Copyright: Copyright © 1996 MCSWare
Citation: Copyright © 1996 MCSWare


Contents

Overview

Playing Pieces

Control Buttons

Rules of the Game

More About MCSWare


Overview

Quomino is a one- or two-player board game for people of all ages.  The object is to gain control over as much of the board as possible by maneuvering your and your opponent's pieces into Quominoes of your own color.  With three different board sizes available, Quomino can be a quick, fun distraction, or a mind-bending challenge.  The built-in computer player can be an easy match for new players or a formidable adversary, at the player's choice.  To paraphrase a slogan from another world-famous board game, "A moment to learn, a lifetime to master."

Playing Pieces

Control Buttons

Rules of the Game

More About MCSWare


Playing Pieces

This is the primary playing piece, called an Omino.  Each player has an unlimited supply, which are placed on the board during the course of the game.  An Omino may be rotated to lie in any of the following four configurations:

    Omino configurations.

When four Ominoes appear on the board in the configuration shown to the left, they are removed from the board, and a black Quomino is put in their place.  A black Quomino looks like this:

 Black Quomino.

When four Ominoes appear in this configuration, a white Quomino is placed on the board instead:

 White Quomino.

Once a Quomino has been placed on the board, it may not be moved, and other Ominoes may not be placed on top of it.

Overview

Control Buttons

Rules of the Game

More About MCSWare


Rules of the Game

The rules of Quomino are fairly simple.  The human and the computer take turns completing moves.  (The human always moves first in this version of Quomino.)  A move consists of one of the following:

1)	A new Omino is placed in an empty square, and then rotated to the desired orientation, or

2)	An Omino which is already on the board is rotated to the desired orientation.

Once an Omino is placed on the board, only that Omino may then be rotated during that move.

Once an Omino is rotated, no Omino may be placed on the board, nor may any other Omino be rotated, during that move.

A player may not rotate an Omino in two consecutive moves, without placing one on the board.  If a player rotated an existing Omino in his or her last move, that player must place a new Omino on the board for the next move.

At the end of each player's move, any newly-formed Quominoes are placed on the board.  Also, any squares which are taken out of play by the formation of a new Quomino (i.e., that square is precluded from ever becoming part of a Quomino) are so marked.

The game ends when it is no longer possible to create a new Quomino.  At that time, the player with the most Quominoes wins.

Overview

Playing Pieces

Control Buttons

More About MCSWare


More About MCSWare

MCSWare is a provider of quality shareware and inexpensively distributed software serving a wide range of individual needs.  We hope you have enjoyed playing Quomino, and that you will look for the following upcoming products:

MCS ParaLogic -	Use your PC's parallel port as a low-cost eight channel (5 in, 3 out) logic analyzer.  Flexible output functions, triggering, display, and logging.  (Requires DB25 to probe-tip cable, available from MCSWare - or build one yourself from the included schematic.)  Estimated price:  $59.95 + cable - available August '96.

MCS Sysop -	Keep track of computing and networking assets for small to medium-sized offices and businesses.  Generate network diagrams, application usage, print and file server usage, etc.  Estimated price:  $54.95 - available October '96.

MCS Response -	Design vented, sealed, and other types of loudspeakers, including crossovers, driver subenclosures, etc.  Produce individual driver and overall system amplitude and phase graphs.  Generate diagrams and parts lists for simplified construction.  Estimated price:  $49.95 - available December '96.


Omino
Omino seemed like a logical name; a domino has two distinct halves; Martin Gardiner's Pentominoes are composed of five squares; so such a piece consisting of only one square is an Omino, isn't it?  If you have a better name, feel free to use it.


Control Buttons

At the top of the Quomino playing board, there are three control buttons which are used to play the game.

Use this button to place a new Omino on the board.  When you press it, the mouse cursor will change to look like the button.  Move the cursor to the empty square where you want to place the piece and click.  The cursor will change to look like the rotate button described below, and will behave as if that button had just been pressed, except that you can only rotate the Omino you just placed on the board (see Rules of the Game).

Use this button to rotate an Omino that is already on the board.  When you press it, the mouse cursor will change to look like the button.  Move the cursor to the piece you want to rotate and click.  The piece will rotate a quarter-turn clockwise.  You may continue to rotate this piece as often as you like, but you may not rotate any other piece during that turn (see Rules of the Game).

Use this button to let Quomino know that you have finished your turn.  You may not use this button until you have placed or rotated at least one piece (see Rules of the Game).

Overview

Playing Pieces

Rules of the Game

More About MCSWare