all those with suggestions.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Revision History ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 1-11-94   Version 1.0 Released!

 1-21-94   Scale spacing between columns.

 1-21-94   Fixed a bug about placing a legal card on the same place it came
           from causes the move to register on the undo stack.

 1-21-94   Added Left/Right Undo Buttons.

 1-22-94   Position of Undo Slider Dialog saved.

 1-22-94   More colorful acestack cards.

 1-22-94   Load/Save variable procedures changed to easily allow updating to
           old INI files to the new format.

 1-26-94   Warning when there are no more moves left.

 1-26-94   Allow setting the actions performed by all four of the Undo methods.

 1-26-94   Moved all options into a notebook.

 1-26-94   [UNREGISTERED] in score dialog box.

 1-31-94   Background color changeable by dropping color from palette.

 2-6-94    Version 1.1 Released!

 3-6-94    Specify random seed to select game.

 3-9-94    Blank card in empty column option.

 3-9-94    Fast draw option.

 3-9-94    Queens, Jacks, and eights redrawn to conform to a Bicycle deck of
           cards.

 3-9-94    Double click moves card to tower except kings which check for an
           empty column first.

 3-10-94   Increased the verticle spacing between cards to make it easier to
           see the suits on the aces.

 3-10-94   Figured out how to make a default Icon instead of just in the
           extended attributes.

 3-11-94   Scale cards instead of spaces.  Allows for small windows as well as
           large.

 3-11-94   Changed "No moves left" dialog to "No significant moves left."
           Kings being moved from a column by itself to an empty column is not
           significant.

 3-16-94   Ability to drag from the edge of a card and not just the center.

 3-16-94   Smoother start of dragging. (less card flicker)

 3-21-94   Made the dropping of the card on a column not quite so picky.  I the
           mouse pointer is on the left half of the card, if the move isn't
           legal, it will also check the column to the left.

 3-23-94   Drag multiple cards if there are empty spacesin the towers.

 3-23-94   Double clicking on a card checks an acestack if quick cards is not
           selected.

 7-8-94    Sequential games option.

 8-16-94   Multi-User Capability.  Each player has own scores, settings, and
           window positions.

 10-10-94  Version 2.0 Released!

 10-31-94  User selectable number of columns and towers.

 11-5-94   Freecell rules added as an option.

 11-8-94   Version 2.1 Released!

 11-18-94  Larger cards created to improve the appearance on 1024x768 and
           higher screens.

 11-23-94  Version 2.2 Released!


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. User Login ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog allows the user to specify who they are so that their stats can be
loaded.  This list box contains a list of all the currently defined players.
Select the user and click on OK.  The DEFAULT user is the person who is used
when loaded in single user mode.  To create a new player, select the NEW PLAYER
button.