X-Git-Url: https://git.distorted.org.uk/~mdw/sgt/puzzles/blobdiff_plain/ef57b17d968689e10ea3b2b6a75d360365645556..818752113d2ba0ab8661365c5e81665e8fc6d15f:/puzzles.but

diff --git a/puzzles.but b/puzzles.but
index 8e99a31..5f8bff4 100644
--- a/puzzles.but
+++ b/puzzles.but
@@ -82,6 +82,10 @@ These actions are all available from the \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu
 and via \I{keys}keyboard shortcuts, in addition to any game-specific
 actions.
 
+(On Mac OS X, to conform with local user interface standards, these
+actions are situated on the \I{File menu}\q{File} and \I{Edit
+menu}\q{Edit} menus instead.)
+
 \dt \ii\e{New game} (\q{N}, Ctrl+\q{N})
 
 \dd Starts a new game, with a random initial state.
@@ -99,6 +103,40 @@ game.)
 
 \dd Redoes a previous undone move.
 
+\dt \ii\e{Copy}
+
+\dd Copies the current state of your game to the clipboard in text
+format, so that you can paste it into (say) an e-mail client or a
+web message board if you're discussing the game with someone else.
+(Not all games support this feature.)
+
+\dt \ii\e{Solve}
+
+\dd Transforms the puzzle instantly into its solved state. For some
+games (Cube) this feature is not supported at all because it is of
+no particular use. For other games (such as Pattern), the solved
+state can be used to give you information, if you can't see how a
+solution can exist at all or you want to know where you made a
+mistake. For still other games (such as Sixteen), automatic solution
+tells you nothing about how to \e{get} to the solution, but it does
+provide a useful way to get there quickly so that you can experiment
+with set-piece moves and transformations.
+
+\lcont{
+
+Some games (such as Solo) are capable of solving a game ID you have
+typed in from elsewhere. Other games (such as Rectangles) cannot
+solve a game ID they didn't invent themself, but when they did
+invent the game ID they know what the solution is already. Still
+other games (Pattern) can solve \e{some} external game IDs, but only
+if they aren't too difficult.
+
+The \q{Solve} command adds the solved state to the end of the undo
+chain for the puzzle. In other words, if you want to go back to
+solving it yourself after seeing the answer, you can just press Undo.
+
+}
+
 \dt \I{exit}\ii\e{Quit} (\q{Q}, Ctrl+\q{Q})
 
 \dd Closes the application entirely.
@@ -106,8 +144,8 @@ game.)
 \H{common-id} Recreating games with the \ii{game ID}
 
 The \q{\i{Specific...}} option from the \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu
-lets you see a short string (the \q{game ID}) that captures the
-initial state of the current game.
+(or the \q{File} menu, on Mac OS X) lets you see a short string (the
+\q{game ID}) that captures the initial state of the current game.
 
 The precise \I{ID format}format of the ID is specific to each game.
 It consists of two parts delimited by a colon (e.g., \c{c4x4:4F01,0});
@@ -151,11 +189,11 @@ command line.
 
 The easiest way to do this is to set up the parameters you want
 using the \q{Type} menu (see \k{common-type}), and then to select
-\q{Specific} from the \q{Game} menu (see \k{common-id}). The text in
-the \q{Game ID} box will be composed of two parts, separated by a
-colon. The first of these parts represents the game parameters (the
-size of the playing area, for example, and anything else you set
-using the \q{Type} menu).
+\q{Specific} from the \q{Game} or \q{File} menu (see \k{common-id}).
+The text in the \q{Game ID} box will be composed of two parts,
+separated by a colon. The first of these parts represents the game
+parameters (the size of the playing area, for example, and anything
+else you set using the \q{Type} menu).
 
 If you run the game with just that parameter text on the command
 line, it will start up with the settings you specified.
@@ -377,10 +415,128 @@ Right-clicking will move it in the opposite direction.
 
 \H{sixteen-params} \I{parameters, for Sixteen}Sixteen parameters
 
-The only parameters available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
-\q{Type} menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are
-self-explanatory.
+The parameters available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
+\q{Type} menu are:
+
+\b \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory.
+
+\b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
+the grid. By default, Sixteen will shuffle the grid in such a way
+that any arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can
+override this by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to
+be performed. Typically your aim is then to determine the precise
+set of shuffling moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer
+(say) a four-move shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the
+more moves you ask for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter
+than the target length will turn out to be possible.
+
+\H{sixteen-cmdline} \I{command line, for Sixteen}Additional
+command-line configuration
+
+The limited shuffle parameter, described in \k{sixteen-params}, is
+not mentioned by default in the game ID (see \k{common-id}). So if
+you set your shuffling move count to (say) 4, and then you generate
+a normal 4\by\.4 grid, then the game ID will simply say
+\c{4x4:}\e{numbers}. This means that if you send the game ID to
+another player and they paste it into their copy of Sixteen, their
+game will not be automatically configured to use the same shuffle
+limit in any subsequent grids it generates. (I don't think the
+average person examining a single grid sent to them by another
+player would want their configuration modified to that extent.)
+
+If you are specifying a game ID or game parameters on the command
+line (see \k{common-cmdline}) and you do want to configure the
+shuffle limit, you can do it by suffixing the letter \cq{m} to the
+parameters, followed by the move count as a decimal number. For
+example, \cq{sixteen 4x4m4} will start up Sixteen with a problem
+guaranteed to be soluble in four moves or fewer.
+
+
+\C{twiddle} \i{Twiddle}
+
+\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.twiddle}
+
+Twiddle is a tile-rearrangement puzzle, visually similar to Sixteen
+(see \k{sixteen}): you are given a grid of square tiles, each
+containing a number, and your aim is to arrange the numbers into
+ascending order.
+
+In basic Twiddle, your move is to rotate a square group of four
+tiles about their common centre. (Orientation is not significant in
+the basic puzzle, although you can select it.) On more advanced
+settings, you can rotate a larger square group of tiles.
+
+I first saw this type of puzzle in the GameCube game \q{Metroid
+Prime 2}. In the Main Gyro Chamber in that game, there is a puzzle
+you solve to unlock a door, which is a special case of Twiddle. I
+developed this game as a generalisation of that puzzle.
+
+\H{twiddle-controls} \I{controls, for Twiddle}Twiddle controls
+
+To play Twiddle, click the mouse in the centre of the square group
+you wish to rotate. In the basic mode, you rotate a 2\by\.2 square,
+which means you have to click at a corner point where four tiles
+meet.
 
+In more advanced modes you might be rotating 3\by\.3 or even more at
+a time; if the size of the square is odd then you simply click in
+the centre tile of the square you want to rotate.
+
+Clicking with the left mouse button rotates the group anticlockwise.
+Clicking with the right button rotates it clockwise.
+
+(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
+
+\H{twiddle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Twiddle}Twiddle parameters
+
+Twiddle provides several configuration options via the \q{Custom}
+option on the \q{Type} menu:
+
+\b You can configure the width and height of the puzzle grid.
+
+\b You can configure the size of square block that rotates at a time.
+
+\b You can ask for every square in the grid to be distinguishable
+(the default), or you can ask for a simplified puzzle in which there
+are groups of identical numbers. In the simplified puzzle your aim
+is just to arrange all the 1s into the first row, all the 2s into
+the second row, and so on.
+
+\b You can configure whether the orientation of tiles matters. If
+you ask for an orientable puzzle, each tile will have a triangle
+drawn in it. All the triangles must be pointing upwards to complete
+the puzzle.
+
+\b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
+the grid. By default, Twiddle will shuffle the grid so much that any
+arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can override this
+by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to be performed.
+Typically your aim is then to determine the precise set of shuffling
+moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer (say) a four-move
+shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the more moves you ask
+for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter than the target
+length will turn out to be possible.
+
+\H{twiddle-cmdline} \I{command line, for Twiddle}Additional
+command-line configuration
+
+The limited shuffle parameter, described in \k{twiddle-parameters},
+is not mentioned by default in the game ID (see \k{common-id}). So
+if you set your shuffling move count to (say) 4, and then you
+generate a normal 3\by\.3 grid, then the game ID will simply say
+\c{3x3n2:}\e{numbers}. This means that if you send the game ID to
+another player and they paste it into their copy of Twiddle, their
+game will not be automatically configured to use the same shuffle
+limit in any subsequent grids it generates. (I don't think the
+average person examining a single grid sent to them by another
+player would want their configuration modified to that extent.)
+
+If you are specifying a game ID or game parameters on the command
+line (see \k{common-cmdline}) and you do want to configure the
+shuffle limit, you can do it by suffixing the letter \cq{m} to the
+parameters, followed by the move count as a decimal number. For
+example, \cq{twiddle 3x3n2m4} will start up Twiddle with a problem
+guaranteed to be soluble in four moves or fewer.
 
 \C{rectangles} \i{Rectangles}
 
@@ -589,19 +745,40 @@ make them easier, since the symmetry constraints can force more
 clues than necessary to be present. Completely asymmetric puzzles
 have the freedom to contain as few clues as possible.
 
+Finally, you can configure the difficulty of the generated puzzles.
+Difficulty levels are judged by the complexity of the techniques of
+deduction required to solve the puzzle: each level requires a mode
+of reasoning which was not necessary in the previous one. In
+particular, on difficulty levels \q{Trivial} and \q{Basic} there
+will be a square you can fill in with a single number at all times,
+whereas at \q{Intermediate} level and beyond you will have to make
+partial deductions about the \e{set} of squares a number could be in
+(or the set of numbers that could be in a square). At
+\q{Unreasonable} level, even this is not enough, and you will
+eventually have to make a guess, and then backtrack if it turns out
+to be wrong.
+
+Generating difficult puzzles is itself difficult: if you select
+\q{Intermediate} or \q{Advanced} difficulty, Solo may have to make
+many attempts at generating a puzzle before it finds one hard enough
+for you. Be prepared to wait, especially if you have also configured
+a large puzzle size.
+
 \H{solo-cmdline} \I{command line, for Solo}Additional command-line
 configuration
 
-The symmetry parameter, described in \k{solo-parameters}, is not
-mentioned by default in the game ID (see \k{common-id}). So if you
-set your symmetry to (say) 4-way rotational, and then you generate a
-3\by\.4 grid, then the game ID will simply say \c{3x4:}\e{numbers}.
-This means that if you send the game ID to another player and they
-paste it into their copy of Solo, their game will not be
-automatically configured to use the same symmetry in any subsequent
-grids it generates. (I don't think the average person examining a
-single grid sent to them by another player would want their
-configuration modified to that extent.)
+The symmetry and difficulty parameters (described in
+\k{solo-parameters}) are not mentioned by default in the game ID
+(see \k{common-id}). So if (for example) you set your symmetry to
+4-way rotational and your difficulty to \q{Advanced}, and then you
+generate a 3\by\.4 grid, then the game ID will simply say
+\c{3x4:}\e{numbers}. This means that if you send the game ID to
+another player and they paste it into their copy of Solo, their game
+will not be automatically configured to use the same symmetry and
+difficulty settings in any subsequent grids it generates. (I don't
+think the average person examining a single grid sent to them by
+another player would want their configuration modified to that
+extent.)
 
 If you are specifying a game ID or game parameters on the command
 line (see \k{common-cmdline}) and you do want to configure the
@@ -616,9 +793,20 @@ parameters:
 
 \b \cq{a} for no symmetry at all (stands for \q{asymmetric})
 
+\b \cq{dt} for Trivial difficulty level
+
+\b \cq{db} for Basic difficulty level
+
+\b \cq{di} for Intermediate difficulty level
+
+\b \cq{da} for Advanced difficulty level
+
+\b \cq{du} for Unreasonable difficulty level
+
 So, for example, you can make Solo generate asymmetric 3x4 grids by
 running \cq{solo 3x4a}, or 4-way rotationally symmetric 2x3 grids by
-running \cq{solo 2x3r4}.
+running \cq{solo 2x3r4}, or \q{Advanced}-level 2x3 grids by running
+\cq{solo 2x3da}.
 
 
 \A{licence} \I{MIT licence}\ii{Licence}