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1453 lines
55 KiB
Plaintext
\title Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection
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\cfg{winhelp-filename}{puzzles.hlp}
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\cfg{winhelp-contents-titlepage}{Contents}
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\cfg{text-filename}{puzzles.txt}
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\cfg{info-filename}{puzzles.info}
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\cfg{pdf-filename}{puzzles.pdf}
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\define{by} \u00D7{x}
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This is a collection of small one-player puzzle games.
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\copyright This manual is copyright 2004-5 Simon Tatham. All rights
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reserved. You may distribute this documentation under the MIT licence.
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See \k{licence} for the licence text in full.
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\cfg{html-local-head}{<meta name="AppleTitle" content="Puzzles Help">}
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\versionid $Id$
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\C{intro} Introduction
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I wrote this collection because I thought there should be more small
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desktop toys available: little games you can pop up in a window and
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play for two or three minutes while you take a break from whatever
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else you were doing. And I was also annoyed that every time I found
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a good game on (say) \i{Unix}, it wasn't available the next time I
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was sitting at a \i{Windows} machine, or vice versa; so I arranged
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that everything in my personal puzzle collection will happily run on
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both, and have more recently done a port to Mac OS X as well. When I
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find (or perhaps invent) further puzzle games that I like, they'll
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be added to this collection and will immediately be available on
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both platforms. And if anyone feels like writing any other front
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ends - PocketPC, Mac OS pre-10, or whatever it might be - then all
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the games in this framework will immediately become available on
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another platform as well.
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The actual games in this collection were mostly not my invention; I
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saw them elsewhere, and rewrote them in a form that was more
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convenient for me. I do not claim credit, in general, for inventing
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the rules of any of these puzzles; all I claim is authorship of the
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code (or at least those parts of the code that weren't contributed
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by other people!).
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This collection is distributed under the \i{MIT licence} (see
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\k{licence}). This means that you can do pretty much anything you like
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with the game binaries or the code, except pretending you wrote them
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yourself, or suing me if anything goes wrong.
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The most recent versions, and \i{source code}, can be found at
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\I{website}\W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}.
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Please report \I{feedback}\i{bugs} to
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\W{mailto:anakin@pobox.com}\cw{anakin@pobox.com}.
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You might find it helpful to read this article before reporting a bug:
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\W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html}
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\ii{Patches} are welcome. Especially if they provide a new front end
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(to make all these games run on another platform), or a new game.
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\C{common} \ii{Common features}
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This chapter describes features that are common to all the games.
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\H{common-actions} \I{controls}Common actions
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These actions are all available from the \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu
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and via \I{keys}keyboard shortcuts, in addition to any game-specific
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actions.
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(On Mac OS X, to conform with local user interface standards, these
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actions are situated on the \I{File menu}\q{File} and \I{Edit
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menu}\q{Edit} menus instead.)
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\dt \ii\e{New game} (\q{N}, Ctrl+\q{N})
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\dd Starts a new game, with a random initial state.
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\dt \ii\e{Restart game}
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\dd Resets the current game to its initial state. (This can be undone.)
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\dt \ii\e{Load}
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\dd Loads a saved game from a file on disk.
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\dt \ii\e{Save}
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\dd Saves the current state of your game to a file on disk.
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\lcont{
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The Load and Save operations should preserve your entire game
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history (so you can save, reload, and still Undo and Redo things you
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had done before saving).
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}
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\dt \ii\e{Undo} (\q{U}, Ctrl+\q{Z}, Ctrl+\q{_})
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\dd Undoes a single move. (You can undo moves back to the start of the
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session.)
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\dt \ii\e{Redo} (\q{R}, Ctrl+\q{R})
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\dd Redoes a previously undone move.
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\dt \ii\e{Copy}
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\dd Copies the current state of your game to the clipboard in text
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format, so that you can paste it into (say) an e-mail client or a
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web message board if you're discussing the game with someone else.
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(Not all games support this feature.)
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\dt \ii\e{Solve}
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\dd Transforms the puzzle instantly into its solved state. For some
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games (Cube) this feature is not supported at all because it is of
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no particular use. For other games (such as Pattern), the solved
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state can be used to give you information, if you can't see how a
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solution can exist at all or you want to know where you made a
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mistake. For still other games (such as Sixteen), automatic solution
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tells you nothing about how to \e{get} to the solution, but it does
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provide a useful way to get there quickly so that you can experiment
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with set-piece moves and transformations.
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\lcont{
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Some games (such as Solo) are capable of solving a game ID you have
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typed in from elsewhere. Other games (such as Rectangles) cannot
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solve a game ID they didn't invent themself, but when they did
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invent the game ID they know what the solution is already. Still
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other games (Pattern) can solve \e{some} external game IDs, but only
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if they aren't too difficult.
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The \q{Solve} command adds the solved state to the end of the undo
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chain for the puzzle. In other words, if you want to go back to
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solving it yourself after seeing the answer, you can just press Undo.
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}
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\dt \I{exit}\ii\e{Quit} (\q{Q}, Ctrl+\q{Q})
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\dd Closes the application entirely.
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\H{common-id} Specifying games with the \ii{game ID}
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There are two ways to save a game specification out of a puzzle and
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recreate it later, or recreate it in somebody else's copy of the
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same puzzle.
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The \q{\i{Specific}} and \q{\i{Random Seed}} options from the
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\I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu (or the \q{File} menu, on Mac OS X) each
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show a piece of text (a \q{game ID}) which is sufficient to
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reconstruct precisely the same game at a later date.
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You can enter either of these pieces of text back into the program
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(via the same \q{Specific} or \q{Random Seed} menu options) at a
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later point, and it will recreate the same game. You can also use
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either one as a \i{command line} argument (on Windows or Unix); see
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\k{common-cmdline} for more detail.
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The difference between the two forms is that a descriptive game ID
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is a literal \e{description} of the \i{initial state} of the game,
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whereas a random seed is just a piece of arbitrary text which was
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provided as input to the random number generator used to create the
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puzzle. This means that:
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\b Descriptive game IDs tend to be longer in many puzzles (although
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some, such as Cube (\k{cube}), only need very short descriptions).
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So a random seed is often a \e{quicker} way to note down the puzzle
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you're currently playing, or to tell it to somebody else so they can
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play the same one as you.
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\b Any text at all is a valid random seed. The automatically
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generated ones are fifteen-digit numbers, but anything will do; you
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can type in your full name, or a word you just made up, and a valid
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puzzle will be generated from it. This provides a way for two or
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more people to race to complete the same puzzle: you think of a
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random seed, then everybody types it in at the same time, and nobody
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has an advantage due to having seen the generated puzzle before
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anybody else.
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\b It is often possible to convert puzzles from other sources (such
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as \q{nonograms} or \q{sudoku} from newspapers) into descriptive
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game IDs suitable for use with these programs.
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\b Random seeds are not guaranteed to produce the same result if you
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use them with a different \i\e{version} of the puzzle program. This
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is because the generation algorithm might have been improved or
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modified in later versions of the code, and will therefore produce a
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different result when given the same sequence of random numbers. Use
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a descriptive game ID if you aren't sure that it will be used on the
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same version of the program as yours.
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\lcont{(Use the \q{About} menu option to find out the version number
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of the program. Programs with the same version number running on
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different platforms should still be random-seed compatible.)}
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\I{ID format}A descriptive game ID starts with a piece of text which
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encodes the \i\e{parameters} of the current game (such as grid
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size). Then there is a colon, and after that is the description of
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the game's initial state. A random seed starts with a similar string
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of parameters, but then it contains a hash sign followed by
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arbitrary data.
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If you enter a descriptive game ID, the program will not be able to
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show you the random seed which generated it, since it wasn't
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generated \e{from} a random seed. If you \e{enter} a random seed,
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however, the program will be able to show you the descriptive game
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ID derived from that random seed.
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Note that the game parameter strings are not always identical
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between the two forms. For some games, there will be parameter data
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provided with the random seed which is not included in the
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descriptive game ID. This is because that parameter information is
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only relevant when \e{generating} puzzle grids, and is not important
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when playing them. Thus, for example, the difficulty level in Solo
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(\k{solo}) is not mentioned in the descriptive game ID.
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These additional parameters are also not set permanently if you type
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in a game ID. For example, suppose you have Solo set to \q{Advanced}
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difficulty level, and then a friend wants your help with a
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\q{Trivial} puzzle; so the friend reads out a random seed specifying
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\q{Trivial} difficulty, and you type it in. The program will
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generate you the same \q{Trivial} grid which your friend was having
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trouble with, but once you have finished playing it, when you ask
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for a new game it will automatically go back to the \q{Advanced}
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difficulty which it was previously set on.
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\H{common-type} The \q{Type} menu
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The \I{Type menu}\q{Type} menu, if present, may contain a list of
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\i{preset} game settings. Selecting one of these will start a new
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random game with the parameters specified.
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The \q{Type} menu may also contain a \q{\i{Custom}} option which
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allows you to fine-tune game \i{parameters}. The parameters
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available are specific to each game and are described in the
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following sections.
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\H{common-cmdline} Specifying game parameters on the \i{command line}
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(This section does not apply to the Mac OS X version.)
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The games in this collection deliberately do not ever save
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information on to the computer they run on: they have no high score
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tables and no saved preferences. (This is because I expect at least
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some people to play them at work, and those people will probably
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appreciate leaving as little evidence as possible!)
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However, if you do want to arrange for one of these games to default
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to a particular set of parameters, you can specify them on the
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command line.
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The easiest way to do this is to set up the parameters you want
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using the \q{Type} menu (see \k{common-type}), and then to select
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\q{Random Seed} from the \q{Game} or \q{File} menu (see
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\k{common-id}). The text in the \q{Game ID} box will be composed of
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two parts, separated by a hash. The first of these parts represents
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the game parameters (the size of the playing area, for example, and
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anything else you set using the \q{Type} menu).
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If you run the game with just that parameter text on the command
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line, it will start up with the settings you specified.
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For example: if you run Cube (see \k{cube}), select \q{Octahedron}
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from the \q{Type} menu, and then go to the game ID selection, you
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will see a string of the form \cq{o2x2#338686542711620}. Take only
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the part before the hash (\cq{o2x2}), and start Cube with that text
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on the command line: \cq{cube o2x2}.
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If you copy the \e{entire} game ID on to the command line, the game
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will start up in the specific game that was described. This is
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occasionally a more convenient way to start a particular game ID
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than by pasting it into the game ID selection box.
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(You could also retrieve the encoded game parameters using the
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\q{Specific} menu option instead of \q{Random Seed}, but if you do
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then some options, such as the difficulty level in Solo, will be
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missing. See \k{common-id} for more details on this.)
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\C{net} \i{Net}
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\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.net}
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(\e{Note:} the \i{Windows} version of this game is called
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\i\cw{NETGAME.EXE} to avoid clashing with Windows's own \cw{NET.EXE}.)
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I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{FreeNet}
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\k{FreeNet}, written by Pavils Jurjans; there are several other
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implementations under the name \i{NetWalk}. The computer prepares a
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network by connecting up the centres of squares in a grid, and then
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shuffles the network by rotating every tile randomly. Your job is to
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rotate it all back into place. The successful solution will be an
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entirely connected network, with no closed loops. \#{The latter
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clause means that there are no closed paths within the network.
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Could this be clearer? "No closed paths"?} As a visual aid,
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all tiles which are connected to the one in the middle are
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highlighted.
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\B{FreeNet} \W{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm}\cw{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm}
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\H{net-controls} \i{Net controls}
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\IM{Net controls} controls, for Net
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\IM{Net controls} keys, for Net
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\IM{Net controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Net
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This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse. The
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controls are:
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\dt \e{Select tile}: mouse pointer, arrow keys
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\dt \e{Rotate tile anticlockwise}: left mouse button, \q{A} key
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\dt \e{Rotate tile clockwise}: right mouse button, \q{D} key
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\dt \e{Rotate tile by 180 degrees}: \q{F} key
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\dt \e{Lock (or unlock) tile}: middle mouse button, shift-click, \q{S} key
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\dd You can lock a tile once you're sure of its orientation. You can
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also unlock it again, but while it's locked you can't accidentally
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turn it.
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The following controls are not necessary to complete the game, but may
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be useful:
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\dt \e{Shift grid}: Shift + arrow keys
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\dd On grids that wrap, you can move the origin of the grid, so that
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tiles that were on opposite sides of the grid can be seen together.
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\dt \e{Move centre}: Ctrl + arrow keys
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\dd You can change which tile is used as the source of highlighting.
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(It doesn't ultimately matter which tile this is, as every tile will
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be connected to every other tile in a correct solution, but it may be
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helpful in the intermediate stages of solving the puzzle.)
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\dt \e{Jumble tiles}: \q{J} key
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\dd This key turns all tiles that are not locked to random
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orientations.
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(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
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\H{net-params} \I{parameters, for Net}Net parameters
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These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
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\q{Type} menu.
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\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
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\dd Size of grid in tiles.
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\dt \e{Walls wrap around}
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\dd If checked, flow can pass from the left edge to the right edge,
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and from top to bottom, and vice versa.
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\dt \e{Barrier probability}
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\dd A number between 0.0 and 1.0 controlling whether an immovable
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barrier is placed between two tiles to prevent flow between them (a
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higher number gives more barriers). Since barriers are immovable, they
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act as constraints on the solution (i.e., hints).
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\lcont{
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The grid generation in Net has been carefully arranged so that the
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barriers are independent of the rest of the grid. This means that if
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you note down the random seed used to generate the current puzzle
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(see \k{common-id}), change the \e{Barrier probability} parameter,
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and then re-enter the same random seed, you should see exactly the
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same starting grid, with the only change being the number of
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barriers. So if you're stuck on a particular grid and need a hint,
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you could start up another instance of Net, set up the same
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parameters but a higher barrier probability, and enter the game seed
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from the original Net window.
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}
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\dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
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\dd Normally, Net will make sure that the puzzles it presents have
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only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
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difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this
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feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. (Also, finding \e{all}
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the possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an
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advanced player.)
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\C{cube} \i{Cube}
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\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.cube}
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This is another one I originally saw as a web game. This one was a
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Java game \k{cube-java-game}, by Paul Scott. You have a grid of 16
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squares, six of which are blue; on one square rests a cube. Your move
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is to use the arrow keys to roll the cube through 90 degrees so that
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it moves to an adjacent square. If you roll the cube on to a blue
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square, the blue square is picked up on one face of the cube; if you
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roll a blue face of the cube on to a non-blue square, the blueness is
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put down again. (In general, whenever you roll the cube, the two faces
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that come into contact swap colours.) Your job is to get all six blue
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squares on to the six faces of the cube at the same time. Count your
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moves and try to do it in as few as possible.
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Unlike the original Java game, my version has an additional feature:
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once you've mastered the game with a cube rolling on a square grid,
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you can change to a triangular grid and roll any of a tetrahedron, an
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octahedron or an icosahedron.
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\B{cube-java-game} \W{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm}\cw{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm}
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\H{cube-controls} \i{Cube controls}
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\IM{Cube controls} controls, for Cube
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\IM{Cube controls} keys, for Cube
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\IM{Cube controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Cube
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This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
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Left-clicking anywhere on the window will move the cube (or other
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solid) towards the mouse pointer.
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The arrow keys can also used to roll the cube on its square grid in
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the four cardinal directions.
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On the triangular grids, the mapping of arrow keys to directions is
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more approximate. Vertical movement is disallowed where it doesn't
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make sense. The four keys surrounding the arrow keys on the numeric
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keypad (\q{7}, \q{9}, \q{1}, \q{3}) can be used for diagonal movement.
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(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
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\H{cube-params} \I{parameters, for Cube}Cube parameters
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These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
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\q{Type} menu.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Type of solid}
|
|
|
|
\dd Selects the solid to roll (and hence the shape of the grid):
|
|
tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, or icosahedron.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Width / top}, \e{Height / bottom}
|
|
|
|
\dd On a square grid, horizontal and vertical dimensions. On a
|
|
triangular grid, the number of triangles on the top and bottom rows
|
|
respectively.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{fifteen} \i{Fifteen}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.fifteen}
|
|
|
|
The old ones are the best: this is the good old \q{\i{15-puzzle}}
|
|
with sliding tiles. You have a 4\by\.4 square grid; 15 squares
|
|
contain numbered tiles, and the sixteenth is empty. Your move is to
|
|
choose a tile next to the empty space, and slide it into the space.
|
|
The aim is to end up with the tiles in numerical order, with the
|
|
space in the bottom right (so that the top row reads 1,2,3,4 and the
|
|
bottom row reads 13,14,15,\e{space}).
|
|
|
|
\H{fifteen-controls} \i{Fifteen controls}
|
|
|
|
\IM{Fifteen controls} controls, for Fifteen
|
|
\IM{Fifteen controls} keys, for Fifteen
|
|
\IM{Fifteen controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Fifteen
|
|
|
|
This game can be controlled with the mouse or the keyboard.
|
|
|
|
A left-click with the mouse in the row or column containing the empty
|
|
space will move as many tiles as necessary to move the space to the
|
|
mouse pointer.
|
|
|
|
The arrow keys will move a tile adjacent to the space in the direction
|
|
indicated (moving the space in the \e{opposite} direction).
|
|
|
|
(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
|
|
|
|
\H{fifteen-params} \I{parameters, for Fifteen}Fifteen parameters
|
|
|
|
The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
|
|
menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory. (Once
|
|
you've changed these, it's not a \q{15-puzzle} any more, of course!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{sixteen} \i{Sixteen}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.sixteen}
|
|
|
|
Another sliding tile puzzle, visually similar to Fifteen (see
|
|
\k{fifteen}) but with a different type of move. This time, there is no
|
|
hole: all 16 squares on the grid contain numbered squares. Your move
|
|
is to shift an entire row left or right, or shift an entire column up
|
|
or down; every time you do that, the tile you shift off the grid
|
|
re-appears at the other end of the same row, in the space you just
|
|
vacated. To win, arrange the tiles into numerical order (1,2,3,4 on
|
|
the top row, 13,14,15,16 on the bottom). When you've done that, try
|
|
playing on different sizes of grid.
|
|
|
|
I \e{might} have invented this game myself, though only by accident if
|
|
so (and I'm sure other people have independently invented it). I
|
|
thought I was imitating a screensaver I'd seen, but I have a feeling
|
|
that the screensaver might actually have been a Fifteen-type puzzle
|
|
rather than this slightly different kind. So this might be the one
|
|
thing in my puzzle collection which represents creativity on my part
|
|
rather than just engineering.
|
|
|
|
\H{sixteen-controls} \I{controls, for Sixteen}Sixteen controls
|
|
|
|
This game is played with the mouse. Left-clicking on an arrow will
|
|
move the appropriate row or column in the direction indicated.
|
|
Right-clicking will move it in the opposite direction.
|
|
|
|
(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
|
|
|
|
\H{sixteen-params} \I{parameters, for Sixteen}Sixteen parameters
|
|
|
|
The parameters available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
|
|
\q{Type} menu are:
|
|
|
|
\b \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory.
|
|
|
|
\b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
|
|
the grid. By default, Sixteen will shuffle the grid in such a way
|
|
that any arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can
|
|
override this by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to
|
|
be performed. Typically your aim is then to determine the precise
|
|
set of shuffling moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer
|
|
(say) a four-move shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the
|
|
more moves you ask for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter
|
|
than the target length will turn out to be possible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{twiddle} \i{Twiddle}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.twiddle}
|
|
|
|
Twiddle is a tile-rearrangement puzzle, visually similar to Sixteen
|
|
(see \k{sixteen}): you are given a grid of square tiles, each
|
|
containing a number, and your aim is to arrange the numbers into
|
|
ascending order.
|
|
|
|
In basic Twiddle, your move is to rotate a square group of four
|
|
tiles about their common centre. (Orientation is not significant in
|
|
the basic puzzle, although you can select it.) On more advanced
|
|
settings, you can rotate a larger square group of tiles.
|
|
|
|
I first saw this type of puzzle in the GameCube game \q{Metroid
|
|
Prime 2}. In the Main Gyro Chamber in that game, there is a puzzle
|
|
you solve to unlock a door, which is a special case of Twiddle. I
|
|
developed this game as a generalisation of that puzzle.
|
|
|
|
\H{twiddle-controls} \I{controls, for Twiddle}Twiddle controls
|
|
|
|
To play Twiddle, click the mouse in the centre of the square group
|
|
you wish to rotate. In the basic mode, you rotate a 2\by\.2 square,
|
|
which means you have to click at a corner point where four tiles
|
|
meet.
|
|
|
|
In more advanced modes you might be rotating 3\by\.3 or even more at
|
|
a time; if the size of the square is odd then you simply click in
|
|
the centre tile of the square you want to rotate.
|
|
|
|
Clicking with the left mouse button rotates the group anticlockwise.
|
|
Clicking with the right button rotates it clockwise.
|
|
|
|
(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
|
|
|
|
\H{twiddle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Twiddle}Twiddle parameters
|
|
|
|
Twiddle provides several configuration options via the \q{Custom}
|
|
option on the \q{Type} menu:
|
|
|
|
\b You can configure the width and height of the puzzle grid.
|
|
|
|
\b You can configure the size of square block that rotates at a time.
|
|
|
|
\b You can ask for every square in the grid to be distinguishable
|
|
(the default), or you can ask for a simplified puzzle in which there
|
|
are groups of identical numbers. In the simplified puzzle your aim
|
|
is just to arrange all the 1s into the first row, all the 2s into
|
|
the second row, and so on.
|
|
|
|
\b You can configure whether the orientation of tiles matters. If
|
|
you ask for an orientable puzzle, each tile will have a triangle
|
|
drawn in it. All the triangles must be pointing upwards to complete
|
|
the puzzle.
|
|
|
|
\b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
|
|
the grid. By default, Twiddle will shuffle the grid so much that any
|
|
arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can override this
|
|
by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to be performed.
|
|
Typically your aim is then to determine the precise set of shuffling
|
|
moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer (say) a four-move
|
|
shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the more moves you ask
|
|
for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter than the target
|
|
length will turn out to be possible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{rectangles} \i{Rectangles}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.rectangles}
|
|
|
|
You have a grid of squares, with numbers written in some (but not all)
|
|
of the squares. Your task is to subdivide the grid into rectangles of
|
|
various sizes, such that (a) every rectangle contains exactly one
|
|
numbered square, and (b) the area of each rectangle is equal to the
|
|
number written in its numbered square.
|
|
|
|
Credit for this game goes to the Japanese puzzle magazine \i{Nikoli}
|
|
\k{nikoli-rect}; I've also seen a Palm implementation at \i{Puzzle
|
|
Palace} \k{puzzle-palace-rect}. Unlike Puzzle Palace's
|
|
implementation, my version automatically generates random grids of
|
|
any size you like. The quality of puzzle design is therefore not
|
|
quite as good as hand-crafted puzzles would be, but on the plus side
|
|
you get an inexhaustible supply of puzzles tailored to your own
|
|
specification.
|
|
|
|
\B{nikoli-rect} \W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/7/index_text-e.htm}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/7/index_text-e.htm}
|
|
|
|
\B{puzzle-palace-rect} \W{http://www.puzzle.gr.jp/puzzle/sikaku/palm/index.html.en}\cw{http://www.puzzle.gr.jp/puzzle/sikaku/palm/index.html.en}
|
|
|
|
\H{rectangles-controls} \I{controls, for Rectangles}Rectangles controls
|
|
|
|
This game is played with the mouse.
|
|
|
|
Left-click any edge to toggle it on or off, or click and drag to draw
|
|
an entire rectangle (or line) on the grid in one go (removing any
|
|
existing edges within that rectangle).
|
|
|
|
When a rectangle of the correct size is completed, it will be shaded.
|
|
|
|
(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
|
|
|
|
\H{rectangles-params} \I{parameters, for Rectangles}Rectangles parameters
|
|
|
|
These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
|
|
\q{Type} menu.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
|
|
|
|
\dd Size of grid, in squares.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Expansion factor}
|
|
|
|
\dd This is a mechanism for changing the type of grids generated by
|
|
the program. Some people prefer a grid containing a few large
|
|
rectangles to one containing many small ones. So you can ask
|
|
Rectangles to essentially generate a \e{smaller} grid than the size
|
|
you specified, and then to expand it by adding rows and columns.
|
|
|
|
\lcont{
|
|
|
|
The default expansion factor of zero means that Rectangles will
|
|
simply generate a grid of the size you ask for, and do nothing
|
|
further. If you set an expansion factor of (say) 0.5, it means that
|
|
each dimension of the grid will be expanded to half again as big
|
|
after generation. In other words, the initial grid will be 2/3 the
|
|
size in each dimension, and will be expanded to its full size
|
|
without adding any more rectangles.
|
|
|
|
Setting an expansion factor of around 0.5 tends to make the game
|
|
more difficult, and also (in my experience) rewards a less deductive
|
|
and more intuitive playing style. If you set it \e{too} high,
|
|
though, the game simply cannot generate more than a few rectangles
|
|
to cover the entire grid, and the game becomes trivial.
|
|
|
|
}
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
|
|
|
|
\dd Normally, Rectangles will make sure that the puzzles it presents
|
|
have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
|
|
difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this
|
|
feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. Also, finding \e{all} the
|
|
possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an advanced
|
|
player. Turning off this option can also speed up puzzle generation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{netslide} \i{Netslide}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.netslide}
|
|
|
|
This game combines the grid generation of Net (see \k{net}) with the
|
|
movement of Sixteen (see \k{sixteen}): you have a Net grid, but
|
|
instead of rotating tiles back into place you have to slide them
|
|
into place by moving a whole row at a time.
|
|
|
|
As in Sixteen, \I{controls, for Netslide}control is with the mouse.
|
|
See \k{sixteen-controls}.
|
|
|
|
\I{parameters, for Netslide}The available game parameters have similar
|
|
meanings to those in Net (see \k{net-params}) and Sixteen (see
|
|
\k{sixteen-params}).
|
|
|
|
Netslide was contributed to this collection by Richard Boulton.
|
|
|
|
\C{pattern} \i{Pattern}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pattern}
|
|
|
|
You have a grid of squares, which must all be filled in either black
|
|
or white. Beside each row of the grid are listed the lengths of the
|
|
runs of black squares on that row; above each column are listed the
|
|
lengths of the runs of black squares in that column. Your aim is to
|
|
fill in the entire grid black or white.
|
|
|
|
I first saw this puzzle form around 1995, under the name
|
|
\q{\i{nonograms}}. I've seen it in various places since then, under
|
|
different names.
|
|
|
|
Normally, puzzles of this type turn out to be a meaningful picture
|
|
of something once you've solved them. However, since this version
|
|
generates the puzzles automatically, they will just look like random
|
|
groupings of squares. (One user has suggested that this is actually
|
|
a \e{good} thing, since it prevents you from guessing the colour of
|
|
squares based on the picture, and forces you to use logic instead.)
|
|
The advantage, though, is that you never run out of them.
|
|
|
|
\H{pattern-controls} \I{controls, for Pattern}Pattern controls
|
|
|
|
This game is played with the mouse.
|
|
|
|
Left-click in a square to colour it black. Right-click to colour it
|
|
white. If you make a mistake, you can middle-click, or hold down
|
|
Shift while clicking with any button, to colour the square in the
|
|
default grey (meaning \q{undecided}) again.
|
|
|
|
You can click and drag with the left or right mouse button to colour
|
|
a vertical or horizontal line of squares black or white at a time
|
|
(respectively). If you click and drag with the middle button, or
|
|
with Shift held down, you can colour a whole rectangle of squares
|
|
grey.
|
|
|
|
(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
|
|
|
|
\H{pattern-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pattern}Pattern parameters
|
|
|
|
The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
|
|
menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{solo} \i{Solo}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.solo}
|
|
|
|
You have a square grid, which is divided into square or rectangular
|
|
blocks. Each square must be filled in with a digit from 1 to the
|
|
size of the grid, in such a way that
|
|
|
|
\b every row contains only one occurrence of each digit
|
|
|
|
\b every column contains only one occurrence of each digit
|
|
|
|
\b every block contains only one occurrence of each digit.
|
|
|
|
You are given some of the numbers as clues; your aim is to place the
|
|
rest of the numbers correctly.
|
|
|
|
The default puzzle size is 3\by\.3 (a 9\by\.9 actual grid, divided
|
|
into nine 3\by\.3 blocks). You can also select sizes with
|
|
rectangular blocks instead of square ones, such as 2\by\.3 (a
|
|
6\by\.6 grid divided into six 3\by\.2 blocks).
|
|
|
|
If you select a puzzle size which requires more than 9 digits, the
|
|
additional digits will be letters of the alphabet. For example, if
|
|
you select 3\by\.4 then the digits which go in your grid will be 1
|
|
to 9, plus \cq{a}, \cq{b} and \cq{c}.
|
|
|
|
I first saw this puzzle in \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-solo}, although it's also
|
|
been popularised by various newspapers under the name \q{Sudoku} or
|
|
\q{Su Doku}.
|
|
|
|
\B{nikoli-solo} \W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/1/index_text-e.htm}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/1/index_text-e.htm}
|
|
|
|
\H{solo-controls} \I{controls, for Solo}Solo controls
|
|
|
|
To play Solo, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
|
|
type a digit or letter on the keyboard to fill that square. If you
|
|
make a mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and press
|
|
Space to clear it again (or use the Undo feature).
|
|
|
|
If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a number, that
|
|
number will be entered in the square as a \q{pencil mark}. You can
|
|
have pencil marks for multiple numbers in the same square.
|
|
|
|
The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use
|
|
them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a
|
|
particular square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a
|
|
particular number, or you can use them as lists of the possible
|
|
numbers in a given square, or anything else you feel like.
|
|
|
|
To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type
|
|
the same number again.
|
|
|
|
All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type
|
|
a number, or when you left-click and press space. Right-clicking and
|
|
pressing space will also erase pencil marks.
|
|
|
|
(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
|
|
|
|
\H{solo-parameters} \I{parameters, for Solo}Solo parameters
|
|
|
|
Solo allows you to configure two separate dimensions of the puzzle
|
|
grid on the \q{Type} menu: the number of columns, and the number of
|
|
rows, into which the main grid is divided. (The size of a block is
|
|
the inverse of this: for example, if you select 2 columns and 3 rows,
|
|
each actual block will have 3 columns and 2 rows.)
|
|
|
|
You can also configure the type of symmetry shown in the generated
|
|
puzzles. More symmetry makes the puzzles look prettier but may also
|
|
make them easier, since the symmetry constraints can force more
|
|
clues than necessary to be present. Completely asymmetric puzzles
|
|
have the freedom to contain as few clues as possible.
|
|
|
|
Finally, you can configure the difficulty of the generated puzzles.
|
|
Difficulty levels are judged by the complexity of the techniques of
|
|
deduction required to solve the puzzle: each level requires a mode
|
|
of reasoning which was not necessary in the previous one. In
|
|
particular, on difficulty levels \q{Trivial} and \q{Basic} there
|
|
will be a square you can fill in with a single number at all times,
|
|
whereas at \q{Intermediate} level and beyond you will have to make
|
|
partial deductions about the \e{set} of squares a number could be in
|
|
(or the set of numbers that could be in a square). At
|
|
\q{Unreasonable} level, even this is not enough, and you will
|
|
eventually have to make a guess, and then backtrack if it turns out
|
|
to be wrong.
|
|
|
|
Generating difficult puzzles is itself difficult: if you select
|
|
\q{Intermediate} or \q{Advanced} difficulty, Solo may have to make
|
|
many attempts at generating a puzzle before it finds one hard enough
|
|
for you. Be prepared to wait, especially if you have also configured
|
|
a large puzzle size.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{mines} \i{Mines}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.mines}
|
|
|
|
You have a grid of covered squares, some of which contain mines, but
|
|
you don't know which. Your job is to uncover every square which does
|
|
\e{not} contain a mine. If you uncover a square containing a mine,
|
|
you lose. If you uncover a square which does not contain a mine, you
|
|
are told how many mines are contained within the eight surrounding
|
|
squares.
|
|
|
|
This game needs no introduction; popularised by Windows, it is
|
|
perhaps the single best known desktop puzzle game in existence.
|
|
|
|
This version of it has an unusual property. By default, it will
|
|
generate its mine positions in such a way as to ensure that you
|
|
never need to \e{guess} where a mine is: you will always be able to
|
|
deduce it somehow. So you will never, as can happen in other
|
|
versions, get to the last four squares and discover that there are
|
|
two mines left but you have no way of knowing for sure where they
|
|
are.
|
|
|
|
\H{mines-controls} \I{controls, for Mines}Mines controls
|
|
|
|
This game is played with the mouse.
|
|
|
|
If you left-click in a covered square, it will be uncovered.
|
|
|
|
If you right-click in a covered square, it will place a flag which
|
|
indicates that the square is believed to be a mine. Left-clicking in
|
|
a marked square will not uncover it, for safety. You can right-click
|
|
again to remove a mark placed in error.
|
|
|
|
If you left-click in an \e{uncovered} square, it will \q{clear
|
|
around} the square. This means: if the square has exactly as many
|
|
flags surrounding it as it should have mines, then all the covered
|
|
squares next to it which are \e{not} flagged will be uncovered. So
|
|
once you think you know the location of all the mines around a
|
|
square, you can use this function as a shortcut to avoid having to
|
|
click on each of the remaining squares one by one.
|
|
|
|
If you uncover a square which has \e{no} mines in the surrounding
|
|
eight squares, then it is obviously safe to uncover those squares in
|
|
turn, and so on if any of them also has no surrounding mines. This
|
|
will be done for you automatically; so sometimes when you uncover a
|
|
square, a whole new area will open up to be explored.
|
|
|
|
All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.
|
|
|
|
Even Undo is available, although you might consider it cheating to
|
|
use it. If you step on a mine, the program will only reveal the mine
|
|
in question (unlike most other implementations, which reveal all of
|
|
them). You can then Undo your fatal move and continue playing if you
|
|
like. The program will track the number of times you died (and Undo
|
|
will not reduce that counter), so when you get to the end of the
|
|
game you know whether or not you did it without making any errors.
|
|
|
|
(If you really want to know the full layout of the grid, which other
|
|
implementations will show you after you die, you can always use the
|
|
Solve menu option.)
|
|
|
|
\H{mines-parameters} \I{parameters, for Mines}Mines parameters
|
|
|
|
The options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
|
|
menu are:
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
|
|
|
|
\dd Size of grid in squares.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Mines}
|
|
|
|
\dd Number of mines in the grid. You can enter this as an absolute
|
|
mine count, or alternatively you can put a \cw{%} sign on the end in
|
|
which case the game will arrange for that proportion of the squares
|
|
in the grid to be mines.
|
|
|
|
\lcont{
|
|
|
|
Beware of setting the mine count too high. At very high densities,
|
|
the program may spend forever searching for a solvable grid.
|
|
|
|
}
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Ensure solubility}
|
|
|
|
\dd When this option is enabled (as it is by default), Mines will
|
|
ensure that the entire grid can be fully deduced starting from the
|
|
initial open space. If you prefer the riskier grids generated by
|
|
other implementations, you can switch off this option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{samegame} \i{Same Game}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.samegame}
|
|
|
|
You have a grid of coloured squares, which you have to clear by
|
|
highlighting contiguous regions of more than one coloured square;
|
|
the larger the region you highlight, the more points you get (and
|
|
the faster you clear the arena).
|
|
|
|
If you clear the grid you win. If you end up with nothing but
|
|
single squares (i.e., there are no more clickable regions left) you
|
|
lose.
|
|
|
|
Removing a region causes the rest of the grid to shuffle up:
|
|
blocks that are suspended will fall down (first), and then empty
|
|
columns are filled from the right.
|
|
|
|
The game generator does not try to guarantee soluble grids;
|
|
it will, however, ensure that there are at least 2 squares of each
|
|
colour on the grid at the start (and will forbid custom grids for which
|
|
that would be impossible).
|
|
|
|
Same Game was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
|
|
|
|
\H{samegame-controls} \i{Same Game controls}
|
|
|
|
\IM{Same Game controls} controls, for Same Game
|
|
\IM{Same Game controls} keys, for Same Game
|
|
\IM{Same Game controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Same Game
|
|
|
|
This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
|
|
|
|
If you left-click an unselected region, it becomes selected (possibly
|
|
clearing the current selection).
|
|
|
|
If you left-click the selected region, it will be removed (and the
|
|
rest of the grid shuffled immediately).
|
|
|
|
If you right-click the selected region, it will be unselected.
|
|
|
|
The cursor keys move a cursor around the grid. Pressing the Space or
|
|
Enter keys while the cursor is in an unselected region selects it;
|
|
pressing Space or Enter again removes it as above.
|
|
|
|
\H{samegame-parameters} \I{parameters, for Same Game}Same Game parameters
|
|
|
|
These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
|
|
\q{Type} menu.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
|
|
|
|
\dd Size of grid in squares.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{No. of colours}
|
|
|
|
\dd Number of different colours used to fill the grid; the more colours,
|
|
the fewer large regions of colour and thus the more difficult it is to
|
|
successfully clear the grid.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Scoring system}
|
|
|
|
\dd Controls the precise mechanism used for scoring. With the default
|
|
system, \q{(n-2)^2}, only regions of three squares or more will score
|
|
any points at all. With the alternative \q{(n-1)^2} system, regions of
|
|
two squares score a point each, and larger regions score relatively
|
|
more points.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{flip} \i{Flip}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.flip}
|
|
|
|
You have a grid of squares, some light and some dark. Your aim is to
|
|
light all the squares up at the same time. You can choose any square
|
|
and flip its state from light to dark or dark to light, but when you
|
|
do so, other squares around it change state as well.
|
|
|
|
Each square contains a small diagram showing which other squares
|
|
change when you flip it.
|
|
|
|
\H{flip-controls} \i{Flip controls}
|
|
|
|
\IM{Flip controls} controls, for Flip
|
|
\IM{Flip controls} keys, for Flip
|
|
\IM{Flip controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Flip
|
|
|
|
This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
|
|
|
|
Left-click in a square to flip it and its associated squares, or
|
|
use the cursor keys to choose a square and the space bar or Enter
|
|
key to flip.
|
|
|
|
If you use the \q{Solve} function on this game, it will mark some of
|
|
the squares in red. If you click once in every square with a red
|
|
mark, the game should be solved. (If you click in a square
|
|
\e{without} a red mark, a red mark will appear in it to indicate
|
|
that you will need to reverse that operation to reach the solution.)
|
|
|
|
\H{flip-parameters} \I{parameters, for flip}Flip parameters
|
|
|
|
These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
|
|
\q{Type} menu.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
|
|
|
|
\dd Size of grid in squares.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Shape type}
|
|
|
|
\dd This control determines the shape of the region which is flipped
|
|
by clicking in any given square. The default setting, \q{Crosses},
|
|
causes every square to flip itself and its four immediate neighbours
|
|
(or three or two if it's at an edge or corner). The other setting,
|
|
\q{Random}, causes a random shape to be chosen for every square, so
|
|
the game is different every time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{guess} \i{Guess}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.guess}
|
|
|
|
You have a set of coloured pegs, and have to reproduce a
|
|
predetermined sequence of them (chosen by the computer) within a
|
|
certain number of guesses.
|
|
|
|
Each guess gets marked with the number of correctly-coloured pegs
|
|
in the correct places (in black), and also the number of
|
|
correctly-coloured pegs in the wrong places (in white).
|
|
|
|
This game is also known (and marketed, by Hasbro, mainly) as
|
|
a board game \q{Mastermind}, with 6 colours, 4 pegs per row, and 10 guesses.
|
|
However, this version allows custom settings of number of colours
|
|
(up to 10), number of pegs per row, and number of guesses.
|
|
|
|
Guess was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
|
|
|
|
\H{guess-controls} \i{Guess controls}
|
|
|
|
\IM{Guess controls} controls, for Guess
|
|
\IM{Guess controls} keys, for Guess
|
|
\IM{Guess controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Guess
|
|
|
|
This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
|
|
|
|
With the mouse, drag a coloured peg from the tray on the left-hand
|
|
side to its required position in the current guess; pegs may also be
|
|
dragged from current and past guesses to copy them elsewhere. To
|
|
remove a peg, drag it off its current position to somewhere invalid.
|
|
|
|
Right-clicking in the current guess adds a \q{hold} marker; pegs
|
|
that have hold markers will be automatically added to the next guess
|
|
after marking.
|
|
|
|
Alternatively, with the keyboard, the up and down cursor keys can be
|
|
used to select a peg colour, the left and right keys to select a
|
|
peg position, and the space bar or Enter key to place a peg of the
|
|
selected colour in the chosen position. \q{D} or Backspace removes a
|
|
peg, and \q{H} adds a hold marker.
|
|
|
|
When the guess is complete, the smaller feedback pegs will be highlighted;
|
|
clicking on these (or moving the peg cursor to them with the arrow keys
|
|
and pressing the space bar or Enter key) will mark the current guess,
|
|
copy any held pegs to the next guess, and move the \q{current guess}
|
|
marker.
|
|
|
|
If you correctly position all the pegs the solution will be displayed
|
|
below; if you run out of guesses (or select \q{Solve...}) the solution
|
|
will also be revealed.
|
|
|
|
\H{guess-parameters} \I{parameters, for Guess}Guess parameters
|
|
|
|
These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
|
|
\q{Type} menu. The default game matches the parameters for the
|
|
board game \q{Mastermind}.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Colours}
|
|
|
|
\dd Number of colours the solution is chosen from; from 2 to 10
|
|
(more is harder).
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Pegs per guess}
|
|
|
|
\dd Number of pegs per guess (more is harder).
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Guesses}
|
|
|
|
\dd Number of guesses you have to find the solution in (fewer is harder).
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Allow blanks}
|
|
|
|
\dd Allows blank pegs to be given as part of a guess (makes it easier, because
|
|
you know that those will never be counted as part of the solution). This
|
|
is turned off by default.
|
|
|
|
Note that this doesn't allow blank pegs in the solution; if you really wanted
|
|
that, use one extra colour.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Allow duplicates}
|
|
|
|
\dd Allows the solution (and the guesses) to contain colours more than once;
|
|
this increases the search space (making things harder), and is turned on by
|
|
default.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{pegs} \i{Pegs}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pegs}
|
|
|
|
A number of pegs are placed in holes on a board. You can remove a
|
|
peg by jumping an adjacent peg over it (horizontally or vertically)
|
|
to a vacant hole on the other side. Your aim is to remove all but one
|
|
of the pegs initially present.
|
|
|
|
This game, best known as \q{Peg Solitaire}, is possibly one of the
|
|
oldest puzzle games still commonly known.
|
|
|
|
\H{pegs-controls} \i{Pegs controls}
|
|
|
|
\IM{Pegs controls} controls, for Pegs
|
|
|
|
To move a peg, drag it with the mouse from its current position to
|
|
its final position. If the final position is exactly two holes away
|
|
from the initial position, is currently unoccupied by a peg, and
|
|
there is a peg in the intervening square, the move will be permitted
|
|
and the intervening peg will be removed.
|
|
|
|
Vacant spaces which you can move a peg into are marked with holes. A
|
|
space with no peg and no hole is not available for moving at all: it
|
|
is an obstacle which you must work around.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\H{pegs-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pegs}Pegs parameters
|
|
|
|
These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
|
|
\q{Type} menu.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
|
|
|
|
\dd Size of grid in holes.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Board type}
|
|
|
|
\dd Controls whether you are given a board of a standard shape or a
|
|
randomly generated shape. The two standard shapes currently
|
|
supported are \q{Cross} and \q{Octagon} (also commonly known as the
|
|
English and European traditional board layouts respectively).
|
|
Selecting \q{Random} will give you a different board shape every
|
|
time (but always one that is known to have a solution).
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{dominosa} \i{Dominosa}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.dominosa}
|
|
|
|
A normal set of dominoes has been arranged irregularly into a
|
|
rectangle; then the number in each square has been written down and
|
|
the dominoes themselves removed. Your task is to reconstruct the
|
|
pattern by arranging the set of dominoes to match the provided array
|
|
of numbers.
|
|
|
|
This puzzle is widely credited to O. S. Adler, and takes part of its
|
|
name from those initials.
|
|
|
|
\H{dominosa-controls} \i{Dominosa controls}
|
|
|
|
\IM{Dominosa controls} controls, for Dominosa
|
|
|
|
Left-clicking between any two adjacent numbers places a domino
|
|
covering them, or removes one if it is already present. Trying to
|
|
place a domino which overlaps existing dominoes will remove the ones
|
|
it overlaps.
|
|
|
|
Right-clicking between two adjacent numbers draws a line between
|
|
them, which you can use to remind yourself that you know those two
|
|
numbers are \e{not} covered by a single domino. Right-clicking again
|
|
removes the line.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\H{dominosa-parameters} \I{parameters, for Dominosa}Dominosa parameters
|
|
|
|
These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
|
|
\q{Type} menu.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Maximum number on dominoes}
|
|
|
|
\dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by controlling the size of the
|
|
set of dominoes used to make it. Dominoes with numbers going up to N
|
|
will give rise to an (N+2) \by (N+1) rectangle; so, in particular,
|
|
the default value of 6 gives an 8\by\.7 grid.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
|
|
|
|
\dd Normally, Dominosa will make sure that the puzzles it presents
|
|
have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
|
|
difficult and sometimes more subtle, so if you like you can turn off
|
|
this feature. Also, finding \e{all} the possible solutions can be an
|
|
additional challenge for an advanced player. Turning off this option
|
|
can also speed up puzzle generation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{untangle} \i{Untangle}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.untangle}
|
|
|
|
You are given a number of points, some of which have lines drawn
|
|
between them. You can move the points about arbitrarily; your aim is
|
|
to position the points so that no line crosses another.
|
|
|
|
I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{Planarity}
|
|
\k{Planarity}, written by John Tantalo.
|
|
|
|
\B{Planarity} \W{http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Planarity}\cw{http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Planarity}
|
|
|
|
\H{untangle-controls} \i{Untangle controls}
|
|
|
|
\IM{Untangle controls} controls, for Untangle
|
|
|
|
To move a point, click on it with the left mouse button and drag it
|
|
into a new position.
|
|
|
|
\H{untangle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Untangle}Untangle parameters
|
|
|
|
There is only one parameter available from the \q{Custom...} option
|
|
on the \q{Type} menu:
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Number of points}
|
|
|
|
\dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by specifying the number of
|
|
points in the generated graph.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\C{blackbox} \i{Black Box}
|
|
|
|
\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.blackbox}
|
|
|
|
A number of balls are hidden in a rectangular arena. You have to
|
|
deduce the positions of the balls by firing lasers from positions
|
|
on the edge of the arena and observing how they are deflected.
|
|
|
|
Lasers will fire straight until they hit the opposite side of the
|
|
arena (at which point they emerge), unless affected by balls in one of
|
|
the following ways:
|
|
|
|
\b A laser that hits a ball head-on is absorbed and will never re-emerge.
|
|
This includes lasers that meet a ball on the first rank of the arena.
|
|
|
|
\b A laser with a ball to its front-left square gets deflected 90 degrees
|
|
to the right.
|
|
|
|
\b A laser with a ball to its front-right square gets similarly deflected
|
|
to the left.
|
|
|
|
\b A laser that would re-emerge from the entry location is considered to be
|
|
\q{reflected}.
|
|
|
|
\b A laser which would get deflected before entering the arena (down the
|
|
\q{firing range}) by a ball to the front-left or front-right of its
|
|
entry point is also considered to be \q{reflected}.
|
|
|
|
Lasers that are reflected appear as a \q{R}; lasers that hit balls
|
|
dead-on appear as \q{H}. Otherwise, a number appears at the firing point
|
|
and the location where the laser emerges (this number is unique to
|
|
that shot).
|
|
|
|
You can place guesses as to the location of the balls, based on the
|
|
entry and exit patterns of the lasers; once you have placed enough
|
|
balls a button appears enabling you to have your guesses checked.
|
|
|
|
Here is a diagram showing how the positions of balls can create each
|
|
of the laser behaviours shown above:
|
|
|
|
\c 1RHR----
|
|
\c |..O.O...|
|
|
\c 2........3
|
|
\c |........|
|
|
\c |........|
|
|
\c 3........|
|
|
\c |......O.|
|
|
\c H........|
|
|
\c |.....O..|
|
|
\c 12-RH---
|
|
|
|
As shown, it is possible for a ball to receive multiple reflections
|
|
before re-emerging (see turn 3). Similarly, a ball may be reflected
|
|
(possibly more than once) before receiving a hit (the \q{H} on the
|
|
left side of the example).
|
|
|
|
Note that any layout with more that 4 balls may have a non-unique
|
|
solution. The following diagram illustrates this; if you know the
|
|
board contains 5 balls, it is impossible to determine where the fifth
|
|
ball is (possible positions marked with an x):
|
|
|
|
\c --------
|
|
\c |........|
|
|
\c |........|
|
|
\c |..O..O..|
|
|
\c |...xx...|
|
|
\c |...xx...|
|
|
\c |..O..O..|
|
|
\c |........|
|
|
\c |........|
|
|
\c --------
|
|
|
|
For this reason when you have your guesses checked the game will
|
|
check that your solution \e{produces the same results} as the
|
|
computer's, rather than that your solution is identical to the
|
|
computer's. So in the above example, you could put the fifth ball at
|
|
\e{any} of the locations marked with an x, and you would still win.
|
|
|
|
Black Box was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
|
|
|
|
\H{blackbox-controls} \i{Black Box controls}
|
|
|
|
\IM{Black Box controls}controls, for Black Box
|
|
|
|
To fire a laser, left-click in a square around the side of the arena.
|
|
The results will be displayed immediately. Lasers may not be fired
|
|
twice (because the results will never change). Holding down the left
|
|
button will highlight the current go (or a previous go) to confirm the
|
|
exit point for that laser, if applicable.
|
|
|
|
To guess the location of a ball, left-click within the arena and a
|
|
black circle will appear marking the guess; to remove the guessed ball
|
|
click again.
|
|
|
|
Locations in the arena may be locked against modification by
|
|
right-clicking; whole rows and columns may be similarly locked by
|
|
right-clicking in the laser firing range above/below that column, or
|
|
to the left/right of that row.
|
|
|
|
When an appropriate number of balls have been guessed a button will
|
|
appear at the top-left corner of the grid; clicking that will mark
|
|
your guesses.
|
|
|
|
Once marked, correctly-placed balls are displayed as filled black
|
|
circles. Incorrectly-placed balls are displayed as filled black
|
|
circles with red crosses, and missing balls are filled red circles.
|
|
In addition, a red circle marks any laser you had already fired
|
|
which is not consistent with your ball layout, and red text marks
|
|
any laser you \e{could} have fired in order to distinguish your ball
|
|
layout from the right one.
|
|
|
|
(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
|
|
|
|
\H{blackbox-parameters} \I{parameters, for Black Box}Black Box parameters
|
|
|
|
These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
|
|
\q{Type} menu.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
|
|
|
|
\dd Size of grid in squares. There are 2 \by \e{Width} \by \e{Height} lasers
|
|
per grid, two per row and two per column.
|
|
|
|
\dt \e{No. of balls}
|
|
|
|
\dd Number of balls to place in the grid. This can be a single number,
|
|
or a range (separated with a hyphen, like \q{2-6}), and determines the
|
|
number of balls to place on the grid. The \q{reveal} button is only
|
|
enabled if you have guessed an appropriate number of balls; a guess
|
|
using a different number to the original solution is still acceptable,
|
|
if all the laser inputs and outputs match.
|
|
|
|
|
|
\A{licence} \I{MIT licence}\ii{Licence}
|
|
|
|
This software is \i{copyright} 2004-2005 Simon Tatham.
|
|
|
|
Portions copyright Richard Boulton and James Harvey.
|
|
|
|
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person
|
|
obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files
|
|
(the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction,
|
|
including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge,
|
|
publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software,
|
|
and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
|
|
subject to the following conditions:
|
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The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
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included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
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THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
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EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
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MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
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NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS
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BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN
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ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN
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CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
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SOFTWARE.
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\IM{specific} \q{Specific}, menu option
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\IM{custom} \q{Custom}, menu option
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\IM{game ID} game ID
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\IM{game ID} ID, game
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\IM{ID format} ID format
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\IM{ID format} format, ID
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\IM{ID format} game ID, format
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\IM{keys} keys
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\IM{keys} shortcuts (keyboard)
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\IM{initial state} initial state
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\IM{initial state} state, initial
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\IM{MIT licence} MIT licence
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\IM{MIT licence} licence, MIT
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