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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 | |
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8 | \cfg{html-contents-filename}{index.html} |
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9 | \cfg{html-template-filename}{%k.html} |
10 | \cfg{html-index-filename}{docindex.html} |
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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 | |
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16 | \cfg{info-filename}{puzzles.info} |
17 | |
18 | \cfg{ps-filename}{puzzles.ps} |
19 | \cfg{pdf-filename}{puzzles.pdf} |
20 | |
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21 | \define{by} \u00D7{x} |
22 | |
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23 | This is a collection of small one-player puzzle games. |
24 | |
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25 | \copyright This manual is copyright 2004-5 Simon Tatham. All rights |
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26 | reserved. You may distribute this documentation under the MIT licence. |
27 | See \k{licence} for the licence text in full. |
28 | |
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29 | \cfg{html-local-head}{<meta name="AppleTitle" content="Puzzles Help">} |
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30 | |
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31 | \versionid $Id$ |
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32 | |
33 | \C{intro} Introduction |
34 | |
35 | I wrote this collection because I thought there should be more small |
36 | desktop toys available: little games you can pop up in a window and |
37 | play for two or three minutes while you take a break from whatever |
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38 | else you were doing. And I was also annoyed that every time I found |
39 | a good game on (say) \i{Unix}, it wasn't available the next time I |
40 | was sitting at a \i{Windows} machine, or vice versa; so I arranged |
41 | that everything in my personal puzzle collection will happily run on |
42 | both, and have more recently done a port to Mac OS X as well. When I |
43 | find (or perhaps invent) further puzzle games that I like, they'll |
44 | be added to this collection and will immediately be available on |
45 | both platforms. And if anyone feels like writing any other front |
46 | ends - PocketPC, Mac OS pre-10, or whatever it might be - then all |
47 | the games in this framework will immediately become available on |
48 | another platform as well. |
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49 | |
50 | The actual games in this collection were mostly not my invention; I |
51 | saw them elsewhere, and rewrote them in a form that was more |
52 | convenient for me. I do not claim credit, in general, for inventing |
53 | the rules of any of these puzzles; all I claim is authorship of the |
54 | code (or at least those parts of the code that weren't contributed |
55 | by other people!). |
56 | |
57 | This collection is distributed under the \i{MIT licence} (see |
58 | \k{licence}). This means that you can do pretty much anything you like |
59 | with the game binaries or the code, except pretending you wrote them |
60 | yourself, or suing me if anything goes wrong. |
61 | |
62 | The most recent versions, and \i{source code}, can be found at |
63 | \I{website}\W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}. |
64 | |
65 | Please report \I{feedback}\i{bugs} to |
66 | \W{mailto:anakin@pobox.com}\cw{anakin@pobox.com}. |
67 | You might find it helpful to read this article before reporting a bug: |
68 | |
69 | \W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html} |
70 | |
71 | \ii{Patches} are welcome. Especially if they provide a new front end |
72 | (to make all these games run on another platform), or a new game. |
73 | |
74 | |
75 | \C{common} \ii{Common features} |
76 | |
77 | This chapter describes features that are common to all the games. |
78 | |
79 | \H{common-actions} \I{controls}Common actions |
80 | |
81 | These actions are all available from the \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu |
82 | and via \I{keys}keyboard shortcuts, in addition to any game-specific |
83 | actions. |
84 | |
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85 | (On Mac OS X, to conform with local user interface standards, these |
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86 | actions are situated on the \I{File menu}\q{File} and \I{Edit |
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87 | menu}\q{Edit} menus instead.) |
88 | |
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89 | \dt \ii\e{New game} (\q{N}, Ctrl+\q{N}) |
90 | |
91 | \dd Starts a new game, with a random initial state. |
92 | |
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93 | \dt \ii\e{Restart game} |
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94 | |
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95 | \dd Resets the current game to its initial state. (This can be undone.) |
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96 | |
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97 | \dt \ii\e{Load} |
98 | |
99 | \dd Loads a saved game from a file on disk. |
100 | |
101 | \dt \ii\e{Save} |
102 | |
103 | \dd Saves the current state of your game to a file on disk. |
104 | |
105 | \lcont{ |
106 | |
107 | The Load and Save operations should preserve your entire game |
108 | history (so you can save, reload, and still Undo and Redo things you |
109 | had done before saving). |
110 | |
111 | } |
112 | |
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113 | \dt \ii\e{Undo} (\q{U}, Ctrl+\q{Z}, Ctrl+\q{_}) |
114 | |
115 | \dd Undoes a single move. (You can undo moves back to the start of the |
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116 | session.) |
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117 | |
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118 | \dt \ii\e{Redo} (\q{R}, Ctrl+\q{R}) |
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119 | |
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120 | \dd Redoes a previously undone move. |
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121 | |
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122 | \dt \ii\e{Copy} |
123 | |
124 | \dd Copies the current state of your game to the clipboard in text |
125 | format, so that you can paste it into (say) an e-mail client or a |
126 | web message board if you're discussing the game with someone else. |
127 | (Not all games support this feature.) |
128 | |
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129 | \dt \ii\e{Solve} |
130 | |
131 | \dd Transforms the puzzle instantly into its solved state. For some |
132 | games (Cube) this feature is not supported at all because it is of |
133 | no particular use. For other games (such as Pattern), the solved |
134 | state can be used to give you information, if you can't see how a |
135 | solution can exist at all or you want to know where you made a |
136 | mistake. For still other games (such as Sixteen), automatic solution |
137 | tells you nothing about how to \e{get} to the solution, but it does |
138 | provide a useful way to get there quickly so that you can experiment |
139 | with set-piece moves and transformations. |
140 | |
141 | \lcont{ |
142 | |
143 | Some games (such as Solo) are capable of solving a game ID you have |
144 | typed in from elsewhere. Other games (such as Rectangles) cannot |
145 | solve a game ID they didn't invent themself, but when they did |
146 | invent the game ID they know what the solution is already. Still |
147 | other games (Pattern) can solve \e{some} external game IDs, but only |
148 | if they aren't too difficult. |
149 | |
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150 | The \q{Solve} command adds the solved state to the end of the undo |
151 | chain for the puzzle. In other words, if you want to go back to |
152 | solving it yourself after seeing the answer, you can just press Undo. |
153 | |
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154 | } |
155 | |
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156 | \dt \I{exit}\ii\e{Quit} (\q{Q}, Ctrl+\q{Q}) |
157 | |
158 | \dd Closes the application entirely. |
159 | |
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160 | \H{common-id} Specifying games with the \ii{game ID} |
161 | |
162 | There are two ways to save a game specification out of a puzzle and |
163 | recreate it later, or recreate it in somebody else's copy of the |
164 | same puzzle. |
165 | |
166 | The \q{\i{Specific}} and \q{\i{Random Seed}} options from the |
167 | \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu (or the \q{File} menu, on Mac OS X) each |
168 | show a piece of text (a \q{game ID}) which is sufficient to |
169 | reconstruct precisely the same game at a later date. |
170 | |
171 | You can enter either of these pieces of text back into the program |
172 | (via the same \q{Specific} or \q{Random Seed} menu options) at a |
173 | later point, and it will recreate the same game. You can also use |
174 | either one as a \i{command line} argument (on Windows or Unix); see |
175 | \k{common-cmdline} for more detail. |
176 | |
177 | The difference between the two forms is that a descriptive game ID |
178 | is a literal \e{description} of the \i{initial state} of the game, |
179 | whereas a random seed is just a piece of arbitrary text which was |
180 | provided as input to the random number generator used to create the |
181 | puzzle. This means that: |
182 | |
183 | \b Descriptive game IDs tend to be longer in many puzzles (although |
184 | some, such as Cube (\k{cube}), only need very short descriptions). |
185 | So a random seed is often a \e{quicker} way to note down the puzzle |
186 | you're currently playing, or to tell it to somebody else so they can |
187 | play the same one as you. |
188 | |
189 | \b Any text at all is a valid random seed. The automatically |
190 | generated ones are fifteen-digit numbers, but anything will do; you |
191 | can type in your full name, or a word you just made up, and a valid |
192 | puzzle will be generated from it. This provides a way for two or |
193 | more people to race to complete the same puzzle: you think of a |
194 | random seed, then everybody types it in at the same time, and nobody |
195 | has an advantage due to having seen the generated puzzle before |
196 | anybody else. |
197 | |
198 | \b It is often possible to convert puzzles from other sources (such |
199 | as \q{nonograms} or \q{sudoku} from newspapers) into descriptive |
200 | game IDs suitable for use with these programs. |
201 | |
202 | \b Random seeds are not guaranteed to produce the same result if you |
203 | use them with a different \i\e{version} of the puzzle program. This |
204 | is because the generation algorithm might have been improved or |
205 | modified in later versions of the code, and will therefore produce a |
206 | different result when given the same sequence of random numbers. Use |
207 | a descriptive game ID if you aren't sure that it will be used on the |
208 | same version of the program as yours. |
209 | |
210 | \lcont{(Use the \q{About} menu option to find out the version number |
211 | of the program. Programs with the same version number running on |
212 | different platforms should still be random-seed compatible.)} |
213 | |
214 | \I{ID format}A descriptive game ID starts with a piece of text which |
215 | encodes the \i\e{parameters} of the current game (such as grid |
216 | size). Then there is a colon, and after that is the description of |
217 | the game's initial state. A random seed starts with a similar string |
218 | of parameters, but then it contains a hash sign followed by |
219 | arbitrary data. |
220 | |
221 | If you enter a descriptive game ID, the program will not be able to |
222 | show you the random seed which generated it, since it wasn't |
223 | generated \e{from} a random seed. If you \e{enter} a random seed, |
224 | however, the program will be able to show you the descriptive game |
225 | ID derived from that random seed. |
226 | |
227 | Note that the game parameter strings are not always identical |
228 | between the two forms. For some games, there will be parameter data |
229 | provided with the random seed which is not included in the |
230 | descriptive game ID. This is because that parameter information is |
231 | only relevant when \e{generating} puzzle grids, and is not important |
232 | when playing them. Thus, for example, the difficulty level in Solo |
233 | (\k{solo}) is not mentioned in the descriptive game ID. |
234 | |
235 | These additional parameters are also not set permanently if you type |
236 | in a game ID. For example, suppose you have Solo set to \q{Advanced} |
237 | difficulty level, and then a friend wants your help with a |
238 | \q{Trivial} puzzle; so the friend reads out a random seed specifying |
239 | \q{Trivial} difficulty, and you type it in. The program will |
240 | generate you the same \q{Trivial} grid which your friend was having |
241 | trouble with, but once you have finished playing it, when you ask |
242 | for a new game it will automatically go back to the \q{Advanced} |
243 | difficulty which it was previously set on. |
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244 | |
245 | \H{common-type} The \q{Type} menu |
246 | |
247 | The \I{Type menu}\q{Type} menu, if present, may contain a list of |
248 | \i{preset} game settings. Selecting one of these will start a new |
249 | random game with the parameters specified. |
250 | |
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251 | The \q{Type} menu may also contain a \q{\i{Custom}} option which |
252 | allows you to fine-tune game \i{parameters}. The parameters |
253 | available are specific to each game and are described in the |
254 | following sections. |
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255 | |
256 | \H{common-cmdline} Specifying game parameters on the \i{command line} |
257 | |
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258 | (This section does not apply to the Mac OS X version.) |
259 | |
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260 | The games in this collection deliberately do not ever save |
261 | information on to the computer they run on: they have no high score |
262 | tables and no saved preferences. (This is because I expect at least |
263 | some people to play them at work, and those people will probably |
264 | appreciate leaving as little evidence as possible!) |
265 | |
266 | However, if you do want to arrange for one of these games to default |
267 | to a particular set of parameters, you can specify them on the |
268 | command line. |
269 | |
270 | The easiest way to do this is to set up the parameters you want |
271 | using the \q{Type} menu (see \k{common-type}), and then to select |
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272 | \q{Random Seed} from the \q{Game} or \q{File} menu (see |
273 | \k{common-id}). The text in the \q{Game ID} box will be composed of |
274 | two parts, separated by a hash. The first of these parts represents |
275 | the game parameters (the size of the playing area, for example, and |
276 | anything else you set using the \q{Type} menu). |
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277 | |
278 | If you run the game with just that parameter text on the command |
279 | line, it will start up with the settings you specified. |
280 | |
281 | For example: if you run Cube (see \k{cube}), select \q{Octahedron} |
282 | from the \q{Type} menu, and then go to the game ID selection, you |
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283 | will see a string of the form \cq{o2x2#338686542711620}. Take only |
284 | the part before the hash (\cq{o2x2}), and start Cube with that text |
285 | on the command line: \cq{cube o2x2}. |
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286 | |
287 | If you copy the \e{entire} game ID on to the command line, the game |
288 | will start up in the specific game that was described. This is |
289 | occasionally a more convenient way to start a particular game ID |
290 | than by pasting it into the game ID selection box. |
291 | |
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292 | (You could also retrieve the encoded game parameters using the |
293 | \q{Specific} menu option instead of \q{Random Seed}, but if you do |
294 | then some options, such as the difficulty level in Solo, will be |
295 | missing. See \k{common-id} for more details on this.) |
296 | |
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297 | \C{net} \i{Net} |
298 | |
299 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.net} |
300 | |
301 | (\e{Note:} the \i{Windows} version of this game is called |
302 | \i\cw{NETGAME.EXE} to avoid clashing with Windows's own \cw{NET.EXE}.) |
303 | |
304 | I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{FreeNet} |
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305 | \k{FreeNet}, written by Pavils Jurjans; there are several other |
306 | implementations under the name \i{NetWalk}. The computer prepares a |
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307 | network by connecting up the centres of squares in a grid, and then |
308 | shuffles the network by rotating every tile randomly. Your job is to |
309 | rotate it all back into place. The successful solution will be an |
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310 | entirely connected network, with no closed loops. \#{The latter |
311 | clause means that there are no closed paths within the network. |
312 | Could this be clearer? "No closed paths"?} As a visual aid, |
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313 | all tiles which are connected to the one in the middle are |
314 | highlighted. |
315 | |
316 | \B{FreeNet} \W{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm}\cw{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm} |
317 | |
318 | \H{net-controls} \i{Net controls} |
319 | |
320 | \IM{Net controls} controls, for Net |
321 | \IM{Net controls} keys, for Net |
322 | \IM{Net controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Net |
323 | |
324 | This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse. The |
325 | controls are: |
326 | |
327 | \dt \e{Select tile}: mouse pointer, arrow keys |
328 | |
329 | \dt \e{Rotate tile anticlockwise}: left mouse button, \q{A} key |
330 | |
331 | \dt \e{Rotate tile clockwise}: right mouse button, \q{D} key |
332 | |
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333 | \dt \e{Rotate tile by 180 degrees}: \q{F} key |
334 | |
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335 | \dt \e{Lock (or unlock) tile}: middle mouse button, shift-click, \q{S} key |
336 | |
337 | \dd You can lock a tile once you're sure of its orientation. You can |
338 | also unlock it again, but while it's locked you can't accidentally |
339 | turn it. |
340 | |
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341 | The following controls are not necessary to complete the game, but may |
342 | be useful: |
343 | |
344 | \dt \e{Shift grid}: Shift + arrow keys |
345 | |
346 | \dd On grids that wrap, you can move the origin of the grid, so that |
347 | tiles that were on opposite sides of the grid can be seen together. |
348 | |
349 | \dt \e{Move centre}: Ctrl + arrow keys |
350 | |
351 | \dd You can change which tile is used as the source of highlighting. |
352 | (It doesn't ultimately matter which tile this is, as every tile will |
353 | be connected to every other tile in a correct solution, but it may be |
354 | helpful in the intermediate stages of solving the puzzle.) |
355 | |
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356 | \dt \e{Jumble tiles}: \q{J} key |
357 | |
358 | \dd This key turns all tiles that are not locked to random |
359 | orientations. |
360 | |
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361 | (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.) |
362 | |
363 | \H{net-params} \I{parameters, for Net}Net parameters |
364 | |
365 | These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
366 | \q{Type} menu. |
367 | |
368 | \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height} |
369 | |
370 | \dd Size of grid in tiles. |
371 | |
372 | \dt \e{Walls wrap around} |
373 | |
374 | \dd If checked, flow can pass from the left edge to the right edge, |
375 | and from top to bottom, and vice versa. |
376 | |
377 | \dt \e{Barrier probability} |
378 | |
379 | \dd A number between 0.0 and 1.0 controlling whether an immovable |
380 | barrier is placed between two tiles to prevent flow between them (a |
381 | higher number gives more barriers). Since barriers are immovable, they |
382 | act as constraints on the solution (i.e., hints). |
383 | |
384 | \lcont{ |
385 | |
386 | The grid generation in Net has been carefully arranged so that the |
387 | barriers are independent of the rest of the grid. This means that if |
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388 | you note down the random seed used to generate the current puzzle |
389 | (see \k{common-id}), change the \e{Barrier probability} parameter, |
390 | and then re-enter the same random seed, you should see exactly the |
391 | same starting grid, with the only change being the number of |
392 | barriers. So if you're stuck on a particular grid and need a hint, |
393 | you could start up another instance of Net, set up the same |
394 | parameters but a higher barrier probability, and enter the game seed |
395 | from the original Net window. |
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396 | |
397 | } |
398 | |
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399 | \dt \e{Ensure unique solution} |
400 | |
401 | \dd Normally, Net will make sure that the puzzles it presents have |
402 | only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more |
403 | difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this |
404 | feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. (Also, finding \e{all} |
405 | the possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an |
406 | advanced player.) |
407 | |
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408 | \C{cube} \i{Cube} |
409 | |
410 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.cube} |
411 | |
412 | This is another one I originally saw as a web game. This one was a |
413 | Java game \k{cube-java-game}, by Paul Scott. You have a grid of 16 |
414 | squares, six of which are blue; on one square rests a cube. Your move |
415 | is to use the arrow keys to roll the cube through 90 degrees so that |
416 | it moves to an adjacent square. If you roll the cube on to a blue |
417 | square, the blue square is picked up on one face of the cube; if you |
418 | roll a blue face of the cube on to a non-blue square, the blueness is |
419 | put down again. (In general, whenever you roll the cube, the two faces |
420 | that come into contact swap colours.) Your job is to get all six blue |
421 | squares on to the six faces of the cube at the same time. Count your |
422 | moves and try to do it in as few as possible. |
423 | |
424 | Unlike the original Java game, my version has an additional feature: |
425 | once you've mastered the game with a cube rolling on a square grid, |
426 | you can change to a triangular grid and roll any of a tetrahedron, an |
427 | octahedron or an icosahedron. |
428 | |
429 | \B{cube-java-game} \W{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm}\cw{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm} |
430 | |
431 | \H{cube-controls} \i{Cube controls} |
432 | |
433 | \IM{Cube controls} controls, for Cube |
434 | \IM{Cube controls} keys, for Cube |
435 | \IM{Cube controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Cube |
436 | |
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437 | This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse. |
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438 | |
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439 | Left-clicking anywhere on the window will move the cube (or other |
440 | solid) towards the mouse pointer. |
441 | |
442 | The arrow keys can also used to roll the cube on its square grid in |
443 | the four cardinal directions. |
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444 | On the triangular grids, the mapping of arrow keys to directions is |
445 | more approximate. Vertical movement is disallowed where it doesn't |
446 | make sense. The four keys surrounding the arrow keys on the numeric |
447 | keypad (\q{7}, \q{9}, \q{1}, \q{3}) can be used for diagonal movement. |
448 | |
449 | (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.) |
450 | |
451 | \H{cube-params} \I{parameters, for Cube}Cube parameters |
452 | |
453 | These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
454 | \q{Type} menu. |
455 | |
456 | \dt \e{Type of solid} |
457 | |
458 | \dd Selects the solid to roll (and hence the shape of the grid): |
459 | tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, or icosahedron. |
460 | |
461 | \dt \e{Width / top}, \e{Height / bottom} |
462 | |
463 | \dd On a square grid, horizontal and vertical dimensions. On a |
464 | triangular grid, the number of triangles on the top and bottom rows |
465 | respectively. |
466 | |
467 | |
468 | \C{fifteen} \i{Fifteen} |
469 | |
470 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.fifteen} |
471 | |
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472 | The old ones are the best: this is the good old \q{\i{15-puzzle}} |
473 | with sliding tiles. You have a 4\by\.4 square grid; 15 squares |
474 | contain numbered tiles, and the sixteenth is empty. Your move is to |
475 | choose a tile next to the empty space, and slide it into the space. |
476 | The aim is to end up with the tiles in numerical order, with the |
477 | space in the bottom right (so that the top row reads 1,2,3,4 and the |
478 | bottom row reads 13,14,15,\e{space}). |
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479 | |
480 | \H{fifteen-controls} \i{Fifteen controls} |
481 | |
482 | \IM{Fifteen controls} controls, for Fifteen |
483 | \IM{Fifteen controls} keys, for Fifteen |
484 | \IM{Fifteen controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Fifteen |
485 | |
486 | This game can be controlled with the mouse or the keyboard. |
487 | |
488 | A left-click with the mouse in the row or column containing the empty |
489 | space will move as many tiles as necessary to move the space to the |
490 | mouse pointer. |
491 | |
492 | The arrow keys will move a tile adjacent to the space in the direction |
493 | indicated (moving the space in the \e{opposite} direction). |
494 | |
495 | (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.) |
496 | |
497 | \H{fifteen-params} \I{parameters, for Fifteen}Fifteen parameters |
498 | |
499 | The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type} |
500 | menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory. (Once |
501 | you've changed these, it's not a \q{15-puzzle} any more, of course!) |
502 | |
503 | |
504 | \C{sixteen} \i{Sixteen} |
505 | |
506 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.sixteen} |
507 | |
508 | Another sliding tile puzzle, visually similar to Fifteen (see |
509 | \k{fifteen}) but with a different type of move. This time, there is no |
510 | hole: all 16 squares on the grid contain numbered squares. Your move |
511 | is to shift an entire row left or right, or shift an entire column up |
512 | or down; every time you do that, the tile you shift off the grid |
513 | re-appears at the other end of the same row, in the space you just |
514 | vacated. To win, arrange the tiles into numerical order (1,2,3,4 on |
515 | the top row, 13,14,15,16 on the bottom). When you've done that, try |
516 | playing on different sizes of grid. |
517 | |
518 | I \e{might} have invented this game myself, though only by accident if |
519 | so (and I'm sure other people have independently invented it). I |
520 | thought I was imitating a screensaver I'd seen, but I have a feeling |
521 | that the screensaver might actually have been a Fifteen-type puzzle |
522 | rather than this slightly different kind. So this might be the one |
523 | thing in my puzzle collection which represents creativity on my part |
524 | rather than just engineering. |
525 | |
526 | \H{sixteen-controls} \I{controls, for Sixteen}Sixteen controls |
527 | |
528 | This game is played with the mouse. Left-clicking on an arrow will |
529 | move the appropriate row or column in the direction indicated. |
530 | Right-clicking will move it in the opposite direction. |
531 | |
532 | (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.) |
533 | |
534 | \H{sixteen-params} \I{parameters, for Sixteen}Sixteen parameters |
535 | |
81875211 |
536 | The parameters available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
537 | \q{Type} menu are: |
538 | |
539 | \b \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory. |
540 | |
541 | \b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on |
542 | the grid. By default, Sixteen will shuffle the grid in such a way |
543 | that any arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can |
544 | override this by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to |
545 | be performed. Typically your aim is then to determine the precise |
546 | set of shuffling moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer |
547 | (say) a four-move shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the |
548 | more moves you ask for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter |
549 | than the target length will turn out to be possible. |
550 | |
e91825f8 |
551 | |
9038fd11 |
552 | \C{twiddle} \i{Twiddle} |
553 | |
554 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.twiddle} |
555 | |
556 | Twiddle is a tile-rearrangement puzzle, visually similar to Sixteen |
557 | (see \k{sixteen}): you are given a grid of square tiles, each |
558 | containing a number, and your aim is to arrange the numbers into |
559 | ascending order. |
560 | |
561 | In basic Twiddle, your move is to rotate a square group of four |
a3631c72 |
562 | tiles about their common centre. (Orientation is not significant in |
563 | the basic puzzle, although you can select it.) On more advanced |
564 | settings, you can rotate a larger square group of tiles. |
9038fd11 |
565 | |
566 | I first saw this type of puzzle in the GameCube game \q{Metroid |
567 | Prime 2}. In the Main Gyro Chamber in that game, there is a puzzle |
568 | you solve to unlock a door, which is a special case of Twiddle. I |
569 | developed this game as a generalisation of that puzzle. |
570 | |
571 | \H{twiddle-controls} \I{controls, for Twiddle}Twiddle controls |
572 | |
573 | To play Twiddle, click the mouse in the centre of the square group |
574 | you wish to rotate. In the basic mode, you rotate a 2\by\.2 square, |
575 | which means you have to click at a corner point where four tiles |
576 | meet. |
577 | |
578 | In more advanced modes you might be rotating 3\by\.3 or even more at |
579 | a time; if the size of the square is odd then you simply click in |
580 | the centre tile of the square you want to rotate. |
581 | |
582 | Clicking with the left mouse button rotates the group anticlockwise. |
583 | Clicking with the right button rotates it clockwise. |
584 | |
585 | (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.) |
586 | |
587 | \H{twiddle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Twiddle}Twiddle parameters |
588 | |
589 | Twiddle provides several configuration options via the \q{Custom} |
590 | option on the \q{Type} menu: |
591 | |
592 | \b You can configure the width and height of the puzzle grid. |
593 | |
594 | \b You can configure the size of square block that rotates at a time. |
595 | |
596 | \b You can ask for every square in the grid to be distinguishable |
597 | (the default), or you can ask for a simplified puzzle in which there |
598 | are groups of identical numbers. In the simplified puzzle your aim |
599 | is just to arrange all the 1s into the first row, all the 2s into |
600 | the second row, and so on. |
601 | |
a3631c72 |
602 | \b You can configure whether the orientation of tiles matters. If |
d50832a3 |
603 | you ask for an orientable puzzle, each tile will have a triangle |
604 | drawn in it. All the triangles must be pointing upwards to complete |
605 | the puzzle. |
a3631c72 |
606 | |
81875211 |
607 | \b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on |
608 | the grid. By default, Twiddle will shuffle the grid so much that any |
609 | arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can override this |
610 | by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to be performed. |
611 | Typically your aim is then to determine the precise set of shuffling |
612 | moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer (say) a four-move |
613 | shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the more moves you ask |
614 | for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter than the target |
615 | length will turn out to be possible. |
616 | |
9038fd11 |
617 | |
e91825f8 |
618 | \C{rectangles} \i{Rectangles} |
619 | |
620 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.rectangles} |
621 | |
622 | You have a grid of squares, with numbers written in some (but not all) |
623 | of the squares. Your task is to subdivide the grid into rectangles of |
624 | various sizes, such that (a) every rectangle contains exactly one |
625 | numbered square, and (b) the area of each rectangle is equal to the |
626 | number written in its numbered square. |
627 | |
628 | Credit for this game goes to the Japanese puzzle magazine \i{Nikoli} |
26801d29 |
629 | \k{nikoli-rect}; I've also seen a Palm implementation at \i{Puzzle |
630 | Palace} \k{puzzle-palace-rect}. Unlike Puzzle Palace's |
631 | implementation, my version automatically generates random grids of |
632 | any size you like. The quality of puzzle design is therefore not |
633 | quite as good as hand-crafted puzzles would be, but on the plus side |
634 | you get an inexhaustible supply of puzzles tailored to your own |
635 | specification. |
e91825f8 |
636 | |
6ae37301 |
637 | \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 |
638 | |
6ae37301 |
639 | \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 |
640 | |
641 | \H{rectangles-controls} \I{controls, for Rectangles}Rectangles controls |
642 | |
643 | This game is played with the mouse. |
644 | |
645 | Left-click any edge to toggle it on or off, or click and drag to draw |
646 | an entire rectangle (or line) on the grid in one go (removing any |
647 | existing edges within that rectangle). |
648 | |
649 | When a rectangle of the correct size is completed, it will be shaded. |
650 | |
651 | (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.) |
652 | |
653 | \H{rectangles-params} \I{parameters, for Rectangles}Rectangles parameters |
654 | |
40fde884 |
655 | These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
656 | \q{Type} menu. |
657 | |
658 | \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height} |
659 | |
660 | \dd Size of grid, in squares. |
661 | |
662 | \dt \e{Expansion factor} |
aea3ed9a |
663 | |
40fde884 |
664 | \dd This is a mechanism for changing the type of grids generated by |
665 | the program. Some people prefer a grid containing a few large |
666 | rectangles to one containing many small ones. So you can ask |
aea3ed9a |
667 | Rectangles to essentially generate a \e{smaller} grid than the size |
668 | you specified, and then to expand it by adding rows and columns. |
669 | |
40fde884 |
670 | \lcont{ |
671 | |
aea3ed9a |
672 | The default expansion factor of zero means that Rectangles will |
673 | simply generate a grid of the size you ask for, and do nothing |
674 | further. If you set an expansion factor of (say) 0.5, it means that |
675 | each dimension of the grid will be expanded to half again as big |
676 | after generation. In other words, the initial grid will be 2/3 the |
677 | size in each dimension, and will be expanded to its full size |
678 | without adding any more rectangles. |
679 | |
4a03dbb4 |
680 | Setting an expansion factor of around 0.5 tends to make the game |
681 | more difficult, and also (in my experience) rewards a less deductive |
682 | and more intuitive playing style. If you set it \e{too} high, |
683 | though, the game simply cannot generate more than a few rectangles |
684 | to cover the entire grid, and the game becomes trivial. |
aea3ed9a |
685 | |
40fde884 |
686 | } |
687 | |
688 | \dt \e{Ensure unique solution} |
689 | |
690 | \dd Normally, Rectangles will make sure that the puzzles it presents |
691 | have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more |
692 | difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this |
693 | feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. Also, finding \e{all} the |
694 | possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an advanced |
695 | player. Turning off this option can also speed up puzzle generation. |
696 | |
6ae37301 |
697 | |
e91825f8 |
698 | \C{netslide} \i{Netslide} |
699 | |
700 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.netslide} |
701 | |
6bbab0fe |
702 | This game combines the grid generation of Net (see \k{net}) with the |
703 | movement of Sixteen (see \k{sixteen}): you have a Net grid, but |
704 | instead of rotating tiles back into place you have to slide them |
705 | into place by moving a whole row at a time. |
e91825f8 |
706 | |
e91825f8 |
707 | As in Sixteen, \I{controls, for Netslide}control is with the mouse. |
708 | See \k{sixteen-controls}. |
709 | |
aa27d493 |
710 | \I{parameters, for Netslide}The available game parameters have similar |
711 | meanings to those in Net (see \k{net-params}) and Sixteen (see |
712 | \k{sixteen-params}). |
e91825f8 |
713 | |
6bbab0fe |
714 | Netslide was contributed to this collection by Richard Boulton. |
6ae37301 |
715 | |
b6b0369e |
716 | \C{pattern} \i{Pattern} |
717 | |
718 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pattern} |
719 | |
720 | You have a grid of squares, which must all be filled in either black |
721 | or white. Beside each row of the grid are listed the lengths of the |
722 | runs of black squares on that row; above each column are listed the |
723 | lengths of the runs of black squares in that column. Your aim is to |
724 | fill in the entire grid black or white. |
725 | |
726 | I first saw this puzzle form around 1995, under the name |
2e1e03ff |
727 | \q{\i{nonograms}}. I've seen it in various places since then, under |
b6b0369e |
728 | different names. |
729 | |
730 | Normally, puzzles of this type turn out to be a meaningful picture |
731 | of something once you've solved them. However, since this version |
732 | generates the puzzles automatically, they will just look like random |
733 | groupings of squares. (One user has suggested that this is actually |
734 | a \e{good} thing, since it prevents you from guessing the colour of |
735 | squares based on the picture, and forces you to use logic instead.) |
736 | The advantage, though, is that you never run out of them. |
737 | |
2e1e03ff |
738 | \H{pattern-controls} \I{controls, for Pattern}Pattern controls |
b6b0369e |
739 | |
740 | This game is played with the mouse. |
741 | |
742 | Left-click in a square to colour it black. Right-click to colour it |
743 | white. If you make a mistake, you can middle-click, or hold down |
744 | Shift while clicking with any button, to colour the square in the |
745 | default grey (meaning \q{undecided}) again. |
746 | |
747 | You can click and drag with the left or right mouse button to colour |
748 | a vertical or horizontal line of squares black or white at a time |
749 | (respectively). If you click and drag with the middle button, or |
750 | with Shift held down, you can colour a whole rectangle of squares |
751 | grey. |
752 | |
2e1e03ff |
753 | (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.) |
754 | |
b6b0369e |
755 | \H{pattern-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pattern}Pattern parameters |
756 | |
757 | The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type} |
758 | menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory. |
e91825f8 |
759 | |
6ae37301 |
760 | |
1d8e8ad8 |
761 | \C{solo} \i{Solo} |
762 | |
763 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.solo} |
764 | |
765 | You have a square grid, which is divided into square or rectangular |
766 | blocks. Each square must be filled in with a digit from 1 to the |
767 | size of the grid, in such a way that |
768 | |
769 | \b every row contains only one occurrence of each digit |
770 | |
771 | \b every column contains only one occurrence of each digit |
772 | |
773 | \b every block contains only one occurrence of each digit. |
774 | |
775 | You are given some of the numbers as clues; your aim is to place the |
776 | rest of the numbers correctly. |
777 | |
778 | The default puzzle size is 3\by\.3 (a 9\by\.9 actual grid, divided |
779 | into nine 3\by\.3 blocks). You can also select sizes with |
780 | rectangular blocks instead of square ones, such as 2\by\.3 (a |
781 | 6\by\.6 grid divided into six 3\by\.2 blocks). |
782 | |
783 | If you select a puzzle size which requires more than 9 digits, the |
784 | additional digits will be letters of the alphabet. For example, if |
785 | you select 3\by\.4 then the digits which go in your grid will be 1 |
786 | to 9, plus \cq{a}, \cq{b} and \cq{c}. |
787 | |
6ae37301 |
788 | I first saw this puzzle in \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-solo}, although it's also |
1d8e8ad8 |
789 | been popularised by various newspapers under the name \q{Sudoku} or |
790 | \q{Su Doku}. |
791 | |
6ae37301 |
792 | \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} |
793 | |
1d8e8ad8 |
794 | \H{solo-controls} \I{controls, for Solo}Solo controls |
795 | |
796 | To play Solo, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then |
797 | type a digit or letter on the keyboard to fill that square. If you |
798 | make a mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and press |
799 | Space to clear it again (or use the Undo feature). |
800 | |
c8266e03 |
801 | If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a number, that |
802 | number will be entered in the square as a \q{pencil mark}. You can |
803 | have pencil marks for multiple numbers in the same square. |
804 | |
805 | The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use |
806 | them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a |
807 | particular square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a |
808 | particular number, or you can use them as lists of the possible |
809 | numbers in a given square, or anything else you feel like. |
810 | |
811 | To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type |
812 | the same number again. |
813 | |
814 | All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type |
815 | a number, or when you left-click and press space. Right-clicking and |
816 | pressing space will also erase pencil marks. |
817 | |
1d8e8ad8 |
818 | (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.) |
819 | |
820 | \H{solo-parameters} \I{parameters, for Solo}Solo parameters |
821 | |
822 | Solo allows you to configure two separate dimensions of the puzzle |
6ae37301 |
823 | grid on the \q{Type} menu: the number of columns, and the number of |
824 | rows, into which the main grid is divided. (The size of a block is |
825 | the inverse of this: for example, if you select 2 columns and 3 rows, |
826 | each actual block will have 3 columns and 2 rows.) |
1d8e8ad8 |
827 | |
ef57b17d |
828 | You can also configure the type of symmetry shown in the generated |
829 | puzzles. More symmetry makes the puzzles look prettier but may also |
830 | make them easier, since the symmetry constraints can force more |
831 | clues than necessary to be present. Completely asymmetric puzzles |
832 | have the freedom to contain as few clues as possible. |
833 | |
7c568a48 |
834 | Finally, you can configure the difficulty of the generated puzzles. |
835 | Difficulty levels are judged by the complexity of the techniques of |
836 | deduction required to solve the puzzle: each level requires a mode |
837 | of reasoning which was not necessary in the previous one. In |
838 | particular, on difficulty levels \q{Trivial} and \q{Basic} there |
839 | will be a square you can fill in with a single number at all times, |
840 | whereas at \q{Intermediate} level and beyond you will have to make |
841 | partial deductions about the \e{set} of squares a number could be in |
de60d8bd |
842 | (or the set of numbers that could be in a square). At |
843 | \q{Unreasonable} level, even this is not enough, and you will |
844 | eventually have to make a guess, and then backtrack if it turns out |
845 | to be wrong. |
7c568a48 |
846 | |
847 | Generating difficult puzzles is itself difficult: if you select |
848 | \q{Intermediate} or \q{Advanced} difficulty, Solo may have to make |
849 | many attempts at generating a puzzle before it finds one hard enough |
850 | for you. Be prepared to wait, especially if you have also configured |
851 | a large puzzle size. |
852 | |
ef57b17d |
853 | |
7959b517 |
854 | \C{mines} \i{Mines} |
855 | |
856 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.mines} |
857 | |
858 | You have a grid of covered squares, some of which contain mines, but |
859 | you don't know which. Your job is to uncover every square which does |
860 | \e{not} contain a mine. If you uncover a square containing a mine, |
861 | you lose. If you uncover a square which does not contain a mine, you |
862 | are told how many mines are contained within the eight surrounding |
863 | squares. |
864 | |
865 | This game needs no introduction; popularised by Windows, it is |
866 | perhaps the single best known desktop puzzle game in existence. |
867 | |
868 | This version of it has an unusual property. By default, it will |
869 | generate its mine positions in such a way as to ensure that you |
870 | never need to \e{guess} where a mine is: you will always be able to |
871 | deduce it somehow. So you will never, as can happen in other |
872 | versions, get to the last four squares and discover that there are |
873 | two mines left but you have no way of knowing for sure where they |
874 | are. |
875 | |
876 | \H{mines-controls} \I{controls, for Mines}Mines controls |
877 | |
878 | This game is played with the mouse. |
879 | |
880 | If you left-click in a covered square, it will be uncovered. |
881 | |
882 | If you right-click in a covered square, it will place a flag which |
883 | indicates that the square is believed to be a mine. Left-clicking in |
884 | a marked square will not uncover it, for safety. You can right-click |
885 | again to remove a mark placed in error. |
886 | |
887 | If you left-click in an \e{uncovered} square, it will \q{clear |
888 | around} the square. This means: if the square has exactly as many |
889 | flags surrounding it as it should have mines, then all the covered |
890 | squares next to it which are \e{not} flagged will be uncovered. So |
891 | once you think you know the location of all the mines around a |
892 | square, you can use this function as a shortcut to avoid having to |
893 | click on each of the remaining squares one by one. |
894 | |
895 | If you uncover a square which has \e{no} mines in the surrounding |
896 | eight squares, then it is obviously safe to uncover those squares in |
897 | turn, and so on if any of them also has no surrounding mines. This |
898 | will be done for you automatically; so sometimes when you uncover a |
899 | square, a whole new area will open up to be explored. |
900 | |
11d31eb9 |
901 | All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available. |
902 | |
7959b517 |
903 | Even Undo is available, although you might consider it cheating to |
11d31eb9 |
904 | use it. If you step on a mine, the program will only reveal the mine |
905 | in question (unlike most other implementations, which reveal all of |
906 | them). You can then Undo your fatal move and continue playing if you |
907 | like. The program will track the number of times you died (and Undo |
908 | will not reduce that counter), so when you get to the end of the |
909 | game you know whether or not you did it without making any errors. |
910 | |
911 | (If you really want to know the full layout of the grid, which other |
912 | implementations will show you after you die, you can always use the |
913 | Solve menu option.) |
7959b517 |
914 | |
915 | \H{mines-parameters} \I{parameters, for Mines}Mines parameters |
916 | |
917 | The options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type} |
918 | menu are: |
919 | |
920 | \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height} |
921 | |
922 | \dd Size of grid in squares. |
923 | |
924 | \dt \e{Mines} |
925 | |
08781119 |
926 | \dd Number of mines in the grid. You can enter this as an absolute |
927 | mine count, or alternatively you can put a \cw{%} sign on the end in |
928 | which case the game will arrange for that proportion of the squares |
929 | in the grid to be mines. |
930 | |
931 | \lcont{ |
932 | |
933 | Beware of setting the mine count too high. At very high densities, |
934 | the program may spend forever searching for a solvable grid. |
935 | |
936 | } |
7959b517 |
937 | |
938 | \dt \e{Ensure solubility} |
939 | |
940 | \dd When this option is enabled (as it is by default), Mines will |
941 | ensure that the entire grid can be fully deduced starting from the |
942 | initial open space. If you prefer the riskier grids generated by |
943 | other implementations, you can switch off this option. |
944 | |
945 | |
6bbab0fe |
946 | \C{samegame} \i{Same Game} |
947 | |
948 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.samegame} |
949 | |
950 | You have a grid of coloured squares, which you have to clear by |
209ab5a7 |
951 | highlighting contiguous regions of more than one coloured square; |
6bbab0fe |
952 | the larger the region you highlight, the more points you get (and |
953 | the faster you clear the arena). |
954 | |
955 | If you clear the grid you win. If you end up with nothing but |
209ab5a7 |
956 | single squares (i.e., there are no more clickable regions left) you |
6bbab0fe |
957 | lose. |
958 | |
959 | Removing a region causes the rest of the grid to shuffle up: |
960 | blocks that are suspended will fall down (first), and then empty |
961 | columns are filled from the right. |
962 | |
209ab5a7 |
963 | The game generator does not try to guarantee soluble grids; |
6bbab0fe |
964 | it will, however, ensure that there are at least 2 squares of each |
965 | colour on the grid at the start (and will forbid custom grids for which |
966 | that would be impossible). |
967 | |
968 | Same Game was contributed to this collection by James Harvey. |
969 | |
209ab5a7 |
970 | \H{samegame-controls} \i{Same Game controls} |
971 | |
972 | \IM{Same Game controls} controls, for Same Game |
973 | \IM{Same Game controls} keys, for Same Game |
974 | \IM{Same Game controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Same Game |
975 | |
976 | This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse. |
6bbab0fe |
977 | |
978 | If you left-click an unselected region, it becomes selected (possibly |
979 | clearing the current selection). |
980 | |
981 | If you left-click the selected region, it will be removed (and the |
982 | rest of the grid shuffled immediately). |
983 | |
984 | If you right-click the selected region, it will be unselected. |
985 | |
209ab5a7 |
986 | The cursor keys move a cursor around the grid. Pressing the Space or |
987 | Enter keys while the cursor is in an unselected region selects it; |
988 | pressing Space or Enter again removes it as above. |
989 | |
6bbab0fe |
990 | \H{samegame-parameters} \I{parameters, for Same Game}Same Game parameters |
991 | |
209ab5a7 |
992 | These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
993 | \q{Type} menu. |
994 | |
6bbab0fe |
995 | \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height} |
996 | |
997 | \dd Size of grid in squares. |
998 | |
999 | \dt \e{No. of colours} |
1000 | |
1001 | \dd Number of different colours used to fill the grid; the more colours, |
209ab5a7 |
1002 | the fewer large regions of colour and thus the more difficult it is to |
1003 | successfully clear the grid. |
1004 | |
1005 | \dt \e{Scoring system} |
1006 | |
1007 | \dd Controls the precise mechanism used for scoring. With the default |
1008 | system, \q{(n-2)^2}, only regions of three squares or more will score |
1009 | any points at all. With the alternative \q{(n-1)^2} system, regions of |
1010 | two squares score a point each, and larger regions score relatively |
1011 | more points. |
6bbab0fe |
1012 | |
f4afe206 |
1013 | |
1014 | \C{flip} \i{Flip} |
1015 | |
1016 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.flip} |
1017 | |
1018 | You have a grid of squares, some light and some dark. Your aim is to |
1019 | light all the squares up at the same time. You can choose any square |
1020 | and flip its state from light to dark or dark to light, but when you |
1021 | do so, other squares around it change state as well. |
1022 | |
1023 | Each square contains a small diagram showing which other squares |
1024 | change when you flip it. |
1025 | |
d6acbe63 |
1026 | \H{flip-controls} \i{Flip controls} |
f4afe206 |
1027 | |
1028 | \IM{Flip controls} controls, for Flip |
1029 | \IM{Flip controls} keys, for Flip |
1030 | \IM{Flip controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Flip |
1031 | |
33317d37 |
1032 | This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse. |
1033 | |
1034 | Left-click in a square to flip it and its associated squares, or |
1035 | use the cursor keys to choose a square and the space bar or Enter |
1036 | key to flip. |
79cb09e9 |
1037 | |
5f6050b4 |
1038 | If you use the \q{Solve} function on this game, it will mark some of |
1039 | the squares in red. If you click once in every square with a red |
1040 | mark, the game should be solved. (If you click in a square |
1041 | \e{without} a red mark, a red mark will appear in it to indicate |
1042 | that you will need to reverse that operation to reach the solution.) |
f4afe206 |
1043 | |
1044 | \H{flip-parameters} \I{parameters, for flip}Flip parameters |
1045 | |
1046 | These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
1047 | \q{Type} menu. |
1048 | |
1049 | \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height} |
1050 | |
1051 | \dd Size of grid in squares. |
1052 | |
1053 | \dt \e{Shape type} |
1054 | |
1055 | \dd This control determines the shape of the region which is flipped |
1056 | by clicking in any given square. The default setting, \q{Crosses}, |
1057 | causes every square to flip itself and its four immediate neighbours |
1058 | (or three or two if it's at an edge or corner). The other setting, |
1059 | \q{Random}, causes a random shape to be chosen for every square, so |
1060 | the game is different every time. |
1061 | |
1062 | |
c6203e43 |
1063 | \C{guess} \i{Guess} |
1064 | |
1065 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.guess} |
1066 | |
1067 | You have a set of coloured pegs, and have to reproduce a |
1068 | predetermined sequence of them (chosen by the computer) within a |
1069 | certain number of guesses. |
1070 | |
1071 | Each guess gets marked with the number of correctly-coloured pegs |
9ffde3e8 |
1072 | in the correct places (in black), and also the number of |
1073 | correctly-coloured pegs in the wrong places (in white). |
c6203e43 |
1074 | |
1075 | This game is also known (and marketed, by Hasbro, mainly) as |
9ffde3e8 |
1076 | a board game \q{Mastermind}, with 6 colours, 4 pegs per row, and 10 guesses. |
c6203e43 |
1077 | However, this version allows custom settings of number of colours |
1078 | (up to 10), number of pegs per row, and number of guesses. |
1079 | |
64455a5a |
1080 | Guess was contributed to this collection by James Harvey. |
1081 | |
c6203e43 |
1082 | \H{guess-controls} \i{Guess controls} |
1083 | |
1084 | \IM{Guess controls} controls, for Guess |
1085 | \IM{Guess controls} keys, for Guess |
1086 | \IM{Guess controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Guess |
1087 | |
9ffde3e8 |
1088 | This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse. |
1089 | |
9c63a011 |
1090 | With the mouse, drag a coloured peg from the tray on the left-hand |
1091 | side to its required position in the current guess; pegs may also be |
1092 | dragged from current and past guesses to copy them elsewhere. To |
1093 | remove a peg, drag it off its current position to somewhere invalid. |
c6203e43 |
1094 | |
9ffde3e8 |
1095 | Right-clicking in the current guess adds a \q{hold} marker; pegs |
c6203e43 |
1096 | that have hold markers will be automatically added to the next guess |
1097 | after marking. |
1098 | |
9ffde3e8 |
1099 | Alternatively, with the keyboard, the up and down cursor keys can be |
1100 | used to select a peg colour, the left and right keys to select a |
9c63a011 |
1101 | peg position, and the space bar or Enter key to place a peg of the |
59dae0db |
1102 | selected colour in the chosen position. \q{D} or Backspace removes a |
1103 | peg, and \q{H} adds a hold marker. |
9ffde3e8 |
1104 | |
9c63a011 |
1105 | When the guess is complete, the smaller feedback pegs will be highlighted; |
9ffde3e8 |
1106 | clicking on these (or moving the peg cursor to them with the arrow keys |
9c63a011 |
1107 | and pressing the space bar or Enter key) will mark the current guess, |
1108 | copy any held pegs to the next guess, and move the \q{current guess} |
1109 | marker. |
c6203e43 |
1110 | |
1111 | If you correctly position all the pegs the solution will be displayed |
9ffde3e8 |
1112 | below; if you run out of guesses (or select \q{Solve...}) the solution |
9c63a011 |
1113 | will also be revealed. |
c6203e43 |
1114 | |
13b443e3 |
1115 | \H{guess-parameters} \I{parameters, for Guess}Guess parameters |
c6203e43 |
1116 | |
1117 | These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
1118 | \q{Type} menu. The default game matches the parameters for the |
9ffde3e8 |
1119 | board game \q{Mastermind}. |
c6203e43 |
1120 | |
1121 | \dt \e{Colours} |
1122 | |
1123 | \dd Number of colours the solution is chosen from; from 2 to 10 |
1124 | (more is harder). |
1125 | |
1126 | \dt \e{Pegs per guess} |
1127 | |
1128 | \dd Number of pegs per guess (more is harder). |
1129 | |
1130 | \dt \e{Guesses} |
1131 | |
1132 | \dd Number of guesses you have to find the solution in (fewer is harder). |
1133 | |
1134 | \dt \e{Allow blanks} |
1135 | |
1136 | \dd Allows blank pegs to be given as part of a guess (makes it easier, because |
1137 | you know that those will never be counted as part of the solution). This |
1138 | is turned off by default. |
1139 | |
1140 | Note that this doesn't allow blank pegs in the solution; if you really wanted |
1141 | that, use one extra colour. |
1142 | |
1143 | \dt \e{Allow duplicates} |
1144 | |
1145 | \dd Allows the solution (and the guesses) to contain colours more than once; |
1146 | this increases the search space (making things harder), and is turned on by |
1147 | default. |
1148 | |
1149 | |
13b443e3 |
1150 | \C{pegs} \i{Pegs} |
1151 | |
1152 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pegs} |
1153 | |
1154 | A number of pegs are placed in holes on a board. You can remove a |
33a3deb2 |
1155 | peg by jumping an adjacent peg over it (horizontally or vertically) |
1156 | to a vacant hole on the other side. Your aim is to remove all but one |
1157 | of the pegs initially present. |
13b443e3 |
1158 | |
1159 | This game, best known as \q{Peg Solitaire}, is possibly one of the |
1160 | oldest puzzle games still commonly known. |
1161 | |
1162 | \H{pegs-controls} \i{Pegs controls} |
1163 | |
1164 | \IM{Pegs controls} controls, for Pegs |
1165 | |
1166 | To move a peg, drag it with the mouse from its current position to |
1167 | its final position. If the final position is exactly two holes away |
1168 | from the initial position, is currently unoccupied by a peg, and |
1169 | there is a peg in the intervening square, the move will be permitted |
1170 | and the intervening peg will be removed. |
1171 | |
1172 | Vacant spaces which you can move a peg into are marked with holes. A |
1173 | space with no peg and no hole is not available for moving at all: it |
1174 | is an obstacle which you must work around. |
1175 | |
1176 | |
1177 | \H{pegs-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pegs}Pegs parameters |
1178 | |
1179 | These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
1180 | \q{Type} menu. |
1181 | |
1182 | \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height} |
1183 | |
1184 | \dd Size of grid in holes. |
1185 | |
1186 | \dt \e{Board type} |
1187 | |
1188 | \dd Controls whether you are given a board of a standard shape or a |
1189 | randomly generated shape. The two standard shapes currently |
1190 | supported are \q{Cross} and \q{Octagon} (also commonly known as the |
1191 | English and European traditional board layouts respectively). |
1192 | Selecting \q{Random} will give you a different board shape every |
1193 | time (but always one that is known to have a solution). |
1194 | |
1195 | |
6c04c334 |
1196 | \C{dominosa} \i{Dominosa} |
1197 | |
1198 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.dominosa} |
1199 | |
1200 | A normal set of dominoes has been arranged irregularly into a |
1201 | rectangle; then the number in each square has been written down and |
1202 | the dominoes themselves removed. Your task is to reconstruct the |
1203 | pattern by arranging the set of dominoes to match the provided array |
1204 | of numbers. |
1205 | |
1206 | This puzzle is widely credited to O. S. Adler, and takes part of its |
1207 | name from those initials. |
1208 | |
1209 | \H{dominosa-controls} \i{Dominosa controls} |
1210 | |
1211 | \IM{Dominosa controls} controls, for Dominosa |
1212 | |
1213 | Left-clicking between any two adjacent numbers places a domino |
1214 | covering them, or removes one if it is already present. Trying to |
1215 | place a domino which overlaps existing dominoes will remove the ones |
1216 | it overlaps. |
1217 | |
1218 | Right-clicking between two adjacent numbers draws a line between |
1219 | them, which you can use to remind yourself that you know those two |
1220 | numbers are \e{not} covered by a single domino. Right-clicking again |
1221 | removes the line. |
1222 | |
1223 | |
1224 | \H{dominosa-parameters} \I{parameters, for Dominosa}Dominosa parameters |
1225 | |
1226 | These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
1227 | \q{Type} menu. |
1228 | |
1229 | \dt \e{Maximum number on dominoes} |
1230 | |
1231 | \dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by controlling the size of the |
1232 | set of dominoes used to make it. Dominoes with numbers going up to N |
1233 | will give rise to an (N+2) \by (N+1) rectangle; so, in particular, |
1234 | the default value of 6 gives an 8\by\.7 grid. |
1235 | |
1236 | \dt \e{Ensure unique solution} |
1237 | |
1238 | \dd Normally, Dominosa will make sure that the puzzles it presents |
1239 | have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more |
1240 | difficult and sometimes more subtle, so if you like you can turn off |
1241 | this feature. Also, finding \e{all} the possible solutions can be an |
1242 | additional challenge for an advanced player. Turning off this option |
1243 | can also speed up puzzle generation. |
1244 | |
1245 | |
9d6c3859 |
1246 | \C{untangle} \i{Untangle} |
1247 | |
1248 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.untangle} |
1249 | |
1250 | You are given a number of points, some of which have lines drawn |
1251 | between them. You can move the points about arbitrarily; your aim is |
1252 | to position the points so that no line crosses another. |
1253 | |
1254 | I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{Planarity} |
1255 | \k{Planarity}, written by John Tantalo. |
1256 | |
1257 | \B{Planarity} \W{http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Planarity}\cw{http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Planarity} |
1258 | |
1259 | \H{untangle-controls} \i{Untangle controls} |
1260 | |
1261 | \IM{Untangle controls} controls, for Untangle |
1262 | |
1263 | To move a point, click on it with the left mouse button and drag it |
1264 | into a new position. |
1265 | |
1266 | \H{untangle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Untangle}Untangle parameters |
1267 | |
1268 | There is only one parameter available from the \q{Custom...} option |
1269 | on the \q{Type} menu: |
1270 | |
1271 | \dt \e{Number of points} |
1272 | |
1273 | \dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by specifying the number of |
1274 | points in the generated graph. |
1275 | |
1276 | |
bf7ebf5a |
1277 | \C{blackbox} \i{Black Box} |
1278 | |
1279 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.blackbox} |
1280 | |
1281 | A number of balls are hidden in a rectangular arena. You have to |
1282 | deduce the positions of the balls by firing lasers from positions |
1283 | on the edge of the arena and observing how they are deflected. |
1284 | |
1285 | Lasers will fire straight until they hit the opposite side of the |
1286 | arena (at which point they emerge), unless affected by balls in one of |
1287 | the following ways: |
1288 | |
1289 | \b A laser that hits a ball head-on is absorbed and will never re-emerge. |
1290 | This includes lasers that meet a ball on the first rank of the arena. |
1291 | |
1292 | \b A laser with a ball to its front-left square gets deflected 90 degrees |
1293 | to the right. |
1294 | |
1295 | \b A laser with a ball to its front-right square gets similarly deflected |
1296 | to the left. |
1297 | |
1298 | \b A laser that would re-emerge from the entry location is considered to be |
ebf54ec9 |
1299 | \q{reflected}. |
bf7ebf5a |
1300 | |
a4c9750f |
1301 | \b A laser which would get deflected before entering the arena (down the |
1302 | \q{firing range}) by a ball to the front-left or front-right of its |
1303 | entry point is also considered to be \q{reflected}. |
bf7ebf5a |
1304 | |
ebf54ec9 |
1305 | Lasers that are reflected appear as a \q{R}; lasers that hit balls |
1306 | dead-on appear as \q{H}. Otherwise, a number appears at the firing point |
bf7ebf5a |
1307 | and the location where the laser emerges (this number is unique to |
1308 | that shot). |
1309 | |
1310 | You can place guesses as to the location of the balls, based on the |
1311 | entry and exit patterns of the lasers; once you have placed enough |
1312 | balls a button appears enabling you to have your guesses checked. |
1313 | |
1314 | Here is a diagram showing how the positions of balls can create each |
1315 | of the laser behaviours shown above: |
1316 | |
1317 | \c 1RHR---- |
1318 | \c |..O.O...| |
1319 | \c 2........3 |
1320 | \c |........| |
1321 | \c |........| |
1322 | \c 3........| |
1323 | \c |......O.| |
1324 | \c H........| |
1325 | \c |.....O..| |
1326 | \c 12-RH--- |
1327 | |
1328 | As shown, it is possible for a ball to receive multiple reflections |
1329 | before re-emerging (see turn 3). Similarly, a ball may be reflected |
ebf54ec9 |
1330 | (possibly more than once) before receiving a hit (the \q{H} on the |
bf7ebf5a |
1331 | left side of the example). |
1332 | |
1333 | Note that any layout with more that 4 balls may have a non-unique |
1334 | solution. The following diagram illustrates this; if you know the |
1335 | board contains 5 balls, it is impossible to determine where the fifth |
1336 | ball is (possible positions marked with an x): |
1337 | |
1338 | \c -------- |
1339 | \c |........| |
1340 | \c |........| |
1341 | \c |..O..O..| |
1342 | \c |...xx...| |
1343 | \c |...xx...| |
1344 | \c |..O..O..| |
1345 | \c |........| |
1346 | \c |........| |
1347 | \c -------- |
1348 | |
1349 | For this reason when you have your guesses checked the game will |
1350 | check that your solution \e{produces the same results} as the |
1351 | computer's, rather than that your solution is identical to the |
1352 | computer's. So in the above example, you could put the fifth ball at |
1353 | \e{any} of the locations marked with an x, and you would still win. |
1354 | |
1355 | Black Box was contributed to this collection by James Harvey. |
1356 | |
1357 | \H{blackbox-controls} \i{Black Box controls} |
1358 | |
1359 | \IM{Black Box controls}controls, for Black Box |
1360 | |
1361 | To fire a laser, left-click in a square around the side of the arena. |
1362 | The results will be displayed immediately. Lasers may not be fired |
1363 | twice (because the results will never change). Holding down the left |
1364 | button will highlight the current go (or a previous go) to confirm the |
1365 | exit point for that laser, if applicable. |
1366 | |
1367 | To guess the location of a ball, left-click within the arena and a |
1368 | black circle will appear marking the guess; to remove the guessed ball |
1369 | click again. |
1370 | |
1371 | Locations in the arena may be locked against modification by |
1372 | right-clicking; whole rows and columns may be similarly locked by |
1373 | right-clicking in the laser firing range above/below that column, or |
1374 | to the left/right of that row. |
1375 | |
1376 | When an appropriate number of balls have been guessed a button will |
a4c9750f |
1377 | appear at the top-left corner of the grid; clicking that will mark |
bf7ebf5a |
1378 | your guesses. |
1379 | |
1380 | Once marked, correctly-placed balls are displayed as filled black |
1381 | circles. Incorrectly-placed balls are displayed as filled black |
1382 | circles with red crosses, and missing balls are filled red circles. |
1383 | In addition, a red circle marks any laser you had already fired |
1384 | which is not consistent with your ball layout, and red text marks |
1385 | any laser you \e{could} have fired in order to distinguish your ball |
1386 | layout from the right one. |
1387 | |
1388 | (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.) |
1389 | |
1390 | \H{blackbox-parameters} \I{parameters, for Black Box}Black Box parameters |
1391 | |
1392 | These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the |
1393 | \q{Type} menu. |
1394 | |
1395 | \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height} |
1396 | |
ebf54ec9 |
1397 | \dd Size of grid in squares. There are 2 \by \e{Width} \by \e{Height} lasers |
bf7ebf5a |
1398 | per grid, two per row and two per column. |
1399 | |
1400 | \dt \e{No. of balls} |
1401 | |
1402 | \dd Number of balls to place in the grid. This can be a single number, |
ebf54ec9 |
1403 | or a range (separated with a hyphen, like \q{2-6}), and determines the |
1404 | number of balls to place on the grid. The \q{reveal} button is only |
bf7ebf5a |
1405 | enabled if you have guessed an appropriate number of balls; a guess |
1406 | using a different number to the original solution is still acceptable, |
1407 | if all the laser inputs and outputs match. |
1408 | |
1409 | |
e91825f8 |
1410 | \A{licence} \I{MIT licence}\ii{Licence} |
1411 | |
8a771ea7 |
1412 | This software is \i{copyright} 2004-2005 Simon Tatham. |
e91825f8 |
1413 | |
6bbab0fe |
1414 | Portions copyright Richard Boulton and James Harvey. |
e91825f8 |
1415 | |
1416 | Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person |
1417 | obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files |
1418 | (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, |
1419 | including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, |
1420 | publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, |
1421 | and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, |
1422 | subject to the following conditions: |
1423 | |
1424 | The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be |
1425 | included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. |
1426 | |
1427 | THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, |
1428 | EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF |
1429 | MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND |
1430 | NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS |
1431 | BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN |
1432 | ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN |
1433 | CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE |
1434 | SOFTWARE. |
1435 | |
1185e3c5 |
1436 | \IM{specific} \q{Specific}, menu option |
1437 | \IM{custom} \q{Custom}, menu option |
e91825f8 |
1438 | |
1439 | \IM{game ID} game ID |
1440 | \IM{game ID} ID, game |
1441 | \IM{ID format} ID format |
1442 | \IM{ID format} format, ID |
1443 | \IM{ID format} game ID, format |
1444 | |
1445 | \IM{keys} keys |
1446 | \IM{keys} shortcuts (keyboard) |
1447 | |
1448 | \IM{initial state} initial state |
1449 | \IM{initial state} state, initial |
1450 | |
1451 | \IM{MIT licence} MIT licence |
1452 | \IM{MIT licence} licence, MIT |