Cream of the Crop 26/Cream of the Crop 26.iso/games/d16gin.zip/README.TXT

Text File | 1997-03-18 | 25KB | 505 lines

            ===============================================
                         Dynamic Gin (TM) 1.17
               16-bit Edition for Windows 3.1, NT and 95
             Copyright 1995, 1996 by CyberSym Technologies
                          All rights reserved
            ===============================================

This file provides additional information about Dynamic Gin (TM) and its
installation. We recommend you read this file in its entirety.


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Table of Contents
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1.  About Dynamic Gin Version 1.17
2.  How to Get Assistance
3.  System Requirements
4.  Installing Dynamic Gin
5.  Uninstalling Dynamic Gin
6.  Features in Dynamic Gin
7.  Dynamic Gin Version History
8.  Purchasing (Registering) Dynamic Gin
9.  Distributing Dynamic Gin
10. Learning to Play Gin Rummy
11. Configuring Dynamic Gin for More than One User
12. Using Background Images (Scenery) in Dynamic Gin
13. Running under Windows 95 or Windows NT
14. Changes in Dynamic Gin Statistics


=============================================================
1.  About Dynamic Gin Version 1.17
=============================================================

Dynamic Gin is a computer version of the classic Gin Rummy card game.
It utilizes a dynamic learning procedure for computer play, which makes
Dynamic Gin different from most other computer card games. The computer
play is much less predictable and more like that of a human opponent.

Dynamic Gin runs under Windows 3.1, Windows NT, and Windows 95. It is
a fully-functional shareware program. You can play and evaluate Dynamic
Gin free of charge for an evaluation period of 36 days or 30 sessions--
whichever lasts longer. (A session cannot exceed 24 hours.) After that
time, play is inactivated and you must purchase Dynamic Gin if you wish
to continue playing (see Purchasing (Registering) Dynamic Gin below).

New in Version 1.17:

  - Faster overall learning and slightly more competitive expert
    difficulty level.

  - Dynamic Gin now gives you a warning prompt if you attempt to start
    a new game while an existing game is in progress.

  - Fixed several very rare or minor bugs and cosmetic problems.


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2.  How to get assistance
=============================================================

If you have difficulty installing or running Dynamic Gin, or if you
have suggestions or comments about Dynamic Gin, please contact
CyberSym Technologies at

Internet e-mail:        [e-mail]
Compuserve mail:          70621,3373
America Online mail:      CyberSym
Regular Mail:        P.O. Box 127, Providence, UT 84332 U.S.A.
Phone:               1-801-753-8384

Check our Web site (http://www.cybersym.com) for the latest Dynamic
Gin version and information.

Dynamic Gin is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-
related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly,
ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a
dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical
support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at
545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 USA, FAX [phone] or
send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman
70007,3536.


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3.  System Requirements
=============================================================

Dynamic Gin requires an 80386 or better processor, a mouse, and Windows
3.1 or later. You need at least 2.1 Mbytes of free hard disk space to
install Dynamic Gin, and Dynamic Gin occupies about 1.8 Mbytes of hard
disk space once it's installed. Dynamic Gin can run (with some
limitations) on any VGA display. For best enjoyment of Dynamic Gin
graphics, you should have a display that supports at least 256 colors.


=============================================================
4.  Installing Dynamic Gin
=============================================================

To install Dynamic Gin on your computer:

    1.  First locate the Dynamic Gin installation program DGSETUP.EXE.
        If you are installing from a CyberSym Technologies installation
        disk, make sure the disk is inserted in your disk drive. If you
        have obtained the Dynamic Gin installation package from some
        other source (e.g. a shareware CD-ROM or an online forum), you
        may need to decompress the package with a decompression utility
        before you find DGSETUP.EXE.
    2.  In Program Manager, select File, Run (if you are using Windows
        95, select Start, Run).
    3.  Type the full path for the DGSETUP.EXE file. (If you are
        installing from an installation disk, this is A:\DGSETUP.EXE
        where A is the letter of your disk drive).
    4.  Choose OK.
    5.  Follow the instructions on the screen.

The installation program allows you to choose the location where you
want Dynamic Gin on your hard drive. The install program searches for
any previous installation of Dynamic Gin 16-bit edition. If you have a
previous installation, we recommend you install Dynamic Gin into the
same location as the previous installation. You will automatically
retain any Dynamic Gin registration that you had previously activated.
You will also retain any player configurations you might have
established under the previous installation (see "Configuring Dynamic
Gin for More than One User").

If you install the new Dynamic Gin version into a different location
and had previously registered Dynamic Gin, then you will need to
activate the registration for the new Dynamic Gin installation. To do
this, start the new version of Dynamic Gin, go to Options, Activate
Registration, and enter the registered user name and user authorization
code you received when you originally registered Dynamic Gin.

If you are running the Windows 95 shell interface (Windows 95 or NT
4.0), be aware of the following installation issues.

a.  Do not install Dynamic Gin into a directory path longer than 66
    characters. This is necessary to keep Dynamic Gin compatible with
    earlier versions of Windows.

b.  Folders/subfolders created during installation do not appear in
    the Windows Explorer until you select the View, Refresh option in
    the Explorer.

c.  If you so choose, the installation program creates a program folder
    (of whatever name you choose) containing several icons. The folder
    appears under Programs on the Start menu. However, in the Windows
    95 shell interface, program folders don't automatically stay on
    your desktop. If you want the Dynamic Gin folder to always appear
    on your desktop (as opposed to just on the Start menu), follow
    these instructions:

    --In the Explorer, find the folder (Dynamic Gin or whatever name
      you chose during installation) which is typically located inside
      the Programs folder inside the Start Menu folder inside the
      Windows folder.

    --Using the mouse secondary (right) button, drag the Dynamic Gin
      folder to your desktop.

    --Release the folder and select Create Shortcut(s) Here on the
      popup menu that appears.

    --When the folder appears on your desktop, select the title
      underneath, and edit the text title to be whatever you want.

Once you have completed the installation, you do not need to keep the
DGSETUP.EXE installation program on your hard disk. It is however a
good idea to keep a backup floppy disk copy of the Dynamic Gin
installation package (or the original installation disk), including
DGSETUP.EXE.

During the installation process, the install program creates a file
called INSTALL.LOG in the Dynamic Gin main directory. DO NOT move,
edit, or delete this file if you ever intend to upgrade or uninstall
Dynamic Gin.

When you first start Dynamic Gin after installation, under a few
conditions, you may get a warning message about a "Dynamic Gin
Backdrop Scenery Error". If so, Dynamic Gin runs with a default
background after this message appears. In this case, you should either
select Options, Scenery to load a backdrop scenery image, or you can
check the Disable Scenery option under Options, Preferences to keep
scenery off and disable this message in future sessions.


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5.  Uninstalling Dynamic Gin
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If for some reason, you wish to uninstall Dynamic Gin from your
computer, do one of the following:

    Windows 3.1 or NT (3.51 or less):  If you created a Program Manager
    group at installation, simply run the icon Uninstall Dynamic Gin.
    Otherwise locate the file UNWISE.EXE in your main Dynamic Gin
    directory and execute it. You can do this by double clicking on
    the filename in File Manager. You can also execute the program
    by entering the full path to this file in the dialog box that
    pops up after you choose File, Run from Program Manager or
    File Manager. Follow the instructions that appear on screen.

    Windows 95 or NT 4.0:  In control panel, double click on the
    Add/Remove icon. When the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog
    appears, select Dynamic Gin under the Install/Uninstall tab. Press
    the Add/Remove button, and follow the instructions on the screen.
    (Close the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog when you are
    finished.)

Under a few conditions, the uninstall program may be unable to
completely remove a Dynamic Gin installation. This can happen if you
manually added any files or subdirectories to the Dynamic Gin main
directory or any of its subdirectories. In these situations, you can
complete the uninstall process by manually deleting the Dynamic Gin
main directory (and any files and/or subdirectories therein). You may
also need to manually remove icons and the Dynamic Gin group or folder
from Program Manager or the Start Menu in the Windows 95 shell
interface.


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6.  Features in Dynamic Gin
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Dynamic Gin offers the following features:

a.  Variations. You can select from three different variations of Gin
    Rummy: Simple Gin, Standard (knock) Gin, and Oklahoma Gin. You
    can also select the number of points to play to in a Gin Rummy
    game.

b.  Learning. Dynamic Gin adapts and improves as it plays against a
    human opponent. This makes the game less predictable and more
    interesting than most other computer card games. You can choose
    from four different starting difficulty levels.

c.  Cardbacks. You can select from eight cardbacks. You can also have
    Dynamic Gin choose randomly from among the eight cardbacks for
    each new Gin Rummy game.

d.  Dealing/Sorting. You can choose traditional Gin Rummy dealing (10
    cards per player with passing at the start of play) or Eleven/Ten
    dealing (first player in a hand receives 11 cards and must discard
    or knock at the start of play). Dynamic Gin also offers menu
    commands and optional configuration options to sort your hand by
    suit or by ascending or descending card face value.

e.  Resume. You can resume an unfinished game from the previous
    session. You can also configure Dynamic Gin to automatically
    resume any unfinished game from the previous session.

f.  Button Bar Configuration. You can choose the location you prefer
    for the button bar, or you can get rid of the button bar altogether.

g.  Background Scenery. Dynamic Gin can display a bitmap image as the
    background behind the cards.

h.  User Configurations. You can set up separate configurations for
    different people who play Dynamic Gin at different times on the
    same computer. (See "Configuring Dynamic Gin for More than One
    User" below.)


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7.  Dynamic Gin Version History
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1.00:  Initial release.

1.05:  Added 4th (expert) difficulty level, options for automatic
       sorting of hands, and optional eleven/ten dealing method.
       Made minor documentation changes.

1.06:  Fixed several minor bugs. "Sort by face value after deal"
       preference is now retained between sessions. Scenery now loads
       correctly under Windows 95 High Color (16-bit) display mode.
       Selection of non-standard sizes for certain Windows 95 interface
       objects no longer causes a truncated Dynamic Gin window.

1.10:  Added more extensive play statistics, including game point
       totals for both user and computer in each Gin variation.
       Improved loading performance and made several user interface
       enhancements. Fixed two very rare internal bugs. Added
       installation support for Windows NT 4.0. Documented toll-free
       order number for customers in the USA or Canada.

1.14:  Added context menus (right mouse button) for taking cards,
       discarding cards, and knocking. Also added support for taking
       the upcard or stock card by single (or double) clicking. Revised
       menu and button bar organization to make clearer the distinction
       between starting another hand and starting a new game. Added
       options to sort your cards by face value in either ascending
       or descending order. Implemented a list of laid off cards that
       appears at the end of any hand where there are lay offs.
       Introduced measures to skirt a system-dependent problem that
       caused some users to occasionally see incorrect card images.

1.17:  Improved the overall learning rate, and slightly increased the
       competitiveness for the expert difficulty level. Fixed several
       very rare or minor bugs. Made minor user interface enhancements.
       Dynamic Gin now gives a warning prompt if you start a new game
       while an existing game is in progress.


=============================================================
8.  Purchasing (Registering) Dynamic Gin
=============================================================

When you purchase Dynamic Gin, we send you a unique set of
registration keys (codes). Your registration keys are valid for major
version 1 of Dynamic Gin (any and all minor versions or revisions).
Once you enter these keys into Dynamic Gin (under the Options, Activate
Registration menu command), you will no longer be bothered by shareware
evaluation notices in Dynamic Gin. You also receive a Registered
License to use major version 1 of Dynamic Gin (see the file LICENSE.TXT
or the Dynamic Gin License Agreement topic in the Dynamic Gin on-line
help). Under the terms of this license, you can use either or both the
16-bit (Windows 3.1, NT, and 95) or 32-bit (Windows 95 and NT 4.0)
editions of major version 1 of Dynamic Gin. You can also have copies of
Dynamic Gin on more than one of your computers, as long as only one
copy is run at any given time. You are entitled to download and use any
minor version revisions of major version 1 of Dynamic Gin. You also
receive free technical support for as long as CyberSym Technologies
continues to distribute Dynamic Gin (or a minimum of 90 days).

To purchase (register) Dynamic Gin, select the Purchase Dynamic Gin
button on the dialog that appears when evaluating Dynamic Gin, or
pull down the Options menu in Dynamic Gin and select Purchase Dynamic
Gin. Follow the instructions for ordering. There are a variety of
options for ordering by phone, regular mail, on-line mail, or the
internet with payment by check or charge card. You can also find
ordering information in the ORDER.TXT file.


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9.  Distributing Dynamic Gin
=============================================================

You are encouraged to pass a copy of Dynamic Gin along to your friends
for evaluation (subject to the terms in the license agreement--see
either LICENSE.TXT, the VENDINFO.DIZ file, or the Dynamic Gin License
Agreement topic in the Dynamic Gin on-line help). Please encourage them
to purchase (register) their copy if they find they can use it.

Distributors or vendors wishing to distribute Dynamic Gin should refer
to the accompanying VENDINFO.DIZ file.


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10.  Learning to Play Gin Rummy
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If you've never played Gin Rummy, it's not hard to learn. The Dynamic
Gin on-line help contains descriptions of the object of the game,
rules, terminology, and scoring. (Remember that in Help, you can click
on any highlighted (colored, underlined) text at any time to jump to
that topic.) You can probably also figure out how to play without
using Help if you watch the instructions on the Dynamic Gin status
bar.

Dynamic Gin follows Hoyle's rules in which aces rank low, and sequences
are not allowed to go round the corner (wrap from high to low). Many
people who play Simple Gin ignore the normal rules about passing at the
beginning of a hand. If you're not familiar with passing, pay close
attention to the Dynamic Gin status bar and/or look at the discussion
of passing in Dynamic Gin Help. Alternatively, you might want to try
playing with the Eleven/Ten dealing method.

There are a number of different variations of Gin Rummy. The variation
many people know is Simple Gin. Dynamic Gin includes two other
variations: Standard Gin and Oklahoma Gin. Simple Gin is probably the
easiest variation to learn, but we recommend you try all the
variations. Scoring in Standard and Oklahoma Gin is more complex
because you can lay off cards and undercut. This is described in the
online help.

Make sure you understand the difference between a "hand" of Gin Rummy
and a "game". A game consists of several hands played until one player
or the other accumulates enough points to finish (usually 100). You can
start a new game at the end of each hand, but the computer will not
keep track of scores in statistics. To have the computer keep track of
statistics and running point totals, make sure you start the next hand
instead of a new game whenever one hand is over and the game isn't
finished.


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11.  Configuring Dynamic Gin for More than One User
=============================================================

In many cases, different people are likely to play Dynamic Gin at
different times on the same computer (e.g., a family home computer).
This can pose some problems. Over time, Dynamic Gin adapts to the
style and skill of its human opponent. This feature distinguishes
Dynamic Gin from most other computer card games. This may not work so
well when there are different players with different abilities and
styles. Also the ability to resume (or automatically resume) previous
games isn't very appropriate with multiple users. To solve these
problems, Dynamic Gin allows you to set up a separate player
configuration for each different player.

Every player configuration has its own subdirectory with the name of
the player. The player can then arrange the Dynamic Gin user
interface as they desire. They can resume their own previously
unfinished games, and they can play whatever Dynamic Gin variation and
difficulty level they prefer.

The commands for creating, removing, or switching player configurations
are located on the Options menu in Dynamic Gin. You can have as many
as 24 different player configurations (in addition to the default
configuration). A splash dialog box appears at the time you start
Dynamic Gin if there are player configurations from which to choose.
As soon as you select the configuration you want from the list on the
dialog box, Dynamic Gin finishes loading. If you want to change
configurations while Dynamic Gin is running, you can use the Switch
Player Configuration command on the Options menu.

Each configuration requires some extra hard disk space. The required
extra space ranges from about 60,000 bytes to as much as 600,000 bytes
on some computers with high color displays. For a typical computer with
a 256 color display, each configuration requires about 290,000 bytes.


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12.  Using Background Images (Scenery) in Dynamic Gin
=============================================================

Dynamic Gin can display bitmap images (scenery) as a background for the
cards. This creates a stunning game interface and contributes to the
pleasure and relaxation of playing Dynamic Gin. Dynamic Gin comes with
one 16 color image (COLLAGE.BMP) and one 256 color image
(SUNSET.BMP). Dynamic Gin. Scenery images work best with displays
that support 256 colors or more.

In addition to the two images that come with Dynamic Gin, CyberSym
Technologies has assembled collections of additional images. You can
find these collections on many online services, bulletin boards, and
shareware CD's. Look for the names DGIMGA.ZIP (256-color) and
DGIMGB.ZIP (16-color). You are free to obtain and use these images,
subject to their enclosed copyrights. We can also ship disk copies of
these collections to you for a small media charge (see ORDER.TXT or
instructions for purchasing Dynamic Gin in the Dynamic Gin on-line
help).

Dynamic Gin also allows you to use your own bitmap images as scenery.
For more information, see the description of the Options, Scenery menu
command in Dynamic Gin Help.

If your computer is short on hard disk space or RAM, you may wish not
to display scenery images. You can disable scenery entirely in Dynamic
Gin by selecting Options, Preferences and checking the Disable Scenery
box in the dialog box. This option takes effect the next time you
start Dynamic Gin.

Occasionally you may encounter problems with scenery in Dynamic Gin.
These problems result from inconsistencies in the standards for Windows
bitmap files. Problems typically arise when you change the color
resolution of your system. Simply reselect scenery to resolve the
problem.

If you have a 256 color system and you're using a 256 color bitmap for
your Windows desktop, you may see some minor degradation of scenery
image quality in Dynamic Gin. This is an unfortunate but normal
consequence of the way Windows handles color palettes. You can get rid
of this problem by switching to a higher color resolution (16K colors,
32K colors, or higher) for your system.


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13.  Running under Windows 95 or Windows NT
=============================================================

This is a 16-bit edition of Dynamic Gin. It runs on Windows 95 and
Windows NT, as well as Windows 3.1. However, if you are using Windows
95 or Windows NT, be aware of two restrictions. Dynamic Gin does not
support long filenames or overall path names longer than 80 characters.
This is only likely to be an issue when selecting bitmap scenery images
under Options, Scenery.


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14.  Changes in Dynamic Gin Statistics
=============================================================

Prior to version 1.10, Dynamic Gin kept statistics on the best score
for user and computer in each Gin Rummy variation. It also kept the
aggregate total number of games won in ALL variations for user and
computer. Starting in version 1.10, Dynamic Gin now keeps the total
number of points, the number of games won, and the best score for user
and computer in EACH individual Gin Rummy variation.

If you are upgrading from a version earlier than 1.10, the new
statistics window will initially reflect the best scores in different
variations based on play in your old version. It will NOT show number
of games won or total points from play in your old version. (The
DYNGIN.INI file [Statistics] category does however retain the old
aggregate totals for games won under the keys UserWins and
ComputerWins.) Since in the new window only the best scores really
reflect earlier play, you may want to initially reset statistics just
to keep things consistent in the new statistics window.