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enable Netris32 v3.1
help

enable Netris32 is a challenging and exciting game of skill, reflex and strategy. Different shaped pieces, composed of coloured blocks, fall from the top of the game board to the bottom at increasing speed. The object of the game is to manipulate the pieces to form solid rows, which will then disappear. The game ends when the rows build up to reach the top of the screen.

enable Netris32 allows players to customise most aspects of their game. Features include:

Single or Two Player Mode, including TCP/IP Network Play
Mouse Control Option
Piece Preview
Column Line Up
UNIQUE Ghost Mode
UNIQUE Enable Mode
Animation, Sound and Highlight Options
Penalties
Speed Controls
Level Controls
Customisable Screen and Game Board Backdrops
Resizable Display Window

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The screen above shows enable Netris32 running in one player mode. Pieces appear at the top of the game board shown on the left of the screen. The screen also shows the current score, the number of pieces that have fallen during the game, the number of rows completed, the current level and the current speed.

This screen also shows some of the player aids that can be used while playing enable Netris32. The piece preview window to the right of the game board shows which piece will be the next to fall. At the bottom of the game board, the line up mode enables players to line a piece up properly before dropping it from the top of the board, and within the game board, the new, unique ghost mode is demonstrated. Ghost mode allows a player to see what would happen if a piece was dropped at its current location and rotation.

All game functions can be accessed and controlled using the toolbar at the top of the screen, as well as through menus.

How to Play

enable Netris32 automatically starts a game in single player mode whenever it is loaded.

Start Game

To start a new game, select Game > Start from the menu or press the

icon on the toolbar. enable Netris32 will retain any configuration changes that have previously been made.

Key
Configuration

To play the game, use the keys to move and rotate the blocks as they fall. Pieces can be rotated both left and right. The default configuration for the keys is as shown in the Keyboard Configuration dialog box below:

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When playing in network mode, the key configuration for both players is the same as that for single player mode.

The default key configuration can be changed by selecting Options > Keyboard... from the menu or by pressing the icon on the toolbar.

The mouse can also be used to control player 1. This is useful for high-speed play and makes play easier for people with physical disabilities who have trouble using the keyboard. The mouse controls can be enabled by selecting Options > Keyboard... from the menu and selecting the option Enable Player 1 Mouse Controls. The mouse controls are:

Left Button	Rotate piece (left)
Right Button	Drop piece
Middle (Wheel)	Rotate piece right and left

Move the mouse left and right to align pieces in the channel.

Pause Game

To pause the game, select Game > Pause from the menu or press the

icon on the toolbar. To return the game to normal operation, select the Pause option again. enable Netris32 also contains an AutoHide feature. During the game, players can press the Shift + Up Arrow keys to automatically pause and minimise the game. To continue playing, restore the game and select the Pause option.

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Two Player Mode

To play enable Netris32 in two player mode, select Game > Two Player from the menu or press the

icon on the toolbar, then start a new game. The icon will appear sunken in when two player mode is activated, and a second game board will appear on the right side of the screen. The key configuration for the two player mode is shown in the Key Configuration dialog box above.

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Identical Piece Mode

Identical Piece Mode will cause both players to receive the exact same series of pieces in a two player game. This mode works both in two player mode and over a network.

Pressing the icon will toggle Identical Piece Mode.

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Network Mode

enable Netris32 can be played by two players across a network. For network play you must have TCP/IP communications on your machine. You also need to have someone else running a version of enable Netris32 to play with. You must decide if you want to be the Server (the person whose machine will be connected to) or the Client (the person who is going to connect to the other machine).

Server

You will need to make sure your settings are correct for network play. If you want to be the Server, select Game > Network Settings from the menu, or press the

icon on the toolbar to bring up the TCP/IP Configuration dialog box shown below. Make sure that the port setting under '(Server) Port for Clients to Connect To' is the same as that which the client will use. Normally, you should not need to modify this. If the port setting is correct, close the dialog box and select Game > Start Server from the menu or press the

icon on the toolbar. If the server is running correctly, the toolbar icon should appear, and remain, sunken.

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Client

If you want to be the Client, select Game > Network Settings from the menu, or press the

icon on the toolbar to bring up the TCP/IP Configuration dialog box shown above. Make sure that the port settings under '(Client) Address of Server to Connect To' are the same as that to which the server is configured. Also make sure that the IP Address is set to that of the server to which you are connecting. If you are unsure of the correct IP Address, check with your system administrator. When the settings are correct, close the dialog box and select Game > Connect to Server from the menu or press the

icon on the toolbar. If the connection is running correctly, the toolbar icon should appear, and remain, sunken.

NOTE: You must start the Server before you start the Client...a client cannot connect to a server which does not exist.

Reconfiguration of the Network Settings is not possible while connected. The Network Settings menu option will be unavailable, and the icon on the toolbar will be greyed. In this mode of operation, configuration changes on either machine will result in both machines being updated so no single player can configure their game to give themselves an unfair advantage.

To disconnect from the network, simply reselect the menu option which enabled the network connection in the first place, or press the corresponding toolbar icon.

Options

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Piece Preview

The Piece Preview option allows you to see what piece will be next to appear on the game board. Selecting Aids > Piece Preview from the menu, or pressing the

icon on the toolbar, will toggle the piece preview display in the window by the side of the game board.

The image to the right shows the piece preview display as it appears to the right of the game board.

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Line Up

The Line Up option allows you to make sure a piece is properly lined up before dropping it. Selecting Aids > Line Up from the menu or pressing the

icon on the toolbar will toggle line up display at the bottom of the game board.

The image to the right shows the line up display as it appears below the game board.

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Ghost Mode

The Ghost Mode option allows you to see the outcome if you were to drop a piece at is current location and rotation. Selecting Aids > Ghost Mode from the menu or pressing the

icon on the toolbar will toggle the display of a "ghost" piece on the game board.

The image to the right shows a "ghost" piece as it appears on the game board.

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Animation

The Animation option shows a dropped piece falling down onto the current board. If this option is not selected, the piece will fall instantly and the next move will begin. Selecting Options > Animation from the menu or pressing the

icon on the toolbar will toggle the animation mode.

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Sound

The Sound option allows enable Netris32 to play sounds which are set up to work off your current sound configuration. Selecting Options > Sound from the menu or pressing the

icon on the toolbar will toggle the use of sounds during play.

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Highlight

The Highlight option will highlight any completed rows briefly before removing them and moving on to the next turn. Selecting Options > Highlight from the menu or pressing the

icon on the toolbar will toggle the highlight mode.

The image to the right shows two highlighted, completed rows.

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Random Piece Color

When the Random Piece Color option is selected, enable Netris32 will select a color at random for each piece. When this option is not selected, each piece will have a specific colour based on its shape. Selecting Options > Random Piece Color from the menu or pressing the

icon will toggle the Random Piece Color option.

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Enable Mode

Enable Mode offers an extra challenge, allowing you to extend your enable Netris32 skills by providing a range of new pieces. When this option is not selected, enable Netris32 uses all the permutations of 4 (without diagonals) for its pieces. This gives a total of 7 different piece types which you can use. However, in Enable Mode, the system also generates all permutations (without diagonals) of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, resulting in a total of 28 pieces.

Selecting Options > Enable Mode from the menu or pressing the icon will toggle the Enable Mode option.

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Speed

The Speed option allows players to configure the game speed. Selecting Options > Speed... from the menu or pressing the

icon on the toolbar will bring up the Game Speed dialog box shown below. Players can switch speed increases ON or OFF, and also configure the initial and final speeds (in milliseconds). The dialog box also allows players to specify at what intervals the game should speed up from its current speed towards its final speed. When speed increases are ON, the game will increase by 50ms each interval.

When speed increases are OFF, the game remains at a constant speed throughout play. The current game speed is shown at the right of the game board.

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Level

The Level option allows players to use levels to provide an extra challenge in both single player mode and in network and two player operation. Selecting Options > Level... from the menu or pressing the

icon on the toolbar will bring up the Level Configuration dialog box shown below. Players can switch the levels option ON or OFF, and determine the number of rows to appear at the beginning of a game. Players can also determine the interval, in rows, at which the game moves on to the next level, and can specify how many free blocks are in the preset rows. The game speed can be reset every time a new level is reached.

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Penalty

The Penalty option allows use of penalties in the two player and network modes. Penalties work by inserting rows randomly into a players board when the other player completes two or more rows. Selecting Options > Penalty... from the menu or pressing the

icon on the toolbar will bring up the penalty dialog box shown below. Players can switch Penalty Mode ON or OFF, and specify how many empty blocks will be contained in each of the inserted penalty rows.

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Penalties work as follows:
blah blah

Player One		Player Two
Completes 1 row	-	No affect
Completes 2 rows	-	One row inserted
Completes 3 rows	-	Two rows inserted
Completes 4 rows	-	Three rows inserted

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High Scores

High scores are stored in the registry so that they can be recorded from game to game. Selecting Options > High Scores from the menu or pressing the

icon on the toolbar will bring up the current high score list. The high score list also provides a record of the number of rows reached and the number of pieces played, and keeps win-loss records for Two Player and Network modes.

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Display

enable Netris32 allows players to configure certain aspects of the display to suit their own tastes.

Scalable Display

The enable Netris32 display is scalable so that you can resize it to suit you. You can maximize the display to fill your entire screen, or change its size by moving the mouse over the edge of the window until a double arrow appears, then clicking and dragging it until it is your preferred size.

Load Backdrop

The Load Backdrop feature allows players to load a different backdrop in the main enable Netris32 window. To change the main window backdrop select File > Load Backdrop... from the menu or press the

icon on the toolbar. You can then browse your computer, as shown below, and choose a bitmap (BMP) file to load as a main window backdrop.

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Load Game Backdrop

The Load Game Backdrop feature allows players to load a different backdrop in the game board window. To change the game board backdrop select File > Load Game Backdrop... from the menu or press the

icon on the toolbar. You can then browse your computer, as shown above, and choose a bitmap (BMP) file to load as a game board backdrop.

Toolbar

The toolbar can be toggled on and off by selecting View > Toolbar from the menu. The extended toolbar, which appears on the left side of the display window, can be toggled on and off by selecting View > Extended Toolbar from the menu.

For information on other enable software products, visit our web site at
http://www.enablesoftware.com

enable Netris32 v3.1 help