Keyboard control patch for Slant, from James H.
[sgt/puzzles] / puzzles.but
CommitLineData
e91825f8 1\title Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection
2
3\cfg{winhelp-filename}{puzzles.hlp}
4\cfg{winhelp-contents-titlepage}{Contents}
5
6\cfg{text-filename}{puzzles.txt}
7
fccfd04d 8\cfg{html-contents-filename}{index.html}
8709d5d9 9\cfg{html-template-filename}{%k.html}
10\cfg{html-index-filename}{docindex.html}
fccfd04d 11\cfg{html-leaf-level}{1}
12\cfg{html-contents-depth-0}{1}
13\cfg{html-contents-depth-1}{2}
14\cfg{html-leaf-contains-contents}{true}
15
e91825f8 16\cfg{info-filename}{puzzles.info}
17
18\cfg{ps-filename}{puzzles.ps}
19\cfg{pdf-filename}{puzzles.pdf}
20
1d8e8ad8 21\define{by} \u00D7{x}
22
f1010613 23\define{dash} \u2013{-}
24
e91825f8 25This is a collection of small one-player puzzle games.
26
07a54e52 27\copyright This manual is copyright 2004-2008 Simon Tatham. All rights
e91825f8 28reserved. You may distribute this documentation under the MIT licence.
29See \k{licence} for the licence text in full.
30
8709d5d9 31\cfg{html-local-head}{<meta name="AppleTitle" content="Puzzles Help">}
e91825f8 32
8709d5d9 33\versionid $Id$
e91825f8 34
35\C{intro} Introduction
36
37I wrote this collection because I thought there should be more small
38desktop toys available: little games you can pop up in a window and
39play for two or three minutes while you take a break from whatever
8a771ea7 40else you were doing. And I was also annoyed that every time I found
41a good game on (say) \i{Unix}, it wasn't available the next time I
42was sitting at a \i{Windows} machine, or vice versa; so I arranged
43that everything in my personal puzzle collection will happily run on
bb219ea1 44both, and have more recently done a port to \i{Mac OS X} as well. When I
8a771ea7 45find (or perhaps invent) further puzzle games that I like, they'll
46be added to this collection and will immediately be available on
47both platforms. And if anyone feels like writing any other front
f1010613 48ends \dash PocketPC, Mac OS pre-10, or whatever it might be \dash
49then all the games in this framework will immediately become
50available on another platform as well.
e91825f8 51
aafaa7fb 52The actual games in this collection were mostly not my invention; they
53are re-implementations of existing game concepts within my portable
54puzzle framework. I do not claim credit, in general, for inventing the
55rules of any of these puzzles. (I don't even claim authorship of all
56the code; some of the puzzles have been submitted by other authors.)
e91825f8 57
58This collection is distributed under the \i{MIT licence} (see
59\k{licence}). This means that you can do pretty much anything you like
60with the game binaries or the code, except pretending you wrote them
61yourself, or suing me if anything goes wrong.
62
63The most recent versions, and \i{source code}, can be found at
64\I{website}\W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}.
65
66Please report \I{feedback}\i{bugs} to
67\W{mailto:anakin@pobox.com}\cw{anakin@pobox.com}.
68You might find it helpful to read this article before reporting a bug:
69
70\W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html}
71
72\ii{Patches} are welcome. Especially if they provide a new front end
73(to make all these games run on another platform), or a new game.
74
75
76\C{common} \ii{Common features}
77
78This chapter describes features that are common to all the games.
79
80\H{common-actions} \I{controls}Common actions
81
82These actions are all available from the \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu
83and via \I{keys}keyboard shortcuts, in addition to any game-specific
84actions.
85
bb219ea1 86(On \i{Mac OS X}, to conform with local user interface standards, these
3101ae26 87actions are situated on the \I{File menu}\q{File} and \I{Edit
bacaa96e 88menu}\q{Edit} menus instead.)
89
e91825f8 90\dt \ii\e{New game} (\q{N}, Ctrl+\q{N})
91
92\dd Starts a new game, with a random initial state.
93
2b06373b 94\dt \ii\e{Restart game}
e91825f8 95
2b06373b 96\dd Resets the current game to its initial state. (This can be undone.)
e91825f8 97
668be019 98\dt \ii\e{Load}
99
100\dd Loads a saved game from a file on disk.
101
102\dt \ii\e{Save}
103
104\dd Saves the current state of your game to a file on disk.
105
106\lcont{
107
ff359b8a 108The Load and Save operations preserve your entire game
668be019 109history (so you can save, reload, and still Undo and Redo things you
110had done before saving).
111
112}
113
3c9388ef 114\dt \I{printing, on Windows}\e{Print}
e28d0584 115
116\dd Where supported (currently only on Windows), brings up a dialog
117allowing you to print an arbitrary number of puzzles randomly
118generated from the current parameters, optionally including the
3c9388ef 119current puzzle. (Only for puzzles which make sense to print, of
120course - it's hard to think of a sensible printable representation
121of Fifteen!)
e28d0584 122
e91825f8 123\dt \ii\e{Undo} (\q{U}, Ctrl+\q{Z}, Ctrl+\q{_})
124
125\dd Undoes a single move. (You can undo moves back to the start of the
2b06373b 126session.)
e91825f8 127
2b06373b 128\dt \ii\e{Redo} (\q{R}, Ctrl+\q{R})
e91825f8 129
2b06373b 130\dd Redoes a previously undone move.
e91825f8 131
bacaa96e 132\dt \ii\e{Copy}
133
134\dd Copies the current state of your game to the clipboard in text
135format, so that you can paste it into (say) an e-mail client or a
136web message board if you're discussing the game with someone else.
137(Not all games support this feature.)
138
2ac6d24e 139\dt \ii\e{Solve}
140
141\dd Transforms the puzzle instantly into its solved state. For some
142games (Cube) this feature is not supported at all because it is of
143no particular use. For other games (such as Pattern), the solved
144state can be used to give you information, if you can't see how a
145solution can exist at all or you want to know where you made a
146mistake. For still other games (such as Sixteen), automatic solution
147tells you nothing about how to \e{get} to the solution, but it does
148provide a useful way to get there quickly so that you can experiment
149with set-piece moves and transformations.
150
151\lcont{
152
153Some games (such as Solo) are capable of solving a game ID you have
154typed in from elsewhere. Other games (such as Rectangles) cannot
155solve a game ID they didn't invent themself, but when they did
156invent the game ID they know what the solution is already. Still
157other games (Pattern) can solve \e{some} external game IDs, but only
158if they aren't too difficult.
159
e8124727 160The \q{Solve} command adds the solved state to the end of the undo
161chain for the puzzle. In other words, if you want to go back to
162solving it yourself after seeing the answer, you can just press Undo.
163
2ac6d24e 164}
165
e91825f8 166\dt \I{exit}\ii\e{Quit} (\q{Q}, Ctrl+\q{Q})
167
168\dd Closes the application entirely.
169
1185e3c5 170\H{common-id} Specifying games with the \ii{game ID}
171
172There are two ways to save a game specification out of a puzzle and
173recreate it later, or recreate it in somebody else's copy of the
174same puzzle.
175
176The \q{\i{Specific}} and \q{\i{Random Seed}} options from the
bb219ea1 177\I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu (or the \q{File} menu, on \i{Mac OS X}) each
1185e3c5 178show a piece of text (a \q{game ID}) which is sufficient to
179reconstruct precisely the same game at a later date.
180
181You can enter either of these pieces of text back into the program
182(via the same \q{Specific} or \q{Random Seed} menu options) at a
183later point, and it will recreate the same game. You can also use
184either one as a \i{command line} argument (on Windows or Unix); see
185\k{common-cmdline} for more detail.
186
187The difference between the two forms is that a descriptive game ID
188is a literal \e{description} of the \i{initial state} of the game,
189whereas a random seed is just a piece of arbitrary text which was
190provided as input to the random number generator used to create the
191puzzle. This means that:
192
193\b Descriptive game IDs tend to be longer in many puzzles (although
194some, such as Cube (\k{cube}), only need very short descriptions).
195So a random seed is often a \e{quicker} way to note down the puzzle
196you're currently playing, or to tell it to somebody else so they can
197play the same one as you.
198
199\b Any text at all is a valid random seed. The automatically
200generated ones are fifteen-digit numbers, but anything will do; you
201can type in your full name, or a word you just made up, and a valid
202puzzle will be generated from it. This provides a way for two or
203more people to race to complete the same puzzle: you think of a
204random seed, then everybody types it in at the same time, and nobody
205has an advantage due to having seen the generated puzzle before
206anybody else.
207
208\b It is often possible to convert puzzles from other sources (such
209as \q{nonograms} or \q{sudoku} from newspapers) into descriptive
210game IDs suitable for use with these programs.
211
212\b Random seeds are not guaranteed to produce the same result if you
213use them with a different \i\e{version} of the puzzle program. This
214is because the generation algorithm might have been improved or
215modified in later versions of the code, and will therefore produce a
216different result when given the same sequence of random numbers. Use
217a descriptive game ID if you aren't sure that it will be used on the
218same version of the program as yours.
219
220\lcont{(Use the \q{About} menu option to find out the version number
221of the program. Programs with the same version number running on
222different platforms should still be random-seed compatible.)}
223
224\I{ID format}A descriptive game ID starts with a piece of text which
225encodes the \i\e{parameters} of the current game (such as grid
226size). Then there is a colon, and after that is the description of
227the game's initial state. A random seed starts with a similar string
228of parameters, but then it contains a hash sign followed by
229arbitrary data.
230
231If you enter a descriptive game ID, the program will not be able to
232show you the random seed which generated it, since it wasn't
233generated \e{from} a random seed. If you \e{enter} a random seed,
234however, the program will be able to show you the descriptive game
235ID derived from that random seed.
236
237Note that the game parameter strings are not always identical
238between the two forms. For some games, there will be parameter data
239provided with the random seed which is not included in the
240descriptive game ID. This is because that parameter information is
241only relevant when \e{generating} puzzle grids, and is not important
242when playing them. Thus, for example, the difficulty level in Solo
243(\k{solo}) is not mentioned in the descriptive game ID.
244
245These additional parameters are also not set permanently if you type
246in a game ID. For example, suppose you have Solo set to \q{Advanced}
247difficulty level, and then a friend wants your help with a
248\q{Trivial} puzzle; so the friend reads out a random seed specifying
249\q{Trivial} difficulty, and you type it in. The program will
250generate you the same \q{Trivial} grid which your friend was having
251trouble with, but once you have finished playing it, when you ask
252for a new game it will automatically go back to the \q{Advanced}
253difficulty which it was previously set on.
e91825f8 254
255\H{common-type} The \q{Type} menu
256
257The \I{Type menu}\q{Type} menu, if present, may contain a list of
258\i{preset} game settings. Selecting one of these will start a new
259random game with the parameters specified.
260
1185e3c5 261The \q{Type} menu may also contain a \q{\i{Custom}} option which
262allows you to fine-tune game \i{parameters}. The parameters
263available are specific to each game and are described in the
264following sections.
e91825f8 265
266\H{common-cmdline} Specifying game parameters on the \i{command line}
267
bb219ea1 268(This section does not apply to the \i{Mac OS X} version.)
8a771ea7 269
e91825f8 270The games in this collection deliberately do not ever save
271information on to the computer they run on: they have no high score
272tables and no saved preferences. (This is because I expect at least
273some people to play them at work, and those people will probably
274appreciate leaving as little evidence as possible!)
275
bb219ea1 276However, if you do want to arrange for one of these games to
277\I{default parameters, specifying}default to a particular set of
278parameters, you can specify them on the command line.
e91825f8 279
280The easiest way to do this is to set up the parameters you want
281using the \q{Type} menu (see \k{common-type}), and then to select
1185e3c5 282\q{Random Seed} from the \q{Game} or \q{File} menu (see
283\k{common-id}). The text in the \q{Game ID} box will be composed of
284two parts, separated by a hash. The first of these parts represents
285the game parameters (the size of the playing area, for example, and
286anything else you set using the \q{Type} menu).
e91825f8 287
288If you run the game with just that parameter text on the command
289line, it will start up with the settings you specified.
290
291For example: if you run Cube (see \k{cube}), select \q{Octahedron}
292from the \q{Type} menu, and then go to the game ID selection, you
1185e3c5 293will see a string of the form \cq{o2x2#338686542711620}. Take only
294the part before the hash (\cq{o2x2}), and start Cube with that text
295on the command line: \cq{cube o2x2}.
e91825f8 296
297If you copy the \e{entire} game ID on to the command line, the game
298will start up in the specific game that was described. This is
299occasionally a more convenient way to start a particular game ID
300than by pasting it into the game ID selection box.
301
1185e3c5 302(You could also retrieve the encoded game parameters using the
303\q{Specific} menu option instead of \q{Random Seed}, but if you do
304then some options, such as the difficulty level in Solo, will be
305missing. See \k{common-id} for more details on this.)
306
bb219ea1 307\H{common-unix-cmdline} \i{Unix} \i{command-line} options
3c9388ef 308
309(This section only applies to the Unix port.)
310
ff359b8a 311In addition to being able to specify game parameters on the command
312line (see \k{common-cmdline}), there are various other options:
313
314\dt \cw{--game}
315
316\dt \cw{--load}
317
318\dd These options respectively determine whether the command-line
319argument is treated as specifying game parameters or a \i{save} file
320to \i{load}. Only one should be specified. If neither of these options
321is specified, a guess is made based on the format of the argument.
3c9388ef 322
323\dt \cw{--generate }\e{n}
324
325\dd If this option is specified, instead of a puzzle being displayed,
bb219ea1 326a number of descriptive game IDs will be \I{generating game IDs}invented
327and printed on standard output. This is useful for gaining access to
328the game generation algorithms without necessarily using the frontend.
3c9388ef 329
330\lcont{
331
332If game parameters are specified on the command-line, they will be
333used to generate the game IDs; otherwise a default set of parameters
334will be used.
335
336The most common use of this option is in conjunction with \c{--print},
337in which case its behaviour is slightly different; see below.
338
339}
340
341\dt \I{printing, on Unix}\cw{--print }\e{w}\cw{x}\e{h}
342
343\dd If this option is specified, instead of a puzzle being displayed,
344a printed representation of one or more unsolved puzzles is sent to
345standard output, in \i{PostScript} format.
346
347\lcont{
348
349On each page of puzzles, there will be \e{w} across and \e{h} down. If
350there are more puzzles than \e{w}\by\e{h}, more than one page will be
351printed.
352
353If \c{--generate} has also been specified, the invented game IDs will
354be used to generate the printed output. Otherwise, a list of game IDs
355is expected on standard input (which can be descriptive or random
356seeds; see \k{common-id}), in the same format produced by
357\c{--generate}.
358
359For example:
360
361\c net --generate 12 --print 2x3 7x7w | lpr
362
363will generate two pages of printed Net puzzles (each of which will
364have a 7\by\.7 wrapping grid), and pipe the output to the \c{lpr}
365command, which on many systems will send them to an actual printer.
366
367There are various other options which affect printing; see below.
368
369}
370
8b5625f5 371\dt \cw{--save }\e{file-prefix} [ \cw{--save-suffix }\e{file-suffix} ]
372
373\dd If this option is specified, instead of a puzzle being
374displayed, saved-game files for one or more unsolved puzzles are
375written to files constructed from the supplied prefix and/or suffix.
376
377\lcont{
378
379If \c{--generate} has also been specified, the invented game IDs will
380be used to generate the printed output. Otherwise, a list of game IDs
381is expected on standard input (which can be descriptive or random
382seeds; see \k{common-id}), in the same format produced by
383\c{--generate}.
384
385For example:
386
387\c net --generate 12 --save game --save-suffix .sav
388
389will generate twelve Net saved-game files with the names
390\cw{game0.sav} to \cw{game11.sav}.
391
392}
393
3c9388ef 394\dt \cw{--version}
395
396\dd Prints version information about the game, and then quits.
397
398The following options are only meaningful if \c{--print} is also
399specified:
400
401\dt \cw{--with-solutions}
402
403\dd The set of pages filled with unsolved puzzles will be followed by
404the solutions to those puzzles.
405
406\dt \cw{--scale }\e{n}
407
408\dd Adjusts how big each puzzle is when printed. Larger numbers make
409puzzles bigger; the default is 1.0.
410
411\dt \cw{--colour}
412
413\dd Puzzles will be printed in colour, rather than in black and white
414(if supported by the puzzle).
415
e28d0584 416
e91825f8 417\C{net} \i{Net}
418
419\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.net}
420
421(\e{Note:} the \i{Windows} version of this game is called
422\i\cw{NETGAME.EXE} to avoid clashing with Windows's own \cw{NET.EXE}.)
423
424I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{FreeNet}
6e8e5c51 425\k{FreeNet}, written by Pavils Jurjans; there are several other
426implementations under the name \i{NetWalk}. The computer prepares a
e91825f8 427network by connecting up the centres of squares in a grid, and then
428shuffles the network by rotating every tile randomly. Your job is to
429rotate it all back into place. The successful solution will be an
6e8e5c51 430entirely connected network, with no closed loops. \#{The latter
431clause means that there are no closed paths within the network.
432Could this be clearer? "No closed paths"?} As a visual aid,
e91825f8 433all tiles which are connected to the one in the middle are
434highlighted.
435
436\B{FreeNet} \W{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm}\cw{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm}
437
438\H{net-controls} \i{Net controls}
439
440\IM{Net controls} controls, for Net
441\IM{Net controls} keys, for Net
442\IM{Net controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Net
443
444This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse. The
445controls are:
446
447\dt \e{Select tile}: mouse pointer, arrow keys
448
449\dt \e{Rotate tile anticlockwise}: left mouse button, \q{A} key
450
451\dt \e{Rotate tile clockwise}: right mouse button, \q{D} key
452
118473f5 453\dt \e{Rotate tile by 180 degrees}: \q{F} key
454
e91825f8 455\dt \e{Lock (or unlock) tile}: middle mouse button, shift-click, \q{S} key
456
457\dd You can lock a tile once you're sure of its orientation. You can
458also unlock it again, but while it's locked you can't accidentally
459turn it.
460
f0ee053c 461The following controls are not necessary to complete the game, but may
462be useful:
463
464\dt \e{Shift grid}: Shift + arrow keys
465
466\dd On grids that wrap, you can move the origin of the grid, so that
467tiles that were on opposite sides of the grid can be seen together.
468
469\dt \e{Move centre}: Ctrl + arrow keys
470
471\dd You can change which tile is used as the source of highlighting.
472(It doesn't ultimately matter which tile this is, as every tile will
473be connected to every other tile in a correct solution, but it may be
474helpful in the intermediate stages of solving the puzzle.)
475
cbb5549e 476\dt \e{Jumble tiles}: \q{J} key
477
478\dd This key turns all tiles that are not locked to random
479orientations.
480
e91825f8 481(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
482
483\H{net-params} \I{parameters, for Net}Net parameters
484
485These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
486\q{Type} menu.
487
488\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
489
490\dd Size of grid in tiles.
491
492\dt \e{Walls wrap around}
493
494\dd If checked, flow can pass from the left edge to the right edge,
495and from top to bottom, and vice versa.
496
497\dt \e{Barrier probability}
498
499\dd A number between 0.0 and 1.0 controlling whether an immovable
500barrier is placed between two tiles to prevent flow between them (a
501higher number gives more barriers). Since barriers are immovable, they
502act as constraints on the solution (i.e., hints).
503
504\lcont{
505
506The grid generation in Net has been carefully arranged so that the
507barriers are independent of the rest of the grid. This means that if
1185e3c5 508you note down the random seed used to generate the current puzzle
509(see \k{common-id}), change the \e{Barrier probability} parameter,
510and then re-enter the same random seed, you should see exactly the
511same starting grid, with the only change being the number of
512barriers. So if you're stuck on a particular grid and need a hint,
513you could start up another instance of Net, set up the same
514parameters but a higher barrier probability, and enter the game seed
515from the original Net window.
e91825f8 516
517}
518
40fde884 519\dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
520
521\dd Normally, Net will make sure that the puzzles it presents have
522only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
523difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this
524feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. (Also, finding \e{all}
525the possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an
526advanced player.)
527
e28d0584 528
e91825f8 529\C{cube} \i{Cube}
530
531\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.cube}
532
533This is another one I originally saw as a web game. This one was a
534Java game \k{cube-java-game}, by Paul Scott. You have a grid of 16
535squares, six of which are blue; on one square rests a cube. Your move
536is to use the arrow keys to roll the cube through 90 degrees so that
537it moves to an adjacent square. If you roll the cube on to a blue
538square, the blue square is picked up on one face of the cube; if you
539roll a blue face of the cube on to a non-blue square, the blueness is
540put down again. (In general, whenever you roll the cube, the two faces
541that come into contact swap colours.) Your job is to get all six blue
542squares on to the six faces of the cube at the same time. Count your
543moves and try to do it in as few as possible.
544
545Unlike the original Java game, my version has an additional feature:
546once you've mastered the game with a cube rolling on a square grid,
547you can change to a triangular grid and roll any of a tetrahedron, an
548octahedron or an icosahedron.
549
550\B{cube-java-game} \W{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm}\cw{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm}
551
552\H{cube-controls} \i{Cube controls}
553
554\IM{Cube controls} controls, for Cube
555\IM{Cube controls} keys, for Cube
556\IM{Cube controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Cube
557
a1d5acff 558This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
e91825f8 559
a1d5acff 560Left-clicking anywhere on the window will move the cube (or other
561solid) towards the mouse pointer.
562
563The arrow keys can also used to roll the cube on its square grid in
564the four cardinal directions.
e91825f8 565On the triangular grids, the mapping of arrow keys to directions is
566more approximate. Vertical movement is disallowed where it doesn't
567make sense. The four keys surrounding the arrow keys on the numeric
568keypad (\q{7}, \q{9}, \q{1}, \q{3}) can be used for diagonal movement.
569
570(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
571
572\H{cube-params} \I{parameters, for Cube}Cube parameters
573
574These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
575\q{Type} menu.
576
577\dt \e{Type of solid}
578
579\dd Selects the solid to roll (and hence the shape of the grid):
580tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, or icosahedron.
581
582\dt \e{Width / top}, \e{Height / bottom}
583
584\dd On a square grid, horizontal and vertical dimensions. On a
585triangular grid, the number of triangles on the top and bottom rows
586respectively.
587
588
589\C{fifteen} \i{Fifteen}
590
591\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.fifteen}
592
1d8e8ad8 593The old ones are the best: this is the good old \q{\i{15-puzzle}}
594with sliding tiles. You have a 4\by\.4 square grid; 15 squares
595contain numbered tiles, and the sixteenth is empty. Your move is to
596choose a tile next to the empty space, and slide it into the space.
597The aim is to end up with the tiles in numerical order, with the
598space in the bottom right (so that the top row reads 1,2,3,4 and the
599bottom row reads 13,14,15,\e{space}).
e91825f8 600
601\H{fifteen-controls} \i{Fifteen controls}
602
603\IM{Fifteen controls} controls, for Fifteen
604\IM{Fifteen controls} keys, for Fifteen
605\IM{Fifteen controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Fifteen
606
607This game can be controlled with the mouse or the keyboard.
608
609A left-click with the mouse in the row or column containing the empty
610space will move as many tiles as necessary to move the space to the
611mouse pointer.
612
613The arrow keys will move a tile adjacent to the space in the direction
614indicated (moving the space in the \e{opposite} direction).
615
616(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
617
618\H{fifteen-params} \I{parameters, for Fifteen}Fifteen parameters
619
620The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
621menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory. (Once
622you've changed these, it's not a \q{15-puzzle} any more, of course!)
623
624
625\C{sixteen} \i{Sixteen}
626
627\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.sixteen}
628
629Another sliding tile puzzle, visually similar to Fifteen (see
630\k{fifteen}) but with a different type of move. This time, there is no
631hole: all 16 squares on the grid contain numbered squares. Your move
632is to shift an entire row left or right, or shift an entire column up
633or down; every time you do that, the tile you shift off the grid
634re-appears at the other end of the same row, in the space you just
635vacated. To win, arrange the tiles into numerical order (1,2,3,4 on
636the top row, 13,14,15,16 on the bottom). When you've done that, try
637playing on different sizes of grid.
638
639I \e{might} have invented this game myself, though only by accident if
640so (and I'm sure other people have independently invented it). I
641thought I was imitating a screensaver I'd seen, but I have a feeling
642that the screensaver might actually have been a Fifteen-type puzzle
643rather than this slightly different kind. So this might be the one
644thing in my puzzle collection which represents creativity on my part
645rather than just engineering.
646
647\H{sixteen-controls} \I{controls, for Sixteen}Sixteen controls
648
649This game is played with the mouse. Left-clicking on an arrow will
650move the appropriate row or column in the direction indicated.
651Right-clicking will move it in the opposite direction.
652
653(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
654
655\H{sixteen-params} \I{parameters, for Sixteen}Sixteen parameters
656
81875211 657The parameters available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
658\q{Type} menu are:
659
660\b \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory.
661
662\b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
663the grid. By default, Sixteen will shuffle the grid in such a way
664that any arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can
665override this by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to
666be performed. Typically your aim is then to determine the precise
667set of shuffling moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer
668(say) a four-move shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the
669more moves you ask for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter
670than the target length will turn out to be possible.
671
e91825f8 672
9038fd11 673\C{twiddle} \i{Twiddle}
674
675\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.twiddle}
676
677Twiddle is a tile-rearrangement puzzle, visually similar to Sixteen
678(see \k{sixteen}): you are given a grid of square tiles, each
679containing a number, and your aim is to arrange the numbers into
680ascending order.
681
682In basic Twiddle, your move is to rotate a square group of four
a3631c72 683tiles about their common centre. (Orientation is not significant in
684the basic puzzle, although you can select it.) On more advanced
685settings, you can rotate a larger square group of tiles.
9038fd11 686
687I first saw this type of puzzle in the GameCube game \q{Metroid
688Prime 2}. In the Main Gyro Chamber in that game, there is a puzzle
689you solve to unlock a door, which is a special case of Twiddle. I
690developed this game as a generalisation of that puzzle.
691
692\H{twiddle-controls} \I{controls, for Twiddle}Twiddle controls
693
694To play Twiddle, click the mouse in the centre of the square group
695you wish to rotate. In the basic mode, you rotate a 2\by\.2 square,
696which means you have to click at a corner point where four tiles
697meet.
698
699In more advanced modes you might be rotating 3\by\.3 or even more at
700a time; if the size of the square is odd then you simply click in
701the centre tile of the square you want to rotate.
702
703Clicking with the left mouse button rotates the group anticlockwise.
704Clicking with the right button rotates it clockwise.
705
706(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
707
708\H{twiddle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Twiddle}Twiddle parameters
709
710Twiddle provides several configuration options via the \q{Custom}
711option on the \q{Type} menu:
712
713\b You can configure the width and height of the puzzle grid.
714
715\b You can configure the size of square block that rotates at a time.
716
717\b You can ask for every square in the grid to be distinguishable
718(the default), or you can ask for a simplified puzzle in which there
719are groups of identical numbers. In the simplified puzzle your aim
720is just to arrange all the 1s into the first row, all the 2s into
721the second row, and so on.
722
a3631c72 723\b You can configure whether the orientation of tiles matters. If
d50832a3 724you ask for an orientable puzzle, each tile will have a triangle
725drawn in it. All the triangles must be pointing upwards to complete
726the puzzle.
a3631c72 727
81875211 728\b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
729the grid. By default, Twiddle will shuffle the grid so much that any
730arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can override this
731by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to be performed.
732Typically your aim is then to determine the precise set of shuffling
733moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer (say) a four-move
734shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the more moves you ask
735for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter than the target
736length will turn out to be possible.
737
9038fd11 738
e91825f8 739\C{rectangles} \i{Rectangles}
740
741\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.rectangles}
742
743You have a grid of squares, with numbers written in some (but not all)
744of the squares. Your task is to subdivide the grid into rectangles of
745various sizes, such that (a) every rectangle contains exactly one
746numbered square, and (b) the area of each rectangle is equal to the
747number written in its numbered square.
748
749Credit for this game goes to the Japanese puzzle magazine \i{Nikoli}
26801d29 750\k{nikoli-rect}; I've also seen a Palm implementation at \i{Puzzle
751Palace} \k{puzzle-palace-rect}. Unlike Puzzle Palace's
752implementation, my version automatically generates random grids of
753any size you like. The quality of puzzle design is therefore not
754quite as good as hand-crafted puzzles would be, but on the plus side
755you get an inexhaustible supply of puzzles tailored to your own
756specification.
e91825f8 757
6ae37301 758\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}
e91825f8 759
6ae37301 760\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}
e91825f8 761
762\H{rectangles-controls} \I{controls, for Rectangles}Rectangles controls
763
7b3481c8 764This game is played with the mouse or cursor keys.
765
766Left-click any edge to toggle it on or off, or left-click and drag to draw
767an entire rectangle (or line) on the grid in one go (removing any existing
768edges within that rectangle). Right-clicking and dragging will allow you
769to erase the contents of a rectangle without affecting its edges.
770
771Alternatively, use the cursor keys to move the position indicator
772around the board. Pressing the return key then allows you to use the
773cursor keys to drag a rectangle out from that position, and pressing
774the return key again completes the rectangle. Using the space bar
775instead of the return key allows you to erase the contents of a
776rectangle without affecting its edges, as above.
e91825f8 777
778When a rectangle of the correct size is completed, it will be shaded.
779
780(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
781
782\H{rectangles-params} \I{parameters, for Rectangles}Rectangles parameters
783
40fde884 784These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
785\q{Type} menu.
786
787\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
788
789\dd Size of grid, in squares.
790
791\dt \e{Expansion factor}
aea3ed9a 792
40fde884 793\dd This is a mechanism for changing the type of grids generated by
794the program. Some people prefer a grid containing a few large
795rectangles to one containing many small ones. So you can ask
aea3ed9a 796Rectangles to essentially generate a \e{smaller} grid than the size
797you specified, and then to expand it by adding rows and columns.
798
40fde884 799\lcont{
800
aea3ed9a 801The default expansion factor of zero means that Rectangles will
802simply generate a grid of the size you ask for, and do nothing
803further. If you set an expansion factor of (say) 0.5, it means that
804each dimension of the grid will be expanded to half again as big
805after generation. In other words, the initial grid will be 2/3 the
806size in each dimension, and will be expanded to its full size
807without adding any more rectangles.
808
4a03dbb4 809Setting an expansion factor of around 0.5 tends to make the game
810more difficult, and also (in my experience) rewards a less deductive
811and more intuitive playing style. If you set it \e{too} high,
812though, the game simply cannot generate more than a few rectangles
813to cover the entire grid, and the game becomes trivial.
aea3ed9a 814
40fde884 815}
816
817\dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
818
819\dd Normally, Rectangles will make sure that the puzzles it presents
820have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
821difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this
822feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. Also, finding \e{all} the
823possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an advanced
824player. Turning off this option can also speed up puzzle generation.
825
6ae37301 826
e91825f8 827\C{netslide} \i{Netslide}
828
829\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.netslide}
830
6bbab0fe 831This game combines the grid generation of Net (see \k{net}) with the
832movement of Sixteen (see \k{sixteen}): you have a Net grid, but
833instead of rotating tiles back into place you have to slide them
834into place by moving a whole row at a time.
e91825f8 835
e91825f8 836As in Sixteen, \I{controls, for Netslide}control is with the mouse.
837See \k{sixteen-controls}.
838
aa27d493 839\I{parameters, for Netslide}The available game parameters have similar
840meanings to those in Net (see \k{net-params}) and Sixteen (see
841\k{sixteen-params}).
e91825f8 842
6bbab0fe 843Netslide was contributed to this collection by Richard Boulton.
6ae37301 844
e28d0584 845
b6b0369e 846\C{pattern} \i{Pattern}
847
848\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pattern}
849
850You have a grid of squares, which must all be filled in either black
851or white. Beside each row of the grid are listed the lengths of the
852runs of black squares on that row; above each column are listed the
853lengths of the runs of black squares in that column. Your aim is to
854fill in the entire grid black or white.
855
856I first saw this puzzle form around 1995, under the name
2e1e03ff 857\q{\i{nonograms}}. I've seen it in various places since then, under
b6b0369e 858different names.
859
860Normally, puzzles of this type turn out to be a meaningful picture
861of something once you've solved them. However, since this version
862generates the puzzles automatically, they will just look like random
863groupings of squares. (One user has suggested that this is actually
864a \e{good} thing, since it prevents you from guessing the colour of
865squares based on the picture, and forces you to use logic instead.)
866The advantage, though, is that you never run out of them.
867
2e1e03ff 868\H{pattern-controls} \I{controls, for Pattern}Pattern controls
b6b0369e 869
870This game is played with the mouse.
871
872Left-click in a square to colour it black. Right-click to colour it
873white. If you make a mistake, you can middle-click, or hold down
874Shift while clicking with any button, to colour the square in the
875default grey (meaning \q{undecided}) again.
876
877You can click and drag with the left or right mouse button to colour
878a vertical or horizontal line of squares black or white at a time
879(respectively). If you click and drag with the middle button, or
880with Shift held down, you can colour a whole rectangle of squares
881grey.
882
2e1e03ff 883(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
884
b6b0369e 885\H{pattern-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pattern}Pattern parameters
886
887The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
888menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory.
e91825f8 889
6ae37301 890
1d8e8ad8 891\C{solo} \i{Solo}
892
893\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.solo}
894
81b09746 895You have a square grid, which is divided into as many equally sized
896sub-blocks as the grid has rows. Each square must be filled in with
897a digit from 1 to the size of the grid, in such a way that
1d8e8ad8 898
899\b every row contains only one occurrence of each digit
900
901\b every column contains only one occurrence of each digit
902
903\b every block contains only one occurrence of each digit.
904
81b09746 905\b (optionally, by default off) each of the square's two main
906diagonals contains only one occurrence of each digit.
907
1d8e8ad8 908You are given some of the numbers as clues; your aim is to place the
909rest of the numbers correctly.
910
81b09746 911Under the default settings, the sub-blocks are square or
912rectangular. The default puzzle size is 3\by\.3 (a 9\by\.9 actual
913grid, divided into nine 3\by\.3 blocks). You can also select sizes
914with rectangular blocks instead of square ones, such as 2\by\.3 (a
9156\by\.6 grid divided into six 3\by\.2 blocks). Alternatively, you
916can select \q{jigsaw} mode, in which the sub-blocks are arbitrary
917shapes which differ between individual puzzles.
1d8e8ad8 918
919If you select a puzzle size which requires more than 9 digits, the
920additional digits will be letters of the alphabet. For example, if
921you select 3\by\.4 then the digits which go in your grid will be 1
922to 9, plus \cq{a}, \cq{b} and \cq{c}.
923
3012ffca 924I first saw this puzzle in \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-solo}, although it's
925also been popularised by various newspapers under the name
926\q{Sudoku} or \q{Su Doku}. Howard Garns is considered the inventor
927of the modern form of the puzzle, and it was first published in
928\e{Dell Pencil Puzzles and Word Games}. A more elaborate treatment
929of the history of the puzzle can be found on Wikipedia
930\k{wikipedia-solo}.
1d8e8ad8 931
6ae37301 932\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}
933
3012ffca 934\B{wikipedia-solo} \W{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku}\cw{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku}
935
1d8e8ad8 936\H{solo-controls} \I{controls, for Solo}Solo controls
937
938To play Solo, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
939type a digit or letter on the keyboard to fill that square. If you
940make a mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and press
941Space to clear it again (or use the Undo feature).
942
c8266e03 943If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a number, that
944number will be entered in the square as a \q{pencil mark}. You can
945have pencil marks for multiple numbers in the same square.
946
947The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use
948them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a
949particular square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a
950particular number, or you can use them as lists of the possible
951numbers in a given square, or anything else you feel like.
952
953To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type
954the same number again.
955
956All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type
957a number, or when you left-click and press space. Right-clicking and
958pressing space will also erase pencil marks.
959
1d8e8ad8 960(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
961
962\H{solo-parameters} \I{parameters, for Solo}Solo parameters
963
964Solo allows you to configure two separate dimensions of the puzzle
6ae37301 965grid on the \q{Type} menu: the number of columns, and the number of
966rows, into which the main grid is divided. (The size of a block is
967the inverse of this: for example, if you select 2 columns and 3 rows,
968each actual block will have 3 columns and 2 rows.)
1d8e8ad8 969
81b09746 970If you tick the \q{X} checkbox, Solo will apply the optional extra
971constraint that the two main diagonals of the grid also contain one
fbd0fc79 972of every digit. (This is sometimes known as \q{Sudoku-X} in
973newspapers.) In this mode, the squares on the two main diagonals
974will be shaded slightly so that you know it's enabled.
975
81b09746 976If you tick the \q{Jigsaw} checkbox, Solo will generate randomly
977shaped sub-blocks. In this mode, the actual grid size will be taken
978to be the product of the numbers entered in the \q{Columns} and
979\q{Rows} boxes. There is no reason why you have to enter a number
980greater than 1 in both boxes; Jigsaw mode has no constraint on the
981grid size, and it can even be a prime number if you feel like it.
982
ef57b17d 983You can also configure the type of symmetry shown in the generated
984puzzles. More symmetry makes the puzzles look prettier but may also
985make them easier, since the symmetry constraints can force more
986clues than necessary to be present. Completely asymmetric puzzles
987have the freedom to contain as few clues as possible.
988
7c568a48 989Finally, you can configure the difficulty of the generated puzzles.
990Difficulty levels are judged by the complexity of the techniques of
991deduction required to solve the puzzle: each level requires a mode
992of reasoning which was not necessary in the previous one. In
993particular, on difficulty levels \q{Trivial} and \q{Basic} there
994will be a square you can fill in with a single number at all times,
995whereas at \q{Intermediate} level and beyond you will have to make
996partial deductions about the \e{set} of squares a number could be in
e28d0584 997(or the set of numbers that could be in a square).
998\#{Advanced, Extreme?}
999At \q{Unreasonable} level, even this is not enough, and you will
de60d8bd 1000eventually have to make a guess, and then backtrack if it turns out
1001to be wrong.
7c568a48 1002
c65d92ac 1003Generating difficult puzzles is itself difficult: if you select one
1004of the higher difficulty levels, Solo may have to make many attempts
1005at generating a puzzle before it finds one hard enough for you. Be
1006prepared to wait, especially if you have also configured a large
1007puzzle size.
7c568a48 1008
ef57b17d 1009
7959b517 1010\C{mines} \i{Mines}
1011
1012\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.mines}
1013
1014You have a grid of covered squares, some of which contain mines, but
1015you don't know which. Your job is to uncover every square which does
1016\e{not} contain a mine. If you uncover a square containing a mine,
1017you lose. If you uncover a square which does not contain a mine, you
1018are told how many mines are contained within the eight surrounding
1019squares.
1020
1021This game needs no introduction; popularised by Windows, it is
1022perhaps the single best known desktop puzzle game in existence.
1023
1024This version of it has an unusual property. By default, it will
1025generate its mine positions in such a way as to ensure that you
1026never need to \e{guess} where a mine is: you will always be able to
1027deduce it somehow. So you will never, as can happen in other
1028versions, get to the last four squares and discover that there are
1029two mines left but you have no way of knowing for sure where they
1030are.
1031
1032\H{mines-controls} \I{controls, for Mines}Mines controls
1033
1034This game is played with the mouse.
1035
1036If you left-click in a covered square, it will be uncovered.
1037
1038If you right-click in a covered square, it will place a flag which
1039indicates that the square is believed to be a mine. Left-clicking in
1040a marked square will not uncover it, for safety. You can right-click
1041again to remove a mark placed in error.
1042
1043If you left-click in an \e{uncovered} square, it will \q{clear
1044around} the square. This means: if the square has exactly as many
1045flags surrounding it as it should have mines, then all the covered
1046squares next to it which are \e{not} flagged will be uncovered. So
1047once you think you know the location of all the mines around a
1048square, you can use this function as a shortcut to avoid having to
1049click on each of the remaining squares one by one.
1050
1051If you uncover a square which has \e{no} mines in the surrounding
1052eight squares, then it is obviously safe to uncover those squares in
1053turn, and so on if any of them also has no surrounding mines. This
1054will be done for you automatically; so sometimes when you uncover a
1055square, a whole new area will open up to be explored.
1056
9c90045a 1057You can also use the cursor keys to move around the minefield.
1058Pressing the return key in a covered square uncovers it, and in an
1059uncovered square will clear around it (so it acts as the left button),
1060pressing the space bar in a covered square will place a flag
1061(similarly, it acts as the right button).
1062
11d31eb9 1063All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.
1064
7959b517 1065Even Undo is available, although you might consider it cheating to
11d31eb9 1066use it. If you step on a mine, the program will only reveal the mine
1067in question (unlike most other implementations, which reveal all of
1068them). You can then Undo your fatal move and continue playing if you
1069like. The program will track the number of times you died (and Undo
1070will not reduce that counter), so when you get to the end of the
1071game you know whether or not you did it without making any errors.
1072
1073(If you really want to know the full layout of the grid, which other
1074implementations will show you after you die, you can always use the
1075Solve menu option.)
7959b517 1076
1077\H{mines-parameters} \I{parameters, for Mines}Mines parameters
1078
1079The options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
1080menu are:
1081
1082\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1083
1084\dd Size of grid in squares.
1085
1086\dt \e{Mines}
1087
08781119 1088\dd Number of mines in the grid. You can enter this as an absolute
1089mine count, or alternatively you can put a \cw{%} sign on the end in
1090which case the game will arrange for that proportion of the squares
1091in the grid to be mines.
1092
1093\lcont{
1094
1095Beware of setting the mine count too high. At very high densities,
1096the program may spend forever searching for a solvable grid.
1097
1098}
7959b517 1099
1100\dt \e{Ensure solubility}
1101
1102\dd When this option is enabled (as it is by default), Mines will
1103ensure that the entire grid can be fully deduced starting from the
1104initial open space. If you prefer the riskier grids generated by
1105other implementations, you can switch off this option.
1106
1107
6bbab0fe 1108\C{samegame} \i{Same Game}
1109
1110\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.samegame}
1111
1112You have a grid of coloured squares, which you have to clear by
209ab5a7 1113highlighting contiguous regions of more than one coloured square;
6bbab0fe 1114the larger the region you highlight, the more points you get (and
1115the faster you clear the arena).
1116
1117If you clear the grid you win. If you end up with nothing but
209ab5a7 1118single squares (i.e., there are no more clickable regions left) you
6bbab0fe 1119lose.
1120
1121Removing a region causes the rest of the grid to shuffle up:
1122blocks that are suspended will fall down (first), and then empty
1123columns are filled from the right.
1124
6bbab0fe 1125Same Game was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1126
209ab5a7 1127\H{samegame-controls} \i{Same Game controls}
1128
1129\IM{Same Game controls} controls, for Same Game
1130\IM{Same Game controls} keys, for Same Game
1131\IM{Same Game controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Same Game
1132
1133This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
6bbab0fe 1134
1135If you left-click an unselected region, it becomes selected (possibly
1136clearing the current selection).
1137
1138If you left-click the selected region, it will be removed (and the
1139rest of the grid shuffled immediately).
1140
1141If you right-click the selected region, it will be unselected.
1142
209ab5a7 1143The cursor keys move a cursor around the grid. Pressing the Space or
1144Enter keys while the cursor is in an unselected region selects it;
1145pressing Space or Enter again removes it as above.
1146
e28d0584 1147(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1148
6bbab0fe 1149\H{samegame-parameters} \I{parameters, for Same Game}Same Game parameters
1150
209ab5a7 1151These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1152\q{Type} menu.
1153
6bbab0fe 1154\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1155
1156\dd Size of grid in squares.
1157
1158\dt \e{No. of colours}
1159
1160\dd Number of different colours used to fill the grid; the more colours,
209ab5a7 1161the fewer large regions of colour and thus the more difficult it is to
1162successfully clear the grid.
1163
1164\dt \e{Scoring system}
1165
1166\dd Controls the precise mechanism used for scoring. With the default
1167system, \q{(n-2)^2}, only regions of three squares or more will score
1168any points at all. With the alternative \q{(n-1)^2} system, regions of
1169two squares score a point each, and larger regions score relatively
1170more points.
6bbab0fe 1171
e4a7ab56 1172\dt \e{Ensure solubility}
1173
1174\dd If this option is ticked (the default state), generated grids
1175will be guaranteed to have at least one solution.
1176
1177\lcont{
1178
1179If you turn it off, the game generator will not try to guarantee
1180soluble grids; it will, however, still ensure that there are at
1181least 2 squares of each colour on the grid at the start (since a
1182grid with exactly one square of a given colour is \e{definitely}
1183insoluble). Grids generated with this option disabled may contain
1184more large areas of contiguous colour, leading to opportunities for
1185higher scores; they can also take less time to generate.
1186
1187}
1188
f4afe206 1189
1190\C{flip} \i{Flip}
1191
1192\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.flip}
1193
1194You have a grid of squares, some light and some dark. Your aim is to
1195light all the squares up at the same time. You can choose any square
1196and flip its state from light to dark or dark to light, but when you
1197do so, other squares around it change state as well.
1198
1199Each square contains a small diagram showing which other squares
1200change when you flip it.
1201
d6acbe63 1202\H{flip-controls} \i{Flip controls}
f4afe206 1203
1204\IM{Flip controls} controls, for Flip
1205\IM{Flip controls} keys, for Flip
1206\IM{Flip controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Flip
1207
33317d37 1208This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
1209
1210Left-click in a square to flip it and its associated squares, or
1211use the cursor keys to choose a square and the space bar or Enter
1212key to flip.
79cb09e9 1213
5f6050b4 1214If you use the \q{Solve} function on this game, it will mark some of
1215the squares in red. If you click once in every square with a red
1216mark, the game should be solved. (If you click in a square
1217\e{without} a red mark, a red mark will appear in it to indicate
1218that you will need to reverse that operation to reach the solution.)
f4afe206 1219
e28d0584 1220(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1221
f4afe206 1222\H{flip-parameters} \I{parameters, for flip}Flip parameters
1223
1224These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1225\q{Type} menu.
1226
1227\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1228
1229\dd Size of grid in squares.
1230
1231\dt \e{Shape type}
1232
1233\dd This control determines the shape of the region which is flipped
1234by clicking in any given square. The default setting, \q{Crosses},
1235causes every square to flip itself and its four immediate neighbours
1236(or three or two if it's at an edge or corner). The other setting,
1237\q{Random}, causes a random shape to be chosen for every square, so
1238the game is different every time.
1239
1240
c6203e43 1241\C{guess} \i{Guess}
1242
1243\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.guess}
1244
1245You have a set of coloured pegs, and have to reproduce a
1246predetermined sequence of them (chosen by the computer) within a
1247certain number of guesses.
1248
1249Each guess gets marked with the number of correctly-coloured pegs
9ffde3e8 1250in the correct places (in black), and also the number of
1251correctly-coloured pegs in the wrong places (in white).
c6203e43 1252
1253This game is also known (and marketed, by Hasbro, mainly) as
bb219ea1 1254a board game \q{\i{Mastermind}}, with 6 colours, 4 pegs per row,
1255and 10 guesses. However, this version allows custom settings of number
1256of colours (up to 10), number of pegs per row, and number of guesses.
c6203e43 1257
64455a5a 1258Guess was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1259
c6203e43 1260\H{guess-controls} \i{Guess controls}
1261
1262\IM{Guess controls} controls, for Guess
1263\IM{Guess controls} keys, for Guess
1264\IM{Guess controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Guess
1265
9ffde3e8 1266This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
1267
9c63a011 1268With the mouse, drag a coloured peg from the tray on the left-hand
1269side to its required position in the current guess; pegs may also be
1270dragged from current and past guesses to copy them elsewhere. To
1271remove a peg, drag it off its current position to somewhere invalid.
c6203e43 1272
9ffde3e8 1273Right-clicking in the current guess adds a \q{hold} marker; pegs
c6203e43 1274that have hold markers will be automatically added to the next guess
1275after marking.
1276
9ffde3e8 1277Alternatively, with the keyboard, the up and down cursor keys can be
1278used to select a peg colour, the left and right keys to select a
9c63a011 1279peg position, and the space bar or Enter key to place a peg of the
59dae0db 1280selected colour in the chosen position. \q{D} or Backspace removes a
1281peg, and \q{H} adds a hold marker.
9ffde3e8 1282
9c63a011 1283When the guess is complete, the smaller feedback pegs will be highlighted;
9ffde3e8 1284clicking on these (or moving the peg cursor to them with the arrow keys
9c63a011 1285and pressing the space bar or Enter key) will mark the current guess,
1286copy any held pegs to the next guess, and move the \q{current guess}
1287marker.
c6203e43 1288
1289If you correctly position all the pegs the solution will be displayed
9ffde3e8 1290below; if you run out of guesses (or select \q{Solve...}) the solution
9c63a011 1291will also be revealed.
c6203e43 1292
e28d0584 1293(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1294
13b443e3 1295\H{guess-parameters} \I{parameters, for Guess}Guess parameters
c6203e43 1296
1297These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1298\q{Type} menu. The default game matches the parameters for the
9ffde3e8 1299board game \q{Mastermind}.
c6203e43 1300
1301\dt \e{Colours}
1302
1303\dd Number of colours the solution is chosen from; from 2 to 10
1304(more is harder).
1305
1306\dt \e{Pegs per guess}
1307
1308\dd Number of pegs per guess (more is harder).
1309
1310\dt \e{Guesses}
1311
1312\dd Number of guesses you have to find the solution in (fewer is harder).
1313
1314\dt \e{Allow blanks}
1315
1316\dd Allows blank pegs to be given as part of a guess (makes it easier, because
1317you know that those will never be counted as part of the solution). This
1318is turned off by default.
1319
1320Note that this doesn't allow blank pegs in the solution; if you really wanted
1321that, use one extra colour.
1322
1323\dt \e{Allow duplicates}
1324
1325\dd Allows the solution (and the guesses) to contain colours more than once;
1326this increases the search space (making things harder), and is turned on by
1327default.
1328
1329
13b443e3 1330\C{pegs} \i{Pegs}
1331
1332\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pegs}
1333
1334A number of pegs are placed in holes on a board. You can remove a
33a3deb2 1335peg by jumping an adjacent peg over it (horizontally or vertically)
1336to a vacant hole on the other side. Your aim is to remove all but one
1337of the pegs initially present.
13b443e3 1338
e28d0584 1339This game, best known as \I{Solitaire, Peg}\q{Peg Solitaire}, is
1340possibly one of the oldest puzzle games still commonly known.
13b443e3 1341
1342\H{pegs-controls} \i{Pegs controls}
1343
1344\IM{Pegs controls} controls, for Pegs
1345
1346To move a peg, drag it with the mouse from its current position to
1347its final position. If the final position is exactly two holes away
1348from the initial position, is currently unoccupied by a peg, and
1349there is a peg in the intervening square, the move will be permitted
1350and the intervening peg will be removed.
1351
1352Vacant spaces which you can move a peg into are marked with holes. A
1353space with no peg and no hole is not available for moving at all: it
1354is an obstacle which you must work around.
1355
e28d0584 1356(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
13b443e3 1357
1358\H{pegs-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pegs}Pegs parameters
1359
1360These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1361\q{Type} menu.
1362
1363\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1364
1365\dd Size of grid in holes.
1366
1367\dt \e{Board type}
1368
1369\dd Controls whether you are given a board of a standard shape or a
1370randomly generated shape. The two standard shapes currently
1371supported are \q{Cross} and \q{Octagon} (also commonly known as the
1372English and European traditional board layouts respectively).
1373Selecting \q{Random} will give you a different board shape every
1374time (but always one that is known to have a solution).
1375
1376
6c04c334 1377\C{dominosa} \i{Dominosa}
1378
1379\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.dominosa}
1380
f1010613 1381A normal set of dominoes \dash that is, one instance of every
1382(unordered) pair of numbers from 0 to 6 \dash has been arranged
1383irregularly into a rectangle; then the number in each square has
1384been written down and the dominoes themselves removed. Your task is
1385to reconstruct the pattern by arranging the set of dominoes to match
1386the provided array of numbers.
6c04c334 1387
1388This puzzle is widely credited to O. S. Adler, and takes part of its
1389name from those initials.
1390
1391\H{dominosa-controls} \i{Dominosa controls}
1392
1393\IM{Dominosa controls} controls, for Dominosa
1394
1395Left-clicking between any two adjacent numbers places a domino
1396covering them, or removes one if it is already present. Trying to
1397place a domino which overlaps existing dominoes will remove the ones
1398it overlaps.
1399
1400Right-clicking between two adjacent numbers draws a line between
1401them, which you can use to remind yourself that you know those two
1402numbers are \e{not} covered by a single domino. Right-clicking again
1403removes the line.
1404
e28d0584 1405(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
6c04c334 1406
1407\H{dominosa-parameters} \I{parameters, for Dominosa}Dominosa parameters
1408
1409These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1410\q{Type} menu.
1411
1412\dt \e{Maximum number on dominoes}
1413
1414\dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by controlling the size of the
1415set of dominoes used to make it. Dominoes with numbers going up to N
1416will give rise to an (N+2) \by (N+1) rectangle; so, in particular,
1417the default value of 6 gives an 8\by\.7 grid.
1418
1419\dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
1420
1421\dd Normally, Dominosa will make sure that the puzzles it presents
1422have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
1423difficult and sometimes more subtle, so if you like you can turn off
1424this feature. Also, finding \e{all} the possible solutions can be an
1425additional challenge for an advanced player. Turning off this option
1426can also speed up puzzle generation.
1427
1428
9d6c3859 1429\C{untangle} \i{Untangle}
1430
1431\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.untangle}
1432
1433You are given a number of points, some of which have lines drawn
1434between them. You can move the points about arbitrarily; your aim is
1435to position the points so that no line crosses another.
1436
1437I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{Planarity}
1438\k{Planarity}, written by John Tantalo.
1439
1440\B{Planarity} \W{http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Planarity}\cw{http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Planarity}
1441
1442\H{untangle-controls} \i{Untangle controls}
1443
1444\IM{Untangle controls} controls, for Untangle
1445
1446To move a point, click on it with the left mouse button and drag it
1447into a new position.
1448
e28d0584 1449(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1450
9d6c3859 1451\H{untangle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Untangle}Untangle parameters
1452
1453There is only one parameter available from the \q{Custom...} option
1454on the \q{Type} menu:
1455
1456\dt \e{Number of points}
1457
1458\dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by specifying the number of
1459points in the generated graph.
1460
1461
bf7ebf5a 1462\C{blackbox} \i{Black Box}
1463
1464\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.blackbox}
1465
1466A number of balls are hidden in a rectangular arena. You have to
1467deduce the positions of the balls by firing lasers from positions
1468on the edge of the arena and observing how they are deflected.
1469
1470Lasers will fire straight until they hit the opposite side of the
1471arena (at which point they emerge), unless affected by balls in one of
1472the following ways:
1473
1474\b A laser that hits a ball head-on is absorbed and will never re-emerge.
1475 This includes lasers that meet a ball on the first rank of the arena.
1476
1477\b A laser with a ball to its front-left square gets deflected 90 degrees
1478 to the right.
1479
1480\b A laser with a ball to its front-right square gets similarly deflected
1481 to the left.
1482
1483\b A laser that would re-emerge from the entry location is considered to be
ebf54ec9 1484 \q{reflected}.
bf7ebf5a 1485
a4c9750f 1486\b A laser which would get deflected before entering the arena (down the
1487 \q{firing range}) by a ball to the front-left or front-right of its
1488 entry point is also considered to be \q{reflected}.
bf7ebf5a 1489
ebf54ec9 1490Lasers that are reflected appear as a \q{R}; lasers that hit balls
1491dead-on appear as \q{H}. Otherwise, a number appears at the firing point
bf7ebf5a 1492and the location where the laser emerges (this number is unique to
1493that shot).
1494
1495You can place guesses as to the location of the balls, based on the
1496entry and exit patterns of the lasers; once you have placed enough
1497balls a button appears enabling you to have your guesses checked.
1498
1499Here is a diagram showing how the positions of balls can create each
1500of the laser behaviours shown above:
1501
1502\c 1RHR----
1503\c |..O.O...|
1504\c 2........3
1505\c |........|
1506\c |........|
1507\c 3........|
1508\c |......O.|
1509\c H........|
1510\c |.....O..|
1511\c 12-RH---
1512
1513As shown, it is possible for a ball to receive multiple reflections
1514before re-emerging (see turn 3). Similarly, a ball may be reflected
ebf54ec9 1515(possibly more than once) before receiving a hit (the \q{H} on the
bf7ebf5a 1516left side of the example).
1517
1518Note that any layout with more that 4 balls may have a non-unique
1519solution. The following diagram illustrates this; if you know the
1520board contains 5 balls, it is impossible to determine where the fifth
1521ball is (possible positions marked with an x):
1522
1523\c --------
1524\c |........|
1525\c |........|
1526\c |..O..O..|
1527\c |...xx...|
1528\c |...xx...|
1529\c |..O..O..|
1530\c |........|
1531\c |........|
1532\c --------
1533
1534For this reason when you have your guesses checked the game will
1535check that your solution \e{produces the same results} as the
1536computer's, rather than that your solution is identical to the
1537computer's. So in the above example, you could put the fifth ball at
1538\e{any} of the locations marked with an x, and you would still win.
1539
1540Black Box was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1541
1542\H{blackbox-controls} \i{Black Box controls}
1543
1544\IM{Black Box controls}controls, for Black Box
1545
1546To fire a laser, left-click in a square around the side of the arena.
1547The results will be displayed immediately. Lasers may not be fired
1548twice (because the results will never change). Holding down the left
1549button will highlight the current go (or a previous go) to confirm the
1550exit point for that laser, if applicable.
1551
1552To guess the location of a ball, left-click within the arena and a
1553black circle will appear marking the guess; to remove the guessed ball
1554click again.
1555
1556Locations in the arena may be locked against modification by
1557right-clicking; whole rows and columns may be similarly locked by
1558right-clicking in the laser firing range above/below that column, or
1559to the left/right of that row.
1560
1561When an appropriate number of balls have been guessed a button will
a4c9750f 1562appear at the top-left corner of the grid; clicking that will mark
bf7ebf5a 1563your guesses.
1564
27388471 1565If you click the \q{mark} button and your guesses are not correct,
1566the game will show you as little information as possible to
1567demonstrate this to you, so you can try again. If your ball
1568positions are not consistent with the laser paths you already know
1569about, one laser path will be circled to indicate that it proves you
1570wrong. If your positions match all the existing laser paths but are
1571still wrong, one new laser path will be revealed (written in red)
1572which is not consistent with your current guesses.
1573
1574If you decide to give up completely, you can select Solve to reveal
1575the actual ball positions. At this point, correctly-placed balls
1576will be displayed as filled black circles; incorrectly-placed balls
1577are displayed as filled black circles with red crosses, and missing
1578balls are filled red circles. In addition, a red circle marks any
1579laser you had already fired which is not consistent with your ball
1580layout (just as when you press the mark button), and red text marks
bf7ebf5a 1581any laser you \e{could} have fired in order to distinguish your ball
1582layout from the right one.
1583
1584(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1585
1586\H{blackbox-parameters} \I{parameters, for Black Box}Black Box parameters
1587
1588These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1589\q{Type} menu.
1590
1591\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1592
ebf54ec9 1593\dd Size of grid in squares. There are 2 \by \e{Width} \by \e{Height} lasers
bf7ebf5a 1594per grid, two per row and two per column.
1595
1596\dt \e{No. of balls}
1597
1598\dd Number of balls to place in the grid. This can be a single number,
ebf54ec9 1599or a range (separated with a hyphen, like \q{2-6}), and determines the
1600number of balls to place on the grid. The \q{reveal} button is only
bf7ebf5a 1601enabled if you have guessed an appropriate number of balls; a guess
1602using a different number to the original solution is still acceptable,
1603if all the laser inputs and outputs match.
1604
1605
f1010613 1606\C{slant} \i{Slant}
1607
1608\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.slant}
1609
1610You have a grid of squares. Your aim is to draw a diagonal line
1611through each square, and choose which way each line slants so that
1612the following conditions are met:
1613
1614\b The diagonal lines never form a loop.
1615
1616\b Any point with a circled number has precisely that many lines
1617meeting at it. (Thus, a 4 is the centre of a cross shape, whereas a
1618zero is the centre of a diamond shape \dash or rather, a partial
1619diamond shape, because a zero can never appear in the middle of the
1620grid because that would immediately cause a loop.)
1621
1622Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-slant}.
1623
1624\B{nikoli-slant}
1625\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/39/index.htm}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/39/index.htm}
1626(in Japanese)
1627
f1010613 1628\H{slant-controls} \i{Slant controls}
1629
1630\IM{Slant controls} controls, for Slant
f1010613 1631
1632Left-clicking in a blank square will place a \cw{\\} in it (a line
1633leaning to the left, i.e. running from the top left of the square to
1634the bottom right). Right-clicking in a blank square will place a
1635\cw{/} in it (leaning to the right, running from top right to bottom
1636left).
1637
1638Continuing to click either button will cycle between the three
1639possible square contents. Thus, if you left-click repeatedly in a
1640blank square it will change from blank to \cw{\\} to \cw{/} back to
1641blank, and if you right-click repeatedly the square will change from
1642blank to \cw{/} to \cw{\\} back to blank. (Therefore, you can play
1643the game entirely with one button if you need to.)
1644
6b8513c7 1645You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid. Pressing the
1646return or space keys will place a \cw{\\} or a \cw{/}, respectively,
1647and will then cycle them as above.
1648
f1010613 1649(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1650
e3478a4b 1651\H{slant-parameters} \I{parameters, for Slant}Slant parameters
f1010613 1652
1653These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1654\q{Type} menu.
1655
1656\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1657
1658\dd Size of grid in squares.
1659
15164c74 1660\dt \e{Difficulty}
1661
1662\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. At Hard level,
1663you are required to do deductions based on knowledge of
1664\e{relationships} between squares rather than always being able to
1665deduce the exact contents of one square at a time. (For example, you
1666might know that two squares slant in the same direction, even if you
1667don't yet know what that direction is, and this might enable you to
1668deduce something about still other squares.) Even at Hard level,
1669guesswork and backtracking should never be necessary.
1670
f1010613 1671
e3478a4b 1672\C{lightup} \i{Light Up}
1673
1674\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.lightup}
1675
1676You have a grid of squares. Some are filled in black; some of the
1677black squares are numbered. Your aim is to \q{light up} all the
1678empty squares by placing light bulbs in some of them.
1679
1680Each light bulb illuminates the square it is on, plus all squares in
1681line with it horizontally or vertically unless a black square is
1682blocking the way.
1683
1684To win the game, you must satisfy the following conditions:
1685
1686\b All non-black squares are lit.
1687
1688\b No light is lit by another light.
1689
1690\b All numbered black squares have exactly that number of lights adjacent to
1691 them (in the four squares above, below, and to the side).
1692
1693Non-numbered black squares may have any number of lights adjacent to them.
1694
1695Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-lightup}.
1696
1697Light Up was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1698
1699\B{nikoli-lightup}
1700\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/32/index-e.htm}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/32/index-e.htm}
1701(beware of Flash)
1702
1703\H{lightup-controls} \i{Light Up controls}
1704
1705\IM{Light Up controls} controls, for Light Up
e3478a4b 1706
1707Left-clicking in a non-black square will toggle the presence of a light
1708in that square. Right-clicking in a non-black square toggles a mark there to aid
1709solving; it can be used to highlight squares that cannot be lit, for example.
1710
1711You may not place a light in a marked square, nor place a mark in a lit square.
1712
1713The game will highlight obvious errors in red. Lights lit by other
1714lights are highlighted in this way, as are numbered squares which
1715do not (or cannot) have the right number of lights next to them.
1716
1717Thus, the grid is solved when all non-black squares have yellow
1718highlights and there are no red lights.
1719
e28d0584 1720(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
e3478a4b 1721
1722\H{lightup-parameters} \I{parameters, for Light Up}Light Up parameters
1723
1724These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1725\q{Type} menu.
1726
1727\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1728
1729\dd Size of grid in squares.
1730
1731\dt \e{%age of black squares}
1732
1733\dd Rough percentage of black squares in the grid.
1734
1735\lcont{
1736
1737This is a hint rather than an instruction. If the grid generator is
1738unable to generate a puzzle to this precise specification, it will
1739increase the proportion of black squares until it can.
1740
1741}
1742
1743\dt \e{Symmetry}
1744
1745\dd Allows you to specify the required symmetry of the black squares
1746in the grid. (This does not affect the difficulty of the puzzles
1747noticeably.)
1748
1749\dt \e{Difficulty}
1750
1751\dd \q{Easy} means that the puzzles should be soluble without
1752backtracking or guessing, \q{Hard} means that some guesses will
1753probably be necessary.
1754
1755
c51c7de6 1756\C{map} \i{Map}
1757
1758\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.map}
1759
1760You are given a map consisting of a number of regions. Your task is
1761to colour each region with one of four colours, in such a way that
1762no two regions sharing a boundary have the same colour. You are
1763provided with some regions already coloured, sufficient to make the
1764remainder of the solution unique.
1765
1766Only regions which share a length of border are required to be
1767different colours. Two regions which meet at only one \e{point}
1768(i.e. are diagonally separated) may be the same colour.
1769
1770I believe this puzzle is original; I've never seen an implementation
bb219ea1 1771of it anywhere else. The concept of a \i{four-colouring} puzzle was
c51c7de6 1772suggested by Owen Dunn; credit must also go to Nikoli and to Verity
1773Allan for inspiring the train of thought that led to me realising
1774Owen's suggestion was a viable puzzle. Thanks also to Gareth Taylor
1775for many detailed suggestions.
1776
c51c7de6 1777\H{map-controls} \i{Map controls}
1778
1779\IM{Map controls} controls, for Map
c51c7de6 1780
1cdd1306 1781To colour a region, click the left mouse button on an existing
1782region of the desired colour and drag that colour into the new
1783region.
c51c7de6 1784
1785(The program will always ensure the starting puzzle has at least one
1786region of each colour, so that this is always possible!)
1787
1788If you need to clear a region, you can drag from an empty region, or
1789from the puzzle boundary if there are no empty regions left.
1790
1cdd1306 1791Dragging a colour using the \e{right} mouse button will stipple the
1792region in that colour, which you can use as a note to yourself that
1793you think the region \e{might} be that colour. A region can contain
1794stipples in multiple colours at once. (This is often useful at the
1795harder difficulty levels.)
1796
e857e161 1797If you press L during play, the game will toggle display of a number
1798in each region of the map. This is useful if you want to discuss a
1799particular puzzle instance with a friend \dash having an unambiguous
1800name for each region is much easier than trying to refer to them all
1801by names such as \q{the one down and right of the brown one on the
1802top border}.
1803
e28d0584 1804(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
c51c7de6 1805
1806\H{map-parameters} \I{parameters, for Map}Map parameters
1807
1808These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1809\q{Type} menu.
1810
1811\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1812
1813\dd Size of grid in squares.
1814
1815\dt \e{Regions}
1816
1817\dd Number of regions in the generated map.
1818
1819\dt \e{Difficulty}
1820
1821\dd In \q{Easy} mode, there should always be at least one region
1cdd1306 1822whose colour can be determined trivially. In \q{Normal} and \q{Hard}
1823modes, you will have to use increasingly complex logic to deduce the
1824colour of some regions. However, it will always be possible without
1825having to guess or backtrack.
c51c7de6 1826
b3728d72 1827\lcont{
1828
1829In \q{Unreasonable} mode, the program will feel free to generate
1830puzzles which are as hard as it can possibly make them: the only
1831constraint is that they should still have a unique solution. Solving
1832Unreasonable puzzles may require guessing and backtracking.
1833
1834}
1835
c51c7de6 1836
6193da8d 1837\C{loopy} \i{Loopy}
1838
1839\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.loopy}
1840
7c95608a 1841You are given a grid of dots, marked with yellow lines to indicate
1842which dots you are allowed to connect directly together. Your aim is
1843to use some subset of those yellow lines to draw a single unbroken
6193da8d 1844loop from dot to dot within the grid.
1845
7c95608a 1846Some of the spaces between the lines contain numbers. These numbers
1847indicate how many of the lines around that space form part of the
1848loop. The loop you draw must correctly satisfy all of these clues to
1849be considered a correct solution.
6193da8d 1850
7c95608a 1851In the default mode, the dots are arranged in a grid of squares;
1852however, you can also play on triangular or hexagonal grids, or even
1853more exotic ones.
6193da8d 1854
7c95608a 1855Credit for the basic puzzle idea goes to \i{Nikoli}
1856\k{nikoli-loopy}.
1857
1858Loopy was originally contributed to this collection by Mike Pinna,
1859and subsequently enhanced to handle various types of non-square grid
1860by Lambros Lambrou.
6193da8d 1861
1862\B{nikoli-loopy}
1863\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/3/index-e.htm}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/3/index-e.htm}
1864(beware of Flash)
1865
6193da8d 1866\H{loopy-controls} \i{Loopy controls}
1867
1868\IM{Loopy controls} controls, for Loopy
6193da8d 1869
7c95608a 1870Click the left mouse button on a yellow line to turn it black,
1871indicating that you think it is part of the loop. Click again to
1872turn the line yellow again (meaning you aren't sure yet).
6193da8d 1873
1874If you are sure that a particular line segment is \e{not} part of
7c95608a 1875the loop, you can click the right mouse button to remove it
1876completely. Again, clicking a second time will turn the line back to
1877yellow.
6193da8d 1878
e28d0584 1879(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
6193da8d 1880
1881\H{loopy-parameters} \I{parameters, for Loopy}Loopy parameters
1882
1883These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1884\q{Type} menu.
1885
1886\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1887
7c95608a 1888\dd Size of grid, measured in number of regions across and down. For
1889square grids, it's clear how this is counted; for other types of
1890grid you may have to think a bit to see how the dimensions are
1891measured.
1892
1893\dt \e{Grid type}
1894
1895\dd Allows you to choose between a selection of types of tiling.
1896Some have all the faces the same but may have multiple different
1897types of vertex (e.g. the \e{Cairo} or \e{Kites} mode); others have
1898all the vertices the same but may have differnt types of face (e.g.
1899the \e{Great Hexagonal}). The square, triangular and honeycomb grids
1900are fully regular, and have all their vertices \e{and} faces the
1901same; this makes them the least confusing to play.
6193da8d 1902
550742c1 1903\dt \e{Difficulty}
6193da8d 1904
550742c1 1905\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle.
1906\#{FIXME: what distinguishes Easy, Medium, and Hard? In particular,
1907when are backtracking/guesswork required, if ever?}
6193da8d 1908
1909
81eef9aa 1910\C{inertia} \i{Inertia}
1911
1912\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.inertia}
1913
1914You are a small green ball sitting in a grid full of obstacles. Your
1915aim is to collect all the gems without running into any mines.
1916
1917You can move the ball in any orthogonal \e{or diagonal} direction.
1918Once the ball starts moving, it will continue until something stops
1919it. A wall directly in its path will stop it (but if it is moving
1920diagonally, it will move through a diagonal gap between two other
1921walls without stopping). Also, some of the squares are \q{stops};
1922when the ball moves on to a stop, it will stop moving no matter what
1923direction it was going in. Gems do \e{not} stop the ball; it picks
1924them up and keeps on going.
1925
1926Running into a mine is fatal. Even if you picked up the last gem in
1927the same move which then hit a mine, the game will count you as dead
1928rather than victorious.
1929
1930This game was originally implemented for Windows by Ben Olmstead
1931\k{bem}, who was kind enough to release his source code on request
1932so that it could be re-implemented for this collection.
1933
1934\B{bem} \W{http://xn13.com/}\cw{http://xn13.com/}
1935
1936\H{inertia-controls} \i{Inertia controls}
1937
1938\IM{Inertia controls} controls, for Inertia
1939\IM{Inertia controls} keys, for Inertia
1940\IM{Inertia controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Inertia
1941
1942You can move the ball in any of the eight directions using the
1943numeric keypad. Alternatively, if you click the left mouse button on
1944the grid, the ball will begin a move in the general direction of
1945where you clicked.
1946
8b5b08f7 1947If you use the \q{Solve} function on this game, the program will
1948compute a path through the grid which collects all the remaining
1949gems and returns to the current position. A hint arrow will appear
1950on the ball indicating the direction in which you should move to
1951begin on this path. If you then move in that direction, the arrow
1952will update to indicate the next direction on the path. You can also
1953press Space to automatically move in the direction of the hint
1954arrow. If you move in a different direction from the one shown by
1955the arrow, the hint arrows will stop appearing because you have
1956strayed from the provided path; you can then use \q{Solve} again to
1957generate a new path if you want to.
1958
81eef9aa 1959All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.
1960In particular, if you do run into a mine and die, you can use the
1961Undo function and resume playing from before the fatal move. The
1962game will keep track of the number of times you have done this.
1963
1964\H{inertia-parameters} \I{parameters, for Inertia}Inertia parameters
1965
1966These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1967\q{Type} menu.
1968
1969\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1970
1971\dd Size of grid in squares.
1972
1973
86e60e3d 1974\C{tents} \i{Tents}
1975
1976\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.tents}
1977
1978You have a grid of squares, some of which contain trees. Your aim is
1979to place tents in some of the remaining squares, in such a way that
1980the following conditions are met:
1981
1982\b There are exactly as many tents as trees.
1983
1984\b The tents and trees can be matched up in such a way that each
1985tent is directly adjacent (horizontally or vertically, but not
1986diagonally) to its own tree. However, a tent may be adjacent to
1987other trees as well as its own.
1988
1989\b No two tents are adjacent horizontally, vertically \e{or
1990diagonally}.
1991
1992\b The number of tents in each row, and in each column, matches the
1993numbers given round the sides of the grid.
1994
1995This puzzle can be found in several places on the Internet, and was
1996brought to my attention by e-mail. I don't know who I should credit
1997for inventing it.
1998
1999\H{tents-controls} \i{Tents controls}
2000
2001\IM{Tents controls} controls, for Tents
2002
2003Left-clicking in a blank square will place a tent in it.
2004Right-clicking in a blank square will colour it green, indicating
2005that you are sure it \e{isn't} a tent. Clicking either button in an
2006occupied square will clear it.
2007
565394e7 2008If you \e{drag} with the right button along a row or column, every
2009blank square in the region you cover will be turned green, and no
2010other squares will be affected. (This is useful for clearing the
2011remainder of a row once you have placed all its tents.)
2012
505ea4e5 2013You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid. Pressing the
2014return key over an empty square will place a tent, and pressing the
2015space bar over an empty square will colour it green; either key will
2016clear an occupied square.
2017
86e60e3d 2018(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2019
2020\H{tents-parameters} \I{parameters, for Tents}Tents parameters
2021
2022These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2023\q{Type} menu.
2024
2025\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2026
2027\dd Size of grid in squares.
2028
2029\dt \e{Difficulty}
2030
2031\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. More difficult
2032puzzles require more complex deductions, but at present none of the
2033available difficulty levels requires guesswork or backtracking.
2034
2035
e7c63b02 2036\C{bridges} \i{Bridges}
2037
2038\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.bridges}
2039
2040You have a set of islands distributed across the playing area. Each
2041island contains a number. Your aim is to connect the islands
2042together with bridges, in such a way that:
2043
2044\b Bridges run horizontally or vertically.
2045
2046\b The number of bridges terminating at any island is equal to the
2047number written in that island.
2048
2049\b Two bridges may run in parallel between the same two islands, but
2050no more than two may do so.
2051
2052\b No bridge crosses another bridge.
2053
2054\b All the islands are connected together.
2055
2056There are some configurable alternative modes, which involve
2057changing the parallel-bridge limit to something other than 2, and
2058introducing the additional constraint that no sequence of bridges
2059may form a loop from one island back to the same island. The rules
2060stated above are the default ones.
2061
2062Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-bridges}.
2063
2064Bridges was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
2065
2066\B{nikoli-bridges}
2067\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/14/index-e.htm}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/14/index-e.htm}
2068
2069\H{bridges-controls} \i{Bridges controls}
2070
2071\IM{Bridges controls} controls, for Bridges
2072
2073To place a bridge between two islands, click the mouse down on one
2074island and drag it towards the other. You do not need to drag all
2075the way to the other island; you only need to move the mouse far
2076enough for the intended bridge direction to be unambiguous. (So you
2077can keep the mouse near the starting island and conveniently throw
2078bridges out from it in many directions.)
2079
2080Doing this again when a bridge is already present will add another
2081parallel bridge. If there are already as many bridges between the
2082two islands as permitted by the current game rules (i.e. two by
2083default), the same dragging action will remove all of them.
2084
2085If you want to remind yourself that two islands definitely \e{do
2086not} have a bridge between them, you can right-drag between them in
2087the same way to draw a \q{non-bridge} marker.
2088
2089If you think you have finished with an island (i.e. you have placed
2090all its bridges and are confident that they are in the right
2091places), you can mark the island as finished by left-clicking on it.
2092This will highlight it and all the bridges connected to it, and you
2093will be prevented from accidentally modifying any of those bridges
2094in future. Left-clicking again on a highlighted island will unmark
2095it and restore your ability to modify it.
2096
2097Violations of the puzzle rules will be marked in red:
2098
2099\b An island with too many bridges will be highlighted in red.
2100
2101\b An island with too few bridges will be highlighted in red if it
2102is definitely an error (as opposed to merely not being finished
2103yet): if adding enough bridges would involve having to cross another
2104bridge or remove a non-bridge marker, or if the island has been
2105highlighted as complete.
2106
2107\b A group of islands and bridges may be highlighted in red if it is
2108a closed subset of the puzzle with no way to connect it to the rest
2109of the islands. For example, if you directly connect two 1s together
2110with a bridge and they are not the only two islands on the grid,
2111they will light up red to indicate that such a group cannot be
2112contained in any valid solution.
2113
2114\b If you have selected the (non-default) option to disallow loops
2115in the solution, a group of bridges which forms a loop will be
2116highlighted.
2117
2118(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2119
2120\H{bridges-parameters} \I{parameters, for Bridges}Bridges parameters
2121
2122These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2123\q{Type} menu.
2124
2125\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2126
2127\dd Size of grid in squares.
2128
2129\dt \e{Difficulty}
2130
2131\dd Difficulty level of puzzle.
2132
2133\dt \e{Allow loops}
2134
2135\dd This is set by default. If cleared, puzzles will be generated in
2136such a way that they are always soluble without creating a loop, and
2137solutions which do involve a loop will be disallowed.
2138
2139\dt \e{Max. bridges per direction}
2140
2141\dd Maximum number of bridges in any particular direction. The
2142default is 2, but you can change it to 1, 3 or 4. In general, fewer
2143is easier.
2144
2145\dt \e{%age of island squares}
2146
2147\dd Gives a rough percentage of islands the generator will try and
2148lay before finishing the puzzle. Certain layouts will not manage to
2149lay enough islands; this is an upper bound.
2150
2151\dt \e{Expansion factor (%age)}
2152
2153\dd The grid generator works by picking an existing island at random
2154(after first creating an initial island somewhere). It then decides
2155on a direction (at random), and then works out how far it could
2156extend before creating another island. This parameter determines how
2157likely it is to extend as far as it can, rather than choosing
2158somewhere closer.
2159
2160High expansion factors usually mean easier puzzles with fewer
2161possible islands; low expansion factors can create lots of
2162tightly-packed islands.
2163
2164
149255d7 2165\C{unequal} \i{Unequal}
2166
2167\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.unequal}
2168
2169You have a square grid; each square may contain a digit from 1 to
055b9cd2 2170the size of the grid, and some squares have greater-than signs between
149255d7 2171them. Your aim is to fully populate the grid with numbers such that:
2172
2173\b Each row contains only one occurrence of each digit
2174
2175\b Each column contains only one occurrence of each digit
2176
2177\b All the greater-than signs are satisfied.
2178
feb306dc 2179In \q{Trivial} mode (available via the \q{Custom} game type
2180selector), there are no greater-than signs; the puzzle is to solve
2181the \i{Latin square} only.
149255d7 2182
2183At the time of writing, this puzzle is appearing in the Guardian
055b9cd2 2184weekly under the name \q{\i{Futoshiki}}.
149255d7 2185
2186Unequal was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
2187
2188\H{unequal-controls} \i{Unequal controls}
2189
2190\IM{Unequal controls} controls, for Unequal
2191
2192Unequal shares much of its control system with Solo.
2193
2194To play Unequal, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
2195type a digit or letter on the keyboard to fill that square. If you
2196make a mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and press
2197Space to clear it again (or use the Undo feature).
2198
2199If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a number, that
2200number will be entered in the square as a \q{pencil mark}. You can
2201have pencil marks for multiple numbers in the same square.
2202
2203The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use
2204them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a
2205particular square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a
2206particular number, or you can use them as lists of the possible
2207numbers in a given square, or anything else you feel like.
2208
2209To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type
2210the same number again.
2211
2212All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type
2213a number, or when you left-click and press space. Right-clicking and
2214pressing space will also erase pencil marks.
2215
9c90045a 2216As for Solo, the cursor keys can be used in conjunction with the digit
2217keys to set numbers or pencil marks. You can also use the 'M' key to
2218auto-fill every numeric hint, ready for removal as required.
2219
149255d7 2220(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2221
2222\H{unequal-parameters} \I{parameters, for Unequal}Unequal parameters
2223
2224These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2225\q{Type} menu.
2226
2227\dt \e{Size (s*s)}
2228
2229\dd Size of grid.
2230
2231\dt \e{Difficulty}
2232
845a3be0 2233\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. At Trivial
feb306dc 2234level, there are no greater-than signs; the puzzle is to solve the
2235Latin square only. At Recursive level (only available via the
2236\q{Custom} game type selector) backtracking will be required, but
2237the solution should still be unique. The levels in between require
2238increasingly complex reasoning to avoid having to backtrack.
149255d7 2239
2240
ab3a1e43 2241
2242\C{galaxies} \i{Galaxies}
2243
2244\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.galaxies}
2245
2246You have a rectangular grid containing a number of dots. Your aim is
2247to draw edges along the grid lines which divide the rectangle into
2248regions in such a way that every region is 180\u00b0{-degree}
2249rotationally symmetric, and contains exactly one dot which is
2250located at its centre of symmetry.
2251
2252This puzzle was invented by \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-galaxies}, under
a799e87f 2253the name \q{Tentai Show}; its name is commonly translated into
2254English as \q{Spiral Galaxies}.
ab3a1e43 2255
f3ed4ec3 2256Galaxies was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
2257
ab3a1e43 2258\B{nikoli-galaxies} \W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/astronomical_show/}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/astronomical_show/}
2259
2260\H{galaxies-controls} \i{Galaxies controls}
2261
2262\IM{Galaxies controls} controls, for Galaxies
2263
2264Left-click on any grid line to draw an edge if there isn't one
2265already, or to remove one if there is. When you create a valid
2266region (one which is closed, contains exactly one dot, is
2267180\u00b0{-degree} symmetric about that dot, and contains no
2268extraneous edges inside it) it will be highlighted automatically; so
2269your aim is to have the whole grid highlighted in that way.
2270
2271During solving, you might know that a particular grid square belongs
2272to a specific dot, but not be sure of where the edges go and which
2273other squares are connected to the dot. In order to mark this so you
2274don't forget, you can right-click on the dot and drag, which will
2275create an arrow marker pointing at the dot. Drop that in a square of
2276your choice and it will remind you which dot it's associated with.
2277You can also right-click on existing arrows to pick them up and move
2278them, or destroy them by dropping them off the edge of the grid.
2279(Also, if you're not sure which dot an arrow is pointing at, you can
2280pick it up and move it around to make it clearer. It will swivel
2281constantly as you drag it, to stay pointed at its parent dot.)
2282
2c580e64 2283You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid squares and
2284lines. Pressing the return key when over a grid line will draw or
2285clear its edge, as above. Pressing the return key when over a dot will
2286pick up an arrow, to be dropped the nest time the return key is
2287pressed; this can also be used to move existing arrows around, removing
2288them by dropping them on a dot or another arrow.
2289
ab3a1e43 2290(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2291
2292\H{galaxies-parameters} \I{parameters, for Galaxies}Galaxies parameters
2293
2294These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2295\q{Type} menu.
2296
2297\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2298
2299\dd Size of grid in squares.
2300
2301\dt \e{Difficulty}
2302
2303\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. More difficult
59206b9c 2304puzzles require more complex deductions, and the \q{Unreasonable}
a799e87f 2305difficulty level may require backtracking.
ab3a1e43 2306
2307
2308
8b3b3223 2309\C{filling} \i{Filling}
2310
2311\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.filling}
2312
2313You have a grid of squares, some of which contain digits, and the
2314rest of which are empty. Your job is to fill in digits in the empty
2315squares, in such a way that each connected region of squares all
2316containing the same digit has an area equal to that digit.
2317
2318(\q{Connected region}, for the purposes of this game, does not count
2319diagonally separated squares as adjacent.)
2320
2321For example, it follows that no square can contain a zero, and that
2322two adjacent squares can not both contain a one. No region has an
2323area greater than 9 (because then its area would not be a single
2324digit).
2325
2326Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-fillomino}.
2327
2328Filling was contributed to this collection by Jonas K\u00F6{oe}lker.
2329
2330\B{nikoli-fillomino}
2331\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/fillomino/}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/fillomino/}
2332
2333\H{filling-controls} \I{controls, for Filling}Filling controls
2334
2335To play Filling, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
b182e5d5 2336type a digit on the keyboard to fill that square. By dragging the
2337mouse, you can select multiple squares to fill with a single keypress.
2338If you make a mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and
2339press 0, Space, Backspace or Enter to clear it again (or use the Undo
2340feature).
8b3b3223 2341
eb05ad3b 2342You can also move around the grid with the cursor keys; typing a digit will
2343fill the square containing the cursor with that number, or typing 0, Space,
2344or Enter will clear it. You can also select multiple squares for numbering
2345or clearing by using the return key, before typing a digit to fill in the
2346highlighted squares (as above).
2347
8b3b3223 2348(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2349
2350\H{filling-parameters} \I{parameters, for Filling}Filling parameters
2351
2352Filling allows you to configure the number of rows and columns of the
2353grid, through the \q{Type} menu.
2354
2355
ab3a1e43 2356
e91825f8 2357\A{licence} \I{MIT licence}\ii{Licence}
2358
07a54e52 2359This software is \i{copyright} 2004-2008 Simon Tatham.
e91825f8 2360
2c930807 2361Portions copyright Richard Boulton, James Harvey, Mike Pinna, Jonas
0477157e 2362K\u00F6{oe}lker, Dariusz Olszewski, Michael Schierl and Lambros
2363Lambrou.
e91825f8 2364
2365Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person
2366obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files
a799e87f 2367(the \q{Software}), to deal in the Software without restriction,
e91825f8 2368including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge,
2369publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software,
2370and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
2371subject to the following conditions:
2372
2373The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
2374included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
2375
a799e87f 2376THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED \q{AS IS}, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
e91825f8 2377EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
2378MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
2379NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS
2380BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN
2381ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN
2382CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
2383SOFTWARE.
2384
3c9388ef 2385\IM{command-line}{command line} command line
2386
bb219ea1 2387\IM{default parameters, specifying} default parameters, specifying
2388\IM{default parameters, specifying} preferences, specifying default
2389
2390\IM{Unix} Unix
2391\IM{Unix} Linux
2392
2393\IM{generating game IDs} generating game IDs
2394\IM{generating game IDs} game ID, generating
2395
1185e3c5 2396\IM{specific} \q{Specific}, menu option
2397\IM{custom} \q{Custom}, menu option
e91825f8 2398
2399\IM{game ID} game ID
2400\IM{game ID} ID, game
2401\IM{ID format} ID format
2402\IM{ID format} format, ID
2403\IM{ID format} game ID, format
2404
2405\IM{keys} keys
2406\IM{keys} shortcuts (keyboard)
2407
2408\IM{initial state} initial state
2409\IM{initial state} state, initial
2410
2411\IM{MIT licence} MIT licence
2412\IM{MIT licence} licence, MIT