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Solitaire Suite, Version 1.16
==============================================================================
Copyright 1992-1997 By Randy Rasa
18215 Troost
Olathe, KS 66062-9208
Internet E-Mail: rrasa@sky.net or 105711.3266@compuserve.com
World-Wide Web Page: http://www.sky.net/~rrasa/sw.html
or http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rrasa/sw.html
Compuserve E-Mail: 105711.3266
Compuserve Forum: go GAMESITE, library #5 (Bridge/Card Games)
Installation Instructions
-------------------------
Please read the contents of VENDINFO.DIZ for the following information:
- The "READ-ME" section contains a brief introduction to Solitaire Suite.
- The "Packing List" section shows all the files that you should have
received as part of Solitaire Suite. If any files are missing, contact the
author for a complete program.
- The "Installation" section provides complete instructions for installing
Solitaire Suite to your hard disk.
- The "Warranty" and "License" sections provide some boring but necessary
legal mumbo-jumbo that you really should read. Executive Summary:
Solitaire Suite is shareware. If you enjoy it, please support it by
registering.
Hardware Requirements
---------------------
Solitaire Suite requires:
1. An IBM PC or compatible computer (80x86) with at least 512K of free
conventional memory. To see if you have enough memory, simply type "MEM"
from the DOS command line.
2. EGA or better graphics capability with at least 256K of video RAM.
This includes EGA, VGA, Super VGA (SVGA), and XGA adapters. Note that
IBM's original VGA video card did not include enough memory to run at
640x350x16.
3. A Microsoft mouse or 100% compatible pointing device. I have tested
this program with both Microsoft and Logitech mice, with excellent
results. I have received reports of other "off-brand" pointing devices
causing problems. If you have a mouse problem, try the following:
- Make sure your mouse driver is being loaded from your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file when your system powers up. This is required even if you run
the program under Windows (which uses its own mouse driver for
Windows programs).
- Make sure you have the latest driver for your mouse. Check with
the mouse manufacturer for details. As of this writing, the latest
Microsoft driver is 9.01, and the latest Logitech is 6.23. Even if
you have a third-party mouse, these drivers will often work fine.
They can be acquired from most BBS's, or from the companies
themselves.
Registration
------------
Solitaire Suite is shareware. If you enjoy it, please support it.
Registration is only $15 for all seven games, which gets you the a
registration code good for all future updates of this program, plus
(optionally) the latest versions of all the games on the diskette of your
choice.
The registration code allow you to change the 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 Solitaire Suite
from my web site, 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, first make sure that your printer is
on-line and ready, then simply click on the "Print Registration Form ..."
button.
If you prefer, the registration form can also be printed manually by entering
the following command from the DOS prompt (with your printer connected and
ready):
COPY SS_FRM.TXT PRN
Then just fill out the form and send it, along with cash, check, money order,
or credit card info to:
Randy Rasa
18215 Troost
Olathe, KS 66062-9208
USA
If you are a member of Compuserve you can register online with the SWREG
service. The registration ID is 15281. You will receive your registration
code by e-mail, usually within 24 to 48 hours. You will not receive a disk.
Program updates can be download off the web pages specified at the top of
this document.
Registration Benefits
---------------------
When you register Solitaire Suite, you will receive:
1. A registration code that allows you to convert the shareware version
of Solitaire Suite to a registered version. This code is good for all
future updates of Solitaire Suite.
2. A diskette containing the latest version of Solitaire Suite (optional,
not included when registering via Compuserve's SWREG).
3. The opportunity to register other programs at substantial discounts.
You get $5 off each extra game you register.
4. The registered version does not have the short delay and "please
register" message when exiting the program.
5. And last but not least, the registered version will stop bugging
you to register at the start of each game. :)
Running Under Windows 3.x or Windows 95
---------------------------------------
Solitaire Suite, while not a Microsoft Windows program, can be run from
Windows 3.1, Windows 95, or Windows NT. The SETUP.EXE program will take care
of setting up a Windows icon for the game.
Under Windows 3.x, use the included SOLSUITE.PIF file if you encounter any
problems. In addition, adding the following two lines to the [386enh]
section of the SYSTEM.INI file may help improve performance:
TrapTimerPorts=off
SyncTime=on
Under Windows 95, these should not be necessary.
Command-Line Options
--------------------
All of the individual games share common command line options:
/NC -- "No Cheat" option disables the F10 (abort) key. Use this if
you find yourself unable to resist temptation.
/LCD -- This option may improve the screen display on monochrome LCD
displays. This option simply changes a few color combinations
to improve contrast on LCDs.
filename.ext -- This option is for alternate data files (see
discussion below).
In addition, SOLSUITE.EXE has the following command line option:
/SW -- Converts all the games back from registered to shareware
versions.
General Instructions
--------------------
The following section describes features and options common to all the games.
Specific game-by-game instructions are explained later.
The mouse pointer will appear as a white arrow with black edges. In general,
the left button is used to select the object being pointed to (a card or a
button), while the right button is used to exit menus or prompts.
If you have a three-button mouse, the middle button will blank the screen.
This can also be accomplished by pressing the left and right buttons
simultaneously.
The "Help" button brings up several pages of information about how to play
the games, which you can view by clicking on the single- or double-arrow
buttons to scroll the display by one line or page at a time. When you are
finished reading the help, click on the "OK" button to exit.
The "Options" button brings up the options menu, which you can use to set
your preferences for both generic and game-specific options. The generic
options are:
Sound: Select "Off" to disable the beeps, clicks, and various other
noises the programs make. Select "On" to enable the sounds.
Session Statistics: When this option is set to "On", the program will
keep track of your statistics (games played, games won, change in average
score) throughout the game and then display them when you quit. (Note:
During play, you can also display the session statistics by clicking on
the score box.) This option does not apply to Concentration.
Background and Border Colors: Click on the up & down arrows to step
through the available choices.
Card Back: Click on the card back graphic to bring up a menu of available
card backs to choose from. This option does not apply to Midnight Oil.
Clear Stats: This button will clear your statistics (i.e. games played
and games won). The change will be displayed immediately, but will only
be written to disk if you click the "OK" button. If you click the
"Cancel" button, your stats will not be cleared.
(Note: In Concentration, the "Clear Stats" button only clears the stats
for the current player -- all other player's stats are not disturbed.)
Once you've set things to your liking, you may click on the "OK" button to
save your preferences to disk, or on the "Cancel" button to exit the Options
menu without changing anything.
The "New Game" button will end the current game, update your statistics, and
start a new game. Note that the stats will only be updated if you have made
moves that increased your score. This allows you to evaluate the layout of
the cards and, if you don't like what you see, to begin a new game without
having it count against you.
Use the "Quit" button to exit the program. If you have made any moves that
increased your score, your statistics will be updated and displayed briefly
before returning you to DOS. Another way to exit the game is to press the
"Abort" key (F10). If you press F10 (and select the "Exit This Program"
option in the pop-up dialog box or press F10 again), the program will quit to
DOS without saving the data file (and thus not giving you a low score if you
have to quit the program in the middle of a game). Of course you realize
this is cheating, don't you?
SOLSUITE.EXE - The Main Menu
----------------------------
The SOLSUITE.EXE program is a graphical front-end menu for all the games in
this collection. It is possible to play the games without the menu (by
simply running each game from the command line), but the menu makes it a bit
easier.
To play a game, just point at one of the game icons and click the left mouse
button. The "About" and "Help" buttons work as you would expect. The
"Options" menu allows you to set the background and border colors for
SOLSUITE.EXE.
SOLSUITE.EXE is also required for printing a registration form, and for
entering the registration code(s).
How To Play ...
---------------
Calculation
-----------
Calculation uses a standard 52-card deck (no jokers). To begin the game the
deck is shuffled, then any ace, two, three, and four are pulled from the
deck and form the start of four foundations. These foundations are built up
according to the following sequence, regardless of suit or color:
A,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K
2,4,6,8,10,Q,A,3,5,7,9,J,K
3,6,9,Q,2,5,8,J,A,4,7,10,K
4,8,Q,3,7,J,2,6,10,A,5,9,K
Cards are turned up from the deck one at a time, and can be played on the
foundations or on any of four wastepiles located just below the foundations.
The top of the wastepiles are always available for play to a foundation, but
once a card is played to a wastepile, it cannot be moved again, except to a
foundation.
The game is won by building all four foundations up to king. The skill
involved in playing Calculation, in addition to just keeping track of what
card goes next on each foundation, is in avoiding covering up a card you'll
need soon with a card that cannot be used for some time, if at all. Kings
are especially troublesome, since they cannot be moved until at least one
foundation has been fully built up.
If the "Easy Mode" option is enabled, you can place cards onto the three
extra card spaces that appear to the right of the four main piles. Each of
these extra spaces can hold only one card each -- they're meant to be used
as a temporary holding area only. Use of this option should improve your
chances!
The general strategy is to build on the wastepiles in descending order, but
the cards are seldom so kind as to allow this to any great degree.
Calculation Options:
Assist: When this is set "On" the next card in each sequence
will be displayed above each foundation to help you keep
track of what comes next.
Easy Mode: When this is set 'On' then four extra card spaces
will be available for play (see discussion above).
Calculation Buttons:
Same Hand: By clicking on this button you can abandon the
current game and redeal the same hand if you want another
crack at it.
Undo: This button allows you to undo (ie: take back) up to ten
moves. You can take back all the moves at once by clicking with
the right mouse button.
Concentration
-------------
The object of the game is to remove all the cards, two at a time, by pairs.
You may select any two cards. As you do so, they will be turned over
(face-up). If they match (that is, if they are of the same rank, regardless
of suit), then they will be removed, otherwise they will be turned back
over.
Some people select cards at random, others move sequentially from one card
to the next in row or column fashion. Either method will certainly work.
Note that this game is the opposite of most in that a low score is
desireable -- you want to be able to remove all cards in as few attempts as
possible. Though becoming proficient at this game is dependent to a large
degree on strengthening your short-term memory, luck plays a role as well.
A good score requires both skill and luck.
Concentration Options:
Multi-Player Mode: Concentration has a option called "Multi-Player Mode",
which enables up to ten people (or one person playing under ten names)
to keep their statistics in the same data file. When this mode is
enabled, you will be presented with a menu at the beginning of each
game, from which you may select an existing player, add a new player, or
delete an old player from the list. Each player's name can be up to
fifteen character long. In addition to keeping separate statistics for
each player, this mode allows a different setup for each player as well.
This means that each player can have his or her own screen color, card
back, and sound selection. When multi-player mode is disabled, the game
will not bring up the player list for each new game. The configuration
options set in this mode will serve as defaults for any new players
which are added in multi-player mode.
Quick Deal: When this is turned on the cards will be dealt a bit faster.
Idiot's Delight
---------------
Idiot's Delight uses a standard 52-card deck (no jokers), with aces ranked
high, above kings. The game is begun by dealing four cards in a row. You
may discard any card that is lower than another card of the same suit. When
no more cards can be removed, deal four more cards onto the remainder of the
previous deal and remove all possible cards. If a pile is completely
depleted, you can move a card from the top of another pile into the space.
If the "easy mode" is enabled, you can also discard a card if it is lower
than the card it is stacked on (and if the cards are of the same suit). For
example, if a pile contained 6,9,K, and Q, the Q could be discarded
because it is lower in value and of the same suit as the K which it
partially covers. This option really increases the strategy required, and
gives you a much better chance to win ... try it!
The game continues in this way, dealing four cards at a time, then removing
all possible cards. The game is won if only the four aces are left at the
end of the game.
Be very careful of which card you move into spaces. The natural inclination
is to move aces into spaces as soon as possible, but often it is advisable
to consider other possibilities, depending on what cards can be freed up
with each move.
If the "Assist" option is enabled, a box will appear above the cards saying
"More Moves Possible" is there is at least one more move available. It
might be a good idea to enable this feature if you find yourself missing
obvious moves once in a while.
Note: The four cards are dealt from the deck by clicking on the card back
(there is no "Deal" button). You can also right-click in an empty area of
the screen to deal.
Idiot's Delight Options:
Assist Option: When this option is turned "On", you will be
alerted when more moves are possible.
Easy Mode: Allows you to remove 'stacked' cards (see discussion
of this option above).
Idiot's Delight Buttons:
Same Hand: By clicking on this button you can abandon the
current game and redeal the same hand if you want another
crack at it.
Undo: This button allows you to undo (ie: take back) up to ten
moves. You can take back all the moves at once by clicking with
the right mouse button.
Monte Carlo
-----------
Monte Carlo uses a standard 52-card deck (no jokers). To begin the game the
deck is shuffled, then dealt face-up, one card at a time, into five rows of
five cards each (the tableau), with the remainder of the deck held in
reserve for later play.
The object of the game is to remove pairs of cards from the tableau. These
cards can be any combination of colors, but must be of the same rank (eg: a
3 of hearts and a 3 of spades), and must be located adjacent to each other
in a row, column or diagonal. Note that the removal of a card does not make
the two cards beside it "adjacent".
After removing all possible pairs, the tableau must be consolidated, which
means that the remaining cards in the tableau must be "backed up" (moved to
the left, then up, keeping the original order) to fill in the blank spaces
created by the removed pairs. Cards from the reserve are then dealt into
the newly- created spaces and the process of removing pairs begins again.
The tableau can be consolidated and re-dealt as many times as necessary.
The game is won when the entire deck has been removed, or lost when no more
moves can be made.
The Undo feature can be used to "un-remove" cards (that is, to return them
to the screen sfter they've been removed). The program keeps an undo buffer
that contains all the cards that have been removed since the last deal. You
can pull these cards back into play by pressing the right mouse button or
clicking on the "Undo" button. The buffer is "last-in-first-out" -- the
last cards you've removed from the screen will be the first cards returned.
The only limitation to the undo feature is that it cannot go back further
than the last deal. So once you remove some cards and press "Deal", they're
gone for good.
Monte Carlo Buttons:
Deal: This button will initiate a re-deal, in which the cards remaining in
the tableau are consolidated, and new cards are dealt from the reserve.
Hint: Selecting this button will cause the program to step through all
the possible pairs in the tableau. After each pair is displayed, you
will be asked to continue (press the left mouse button), or exit (right
mouse button). If no pairs can be made, a "No more pairs" message will
be displayed.
Same Hand: By clicking on this button you can abandon the current game
and redeal the same hand if you want another crack at it.
Undo: This button allows you to undo (ie: take back) up to ten moves. You
can take back all the moves at once by clicking with the right mouse
button.
Midnight Oil
------------
Midnight Oil uses a standard 52-card deck (no jokers). To begin the game
the deck is shuffled, then dealt face-up, one card at a time, into seventeen
piles of three cards each. The last card is placed by itself as an
eighteenth pile. These piles are also known as "fans".
The object of the game is to move all of the cards from the eighteen fans
into four new piles, arranged by suit, in order from Ace (low) to King
(high). These four destination piles are known as the "foundations". Only
the top card of each fan is available for play.
In addition to moving cards from fans to foundations, cards can also be
moved from one fan to another, building down in suit. In this way submerged
cards can be freed up for play to the foundations or to other fans. Once a
fan becomes empty (which will be represented my a dashed line where the fan
was), no moves can be made to that fan.
When you have made all the moves you can, from the fans to the foundations
and from fan to fan, the remaining cards in all the fans may be reshuffled
and re-dealt in the same manner as at the beginning of the game (three cards
to a fan). In all, the deck may be shuffled three times (once to begin the
game, and twice more during the game).
At some point during the game, you may draw one submerged card from a fan
and play it on any valid foundation or fan. It is generally better to save
this draw for as long as possible.
You can point to one of the foundations and click the mouse button to
initiate "manual-auto" mode. This function is, as the name inplies, a cross
between manual mode and automatic mode. When you click on a foundation, the
fans are scanned for possible moves, and any valid moves to that foundation
will be made automatically.
Midnight Oil Options:
Auto Mode: When this is set to "On", the program will attempt to move
cards from the fans to the foundations automatically. This will relieve
you from having to worry about missing obvious moves, so that you can
concentrate on strategy. When this is set to "Off", the game is
essentially in manual mode, and you will need to make all moves to the
foundations by yourself. This option is provided for those traditional-
minded souls who might consider auto mode to be cheating.
Auto Speed: This allows you to adjust how fast the cards are played in
auto mode. Click on the left and right arrows to move the pointer along
the scale from "Slower" to "Faster". At the fastest setting, cards are
moved as fast as possible (a blur of action). The slowest setting is
"single-step" mode, in which you will be prompted before each automatic
move. You will need to experiment to find an acceptable setting for
your computer.
Trefoil Option: 'Trefoil' is the name of a variation of Midnight Oil in
which all the aces are placed on the appropriate foundations at the
start of the game. This is supposed to make the game a little easier to
win, since there are four fewer cards to move to foundations. If you
change the Trefoil option while a game is already in progress, you'll
have to finish the current game before the change takes effect.
Replay Option: When this option is turned "On", you will have the choice
of whether or not you want to replay a game that you have lost.
Easy Mode: When this option is set "On", then a special algorithm will be
used when shuffling the deck. Essentially, it will prevent lower cards
of a particular suit from being buried by higher cards of the same suit.
This will have the effect of removing most of the potential blocks in
the game. in this mode you will still not win every game, but it's the
closest thing I've seen to a sure thing. This mode is set as the
default the first time the program is run.
Challenge Scoring: When this option is turned "Off", the program will use
the standard scoring method, where each card is worth one point. When
set "On", an alternate scoring method is used, where you get five points
for each card played to a foundation, plus an additional five points for
each card in a "run" of more than one card. Bonus points are also
awarded for winning the game without using all the shuffles and draws:
Shuffles Left Draws Left Bonus
------------- ---------- -----
0 1 250
1 0 500
1 1 750
2 0 1000
2 1 2000
As you can see, this significantly changes the strategy of the game from
simply removing as many cards as you can, to lining up runs whenever
possible. If you enable challenge scoring, you may want to disable auto
mode so you'll have a better chance of creating runs.
Move Alert: When this is "On" a little box will be displayed below the
"Quit" button. It will say "Moves!" in bright red if a fan-to-foundation
move is possible, dark red if a fan- to-fan move is possible, or "No
Moves" in dark gray if no more moves are possible.
Midnight Oil Buttons:
Shuffle: This button will initiate a shuffling of the deck, in which all
of the cards in the fans are picked up, shuffled, and then re-dealt. If
no shuffles are left, the program will display the message "No shuffles
left".
Draw: When you select this button, you will be asked to select a pile (fan)
to draw from. When you select a fan, it will be displayed in the lower
right corner of the screen, and you will be allowed to select one card
from that fan to draw. If you change your mind and decide that you
don't want to draw a card after all, press the right button to exit draw
mode. If you select a card, it will be removed from the fan and
displayed in the lower right corner of the screen, and you will be
prompted to select a destination. Point to the desired fan or
foundation and press the left mouse button to move the drawn card to the
selected fan or foundation.
Peek: This is similar to a draw, in that an entire fan will be displayed
in the lower left corner of the screen, but you are only allowed to
look, not touch. To exit peek mode press the right mouse button twice.
You can also peek at a pile by clicking the right mouse button while
pointing at the desired pile.
Undo: This button allows you to undo (ie: take back) any number of moves
from one fan to another, from a fan to a foundation, or a draw. You
cannot undo a shuffle. You can take back all the moves at once by
clicking with the right mouse button.
Osmosis
-------
Osmosis uses a standard 52-card deck (no jokers). To begin the game the
deck is shuffled, then four piles of four cards each are dealt at the left.
The piles form the reserve, and the top card of each is available for play.
One card is dealt to the right of the first reserve, forming the first
foundation. As the other cards of the same rank become available, they may
be played in a column below the first foundation, forming the other three
foundations.
Cards are dealt from the deck three at a time, with only the top card
available for play to the foundations.
Foundations are built in suit, regardless of order. On the first
foundation, any card of the same suit may built as soon as it becomes
available. On each lower foundation, a card may be built only if a card of
the same rank has been built on the foundation above it.
For example, if the first foundation card is a three of hearts, then any
heart can be played on the first foundation as soon as it becomes available,
say, for illustration, the seven and nine. Now suppose the second
foundation is the three of clubs. If the seven or nine of clubs become
available, they can be played on the second foundation, but no other club
can be played until the corresponding heart has been built.
When all cards have been dealt from the deck, you may redeal as often as you
like, until either the game is won (by moving all cards to the foundations)
or lost (no more moves can be made.
When the "peek" option is enabled, the reserves will be spread out so that
all of their cards can be seen. This allows you to spot any potential
blocks before beginning the game. The situation to look out for is two
cards of the same rank in the same reserve pile, especially is the lower
card is of the first foundation suit. If this is the case then the game is
hopeless, at least as far as winning, though you can still play it and
perhaps even reach a respectable score.
Note: to deal cards from the deck, simply click on the card back. When the
deck is exhausted, click it again to gather the cards back up in preparation
for a redeal.
Osmosis Options:
Peek: When this is set "On" the reserve piles will be spread out so that
all cards can be seen, thus helping you spot and perhaps avoid blocks.
Darken Filled Foundations: When this option is set to "On", a filled
foundation will be "darkened", otherwise, if it is set "Off", the
foundation will be overwritten by the word "COMPLETE". Either way, the
purpose is to show that all necessary cards have been moved to that
foundation. Which method you want to use is up to you.
Move Alert: When this option is turned on, the program will alert you to
any available moves by displaying a message above the deck saying "Move
Possible". Note that this is only an information message -- you are not
required to make a move when one is available. The lay of the cards in
the reserve piles may make some available moves ill-advised; use your
own judgement.
Osmosis Buttons:
Same Hand: By clicking on this button you can abandon the current game and
redeal the same hand if you want another crack at it.
Undo: This button allows you to undo (ie: take back) up to ten moves. You
can take back all the moves at once by clicking with the right mouse
button.
Royal Cotillion
---------------
Royal Cotillion uses two standard 52-card decks (no jokers) dealt together.
The game is begun by dealing twelve cards in three rows of four cards each,
forming the left tableau. The right wing of the tableau is formed by
dealing four rows of four cards each. The foundations are formed in two
columns between the left and right tableau.
Foundations are formed in the following sequences for each suit:
A,3,5,7,9,J,K,2,4,6,8,10,Q
2,4,6,8,10,Q,A,3,5,7,9,J,K
In the left wing of the tableau, only the bottom card of each column is
available for play, and spaces are never filled. In the right wing, all
cards are available, and spaces are filled immediately from the wastepile,
or, if there is none, from the deck.
Cards are turned up from the deck one at a time, and may be played either to
the foundations or the wastepile. The top card of the wastepile is always
available for play.
The game is one if all eight foundations are completed, or lost if a block
is reached.
It is advisable, if you have a choice, to play from the left wing first,
thus freeing up additional cards. In the right wing, you should not make a
move merely because you can. It is better to wait to make a space until a
desirable card to save turns up.
Royal Cotillion has a "semi-automatic" mode that you can invoke by clicking
on one of the foundations when no card is selected. The program will then
look through the left and right wings of the tableau, plus the wastepile and
top card of the deck, and make any moves it can to the foundation you
select. Take care when using this feature, though -- the program may not
always make the optimal choice.
Royal Cotillion also has a "peek" feature, which can be used to view the
contents of the deck or wastepile. Simply position the mouse pointer over
the deck or wastepile and click the right mouse button.
Royal Cotillion Options:
Automatic Dealing: If this is set "On", then cards will be turned from the
deck automatically. Otherwise, if this option is "Off", you must click
on the deck to turn up new cards.
Move Alert: When this option is turned on, the program will alert you to
any available moves by displaying a message next to the deck saying
"Move". Note that this is only an information message -- you are not
required to make a move when one is available.
Royal Cotillion Buttons:
Undo: This button simply "takes back" one move (deck-to-wastepile,
tableau-to-foundation, etc.). The number of times that this can be done
defaults to ten. A command-line option can be used to set the number of
undo levels to any number up to 200, though you may run out of memory at
higher values. Use the command-line option "/Uxxx", where "xxx" is a
number from 1 to 200. For example, to set Royal Cotillion to use a
100-level undo, use "/U100" on the command line. You can take back all
the moves at once by clicking with the right mouse button.
Same Hand: By clicking on this button you can abandon the current game and
redeal the same hand if you want another crack at it.
Statistics
----------
Each of the games keeps track of the score (the number of cards you've moved
to foundations) and the number of shuffles and draws you have left during the
course of the game. Also displayed are the total number of games you've
played, the number of games you've won (expressed as both a number and a
percentage, and your average score. At the end of each game, the statistics
are written to disk, either in the default filename.DAT (where "filename" is
CALC, CONCEN, ID, etc.) or in the data file specified on the command line.
The data file also contains the preferences you set in the options menu.
To specify a data file on the command line, start up a game with the
following syntax (for example, using Calculation):
CALC filename.ext
This allows several different people to use the same copy of the game on the
same machine, yet keep separate statistics for each person. For example,
suppose three people (Tom, Dick, and Harry) played the game at various times
on the same machine. They could each easily keep personalized data files,
containing their scores and preferences. Tom would use his data file by
typing:
CALC TOM.DAT
Likewise, Dick and Harry could have data files called DICK.DAT and HARRY.DAT.
Note that the "DAT" extension could be "SCR" or "HGH", or whatever, as long
as it is three letters or less.
Note: Use of this capability pretty much precludes using the SOLSUITE.EXE
menu program. If you're really intent on keeping separate scores for two or
more players, you might be better off simply running the game from separate
directories on your hard disk.
A Note To Registered Users
--------------------------
Effective with the version 1.07 release, the registration procedure has
changed from a command-line to a menu-driven method of entering the codes.
I'm aware that this may cause a bit of confusion among long-time users, but
it allows me to provide a little easier and friendlier way of entering the
codes for inexperienced users, plus it reduces the program sizes a bit as
well.
Effective with version 1.09 of SolSuite, I've simplified the registration
procedure a bit more. For backward compatibility, each program has it's own
registration code, but to convert all the games to registered versions, you
only need to enter ONE code (any of the seven codes will do). Just click on
the "Register ..." button in the SOLSUITE.EXE "about" box and enter a code by
clicking the spin buttons above and below each digit.
[Many thanks to Ralph Van Norman for inspiring this change ...]
You can still enter the registration codes via the command line, but now only
SOLSUITE.EXE will accept the registration codes. The syntax is the same
(/Rxxxxxx), and you can use any of the codes you wish. If you find the
command line more convenient than the menu-driven method, use it.
The registration procedure has the following limitations:
1. The name of the EXE files must be correct.
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 programs back to shareware versions by
clicking on the "Un-Register" button in SOLSUITE.EXE's "about" box, or
by running SOLSUITE.EXE with the "/SW" command line argument (this
converts all programs at once). Please use this option to
"un-register" the programs if you wish to pass them along to anyone.
Also, please include all of the files listed in VENDINFO.DIZ. Thanks.
Program Revision History
------------------------
Refer to the file HISTORY.TXT for a full accounting chabnges in all the
programs in Silitaire Suite ...
Other Solitaire Card Games By Randy Rasa
----------------------------------------
Simple Pleasures
A collection of eight traditional and original solitaire card games for
DOS, featuring the same great graphics as Solitaire Suite, plus hint mode
and multi-player mode. Requires EGA and a mouse.
SWREG ID: 15282
Pyramid Deluxe
A SuperVGA version of the well-loved solitaire card game known as
"Pyramid", this game is easy to learn, but difficult to win, and offers
plenty of room for skillful play. It features 640x480x256 graphics, hint
mode, undo, demo mode, and full scoring statistics for up to ten players.
Requires 386, SuperVGA and mouse.
SWREG ID: 15283
Four Seasons
This game is also known as "Corner Card", "Four Corners", and "Vanishing
Cross", and is an addictive solitaire game for Windows. It is a
full-featured solitaire, with auto move, undo, high score lists, multimedia
sound, and challenge scoring. The registered version includes a bonus pack
of extra sound effects. Requires Windows 3.x or later, and VBRUN200.DLL.
A sound card is optional.
SWREG ID: 15284
Chinese Solitaire
This is a great new game, suggested by a user, that combines the best
elements of "Klondike" (probably the world's most popular solitaire) and
"Scorpion" (a game that offers tremendous opportunity for skillful play).
Chinese Solitaire includes full statistics, an "easy" mode, autoplay,
selectable card backs and colors, great graphics, and excellent sound. A
highly addictive game! Requires Windows 3.x or later, and VBRUN200.DLL. A
sound card is optional.
SWREG ID: 15286
Mount Sunflower
Another Randy Rasa original, this game has a lot in common with Chinese
Solitaire, at least in terms of gameplay. It also has great graphics and
sound, and of course, lots of features such as selectable card backs and
colors, full game statistics, and extensive online help. That it's also
quite fun and addictive goes without saying, perhaps (but I'll say it
anyway). Requires Windows 3.x or later, and VBRUN200.DLL. A sound card is
optional.
SWREG ID: 15287
Poker Squares
A solitaire card game for Windows, also known as "Poker Solitaire", where
the object is to make the best possible poker hands on a 5x5 grid.
Challenging and addictive, no two games are ever the same! Complete with
sound. music, full statistics. Very slick interface. Requires Windows 3.x
or later, and VBRUN200.DLL. A sound card is optional.
SWREG ID: 15285
The following two games were written in conjunction with another author, and
may be purchased by sending $10 for each game to:
Todd Svec
5040 Dearborn
Mission, KS 66202-1752
FoxFire 13 For DOS
This is an original solitaire game, similar in some ways to "Idiot's
Delight", but easier to win. Features full statistics, undo, digital
sound, and lots of options. The registered version includes a bonus pack
of extra sound effects. Requires EGA and a mouse. A sound card is
optional.
FoxFire 13 For Windows
This is a Windows version of the popular DOS game of the same name. It also
is extremely full-featured, with statistics, undo, multimedia sound, and
many options. The registered version includes a bonus pack of extra sound
effects. Requires Windows 3.x or later, and VBRUN200.DLL. A sound card is
optional.