New end-game approach to Black Box. Instead of revealing the ball
[sgt/puzzles] / puzzles.but
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}
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8 \cfg{html-contents-filename}{index.html}
9 \cfg{html-template-filename}{%k.html}
10 \cfg{html-index-filename}{docindex.html}
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13 \cfg{html-contents-depth-1}{2}
14 \cfg{html-leaf-contains-contents}{true}
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16 \cfg{info-filename}{puzzles.info}
17
18 \cfg{ps-filename}{puzzles.ps}
19 \cfg{pdf-filename}{puzzles.pdf}
20
21 \define{by} \u00D7{x}
22
23 This is a collection of small one-player puzzle games.
24
25 \copyright This manual is copyright 2004-5 Simon Tatham. All rights
26 reserved. You may distribute this documentation under the MIT licence.
27 See \k{licence} for the licence text in full.
28
29 \cfg{html-local-head}{<meta name="AppleTitle" content="Puzzles Help">}
30
31 \versionid $Id$
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
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.
49
50 The actual games in this collection were mostly not my invention; they
51 are re-implementations of existing game concepts within my portable
52 puzzle framework. I do not claim credit, in general, for inventing the
53 rules of any of these puzzles. (I don't even claim authorship of all
54 the code; some of the puzzles have been submitted by other authors.)
55
56 This collection is distributed under the \i{MIT licence} (see
57 \k{licence}). This means that you can do pretty much anything you like
58 with the game binaries or the code, except pretending you wrote them
59 yourself, or suing me if anything goes wrong.
60
61 The most recent versions, and \i{source code}, can be found at
62 \I{website}\W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}.
63
64 Please report \I{feedback}\i{bugs} to
65 \W{mailto:anakin@pobox.com}\cw{anakin@pobox.com}.
66 You might find it helpful to read this article before reporting a bug:
67
68 \W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html}
69
70 \ii{Patches} are welcome. Especially if they provide a new front end
71 (to make all these games run on another platform), or a new game.
72
73
74 \C{common} \ii{Common features}
75
76 This chapter describes features that are common to all the games.
77
78 \H{common-actions} \I{controls}Common actions
79
80 These actions are all available from the \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu
81 and via \I{keys}keyboard shortcuts, in addition to any game-specific
82 actions.
83
84 (On Mac OS X, to conform with local user interface standards, these
85 actions are situated on the \I{File menu}\q{File} and \I{Edit
86 menu}\q{Edit} menus instead.)
87
88 \dt \ii\e{New game} (\q{N}, Ctrl+\q{N})
89
90 \dd Starts a new game, with a random initial state.
91
92 \dt \ii\e{Restart game}
93
94 \dd Resets the current game to its initial state. (This can be undone.)
95
96 \dt \ii\e{Load}
97
98 \dd Loads a saved game from a file on disk.
99
100 \dt \ii\e{Save}
101
102 \dd Saves the current state of your game to a file on disk.
103
104 \lcont{
105
106 The Load and Save operations should preserve your entire game
107 history (so you can save, reload, and still Undo and Redo things you
108 had done before saving).
109
110 }
111
112 \dt \ii\e{Undo} (\q{U}, Ctrl+\q{Z}, Ctrl+\q{_})
113
114 \dd Undoes a single move. (You can undo moves back to the start of the
115 session.)
116
117 \dt \ii\e{Redo} (\q{R}, Ctrl+\q{R})
118
119 \dd Redoes a previously undone move.
120
121 \dt \ii\e{Copy}
122
123 \dd Copies the current state of your game to the clipboard in text
124 format, so that you can paste it into (say) an e-mail client or a
125 web message board if you're discussing the game with someone else.
126 (Not all games support this feature.)
127
128 \dt \ii\e{Solve}
129
130 \dd Transforms the puzzle instantly into its solved state. For some
131 games (Cube) this feature is not supported at all because it is of
132 no particular use. For other games (such as Pattern), the solved
133 state can be used to give you information, if you can't see how a
134 solution can exist at all or you want to know where you made a
135 mistake. For still other games (such as Sixteen), automatic solution
136 tells you nothing about how to \e{get} to the solution, but it does
137 provide a useful way to get there quickly so that you can experiment
138 with set-piece moves and transformations.
139
140 \lcont{
141
142 Some games (such as Solo) are capable of solving a game ID you have
143 typed in from elsewhere. Other games (such as Rectangles) cannot
144 solve a game ID they didn't invent themself, but when they did
145 invent the game ID they know what the solution is already. Still
146 other games (Pattern) can solve \e{some} external game IDs, but only
147 if they aren't too difficult.
148
149 The \q{Solve} command adds the solved state to the end of the undo
150 chain for the puzzle. In other words, if you want to go back to
151 solving it yourself after seeing the answer, you can just press Undo.
152
153 }
154
155 \dt \I{exit}\ii\e{Quit} (\q{Q}, Ctrl+\q{Q})
156
157 \dd Closes the application entirely.
158
159 \H{common-id} Specifying games with the \ii{game ID}
160
161 There are two ways to save a game specification out of a puzzle and
162 recreate it later, or recreate it in somebody else's copy of the
163 same puzzle.
164
165 The \q{\i{Specific}} and \q{\i{Random Seed}} options from the
166 \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu (or the \q{File} menu, on Mac OS X) each
167 show a piece of text (a \q{game ID}) which is sufficient to
168 reconstruct precisely the same game at a later date.
169
170 You can enter either of these pieces of text back into the program
171 (via the same \q{Specific} or \q{Random Seed} menu options) at a
172 later point, and it will recreate the same game. You can also use
173 either one as a \i{command line} argument (on Windows or Unix); see
174 \k{common-cmdline} for more detail.
175
176 The difference between the two forms is that a descriptive game ID
177 is a literal \e{description} of the \i{initial state} of the game,
178 whereas a random seed is just a piece of arbitrary text which was
179 provided as input to the random number generator used to create the
180 puzzle. This means that:
181
182 \b Descriptive game IDs tend to be longer in many puzzles (although
183 some, such as Cube (\k{cube}), only need very short descriptions).
184 So a random seed is often a \e{quicker} way to note down the puzzle
185 you're currently playing, or to tell it to somebody else so they can
186 play the same one as you.
187
188 \b Any text at all is a valid random seed. The automatically
189 generated ones are fifteen-digit numbers, but anything will do; you
190 can type in your full name, or a word you just made up, and a valid
191 puzzle will be generated from it. This provides a way for two or
192 more people to race to complete the same puzzle: you think of a
193 random seed, then everybody types it in at the same time, and nobody
194 has an advantage due to having seen the generated puzzle before
195 anybody else.
196
197 \b It is often possible to convert puzzles from other sources (such
198 as \q{nonograms} or \q{sudoku} from newspapers) into descriptive
199 game IDs suitable for use with these programs.
200
201 \b Random seeds are not guaranteed to produce the same result if you
202 use them with a different \i\e{version} of the puzzle program. This
203 is because the generation algorithm might have been improved or
204 modified in later versions of the code, and will therefore produce a
205 different result when given the same sequence of random numbers. Use
206 a descriptive game ID if you aren't sure that it will be used on the
207 same version of the program as yours.
208
209 \lcont{(Use the \q{About} menu option to find out the version number
210 of the program. Programs with the same version number running on
211 different platforms should still be random-seed compatible.)}
212
213 \I{ID format}A descriptive game ID starts with a piece of text which
214 encodes the \i\e{parameters} of the current game (such as grid
215 size). Then there is a colon, and after that is the description of
216 the game's initial state. A random seed starts with a similar string
217 of parameters, but then it contains a hash sign followed by
218 arbitrary data.
219
220 If you enter a descriptive game ID, the program will not be able to
221 show you the random seed which generated it, since it wasn't
222 generated \e{from} a random seed. If you \e{enter} a random seed,
223 however, the program will be able to show you the descriptive game
224 ID derived from that random seed.
225
226 Note that the game parameter strings are not always identical
227 between the two forms. For some games, there will be parameter data
228 provided with the random seed which is not included in the
229 descriptive game ID. This is because that parameter information is
230 only relevant when \e{generating} puzzle grids, and is not important
231 when playing them. Thus, for example, the difficulty level in Solo
232 (\k{solo}) is not mentioned in the descriptive game ID.
233
234 These additional parameters are also not set permanently if you type
235 in a game ID. For example, suppose you have Solo set to \q{Advanced}
236 difficulty level, and then a friend wants your help with a
237 \q{Trivial} puzzle; so the friend reads out a random seed specifying
238 \q{Trivial} difficulty, and you type it in. The program will
239 generate you the same \q{Trivial} grid which your friend was having
240 trouble with, but once you have finished playing it, when you ask
241 for a new game it will automatically go back to the \q{Advanced}
242 difficulty which it was previously set on.
243
244 \H{common-type} The \q{Type} menu
245
246 The \I{Type menu}\q{Type} menu, if present, may contain a list of
247 \i{preset} game settings. Selecting one of these will start a new
248 random game with the parameters specified.
249
250 The \q{Type} menu may also contain a \q{\i{Custom}} option which
251 allows you to fine-tune game \i{parameters}. The parameters
252 available are specific to each game and are described in the
253 following sections.
254
255 \H{common-cmdline} Specifying game parameters on the \i{command line}
256
257 (This section does not apply to the Mac OS X version.)
258
259 The games in this collection deliberately do not ever save
260 information on to the computer they run on: they have no high score
261 tables and no saved preferences. (This is because I expect at least
262 some people to play them at work, and those people will probably
263 appreciate leaving as little evidence as possible!)
264
265 However, if you do want to arrange for one of these games to default
266 to a particular set of parameters, you can specify them on the
267 command line.
268
269 The easiest way to do this is to set up the parameters you want
270 using the \q{Type} menu (see \k{common-type}), and then to select
271 \q{Random Seed} from the \q{Game} or \q{File} menu (see
272 \k{common-id}). The text in the \q{Game ID} box will be composed of
273 two parts, separated by a hash. The first of these parts represents
274 the game parameters (the size of the playing area, for example, and
275 anything else you set using the \q{Type} menu).
276
277 If you run the game with just that parameter text on the command
278 line, it will start up with the settings you specified.
279
280 For example: if you run Cube (see \k{cube}), select \q{Octahedron}
281 from the \q{Type} menu, and then go to the game ID selection, you
282 will see a string of the form \cq{o2x2#338686542711620}. Take only
283 the part before the hash (\cq{o2x2}), and start Cube with that text
284 on the command line: \cq{cube o2x2}.
285
286 If you copy the \e{entire} game ID on to the command line, the game
287 will start up in the specific game that was described. This is
288 occasionally a more convenient way to start a particular game ID
289 than by pasting it into the game ID selection box.
290
291 (You could also retrieve the encoded game parameters using the
292 \q{Specific} menu option instead of \q{Random Seed}, but if you do
293 then some options, such as the difficulty level in Solo, will be
294 missing. See \k{common-id} for more details on this.)
295
296 \C{net} \i{Net}
297
298 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.net}
299
300 (\e{Note:} the \i{Windows} version of this game is called
301 \i\cw{NETGAME.EXE} to avoid clashing with Windows's own \cw{NET.EXE}.)
302
303 I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{FreeNet}
304 \k{FreeNet}, written by Pavils Jurjans; there are several other
305 implementations under the name \i{NetWalk}. The computer prepares a
306 network by connecting up the centres of squares in a grid, and then
307 shuffles the network by rotating every tile randomly. Your job is to
308 rotate it all back into place. The successful solution will be an
309 entirely connected network, with no closed loops. \#{The latter
310 clause means that there are no closed paths within the network.
311 Could this be clearer? "No closed paths"?} As a visual aid,
312 all tiles which are connected to the one in the middle are
313 highlighted.
314
315 \B{FreeNet} \W{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm}\cw{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm}
316
317 \H{net-controls} \i{Net controls}
318
319 \IM{Net controls} controls, for Net
320 \IM{Net controls} keys, for Net
321 \IM{Net controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Net
322
323 This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse. The
324 controls are:
325
326 \dt \e{Select tile}: mouse pointer, arrow keys
327
328 \dt \e{Rotate tile anticlockwise}: left mouse button, \q{A} key
329
330 \dt \e{Rotate tile clockwise}: right mouse button, \q{D} key
331
332 \dt \e{Rotate tile by 180 degrees}: \q{F} key
333
334 \dt \e{Lock (or unlock) tile}: middle mouse button, shift-click, \q{S} key
335
336 \dd You can lock a tile once you're sure of its orientation. You can
337 also unlock it again, but while it's locked you can't accidentally
338 turn it.
339
340 The following controls are not necessary to complete the game, but may
341 be useful:
342
343 \dt \e{Shift grid}: Shift + arrow keys
344
345 \dd On grids that wrap, you can move the origin of the grid, so that
346 tiles that were on opposite sides of the grid can be seen together.
347
348 \dt \e{Move centre}: Ctrl + arrow keys
349
350 \dd You can change which tile is used as the source of highlighting.
351 (It doesn't ultimately matter which tile this is, as every tile will
352 be connected to every other tile in a correct solution, but it may be
353 helpful in the intermediate stages of solving the puzzle.)
354
355 \dt \e{Jumble tiles}: \q{J} key
356
357 \dd This key turns all tiles that are not locked to random
358 orientations.
359
360 (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
361
362 \H{net-params} \I{parameters, for Net}Net parameters
363
364 These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
365 \q{Type} menu.
366
367 \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
368
369 \dd Size of grid in tiles.
370
371 \dt \e{Walls wrap around}
372
373 \dd If checked, flow can pass from the left edge to the right edge,
374 and from top to bottom, and vice versa.
375
376 \dt \e{Barrier probability}
377
378 \dd A number between 0.0 and 1.0 controlling whether an immovable
379 barrier is placed between two tiles to prevent flow between them (a
380 higher number gives more barriers). Since barriers are immovable, they
381 act as constraints on the solution (i.e., hints).
382
383 \lcont{
384
385 The grid generation in Net has been carefully arranged so that the
386 barriers are independent of the rest of the grid. This means that if
387 you note down the random seed used to generate the current puzzle
388 (see \k{common-id}), change the \e{Barrier probability} parameter,
389 and then re-enter the same random seed, you should see exactly the
390 same starting grid, with the only change being the number of
391 barriers. So if you're stuck on a particular grid and need a hint,
392 you could start up another instance of Net, set up the same
393 parameters but a higher barrier probability, and enter the game seed
394 from the original Net window.
395
396 }
397
398 \dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
399
400 \dd Normally, Net will make sure that the puzzles it presents have
401 only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
402 difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this
403 feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. (Also, finding \e{all}
404 the possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an
405 advanced player.)
406
407 \C{cube} \i{Cube}
408
409 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.cube}
410
411 This is another one I originally saw as a web game. This one was a
412 Java game \k{cube-java-game}, by Paul Scott. You have a grid of 16
413 squares, six of which are blue; on one square rests a cube. Your move
414 is to use the arrow keys to roll the cube through 90 degrees so that
415 it moves to an adjacent square. If you roll the cube on to a blue
416 square, the blue square is picked up on one face of the cube; if you
417 roll a blue face of the cube on to a non-blue square, the blueness is
418 put down again. (In general, whenever you roll the cube, the two faces
419 that come into contact swap colours.) Your job is to get all six blue
420 squares on to the six faces of the cube at the same time. Count your
421 moves and try to do it in as few as possible.
422
423 Unlike the original Java game, my version has an additional feature:
424 once you've mastered the game with a cube rolling on a square grid,
425 you can change to a triangular grid and roll any of a tetrahedron, an
426 octahedron or an icosahedron.
427
428 \B{cube-java-game} \W{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm}\cw{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm}
429
430 \H{cube-controls} \i{Cube controls}
431
432 \IM{Cube controls} controls, for Cube
433 \IM{Cube controls} keys, for Cube
434 \IM{Cube controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Cube
435
436 This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
437
438 Left-clicking anywhere on the window will move the cube (or other
439 solid) towards the mouse pointer.
440
441 The arrow keys can also used to roll the cube on its square grid in
442 the four cardinal directions.
443 On the triangular grids, the mapping of arrow keys to directions is
444 more approximate. Vertical movement is disallowed where it doesn't
445 make sense. The four keys surrounding the arrow keys on the numeric
446 keypad (\q{7}, \q{9}, \q{1}, \q{3}) can be used for diagonal movement.
447
448 (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
449
450 \H{cube-params} \I{parameters, for Cube}Cube parameters
451
452 These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
453 \q{Type} menu.
454
455 \dt \e{Type of solid}
456
457 \dd Selects the solid to roll (and hence the shape of the grid):
458 tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, or icosahedron.
459
460 \dt \e{Width / top}, \e{Height / bottom}
461
462 \dd On a square grid, horizontal and vertical dimensions. On a
463 triangular grid, the number of triangles on the top and bottom rows
464 respectively.
465
466
467 \C{fifteen} \i{Fifteen}
468
469 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.fifteen}
470
471 The old ones are the best: this is the good old \q{\i{15-puzzle}}
472 with sliding tiles. You have a 4\by\.4 square grid; 15 squares
473 contain numbered tiles, and the sixteenth is empty. Your move is to
474 choose a tile next to the empty space, and slide it into the space.
475 The aim is to end up with the tiles in numerical order, with the
476 space in the bottom right (so that the top row reads 1,2,3,4 and the
477 bottom row reads 13,14,15,\e{space}).
478
479 \H{fifteen-controls} \i{Fifteen controls}
480
481 \IM{Fifteen controls} controls, for Fifteen
482 \IM{Fifteen controls} keys, for Fifteen
483 \IM{Fifteen controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Fifteen
484
485 This game can be controlled with the mouse or the keyboard.
486
487 A left-click with the mouse in the row or column containing the empty
488 space will move as many tiles as necessary to move the space to the
489 mouse pointer.
490
491 The arrow keys will move a tile adjacent to the space in the direction
492 indicated (moving the space in the \e{opposite} direction).
493
494 (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
495
496 \H{fifteen-params} \I{parameters, for Fifteen}Fifteen parameters
497
498 The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
499 menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory. (Once
500 you've changed these, it's not a \q{15-puzzle} any more, of course!)
501
502
503 \C{sixteen} \i{Sixteen}
504
505 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.sixteen}
506
507 Another sliding tile puzzle, visually similar to Fifteen (see
508 \k{fifteen}) but with a different type of move. This time, there is no
509 hole: all 16 squares on the grid contain numbered squares. Your move
510 is to shift an entire row left or right, or shift an entire column up
511 or down; every time you do that, the tile you shift off the grid
512 re-appears at the other end of the same row, in the space you just
513 vacated. To win, arrange the tiles into numerical order (1,2,3,4 on
514 the top row, 13,14,15,16 on the bottom). When you've done that, try
515 playing on different sizes of grid.
516
517 I \e{might} have invented this game myself, though only by accident if
518 so (and I'm sure other people have independently invented it). I
519 thought I was imitating a screensaver I'd seen, but I have a feeling
520 that the screensaver might actually have been a Fifteen-type puzzle
521 rather than this slightly different kind. So this might be the one
522 thing in my puzzle collection which represents creativity on my part
523 rather than just engineering.
524
525 \H{sixteen-controls} \I{controls, for Sixteen}Sixteen controls
526
527 This game is played with the mouse. Left-clicking on an arrow will
528 move the appropriate row or column in the direction indicated.
529 Right-clicking will move it in the opposite direction.
530
531 (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
532
533 \H{sixteen-params} \I{parameters, for Sixteen}Sixteen parameters
534
535 The parameters available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
536 \q{Type} menu are:
537
538 \b \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory.
539
540 \b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
541 the grid. By default, Sixteen will shuffle the grid in such a way
542 that any arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can
543 override this by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to
544 be performed. Typically your aim is then to determine the precise
545 set of shuffling moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer
546 (say) a four-move shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the
547 more moves you ask for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter
548 than the target length will turn out to be possible.
549
550
551 \C{twiddle} \i{Twiddle}
552
553 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.twiddle}
554
555 Twiddle is a tile-rearrangement puzzle, visually similar to Sixteen
556 (see \k{sixteen}): you are given a grid of square tiles, each
557 containing a number, and your aim is to arrange the numbers into
558 ascending order.
559
560 In basic Twiddle, your move is to rotate a square group of four
561 tiles about their common centre. (Orientation is not significant in
562 the basic puzzle, although you can select it.) On more advanced
563 settings, you can rotate a larger square group of tiles.
564
565 I first saw this type of puzzle in the GameCube game \q{Metroid
566 Prime 2}. In the Main Gyro Chamber in that game, there is a puzzle
567 you solve to unlock a door, which is a special case of Twiddle. I
568 developed this game as a generalisation of that puzzle.
569
570 \H{twiddle-controls} \I{controls, for Twiddle}Twiddle controls
571
572 To play Twiddle, click the mouse in the centre of the square group
573 you wish to rotate. In the basic mode, you rotate a 2\by\.2 square,
574 which means you have to click at a corner point where four tiles
575 meet.
576
577 In more advanced modes you might be rotating 3\by\.3 or even more at
578 a time; if the size of the square is odd then you simply click in
579 the centre tile of the square you want to rotate.
580
581 Clicking with the left mouse button rotates the group anticlockwise.
582 Clicking with the right button rotates it clockwise.
583
584 (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
585
586 \H{twiddle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Twiddle}Twiddle parameters
587
588 Twiddle provides several configuration options via the \q{Custom}
589 option on the \q{Type} menu:
590
591 \b You can configure the width and height of the puzzle grid.
592
593 \b You can configure the size of square block that rotates at a time.
594
595 \b You can ask for every square in the grid to be distinguishable
596 (the default), or you can ask for a simplified puzzle in which there
597 are groups of identical numbers. In the simplified puzzle your aim
598 is just to arrange all the 1s into the first row, all the 2s into
599 the second row, and so on.
600
601 \b You can configure whether the orientation of tiles matters. If
602 you ask for an orientable puzzle, each tile will have a triangle
603 drawn in it. All the triangles must be pointing upwards to complete
604 the puzzle.
605
606 \b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
607 the grid. By default, Twiddle will shuffle the grid so much that any
608 arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can override this
609 by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to be performed.
610 Typically your aim is then to determine the precise set of shuffling
611 moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer (say) a four-move
612 shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the more moves you ask
613 for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter than the target
614 length will turn out to be possible.
615
616
617 \C{rectangles} \i{Rectangles}
618
619 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.rectangles}
620
621 You have a grid of squares, with numbers written in some (but not all)
622 of the squares. Your task is to subdivide the grid into rectangles of
623 various sizes, such that (a) every rectangle contains exactly one
624 numbered square, and (b) the area of each rectangle is equal to the
625 number written in its numbered square.
626
627 Credit for this game goes to the Japanese puzzle magazine \i{Nikoli}
628 \k{nikoli-rect}; I've also seen a Palm implementation at \i{Puzzle
629 Palace} \k{puzzle-palace-rect}. Unlike Puzzle Palace's
630 implementation, my version automatically generates random grids of
631 any size you like. The quality of puzzle design is therefore not
632 quite as good as hand-crafted puzzles would be, but on the plus side
633 you get an inexhaustible supply of puzzles tailored to your own
634 specification.
635
636 \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}
637
638 \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}
639
640 \H{rectangles-controls} \I{controls, for Rectangles}Rectangles controls
641
642 This game is played with the mouse.
643
644 Left-click any edge to toggle it on or off, or click and drag to draw
645 an entire rectangle (or line) on the grid in one go (removing any
646 existing edges within that rectangle).
647
648 When a rectangle of the correct size is completed, it will be shaded.
649
650 (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
651
652 \H{rectangles-params} \I{parameters, for Rectangles}Rectangles parameters
653
654 These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
655 \q{Type} menu.
656
657 \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
658
659 \dd Size of grid, in squares.
660
661 \dt \e{Expansion factor}
662
663 \dd This is a mechanism for changing the type of grids generated by
664 the program. Some people prefer a grid containing a few large
665 rectangles to one containing many small ones. So you can ask
666 Rectangles to essentially generate a \e{smaller} grid than the size
667 you specified, and then to expand it by adding rows and columns.
668
669 \lcont{
670
671 The default expansion factor of zero means that Rectangles will
672 simply generate a grid of the size you ask for, and do nothing
673 further. If you set an expansion factor of (say) 0.5, it means that
674 each dimension of the grid will be expanded to half again as big
675 after generation. In other words, the initial grid will be 2/3 the
676 size in each dimension, and will be expanded to its full size
677 without adding any more rectangles.
678
679 Setting an expansion factor of around 0.5 tends to make the game
680 more difficult, and also (in my experience) rewards a less deductive
681 and more intuitive playing style. If you set it \e{too} high,
682 though, the game simply cannot generate more than a few rectangles
683 to cover the entire grid, and the game becomes trivial.
684
685 }
686
687 \dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
688
689 \dd Normally, Rectangles will make sure that the puzzles it presents
690 have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
691 difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this
692 feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. Also, finding \e{all} the
693 possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an advanced
694 player. Turning off this option can also speed up puzzle generation.
695
696
697 \C{netslide} \i{Netslide}
698
699 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.netslide}
700
701 This game combines the grid generation of Net (see \k{net}) with the
702 movement of Sixteen (see \k{sixteen}): you have a Net grid, but
703 instead of rotating tiles back into place you have to slide them
704 into place by moving a whole row at a time.
705
706 As in Sixteen, \I{controls, for Netslide}control is with the mouse.
707 See \k{sixteen-controls}.
708
709 \I{parameters, for Netslide}The available game parameters have similar
710 meanings to those in Net (see \k{net-params}) and Sixteen (see
711 \k{sixteen-params}).
712
713 Netslide was contributed to this collection by Richard Boulton.
714
715 \C{pattern} \i{Pattern}
716
717 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pattern}
718
719 You have a grid of squares, which must all be filled in either black
720 or white. Beside each row of the grid are listed the lengths of the
721 runs of black squares on that row; above each column are listed the
722 lengths of the runs of black squares in that column. Your aim is to
723 fill in the entire grid black or white.
724
725 I first saw this puzzle form around 1995, under the name
726 \q{\i{nonograms}}. I've seen it in various places since then, under
727 different names.
728
729 Normally, puzzles of this type turn out to be a meaningful picture
730 of something once you've solved them. However, since this version
731 generates the puzzles automatically, they will just look like random
732 groupings of squares. (One user has suggested that this is actually
733 a \e{good} thing, since it prevents you from guessing the colour of
734 squares based on the picture, and forces you to use logic instead.)
735 The advantage, though, is that you never run out of them.
736
737 \H{pattern-controls} \I{controls, for Pattern}Pattern controls
738
739 This game is played with the mouse.
740
741 Left-click in a square to colour it black. Right-click to colour it
742 white. If you make a mistake, you can middle-click, or hold down
743 Shift while clicking with any button, to colour the square in the
744 default grey (meaning \q{undecided}) again.
745
746 You can click and drag with the left or right mouse button to colour
747 a vertical or horizontal line of squares black or white at a time
748 (respectively). If you click and drag with the middle button, or
749 with Shift held down, you can colour a whole rectangle of squares
750 grey.
751
752 (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
753
754 \H{pattern-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pattern}Pattern parameters
755
756 The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
757 menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory.
758
759
760 \C{solo} \i{Solo}
761
762 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.solo}
763
764 You have a square grid, which is divided into square or rectangular
765 blocks. Each square must be filled in with a digit from 1 to the
766 size of the grid, in such a way that
767
768 \b every row contains only one occurrence of each digit
769
770 \b every column contains only one occurrence of each digit
771
772 \b every block contains only one occurrence of each digit.
773
774 You are given some of the numbers as clues; your aim is to place the
775 rest of the numbers correctly.
776
777 The default puzzle size is 3\by\.3 (a 9\by\.9 actual grid, divided
778 into nine 3\by\.3 blocks). You can also select sizes with
779 rectangular blocks instead of square ones, such as 2\by\.3 (a
780 6\by\.6 grid divided into six 3\by\.2 blocks).
781
782 If you select a puzzle size which requires more than 9 digits, the
783 additional digits will be letters of the alphabet. For example, if
784 you select 3\by\.4 then the digits which go in your grid will be 1
785 to 9, plus \cq{a}, \cq{b} and \cq{c}.
786
787 I first saw this puzzle in \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-solo}, although it's also
788 been popularised by various newspapers under the name \q{Sudoku} or
789 \q{Su Doku}.
790
791 \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}
792
793 \H{solo-controls} \I{controls, for Solo}Solo controls
794
795 To play Solo, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
796 type a digit or letter on the keyboard to fill that square. If you
797 make a mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and press
798 Space to clear it again (or use the Undo feature).
799
800 If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a number, that
801 number will be entered in the square as a \q{pencil mark}. You can
802 have pencil marks for multiple numbers in the same square.
803
804 The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use
805 them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a
806 particular square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a
807 particular number, or you can use them as lists of the possible
808 numbers in a given square, or anything else you feel like.
809
810 To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type
811 the same number again.
812
813 All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type
814 a number, or when you left-click and press space. Right-clicking and
815 pressing space will also erase pencil marks.
816
817 (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
818
819 \H{solo-parameters} \I{parameters, for Solo}Solo parameters
820
821 Solo allows you to configure two separate dimensions of the puzzle
822 grid on the \q{Type} menu: the number of columns, and the number of
823 rows, into which the main grid is divided. (The size of a block is
824 the inverse of this: for example, if you select 2 columns and 3 rows,
825 each actual block will have 3 columns and 2 rows.)
826
827 You can also configure the type of symmetry shown in the generated
828 puzzles. More symmetry makes the puzzles look prettier but may also
829 make them easier, since the symmetry constraints can force more
830 clues than necessary to be present. Completely asymmetric puzzles
831 have the freedom to contain as few clues as possible.
832
833 Finally, you can configure the difficulty of the generated puzzles.
834 Difficulty levels are judged by the complexity of the techniques of
835 deduction required to solve the puzzle: each level requires a mode
836 of reasoning which was not necessary in the previous one. In
837 particular, on difficulty levels \q{Trivial} and \q{Basic} there
838 will be a square you can fill in with a single number at all times,
839 whereas at \q{Intermediate} level and beyond you will have to make
840 partial deductions about the \e{set} of squares a number could be in
841 (or the set of numbers that could be in a square). At
842 \q{Unreasonable} level, even this is not enough, and you will
843 eventually have to make a guess, and then backtrack if it turns out
844 to be wrong.
845
846 Generating difficult puzzles is itself difficult: if you select
847 \q{Intermediate} or \q{Advanced} difficulty, Solo may have to make
848 many attempts at generating a puzzle before it finds one hard enough
849 for you. Be prepared to wait, especially if you have also configured
850 a large puzzle size.
851
852
853 \C{mines} \i{Mines}
854
855 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.mines}
856
857 You have a grid of covered squares, some of which contain mines, but
858 you don't know which. Your job is to uncover every square which does
859 \e{not} contain a mine. If you uncover a square containing a mine,
860 you lose. If you uncover a square which does not contain a mine, you
861 are told how many mines are contained within the eight surrounding
862 squares.
863
864 This game needs no introduction; popularised by Windows, it is
865 perhaps the single best known desktop puzzle game in existence.
866
867 This version of it has an unusual property. By default, it will
868 generate its mine positions in such a way as to ensure that you
869 never need to \e{guess} where a mine is: you will always be able to
870 deduce it somehow. So you will never, as can happen in other
871 versions, get to the last four squares and discover that there are
872 two mines left but you have no way of knowing for sure where they
873 are.
874
875 \H{mines-controls} \I{controls, for Mines}Mines controls
876
877 This game is played with the mouse.
878
879 If you left-click in a covered square, it will be uncovered.
880
881 If you right-click in a covered square, it will place a flag which
882 indicates that the square is believed to be a mine. Left-clicking in
883 a marked square will not uncover it, for safety. You can right-click
884 again to remove a mark placed in error.
885
886 If you left-click in an \e{uncovered} square, it will \q{clear
887 around} the square. This means: if the square has exactly as many
888 flags surrounding it as it should have mines, then all the covered
889 squares next to it which are \e{not} flagged will be uncovered. So
890 once you think you know the location of all the mines around a
891 square, you can use this function as a shortcut to avoid having to
892 click on each of the remaining squares one by one.
893
894 If you uncover a square which has \e{no} mines in the surrounding
895 eight squares, then it is obviously safe to uncover those squares in
896 turn, and so on if any of them also has no surrounding mines. This
897 will be done for you automatically; so sometimes when you uncover a
898 square, a whole new area will open up to be explored.
899
900 All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.
901
902 Even Undo is available, although you might consider it cheating to
903 use it. If you step on a mine, the program will only reveal the mine
904 in question (unlike most other implementations, which reveal all of
905 them). You can then Undo your fatal move and continue playing if you
906 like. The program will track the number of times you died (and Undo
907 will not reduce that counter), so when you get to the end of the
908 game you know whether or not you did it without making any errors.
909
910 (If you really want to know the full layout of the grid, which other
911 implementations will show you after you die, you can always use the
912 Solve menu option.)
913
914 \H{mines-parameters} \I{parameters, for Mines}Mines parameters
915
916 The options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
917 menu are:
918
919 \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
920
921 \dd Size of grid in squares.
922
923 \dt \e{Mines}
924
925 \dd Number of mines in the grid. You can enter this as an absolute
926 mine count, or alternatively you can put a \cw{%} sign on the end in
927 which case the game will arrange for that proportion of the squares
928 in the grid to be mines.
929
930 \lcont{
931
932 Beware of setting the mine count too high. At very high densities,
933 the program may spend forever searching for a solvable grid.
934
935 }
936
937 \dt \e{Ensure solubility}
938
939 \dd When this option is enabled (as it is by default), Mines will
940 ensure that the entire grid can be fully deduced starting from the
941 initial open space. If you prefer the riskier grids generated by
942 other implementations, you can switch off this option.
943
944
945 \C{samegame} \i{Same Game}
946
947 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.samegame}
948
949 You have a grid of coloured squares, which you have to clear by
950 highlighting contiguous regions of more than one coloured square;
951 the larger the region you highlight, the more points you get (and
952 the faster you clear the arena).
953
954 If you clear the grid you win. If you end up with nothing but
955 single squares (i.e., there are no more clickable regions left) you
956 lose.
957
958 Removing a region causes the rest of the grid to shuffle up:
959 blocks that are suspended will fall down (first), and then empty
960 columns are filled from the right.
961
962 Same Game was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
963
964 \H{samegame-controls} \i{Same Game controls}
965
966 \IM{Same Game controls} controls, for Same Game
967 \IM{Same Game controls} keys, for Same Game
968 \IM{Same Game controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Same Game
969
970 This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
971
972 If you left-click an unselected region, it becomes selected (possibly
973 clearing the current selection).
974
975 If you left-click the selected region, it will be removed (and the
976 rest of the grid shuffled immediately).
977
978 If you right-click the selected region, it will be unselected.
979
980 The cursor keys move a cursor around the grid. Pressing the Space or
981 Enter keys while the cursor is in an unselected region selects it;
982 pressing Space or Enter again removes it as above.
983
984 \H{samegame-parameters} \I{parameters, for Same Game}Same Game parameters
985
986 These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
987 \q{Type} menu.
988
989 \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
990
991 \dd Size of grid in squares.
992
993 \dt \e{No. of colours}
994
995 \dd Number of different colours used to fill the grid; the more colours,
996 the fewer large regions of colour and thus the more difficult it is to
997 successfully clear the grid.
998
999 \dt \e{Scoring system}
1000
1001 \dd Controls the precise mechanism used for scoring. With the default
1002 system, \q{(n-2)^2}, only regions of three squares or more will score
1003 any points at all. With the alternative \q{(n-1)^2} system, regions of
1004 two squares score a point each, and larger regions score relatively
1005 more points.
1006
1007 \dt \e{Ensure solubility}
1008
1009 \dd If this option is ticked (the default state), generated grids
1010 will be guaranteed to have at least one solution.
1011
1012 \lcont{
1013
1014 If you turn it off, the game generator will not try to guarantee
1015 soluble grids; it will, however, still ensure that there are at
1016 least 2 squares of each colour on the grid at the start (since a
1017 grid with exactly one square of a given colour is \e{definitely}
1018 insoluble). Grids generated with this option disabled may contain
1019 more large areas of contiguous colour, leading to opportunities for
1020 higher scores; they can also take less time to generate.
1021
1022 }
1023
1024
1025 \C{flip} \i{Flip}
1026
1027 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.flip}
1028
1029 You have a grid of squares, some light and some dark. Your aim is to
1030 light all the squares up at the same time. You can choose any square
1031 and flip its state from light to dark or dark to light, but when you
1032 do so, other squares around it change state as well.
1033
1034 Each square contains a small diagram showing which other squares
1035 change when you flip it.
1036
1037 \H{flip-controls} \i{Flip controls}
1038
1039 \IM{Flip controls} controls, for Flip
1040 \IM{Flip controls} keys, for Flip
1041 \IM{Flip controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Flip
1042
1043 This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
1044
1045 Left-click in a square to flip it and its associated squares, or
1046 use the cursor keys to choose a square and the space bar or Enter
1047 key to flip.
1048
1049 If you use the \q{Solve} function on this game, it will mark some of
1050 the squares in red. If you click once in every square with a red
1051 mark, the game should be solved. (If you click in a square
1052 \e{without} a red mark, a red mark will appear in it to indicate
1053 that you will need to reverse that operation to reach the solution.)
1054
1055 \H{flip-parameters} \I{parameters, for flip}Flip parameters
1056
1057 These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1058 \q{Type} menu.
1059
1060 \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1061
1062 \dd Size of grid in squares.
1063
1064 \dt \e{Shape type}
1065
1066 \dd This control determines the shape of the region which is flipped
1067 by clicking in any given square. The default setting, \q{Crosses},
1068 causes every square to flip itself and its four immediate neighbours
1069 (or three or two if it's at an edge or corner). The other setting,
1070 \q{Random}, causes a random shape to be chosen for every square, so
1071 the game is different every time.
1072
1073
1074 \C{guess} \i{Guess}
1075
1076 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.guess}
1077
1078 You have a set of coloured pegs, and have to reproduce a
1079 predetermined sequence of them (chosen by the computer) within a
1080 certain number of guesses.
1081
1082 Each guess gets marked with the number of correctly-coloured pegs
1083 in the correct places (in black), and also the number of
1084 correctly-coloured pegs in the wrong places (in white).
1085
1086 This game is also known (and marketed, by Hasbro, mainly) as
1087 a board game \q{Mastermind}, with 6 colours, 4 pegs per row, and 10 guesses.
1088 However, this version allows custom settings of number of colours
1089 (up to 10), number of pegs per row, and number of guesses.
1090
1091 Guess was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1092
1093 \H{guess-controls} \i{Guess controls}
1094
1095 \IM{Guess controls} controls, for Guess
1096 \IM{Guess controls} keys, for Guess
1097 \IM{Guess controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Guess
1098
1099 This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
1100
1101 With the mouse, drag a coloured peg from the tray on the left-hand
1102 side to its required position in the current guess; pegs may also be
1103 dragged from current and past guesses to copy them elsewhere. To
1104 remove a peg, drag it off its current position to somewhere invalid.
1105
1106 Right-clicking in the current guess adds a \q{hold} marker; pegs
1107 that have hold markers will be automatically added to the next guess
1108 after marking.
1109
1110 Alternatively, with the keyboard, the up and down cursor keys can be
1111 used to select a peg colour, the left and right keys to select a
1112 peg position, and the space bar or Enter key to place a peg of the
1113 selected colour in the chosen position. \q{D} or Backspace removes a
1114 peg, and \q{H} adds a hold marker.
1115
1116 When the guess is complete, the smaller feedback pegs will be highlighted;
1117 clicking on these (or moving the peg cursor to them with the arrow keys
1118 and pressing the space bar or Enter key) will mark the current guess,
1119 copy any held pegs to the next guess, and move the \q{current guess}
1120 marker.
1121
1122 If you correctly position all the pegs the solution will be displayed
1123 below; if you run out of guesses (or select \q{Solve...}) the solution
1124 will also be revealed.
1125
1126 \H{guess-parameters} \I{parameters, for Guess}Guess parameters
1127
1128 These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1129 \q{Type} menu. The default game matches the parameters for the
1130 board game \q{Mastermind}.
1131
1132 \dt \e{Colours}
1133
1134 \dd Number of colours the solution is chosen from; from 2 to 10
1135 (more is harder).
1136
1137 \dt \e{Pegs per guess}
1138
1139 \dd Number of pegs per guess (more is harder).
1140
1141 \dt \e{Guesses}
1142
1143 \dd Number of guesses you have to find the solution in (fewer is harder).
1144
1145 \dt \e{Allow blanks}
1146
1147 \dd Allows blank pegs to be given as part of a guess (makes it easier, because
1148 you know that those will never be counted as part of the solution). This
1149 is turned off by default.
1150
1151 Note that this doesn't allow blank pegs in the solution; if you really wanted
1152 that, use one extra colour.
1153
1154 \dt \e{Allow duplicates}
1155
1156 \dd Allows the solution (and the guesses) to contain colours more than once;
1157 this increases the search space (making things harder), and is turned on by
1158 default.
1159
1160
1161 \C{pegs} \i{Pegs}
1162
1163 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pegs}
1164
1165 A number of pegs are placed in holes on a board. You can remove a
1166 peg by jumping an adjacent peg over it (horizontally or vertically)
1167 to a vacant hole on the other side. Your aim is to remove all but one
1168 of the pegs initially present.
1169
1170 This game, best known as \q{Peg Solitaire}, is possibly one of the
1171 oldest puzzle games still commonly known.
1172
1173 \H{pegs-controls} \i{Pegs controls}
1174
1175 \IM{Pegs controls} controls, for Pegs
1176
1177 To move a peg, drag it with the mouse from its current position to
1178 its final position. If the final position is exactly two holes away
1179 from the initial position, is currently unoccupied by a peg, and
1180 there is a peg in the intervening square, the move will be permitted
1181 and the intervening peg will be removed.
1182
1183 Vacant spaces which you can move a peg into are marked with holes. A
1184 space with no peg and no hole is not available for moving at all: it
1185 is an obstacle which you must work around.
1186
1187
1188 \H{pegs-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pegs}Pegs parameters
1189
1190 These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1191 \q{Type} menu.
1192
1193 \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1194
1195 \dd Size of grid in holes.
1196
1197 \dt \e{Board type}
1198
1199 \dd Controls whether you are given a board of a standard shape or a
1200 randomly generated shape. The two standard shapes currently
1201 supported are \q{Cross} and \q{Octagon} (also commonly known as the
1202 English and European traditional board layouts respectively).
1203 Selecting \q{Random} will give you a different board shape every
1204 time (but always one that is known to have a solution).
1205
1206
1207 \C{dominosa} \i{Dominosa}
1208
1209 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.dominosa}
1210
1211 A normal set of dominoes - that is, one instance of every (unordered)
1212 pair of numbers from 0 to 6 - has been arranged irregularly into a
1213 rectangle; then the number in each square has been written down and
1214 the dominoes themselves removed. Your task is to reconstruct the
1215 pattern by arranging the set of dominoes to match the provided array
1216 of numbers.
1217
1218 This puzzle is widely credited to O. S. Adler, and takes part of its
1219 name from those initials.
1220
1221 \H{dominosa-controls} \i{Dominosa controls}
1222
1223 \IM{Dominosa controls} controls, for Dominosa
1224
1225 Left-clicking between any two adjacent numbers places a domino
1226 covering them, or removes one if it is already present. Trying to
1227 place a domino which overlaps existing dominoes will remove the ones
1228 it overlaps.
1229
1230 Right-clicking between two adjacent numbers draws a line between
1231 them, which you can use to remind yourself that you know those two
1232 numbers are \e{not} covered by a single domino. Right-clicking again
1233 removes the line.
1234
1235
1236 \H{dominosa-parameters} \I{parameters, for Dominosa}Dominosa parameters
1237
1238 These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1239 \q{Type} menu.
1240
1241 \dt \e{Maximum number on dominoes}
1242
1243 \dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by controlling the size of the
1244 set of dominoes used to make it. Dominoes with numbers going up to N
1245 will give rise to an (N+2) \by (N+1) rectangle; so, in particular,
1246 the default value of 6 gives an 8\by\.7 grid.
1247
1248 \dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
1249
1250 \dd Normally, Dominosa will make sure that the puzzles it presents
1251 have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
1252 difficult and sometimes more subtle, so if you like you can turn off
1253 this feature. Also, finding \e{all} the possible solutions can be an
1254 additional challenge for an advanced player. Turning off this option
1255 can also speed up puzzle generation.
1256
1257
1258 \C{untangle} \i{Untangle}
1259
1260 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.untangle}
1261
1262 You are given a number of points, some of which have lines drawn
1263 between them. You can move the points about arbitrarily; your aim is
1264 to position the points so that no line crosses another.
1265
1266 I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{Planarity}
1267 \k{Planarity}, written by John Tantalo.
1268
1269 \B{Planarity} \W{http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Planarity}\cw{http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Planarity}
1270
1271 \H{untangle-controls} \i{Untangle controls}
1272
1273 \IM{Untangle controls} controls, for Untangle
1274
1275 To move a point, click on it with the left mouse button and drag it
1276 into a new position.
1277
1278 \H{untangle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Untangle}Untangle parameters
1279
1280 There is only one parameter available from the \q{Custom...} option
1281 on the \q{Type} menu:
1282
1283 \dt \e{Number of points}
1284
1285 \dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by specifying the number of
1286 points in the generated graph.
1287
1288
1289 \C{blackbox} \i{Black Box}
1290
1291 \cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.blackbox}
1292
1293 A number of balls are hidden in a rectangular arena. You have to
1294 deduce the positions of the balls by firing lasers from positions
1295 on the edge of the arena and observing how they are deflected.
1296
1297 Lasers will fire straight until they hit the opposite side of the
1298 arena (at which point they emerge), unless affected by balls in one of
1299 the following ways:
1300
1301 \b A laser that hits a ball head-on is absorbed and will never re-emerge.
1302 This includes lasers that meet a ball on the first rank of the arena.
1303
1304 \b A laser with a ball to its front-left square gets deflected 90 degrees
1305 to the right.
1306
1307 \b A laser with a ball to its front-right square gets similarly deflected
1308 to the left.
1309
1310 \b A laser that would re-emerge from the entry location is considered to be
1311 \q{reflected}.
1312
1313 \b A laser which would get deflected before entering the arena (down the
1314 \q{firing range}) by a ball to the front-left or front-right of its
1315 entry point is also considered to be \q{reflected}.
1316
1317 Lasers that are reflected appear as a \q{R}; lasers that hit balls
1318 dead-on appear as \q{H}. Otherwise, a number appears at the firing point
1319 and the location where the laser emerges (this number is unique to
1320 that shot).
1321
1322 You can place guesses as to the location of the balls, based on the
1323 entry and exit patterns of the lasers; once you have placed enough
1324 balls a button appears enabling you to have your guesses checked.
1325
1326 Here is a diagram showing how the positions of balls can create each
1327 of the laser behaviours shown above:
1328
1329 \c 1RHR----
1330 \c |..O.O...|
1331 \c 2........3
1332 \c |........|
1333 \c |........|
1334 \c 3........|
1335 \c |......O.|
1336 \c H........|
1337 \c |.....O..|
1338 \c 12-RH---
1339
1340 As shown, it is possible for a ball to receive multiple reflections
1341 before re-emerging (see turn 3). Similarly, a ball may be reflected
1342 (possibly more than once) before receiving a hit (the \q{H} on the
1343 left side of the example).
1344
1345 Note that any layout with more that 4 balls may have a non-unique
1346 solution. The following diagram illustrates this; if you know the
1347 board contains 5 balls, it is impossible to determine where the fifth
1348 ball is (possible positions marked with an x):
1349
1350 \c --------
1351 \c |........|
1352 \c |........|
1353 \c |..O..O..|
1354 \c |...xx...|
1355 \c |...xx...|
1356 \c |..O..O..|
1357 \c |........|
1358 \c |........|
1359 \c --------
1360
1361 For this reason when you have your guesses checked the game will
1362 check that your solution \e{produces the same results} as the
1363 computer's, rather than that your solution is identical to the
1364 computer's. So in the above example, you could put the fifth ball at
1365 \e{any} of the locations marked with an x, and you would still win.
1366
1367 Black Box was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1368
1369 \H{blackbox-controls} \i{Black Box controls}
1370
1371 \IM{Black Box controls}controls, for Black Box
1372
1373 To fire a laser, left-click in a square around the side of the arena.
1374 The results will be displayed immediately. Lasers may not be fired
1375 twice (because the results will never change). Holding down the left
1376 button will highlight the current go (or a previous go) to confirm the
1377 exit point for that laser, if applicable.
1378
1379 To guess the location of a ball, left-click within the arena and a
1380 black circle will appear marking the guess; to remove the guessed ball
1381 click again.
1382
1383 Locations in the arena may be locked against modification by
1384 right-clicking; whole rows and columns may be similarly locked by
1385 right-clicking in the laser firing range above/below that column, or
1386 to the left/right of that row.
1387
1388 When an appropriate number of balls have been guessed a button will
1389 appear at the top-left corner of the grid; clicking that will mark
1390 your guesses.
1391
1392 If you click the \q{mark} button and your guesses are not correct,
1393 the game will show you as little information as possible to
1394 demonstrate this to you, so you can try again. If your ball
1395 positions are not consistent with the laser paths you already know
1396 about, one laser path will be circled to indicate that it proves you
1397 wrong. If your positions match all the existing laser paths but are
1398 still wrong, one new laser path will be revealed (written in red)
1399 which is not consistent with your current guesses.
1400
1401 If you decide to give up completely, you can select Solve to reveal
1402 the actual ball positions. At this point, correctly-placed balls
1403 will be displayed as filled black circles; incorrectly-placed balls
1404 are displayed as filled black circles with red crosses, and missing
1405 balls are filled red circles. In addition, a red circle marks any
1406 laser you had already fired which is not consistent with your ball
1407 layout (just as when you press the mark button), and red text marks
1408 any laser you \e{could} have fired in order to distinguish your ball
1409 layout from the right one.
1410
1411 (All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1412
1413 \H{blackbox-parameters} \I{parameters, for Black Box}Black Box parameters
1414
1415 These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1416 \q{Type} menu.
1417
1418 \dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1419
1420 \dd Size of grid in squares. There are 2 \by \e{Width} \by \e{Height} lasers
1421 per grid, two per row and two per column.
1422
1423 \dt \e{No. of balls}
1424
1425 \dd Number of balls to place in the grid. This can be a single number,
1426 or a range (separated with a hyphen, like \q{2-6}), and determines the
1427 number of balls to place on the grid. The \q{reveal} button is only
1428 enabled if you have guessed an appropriate number of balls; a guess
1429 using a different number to the original solution is still acceptable,
1430 if all the laser inputs and outputs match.
1431
1432
1433 \A{licence} \I{MIT licence}\ii{Licence}
1434
1435 This software is \i{copyright} 2004-2005 Simon Tatham.
1436
1437 Portions copyright Richard Boulton and James Harvey.
1438
1439 Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person
1440 obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files
1441 (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction,
1442 including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge,
1443 publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software,
1444 and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
1445 subject to the following conditions:
1446
1447 The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
1448 included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
1449
1450 THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
1451 EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
1452 MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
1453 NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS
1454 BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN
1455 ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN
1456 CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
1457 SOFTWARE.
1458
1459 \IM{specific} \q{Specific}, menu option
1460 \IM{custom} \q{Custom}, menu option
1461
1462 \IM{game ID} game ID
1463 \IM{game ID} ID, game
1464 \IM{ID format} ID format
1465 \IM{ID format} format, ID
1466 \IM{ID format} game ID, format
1467
1468 \IM{keys} keys
1469 \IM{keys} shortcuts (keyboard)
1470
1471 \IM{initial state} initial state
1472 \IM{initial state} state, initial
1473
1474 \IM{MIT licence} MIT licence
1475 \IM{MIT licence} licence, MIT