CFB MasterWord Version 1.0

⌐ 2002 CFB Software
Last Updated 7 Aug 2002

E-Mail:   info@cfbsoftware.com
Website:   http://www.cfbsoftware.com

Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Minimum System Requirements
  3. Installation
  4. Playing Instructions
  5. Documentation
  6. Ordering Information
  7. List of Files
  8. Licence Agreement
  9. Disclaimer
  10. Acknowledgements
     

1. Overview

CFB MasterWord is a Palm word game similar to Mastermind and Jotto. It will appeal to anybody with a good knowledge of words and logical reasoning skills. The free trial version is intended to be easy enough for children to play while still providing them with a mental challenge.

The object of the game is to guess a four-letter word selected by the computer with as few tries as possible. For each guess MasterWord tells you how many letters you have guessed correctly and how many others are right but in the wrong position. There are several different levels - the harder the level, the higher is your potential score.  A list of average scores is kept for the nine most recent players / levels.

The trial version of MasterWord is free. It has ten different words to guess and two levels of difficulty. The full version presents more of a challenge. It contains more than 1500 words to guess and and has an additional four levels of difficulty.

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2. Minimum System Requirements

PalmOS V3.0 or later
31Kb  free memory (20Kb for Trial version)

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3. Installation

CFB MasterWord is distributed as a compressed ZIP file MasterWord.zip

Install MasterWord as follows:

  1. Use Winzip or compatible program to extract the contents of MasterWord.zip to your desktop PC.
     
  2. Use the Palm Desktop Install tool to load the following files:

    MasterWord.prc
    MasterWordDB.pdb  (full version only)

    onto your Palm via the HotSync connection to your PC.
     
  3. Start MasterWord by tapping the icon labelled Master

    Note: If you have the full version but can only access the trial levels, check that you included the file MasterWordDB.pdb in step 2 above.

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4. Playing Instructions

The object of the game is to guess a random four-letter word chosen by the Palm with as few tries as possible.  For each try, green (white) dots show many letters you have in the correct position, and red (black) dots show how many other letters are correct but in the wrong position.

When the game starts enter your name and select a difficulty level (1 = easiest, 6 = hardest). A keypad will then be displayed.

Make a guess by tapping four different letters on the keypad and then tap the Try button. 

On the easier levels you can hide letters that you have eliminated by tapping the Hide / Show button and then tapping the letters that you want to hide. Tap the Hide / Show button again when you want to continue entering more tries. On level 1 and 3 some of the letters not included in the target word have already been eliminated to make it easier for you.

Note: A summary of these instructions can be displayed on the Palm by tapping the Information icon when prompted for your player name or by selecting Instructions from the Game menu
 

Valid Words

Words ending with an s, words with repeated letters or words containing q, x, or z are not included in the word list. If your try is one of these words you will see a warning but there is no penalty.

Abbreviations, foreign words, proper nouns, and obscene words are not valid. Both English and US spelling rules are accepted. Details of the origins of the list of words used may be seen below.


Finishing a Game

When you guess the correct word you earn a score dependent on how many tries you made. If you have had ten tries and still not guessed correctly you score zero. The list of average scores is updated and displayed and then a new game is started.

You can start a new game and optionally enter a new name and level at any time by selecting New Game from the Game menu. If you have already started a game when you select New Game the current game is abandoned and you score zero. A game is considered to have been started if you have made at least one guess. 


Levels

There are six levels. Level 1 is the easiest but scores the least. Correct answers for levels 1 and 2 are chosen from a list of ten common four letter words. Correct answers for level 3 and higher are chosen from a list of more than 1500 words - including both common and unusual words. The features of each level are summarised in the following table:
 

Level 1 2 3 4 5 6
Number of possible words 10 10 1500+ 1500+ 1500+ 1500+
Can hide eliminated letters Y Y Y Y N N
13 letters eliminated Y N Y N N N
Tries must be valid words N N N N Y Y
Cost of invalid words 0 0 0 0 50 Game Over
Maximum score 100 200 300 400 500 600
Cost of a try 10 20 30 40 50 60


Scores List

When the game is finished the list of scores is displayed. There is a separate entry for each name / level combination. If there are already nine entries in the list when a game is finished for a new name / level, the entry which was least recently updated is replaced.

Each entry in the list shows the player name, the level, the number of games played at that level and the player's average score.

The most recent entry is highlighted and is used as the default for the next game.

The scores list can also be displayed by selecting Scores from the Game menu.

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5. Documentation

All of the documentation for MasterWord is contained in this file.

Select Instructions from the Game menu to see an on-line summary of the playing instructions.

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6. Ordering Information

6.1 Free Trial Version

The trial version of MasterWord is available free of charge so you can check how useful it will be to you. It has all of the features of the full registered version except that only the first two levels can be used and there are only 10 different words to guess.

You are free to distribute the trial version. It may be given away to anyone, included on CD-ROM libraries, uploaded to WWW pages, ftp sites and bulletin boards, etc. as long as it is distributed in its complete original form. NOTE: DO NOT distribute registered copies of Word Jubbler without the expressed written consent of the author.
 

6.2 Ordering MasterWord

The full version of MasterWord includes the four additional skill levels and more than 1500 words to guess. You can order the full version using your credit card online.

Go to the CFB Software Website at

www.cfbsoftware.com

Select MasterWord and then select Order from the menu. Follow the instructions to place your order.

Note: DO NOT distribute registered copies of MasterWord without the expressed written consent of the author.

Note: MasterWord is available by download only. It is not distributed on floppy disks, CD or other media.
 

6.3 Refund Policy

CFB Software's products are provided as trial versions that can be downloaded via our website. Use these 'try-before-you-buy' versions to ensure that they are compatible with your computer systems and satisfy all of your requirements before purchasing a full version.  All sales of full version licences are final. Once the access details for the full version have been issued they cannot be cancelled. Thus we are only able to provide refunds for accidental duplicate orders.

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7. List of Files

The MasterWord package consists of a single WinZip-compatible compressed file MasterWord.zip 

After running WinZip the following files are created in the directory that you specified:

MasterWord.prc   The program that you install on your Palm or compatible device.
MasterWordDB.pdb   Installed word list (full version only)
ReadMe.htm   This file
Agid.txt   Word List Copyright Information
Beale.txt   Word List Copyright Information

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8. Licence Agreement

You should carefully read the following terms and conditions before using this software. Your use of this software indicates your acceptance of this licence agreement and disclaimer.

Trial Version

There are no restrictions to the number of handheld computers that the trial version of MasterWord may be installed on, or the number of people that can use it at any one time.

Full Version

The full version of MasterWord may be installed on one or more handheld computers but only if they are all owned by the individual in whose name this licence to use it was purchased. Additional copies of the full version must be purchased if more than one copy of the licensed program is to be used at any one time.

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9. Disclaimer

MasterWord is used entirely at the risk of the user. Although great care has been taken to eliminate defects during the development of MasterWord, it is not claimed to be fault-free. No claims are made regarding its correctness, reliability or fitness for any particular purpose. The Author shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages, loss of data or personal injury in connection with furnishing, performance, or use of this material.

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10. Acknowledgements

The word list used by MasterWord is a modified subset of the

2of12inf.txt word list compiled by Alan Beale
biljir@pobox.com

which in turn is derived from

AGID 2000 Kevin Atkinson
kevina@users.sourceforge.net

See the included files Agid.txt and Beale.txt for more information.

The validity of any subsequent deletions or additions to the MasterWord word list is determined by reference to the

Concise Oxford Dictionary
Ninth Edition ⌐ May 2000, Oxford University Press.


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