Copyright: Canasta 4.1 for Windows 95 and NT   Fri Jun 27 21:42:33 1997
Citation: Canasta is Copyright © 1993-1997 by Mark-Jan Harte


What is Canasta
Introduction

Canasta is a card game, which has been played for many decades. It developed in Uruguay in the fifties at the Punta del Este beach, and has become popular all over the world. The word ‘canasta’ is Spanish for basket.

Canasta is played with two decks of cards, with 54 cards each: 52 standard cards, plus two Jokers. Canasta can be played with two to four players, but in this Windows version there are always two players: you and your opponent. The opponent can either be your computer or another person (when playing over a network).

Overview of the game

 Your goal is to beat your opponent by scoring more points than (s)he does. You score points by melding cards, and making as many canastas as possible.

 Each player starts with 15 cards in hand. Yours are visible at the bottom of the window.

 Both players take turns in drawing one card from the stock, and discarding one card on the discard pile (in that order). Both players take turns in drawing the first card.

 After drawing a card, a player may meld cards if (s)he wants to. Cards are melded in columns of at least three cards; e.g. you can meld three Kings, or four Fives. You cannot meld sequences like Four-Five-Six. Once a card has been melded, it cannot be taken back into the hand (except with the Undo meld option).

 When a player has melded his cards, he ends his turn by discarding a card. At that point, his melded cards are checked to see if they conform to the canasta rules. Discarding a card is not necessary if the player can go out by melding all of his cards.

 Instead of drawing a card from the stock, a player may take the entire discard pile. However, this is only allowed if he can directly meld the top card.

 A hand is over when one of the players has no cards left in his hand, or when there are no cards left on the stock. The scores of both players are then computed, and a new hand is dealt. A player can only finish a hand when he has at least one or two canastas, depending on the setting of the corresponding option.

 Click this button to show or change this option.

 A game of canasta is over when one of the players reaches 5,000 points.


Melding a card
Melding a card means playing it from your hand to the table, so that it becomes visible to the other player. It is done by left-clicking on the card.


Discarding a card
Discarding a card means playing it from your hand to the discard pile. This ends the turn, and is done by right-double clicking on the card (or by right-clicking, depending on the setting of the corresponding option).

 Click this button to show or change this option.


Rules of Canasta
Rules

The rules in Canasta for Windows follow ‘Hoyle’s Rules of Games’. The options mentioned below all refer to the Options\Rules dialog box.

 Click this button to open this dialog box.

The rules are defined as follows:

 If a rank is melded, it must contain at least three cards on the table.

 It is possible to add a wildcard to a column of cards of any rank on the table. The wildcard is then seen as a card of that rank (but the value remains unchanged). However, there may never be more wildcards than natural cards within one column.

 At the beginning of a hand, the top card of the stock is automatically turned around and placed on the discard pile. If this card is a Red Three or a wildcard, the procedure is repeated until the top card of the discard pile is neither a Red Three nor a wildcard.

 When a new hand is dealt, the hands of both players are checked to see if they contain a Red Three. If there is one, that Three is then automatically melded, and an extra card is dealt to the hand out of which it came. This procedure is repeated until neither player has any Red Threes left in his hand.

 Black Threes may not be melded, except when the player can go out by melding a column of three or four Black Threes, or two Black Threes and a wildcard. These Black Threes must then be the last cards to be melded.

 The discard pile can be frozen by discarding a wildcard or a Red Three. A freeze is indicated by an asterisk ( * ) and means that both players are only allowed to take the discard pile if they can meld the top card using only the cards in their hand, as if they had no cards on the table.

For example, if the discard pile is frozen and the top card is a Seven, the pile may only be taken if the player has two Sevens in his hand, even though he has a column of three Sevens on the table. Also, no wildcards may be used in melding: if he has one Seven and a wildcard in hand - instead of two Sevens- he may not take the discard pile.

 If you have taken the discard pile but discover that you cannot use the top card, you can restore the pile by clicking on it. This carries a penalty of 50 points.

 It is never allowed to take the discard pile when the top card is a Black Three, a Red Three or a wildcard. Thus, Black Threes can be used as a refrigerator for a single turn.

 The first time a player melds cards in a hand, their value must be at least a certain minimum. When a player goes out in one turn (‘goes out concealed’), this requirement does not apply.

 A player can only go out when he has at least one or two canastas, depending on the Canastas needed to go out setting. If a player has less than this number of canastas, and only has one card left that he should discard, he has to ‘pass the discard’, i.e., he does not discard that last card.

 Taking a discard pile that only contains one card is never allowed if you only have one card in your hand.

 When there are no more cards on the stock a special situation occurs:

1. If the discard pile is not frozen and you can add the top discard to one of your melds, you must take that top discard. Only that card is removed from the pile; you do not receive the rest. You must discard normally.

2. If you can take the discard pile in the normal way, you may. You must discard normally.

3. If you can do neither, press the ‘End Hand’ button that appears in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. You do not have to discard.


Registering
Registering Canasta

The Shareware Concept

Canasta is a shareware program. This means that it is not free, but you can use it without payment for an unlimited time.

The evaluation version of Canasta has full functionality and no timeout limit. You can try everything so you have the opportunity to try the game before registering.

The only limitation is that there are 25 different hands available. These hands are dealt in random order for as long as you want. After 25 hands you will notice that certain hands will start to reappear.

When you decide you want the full game with billions of different hands, you need to register. You will then receive a registration key that you can enter in the Register menu. You only have to do that once; the key will remain valid for future updates of Canasta.

If you decide not to purchase the full version, it is possible to uninstall Canasta from your harddisk.

If you like this game and support the shareware concept, please register.

Get in Touch with other Players

And the best thing: when you register you can get in touch with other Canasta fans!

You receive a free listing on the Canasta for Windows website. This means that you will be listed on the Canasta Internet Player List so that other Canasta players can contact you for a network game - and you can contact them as well. Just check the option on the registration form and you will be included - no extra charge!

If you register via Compuserve (SWREG) and want to be included because you also have an Internet address, or you have registered a version of Canasta older than 4.0, send an email to mharte@inter.nl.net and we’ll include you.

The price of Canasta is $19.95 (US) or the equivalent in a European currency. See Prices for a pricelist in other currencies.

For ordering instructions, follow this link.


How to Register
Ordering Information

You can register in the following ways:

 Online via the Canasta for Windows website:

Go to http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mharte/register.htm to register online using secure encryption technology. You will need a credit card to order this way.

 Bank transfer:

Dutch residents can transfer f29,95 to PostBank account nr 4375889 or ABN AMRO Bank account nr 619391367 in name of M.J. Harte in Amsterdam.

Please state your name and address on the comment line of the transfer because the bank does not include it automatically.

 Online via Compuserve:

Members of CompuServe can GO SWREG (the Shareware Registration Forum) and register Canasta electronically using their credit card. When prompted, enter 3124 as the product number. The registration fee will be billed automatically towards your monthly Compuserve fee - you do not have to enter your creditcard information.

 Cheques or cash by snail mail (worldwide):

Cash payments and personal checks for $19.95 (US, see Prices) through the mail are accepted. Checks must be made payable to ‘Mark-Jan Harte’.

Checks must be in US dollars and drawn on a US bank. For ALL other checks, money orders etc. a premium of $10 must be added to compensate for extra bank charges.

 Eurocheques by snail mail (Europe):

European residents can pay with Eurocheques. Eurocheques must be in Dutch guilders (NLG 29.95). Please remember the code on the back!

Registrations via normal mail should be sent to the following address:

Mark-Jan Harte

Cort v.d. Lindenlaan 84

1412 CB Naarden

The Netherlands

When paying with cash or a check, please print and fill out the Registration Form topic in this Help file or the REGISTER.TXT file for easy registration. You can then use the printout to fold the money or check in, so that it is not visible from the outside.

When your payment is received, you will be sent a registration key for Canasta. You can use this key to register your copy and remove the 25-hand limit. Your key will remain valid for future updates of Canasta, so you do not have to pay an upgrade fee for each new version that is released.

You will not receive a disk or email with a copy of Canasta - you already have the full version.

See also:

Getting the latest version

Contacting the Author

Registration Form


How to Play
Canasta Screen

Click on the various parts of the Canasta screen to bring up information on their meaning.

See also: Controls


Definition of a Canasta
A Canasta is a column of at least seven cards of the same rank, which may include wildcards (e.g., seven Kings or four Kings and three wildcards). If all cards are non-wildcards, the canasta is called natural, otherwise it is called mixed.

A wildcard canasta made of seven wildcards is also allowed. This is like the opposite of a natural canasta, and does not occur very often.


Definition of a Black Three
A Black Three is a Three of Spades or a Three of Clubs.


Scoring

Card Values and Bonuses

The cards have the following point values:

Card	Value
Four, Five, Six, Seven, Black Three	5
Eight, Nine, Ten, Jack, Queen, King	10
Deuce, Ace	20
Joker	50
Red Three	100

The following bonuses are awarded:

 A mixed canasta is worth 300 points, a natural canasta 500 points, and a wildcard canasta 1,000 points.

 The player that goes out gets a bonus of 100 points. If this player had no cards (except Red Threes) on the table directly before going out (‘goes out concealed’), this bonus is doubled to 200 points.

 If a player has all four Red Threes on the table, their score of 400 points is doubled to 800 points.

 If a player goes out and his opponent has melded nothing but Red Threes, the value of those Red Threes is deducted from his opponent’s score.

Total Score

At the end of a hand, the total score is calculated as follows:

1.	The sum of the values of the cards on the table forms the initial score value.

2.	Bonuses for canastas, going out and Red Threes are added to the score.

3.	The values of the cards in hand are deducted from the score.

However, if you have selected Yes in the Canasta required for positive score option, this calculation is only valid if you have at least the number of canastas as it is shown in the Canastas needed to go out setting ! If not, a negative score results consisting of the sum of the values of the cards in your hand and on the table. It is therefore always wise to get a canasta quickly, so that you don’t run the risk of holding a large collection of cards if your opponent goes out.

If you have selected No, the above does not apply.

 Click this button to show or change this option.

Minimum

The first time in a hand that a player melds cards the sum of their values must be at least a certain minimum. This minimum depends on your current score in the following way:

Score	Minimum

Less than 0	15
Between 0 and 1495	50
Between 1500 and 2995	90
3000 or More	120
Notes

 The values of any Red Threes never contribute to the required minimum. Canastas contribute only if the corresponding option is enabled.  Click this button to show or change this option.

 If you turn off the option Top card counts for initial meld, you must add the value of the top card to the minimum needed when taking the discard pile. E.g., if the minimum is 50 and you took an Ace from the pile, you must have 50 + 20 = 70 points on the table to get the rest of the pile. The value of the Ace is thus not counted toward the 50 point minimum.  Click this button to show or change this option.

 If you took the top card of the discard pile but you discover that you cannot use it, you can put it back by clicking on the pile again. This carries a penalty of 50 points.


Definition of a Red Three
A Red Three is a Three of Diamonds or a Three of Hearts.


Definition of a Wildcard
A wildcard is either a Joker or a Deuce of any suit. There are four Jokers and eight Deuces in the game, making a total of twelve wildcards.


Game Menu

The Game Menu has the following items:

New

This item starts a new game; the scores are set to 0, and a new hand is dealt.

You must use this if you want to change the rule options: they are disabled during a game. Starting a new game will allow you to change them.

Load...

This item lets you resume a game of Canasta that you saved earlier. Your current game will be lost.

Save...

This item lets you save your current game of Canasta. The suggested name is the name of the current player plus the extension .can.

 Click this button to show the player definition screen.

HiScores...

This item brings up the highscore window.

Win Ratio...

This item shows you the win ratio statistics for a player.

Undo Meld

This item moves the last card you melded back into your hand.

The number of melds undo ‘remembers’ is limited only by memory size, however due to the rules of Canasta you cannot undo the following things:

1) Discarding a card.

2) Melding cards that you were forced to meld to get the discard pile.

You can undo taking the discard pile by clicking on it again.

Undo All

Selecting this item undoes all melds in this turn.

Exit

This item exits from Canasta. If you set the option Autosave on Exit in the Options screen, your game will be saved automatically. Otherwise, your current game will be discarded. If you want to keep it, press F4 before exiting to save the game to disk.

 Click this button to show or change this option.


Options Menu

The Options Menu has the following items:

Customize...

This item brings up the Customize dialog box in which you can personalize your copy of Canasta.

Decks...

This item brings up the Cardback dialog box where you can determine the kind of card back you want. You can set different card backs for each of the two decks.

Sound...

This item brings up the Sound dialog box where you can customize the sounds that Canasta uses.

Rules...

This item brings up the Rules dialog box in which you can set and view the rules for Canasta.


Help Menu

The Help Menu has the following items:

Help Topics...

This item starts the Canasta help system.

About

This item brings up a dialog which gives information about Canasta and shows your name, if you have registered the game.


Shortcut Keys
Accelerator Keys

The following keys can be used as shortcuts for items in the game menu and help menu:

Key	Menu Equivalent
F1	Help Topics…
F2	Game | New
F3	Game | Load
F4	Game | Save
Del	Game | Undo meld
Ctrl+Del	Game | Undo All
There are keyboard equivalents for the mouse actions:

Key	Action
F6	Draw card
F7	Take discard pile
F8	Meld card
F9	Add wildcard
F10	Discard card


Credits

I would like to thank the following people, who have helped me in various ways with the development of Canasta:

	Thank you for :
Raymond Arts	Testing
Wim Bax	Introducing me to Canasta, Testing & Sound
Eva Bendix	Testing & Design
Angelo de Crook	Testing network functionality
Arjan de Gast	Testing
Ger & Mieke Harte	Financial and moral support
Paul Johannsen	Suggestions, Distribution & Hardware Supply
Silvia de Kloe	Testing
Sacha Prins	Technical advice
Stuart Williamson	Having a great time

Of the numerous people who made suggestions, I want to mention the following:

Lee Deuell, who did his best to get me some .wavs (but failed miserably);

Michelle Hébert, who teaches me French (but will fail miserably);

Paul Johannsen, my American Godfather (but who won’t get an Oscar);

John McElroy, for pointing me to ICQ.

To you, and to all the others who made a contribution: Thanks, people!

Mark-Jan Harte

June 27, 1997


Register Menu Item
Registration

Enter here your User Name and Registration Key that you receive when you register Canasta (see Registering). If the key fits the name, your copy of Canasta is automatically upgraded to the registered version. The key only has to be entered once.

The Register menu item is removed after a successful registration.


Contacting the Author
Product Support

If you

 Have a question about Canasta;

 Want to report a bug;

 Have a comment or suggestion;

 Want to convince yourself of the existence of product support;

 Want to send me a birthday card (September 26);

You can contact me in the following ways:

My name:	Mark-Jan Harte

Regular mail:	Cort v.d. Lindenlaan 84

1412 CB Naarden

The Netherlands

Web Site:	http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mharte

CompuServe:	100407,2632

Internet:	mharte@inter.nl.net

If you report a bug, please include the version of Canasta you are using and all rule options that were enabled when the problem occurred. This makes it easier to find the error in the program.


Registration Form

Canasta 4.1 for Windows 95 and NT Registration Form

Mark-Jan Harte
Cort v.d. Lindenlaan 84	Internet: mharte@inter.nl.net
1412 CB Naarden	CompuServe: 100407,2632
The Netherlands
___________________________________________________________

Date	__________
Personal Info
First Name	____________________
Last Name	____________________
Address	__________________________________________
City	____________________
State/Country	____________________
Zip/Postal Code	____________________
Fax*	____________________

E-mail address*	_____________________________________________

please print clearly

[  ] Check here if you want a free listing on the Canasta Internet Players List on

the Canasta for Windows Website.

How did you get Canasta ?*___________________________________

Order Info
Item	Price	Number	Amount
Registration Fee	$19.95	____	____
Premium for checks and money orders not in US dollars or not drawn on a US bank	$10.00	____	____
Total Amount			____

* : not required

Note 1:	Checks must be made payable to ‘Mark-Jan Harte’.

Note 2:	Eurocheques must be in Dutch guilders (NLG 29.95) and completely filled out,

including the code on the back.


Fequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When will there be a version for more (4) players? Playing in pairs is fun!

A: I know, but there is a problem with the screen space. There’s already a problem fitting two hands on the screen, let alone four. I’m thinking about how to solve this, but no promises.

Q: When will there be Samba (consecutive) Canasta?

A: I know about it, and a version is planned. However, this is a long-term project and no schedule is known for its release.

Q: Are you an American living in Europe?

A: Nope, I’m Dutch born and raised. My language has downgraded from Dutch to English after watching too many American movies and reading Stephen King novels :-).

Q: Is there a Canasta version for the Mac?

A: Not for version 4.1, but a future Java version of Canasta is planned.


Mouse Controls
Mouse and Keyboard Controls

Mouse

The mouse buttons have different functions, depending on the area of the Canasta window the cursor is placed over. They are listed here for reference:

Area	Left click	ctrl + left click	shift + left click	Right click
Card in hand	Meld one	Meld three	Meld all	Discard*
Melded card	Add wildcard		Add wildcards until canasta
Melded red three				Discard**
Stock	Draw card
Discard pile	1- Take pile 2- Undo taking pile

*: This is a double right click if you set the Discarding setting to ‘Double right click’.

 Click this button to show or change this option.

**: This is only allowed if you set the rule option Freeze discard pile.

 Click this button to show or change this option.

Melding a column of two cards will automatically cause a wildcard to be added (if available).

Keyboard

There are keyboard equivalents for the mouse actions:

Key	Action
F6	Draw card
F7	Take discard pile
F8	Meld card
F9	Add wildcard
F10	Discard card


Prices

Canasta can be paid for with most common Western currencies. The preferred currency is American dollars, but the following are also acceptable:

Currency	Canasta Price
US dollar	$19.95
Australian dollar	$24.95
Canadian dollar	$24.95
Dutch guilder	ƒ29.95
English pound	£12.99
French franc	FF99.95
German Mark	DM 29.95


Stock

The cards which have not been used yet.

At the beginning of your turn, you can take a card from the stock by left-clicking on it with the mouse.

Above the stock is a number that indicates how many cards there are on it.


Discard pile

The cards which have been discarded.

At the end of your turn, you must add a card to this pile by right-double clicking on the card you want to discard (or by right-clicking, depending on the corresponding option.)

Below the discard pile is a number that indicates how many cards there are on it. An asterisk ( * ) before this number means that the discard pile is frozen, i.e., there is a wildcard or a Red Three in the discard pile.

At the beginning of your turn, you can take the entire pile by left-clicking on it.

If it is frozen, or if you have no cards on the table of the same rank as the top card (e.g., the top card is an Eight, but you have not played any Eights to the table yet), you will first only receive the top card.

When you have added two cards from your hand to the top card (so that there is a column of at least three cards), you receive the rest of the discard pile.

However, if you had zero points on the table before taking the discard pile, you must have melded at least the minimum amount of points.

If you left-clicked on the discard pile by mistake, you can put the top card back by left-clicking on the discard pile again. However, this is only possible if you have not yet received the rest of the pile in your hand, and it carries a penalty of 50 points.


Cards in Player's Hand
Cards in Player’s hand

The cards you have in your hand. These cards are not visible to the computer (trust me, it does not cheat).

 Melding a card is done by left-clicking on it. If you want to undo your last move, use the Undo Meld option in the Game menu.

 You can meld a complete column of cards by holding down SHIFT while left-clicking on one of the cards. This saves you the trouble of clicking five times to meld five cards.

 Holding down CTRL while clicking melds as many cards as needed to have a column of three cards on the table. This is useful if you want to meld, but also want to keep some cards in reserve.

 Discarding a card is done by right-double clicking on the card. This ends your turn.

 Adding a wildcard to a column of cards on the table is done by left-clicking on a melded column. Pressing SHIFT while clicking will add as many wildcards as necessary to create a canasta (if possible).

Note that adding a wildcard to a column is only possible if this column is non-empty.


Cards in Computer's Hand
Cards in Opponent’s hand

The cards your opponent has in his hand. You can sneak a peek at them with the special key combination Ctrl+F11.


Area for Player's Cards
Space for Player’s cards on the table

The area of the screen where your melded cards are placed.


Area for Computer's Cards
Space for Opponent’s cards on the table

The area of the screen where the melded cards of your opponent are placed.


Discarding
Indicates whether discarding a card should be done by one or two right clicks.

If you are having problems with the mouse buttons, and sometimes press the right mouse button when it should be the left one, you should select ‘two right clicks’.

If you never press the wrong button, you can select ‘one right click’ to speed up the game.


Level of Computer
Sets the intelligence level of the computer. The higher you set it, the more opposition the computer will give you.

The level cannot be changed during the game.


Background Color
Selects the background color of the Canasta window. Press the Change button to choose a different color.


Melding Speed
Sets the speed with which the computer melds cards. Increase this value if you want a longer look at each of the cards that the computer melds.


Save on Exit
Check this to save your game automatically when you exit the game. It is saved as ‘autosave.can’ and will be automatically loaded next time you run Canasta.

When this option is not checked, the existing autosaved game (if any) will be erased.


Window Size
Sets the size of the Canasta window.

The first number is the horizontal, and the second number the vertical screen size. If your computer does not support a particular resolution, it will be disabled.


Canasta Required
Check this to indicate that Canastas are needed to make the value of the cards on the table count positively, when a hand is finished.

If you uncheck this, the cards on the table will always add to the score, regardless of whether you have made a Canasta or not.

If you check this, the cards on the table will only add to your score if you have made at least the number of Canastas indicated by the Canastas needed to go out setting, otherwise their value will be deducted from the score.

The default setting is unchecked.


Canastas needed to go out
Specifies whether one or two canastas are needed before a player is allowed to go out.

The default setting is One.


Cards drawn each turn
Specifies the number of cards each player must draw in each turn.

The default setting is One.


Draw Extra card
Specifies whether it is allowed to draw a second card from the stock, when the first drawn card is a Red Three.

The default setting is Yes.


Freeze discard pile
Specifies whether it is allowed to use a Red Three to freeze the discard pile as with a wildcard. Discarding a Red Three is done by right-clicking on it, as with an ordinary discard.

The default setting is No.


Add top card to canasta
Specifies whether it is allowed to take the discard pile by adding the top card to a canasta you have made on the table.

The default setting is Yes.


Top card counts for initial meld
Specifies whether the value of the top card of the discard pile counts for the required minimum, when you use the pile to create your initial meld in a hand.

The default setting is Yes.


Initially frozen
Specifies whether the discard pile is frozen, when a new hand of cards is dealt. This is regardless of whether there is a wildcard or Red Three in the pile!

If you have checked this (so there is always an asterisk in front of the pile counter), you can see if there are wildcards in the pile by looking at the counter. If it is larger than one, there must be some ‘hidden treasure’.

If you have unchecked,this,  the pile will only be initially frozen if there is a wildcard or Red Three in it.

The default setting is Yes.


Natural pair required
Specifies whether a natural pair of cards is required to take the discard pile. That is, you can take a Nine from the pile if you have two Nines in your hand, but not with one Nine and a wildcard.


Statusbar
Check this to show the statusbar at the bottom of the screen.


Score Statusbar
Score Status

The current score is expressed with four numbers. From left to right:

1  Your current meld. Your minimum meld is shown in brackets if you have not reached it yet.

2  Your opponent’s current meld.

3  Your current score.

4  Your opponent’s current score.


Current Cardback
Shows the card back that is currently in use for the selected deck.


Cardback Type
Selects the type of card back. The  following options are available:

Solid Color	A solid color card back.
Standard Pattern	One of the ten predefined card backs.
Custom pattern	Any bitmap that you can select yourself. It  will be automatically resized to fit the card size.

Press the Change... button  to change the current selection.


Draw First Message
Check this to activate messages on who draws first this hand.


Highscores
Check this to show new highscore entries during a match. If you turn this option off, new entries will have a default name and the Hall of Fame will not be shown.


Current Player
The name of the currently selected player. If there are no players defined, it will display a default name. Note that no win ratio will be created in that case.


Player List
The list of all players. One of these is the current player whose win ratio will be updated. You can define a maximum of 10 players.


New Player
Creates a new player.


Rename Player
Renames the selected player.


Delete Player
Deletes the selected player.


Reset Statistics
Resets the win ratio statistics for the selected player.


Set as Current Player
Makes the selected player the current player.


Aggressiveness
Sets the aggressiveness of the computer. You can set this value to match your own style. High aggression is expressed by fast melding and quick going out.

This setting only functions on Expert level.


Card Animation
Sets the speed with which cards are moved across the screen. Check No Animation to disable card animation. This may be needed if you have a very slow videocard.


Music Enabled
Check this to enable the playing of background music.

If you do not hear music when this is enabled, verify that your MIDI driver is correctly installed. Do this by playing a .MID file through the Windows Media Player. If you still hear nothing,  the driver is incorrectly installed.


Music Type
Select Single Music File to play one song repeatedly, or select Jukebox Folder to play all songs in that folder in random order.

The ... buttons open a file or folder dialog where you can specify the file or folder you want.


Enable Sound
Check this to enable the sound effects of Canasta.


Canasta Event
Shows all events that can occur in Canasta, and that can have one or more sounds associated with them. Scroll through the list to see all of them.


Associated Sounds
Shows the sounds that are associated with the event selected in the Canasta Events list box. The sound file shown here will be played when its associated event occurs.

When there is more than one sound file, one of them will be picked randomly. A maximum of three sounds may be associated with any event.


Add button
Brings up a file dialog where you can browse your system for sound files to add to the association list.

Canasta plays sound files with the .WAV format only.


Remove button
Removes the currently selected sound file from the association list. It does not erase it from your disk. You can remove all sounds; in that case no sound will be played when the event occurs.


Play button
Plays the currently selected sound file.


Default button
Resets the association for the current event to the default. Pressing this button affects only the current event, not the other ones.


Getting the latest Version

The latest version of Canasta can be downloaded from the Canasta for Windows website:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mharte/download.htm

Canasta is also available on CompuServe (WINFUN forum, Cardgames section), AOL, MSN, Reasonable Solutions, Software Labs and many CD-ROMS. These may show a delay in getting the latest version, however. For latest updates, try the Web site.

Registered users can also download from these places; their registration info will remain valid.


Statusbar Info
Statusbar

This area shows messages about menu items, errors and other information on the game in progress.


Closes this dialog box and saves all the changes you have made.


Closes this dialog box without saving any changes you have made.


Saves all the changes you have made without closing this dialog box.


Opens the dialog box where you can change the current card back.


Opens the dialog box where you can change the current background color.


This dialog shows detailed information on the score you and your opponent achieved in the previous hand. The  Number column shows the number of cards or other items, and the Value column shows their total value.


Clears all entries for the currently displayed highscore list. Only the visible list is cleared; all others are left unchanged. You cannot undo clearing a table, so be careful using it.


Selects the type of highscores displayed. Hand means the highest score for a single hand, Match means the highest score over a whole match to 5,000 points.

A highscore is calculated as the difference between your own score and your opponent’s score. E.g., if you have a score of 1,500 and your opponent has 700, your score will be 800.


A highscore is calculated as the difference between your own score and your opponent’s score. E.g., if you have a score of 1,500 and your opponent has 700, your score will be 800.


Selects the difficulty level. Separate highscore lists are kept for each level.

A highscore is calculated as the difference between your own score and your opponent’s score. E.g., if you have a score of 1,500 and your opponent has 700, your score will be 800.


This dialog shows the top ten highscores, along with the name of the player that achieved them and the date this remarkable feat was recorded in history.

A highscore is calculated as the difference between your own score and your opponent’s score. E.g., if you have a score of 1,500 and your opponent has 700, your score will be 800.


Network Menu
Network

The Network Menu has the following items:

Connect to Opponent...

This item brings up the dialog box where you can start a connection with your opponent.

Rule Differences…

During a network game, this item brings up the dialog box where you can view the rule differences that exists between you and your opponent. If there are no such differences, the dialog will not display.

Disconnect

During a network game, this item disconnects you from the current network connection, or it will stop waiting for that connection. Your opponent will get a notification of this.

Chat window always on top

Indicates whether the chat window stays on top of the Canasta window when it loses the focus.


Click this to reset the win ratio statistics for the currently shown player. Both the wins and losses counters will be set to 0.


Use this to select the player whose win ratio statistics are shown below. If you did not specify any players in the Customize dialog box, the list is empty.


This screen shows the amount of wins and losses a certain player has had. No distinction is made between different skill levels or rule settings. Since these may affect the win ratio (= percentage of wins), it is best to reset the data when you go to a different skill level.


Check this to use the bonus value of Canastas for the initial meld.

When checked, making a Canasta will suffice for the initial meld since the bonus is at least 300 and the initial meld is at most 120.

When unchecked, only the card values of the cards in the Canasta are counted.


Contains four options to customize the rules that have to do with the discard pile.


Contains two options to customize the rules that have to do with Red Threes.


Specifies the deck for which you want to set the card back color or pattern.

Canasta is played with two decks, so you can select either deck 1 or deck 2.


Show the folder structure of the current drive. Click on a folder to select it.


Use this combobox to select a drive of your system.


Provides a space for you to type your nickname. This is the name under which your opponent will know you.


Specifies that your network game will be played over a Local Area Network.

Your LAN IP number will be shown in the Your own IP Numbers list box.


Use this to specify whether you want to play over a LAN or over the Internet. You must supply either the IP number or the email address of your opponent.


Provides a space for you to type the IP number or host name of your opponent. The last ten entries are stored.

Note: if you type a host name, make sure it is listed in your ‘hosts’ file.


Specifies that your network game will be played over the Internet.

Your Internet IP number will be shown in the Your own IP Numbers list box.


Shows the IP numbers of your own computer.

You can have more than one address, if you have multiple network cards or active Internet connections. If that is the case, this listbox shows the IP numbers for the selected network type (Internet or LAN) only.

When connecting using IP numbers, you must communicate to your opponent the IP number that is shown here. (S)he needs it to connect to you.


Refreshes the list of IP numbers. You can do this after connecting to the Internet to verify that a new IP number has been added.


Connects you to your opponent. The statusbar at the bottom of the window informs you of the progress.


Network Play Concepts

Instead of playing against the computer, Canasta allows you to play against another person. This way, every move you do is sent to the computer of your opponent and vice versa. The location of your opponent does not matter: (s)he can be your neighbour or someone halfway across the world.

Chat window

A chat window is opened when a connection is established. This window allows you to type messages to your opponent to compliment him/her with a victory, or to protest a particularly nasty piece of Canasta play.

Rules

It is possible that your opponent has set his rule options differently from yours. Since you don’t want to play with different rules, Canasta will detect this and show you a list of the inconsistent settings. You can change these after negotiating with your opponent via the chat window. Don’t both change them, or you will be stuck in the reverse situation.

There are two ways to play with another person: over a LAN, or over the Internet.

Playing over a LAN

Playing over the Internet

TCP/IP

Canasta uses the TCP/IP protocol. This protocol lets your computer talk to the computer of your opponent. It is used for the Internet, but you can also use it in a LAN.

Learn how to install TCP/IP support.

Ladder Competition

Click here for more information on the Canasta Internet ladder competition.


Playing over a LAN

What you need to play

In order to play Canasta over a LAN the following conditions must be fulfilled:

 Your computer has a network card

 You have installed TCP/IP support for this network card

 Both computers are connected to the same Local Area Network (LAN)

Learn how to install TCP/IP support.

You need to know the IP number of your opponent in order to connect to him/her. Your opponent can tell you that by opening the Network | Connect to Opponent window. His IP number is shown there.

Steps to follow

Follow these steps to start a network game:

1	On the Network menu, select Connect to Opponent.

2	In the following dialog, do the following:

3	Type your own nickname.

4	Click LAN as the Play over selection.

5	Type the IP Number of your opponent in the edit box.

6	Click Connect.

A connection should now be established within a few seconds.


Playing over the Internet

What you need to play

In order to play Canasta over the Internet the following conditions must be fulfilled:

 Your computer has a modem

 You have TCP/IP support installed for this modem

 You have an Internet account with an Internet Service Provider

Learn how to install TCP/IP support.

You need to know the IP number of your opponent in order to connect to him/her. If you want to play with someone new, check out the Canasta Internet Players List. This site features a list of Canasta players who are interested in playing with you over the Internet.

Steps to follow

Follow these steps to start a network game:

1	On the Network menu, select Connect to Opponent

2	In the following dialog, do the following:

3	Type your own nickname.

4	Click Internet as the Play over selection.

5	Type the IP number of your opponent in the edit box.
To retrieve the IP number of your opponent, you should both log on to an IRC server and exchange the numbers there. See Meeting other Canasta players for more info.

6	Click Connect.

A connection will now be established, but this may take a while (like one minute). If your opponent is not on the Internet yet, Canasta will wait until (s)he is online and has replied.


Canasta Internet Players List
Meeting other Canasta players

Would you like to play a game of Canasta over the Internet with another person, but you don’t know who? The utility ICQ from Mirabilis Ltd. meets your needs. ICQ (I Seek You) is a separate product and not bundled with Canasta. You can download ICQ from the Mirabilis website at http://www.mirabilis.com.

ICQ allows you to have a Contact List onscreen, which shows all the people you are interested in. The program indicates whether they're online or not, and if they are, it allows you to start a network game with a few mouse clicks.

The Contact List has to be filled with information about Canasta players - the socalled Internet Player List. This is a two-step process: first a person has to be added to the ICQ Address Book, and then (s)he has be added to the Contact List.

Registering ICQ

After installing ICQ you need to register in order to get a Universal Internet Number (UIN). Registration takes place on the ICQ website. The UIN is assigned to you online by the ICQ Server upon registration. Make a note of it!

 Update the Canasta Internet Player List

After installation of ICQ you have to fill the Address Book and the Contact List with Canasta players. You can add users to your Contact List in the following way:

 With your webbrowser, go to http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mharte/playicq.htm.

 Click on the UIN of a player. This automatically adds him/her to your list. Couldn't be easier!

Now that you have updated the Address Book, you need to add the people to your Contact List. Do this in the following way:

 Connect to the Internet

 Open the ICQ Address Book

 Right-click on a player's name and select 'Add to Contact List'.

 Repeat this for all players.

Register Canasta with ICQ

ICQ allows you to start programs across the Internet. Using this feature you can start a network game of Canasta from within ICQ. It even does the tedious exchanging of IP numbers for you!

Canasta must be defined under Voice/Video/Games in ICQ before you can use it in this way. Click here for more information.

Playing a network game

It's incredibly easy:

 Make sure you have ICQ running (normally it is started when Windows starts).

 Connect to the Internet.

 In the Online section of your ICQ Contact List, right-click on the person you want to play with.

 Select Voice/Video/Games, then select Canasta.

If your opponent accepts your request, a network game is started automatically!


Specifies whether the ‘initial freeze’ of the discard pile is separate for both players, or that taking of the pile releases the freeze for both. If you check this, then when one player takes the pile the other one still has a frozen pile.


Uninstalling Canasta

If you want to uninstall Canasta, use the standard Windows 95 and NT method:

 Open Control Panel.

 Select Add/Remove Programs.

 Select Canasta 4.1 from the list of programs.

 Click Add/Remove.


Click this to copy the currently selected IP number to the clipboard.


Use this to enter the address of an Internet server that Canasta can connect to. This address is needed to determine which IP number is used for the Internet if your computer has more than one IP number.

Change this if you see nothing listed under Your own IP Numbers when the Internet is selected as the network and you are 100% certain that you are online.

You can enter any server that listens at port 80, e.g. ‘www.ibm.com’ or ‘www.netscape.com’. The default value is ‘www.microsoft.com’.


Check this to allow canastas made entirely of wildcards. A wildcard canasta is worth 1,000 points.


Click this to paste the clipboard contents into the IP Number of your opponent.


Register Canasta with ICQ
Registering Canasta with ICQ

To use ICQ to start network games automatically, Canasta must be registered with ICQ. Follow these steps to do this:

1  Open ICQ, select Preferences, and select the Voice/Video/Games tab.

2  Check to see if Canasta is already listed. If not, press New External. Otherwise, select Canasta and press Edit.

3  Enter Canasta as the External Application name, the path to canasta.exe as the External Application Executable, and /ip:%i as the Command Line.

4  Press OK twice.


Internet Ladder Competion
Internet Ladder Competition

On the Internet, a ladder competition is available for Canasta players. If you like to test your skills against others around the world, this is the place to go. The website is located at

http://www.igl.net/canasta

The ladder competition is free for both registered and shareware players. More details on the ladder rules can be found on the IGL site.