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Text File | 1987-08-04 | 15.0 KB | 778 lines

Topics Introduction ....................1 Making a Backup Copy ..........1 Installing the Program on a Fixed Disk ...............2 Getting Started .................3 The Main Menu ...................4 Choosing a Game Option ........5 Entering Player Names .........5 Playing the Game ................6 Capturing Playing Pieces ......6 Ending the Game ...............7 Scorekeeping ..................7 Getting Help ..................8 Playing Options .................9 Quit Computer Search ..........9 Show All Available Moves ......9 Show Recommended Move .........9 Replay Last Move ..............9 Change Screen Colors .........10 Pause Game ...................10 Sound On/Off .................10 Saving a Game ..................11 Restoring a Game .............11 Quitting the Game ..............12 Changing the Game Setup ........13 Difficulty Level .............14 First Move ...................14 Computer Color ...............14 Time Limit ...................15 Initial Positions ............15 Constructing a Game ............16 1 Introduction~ ------------ VERSO is an easy-to-learn game first played in England over a century ago. Widely known as "Reversi" and enjoyed by many board game strategists, it offers some of the features of chess and checkers. You'll need skill and careful planning to outmaneuver your opponent in this fast-paced and challenging game. VERSO provides a range of levels so that beginners and experts alike can enjoy the game. If you're a player who not only wants a challenging opponent, but who is also interested in learning more about advanced strategies, VERSO is your game. Making a Backup Copy~ It is important to make a backup copy of your VERSO diskette in case your original diskette is lost or damaged. Use the IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System (DOS) DISKCOPY command to copy all of the files from the original program diskette to a blank backup diskette. Refer to your IBM Personal Computer Guide to Operations or your DOS manual for information about copying files to a diskette. Label your backup copy "VERSO Backup" or something similar. Then, store your original program diskette in a safe place and use your backup diskette to run the program. 2 Installing the Program on a Fixed Disk~ Follow these steps to install VERSO on a fixed disk: 1. To create a VERSO subdirectory on your fixed disk, at the DOS prompt enter: md c:\verso where c:\verso represents the drive and subdirectory you want to use. 2. Change to the VERSO subdirectory. 3. Insert the VERSO program diskette in drive A. 4. Enter: a:install Warning: Do not use the DOS COPY *.* command to copy the program to your fixed disk. 3 Getting Started~ --------------- Follow these steps to start VERSO: 1. Insert your backup diskette in drive A or if you are using a fixed disk, change to the directory containing the VERSO program. 2. At the DOS prompt, type: verso 3. Press the Enter key. After a few moments, the VERSO title screen appears. 4. Press Enter to continue. The VERSO Main Menu appears. 4 The Main Menu~ ------------- The Main Menu offers you six playing options: VERSO Main Menu 1. Play a 1 Player Game 2. Play a 2 Player Game 3. Restore a Previous Game 4. Construct a 1 Player Game 5. Construct a 2 Player Game 6. Change the Setup Type selection number: [ ] Here are brief explanations of the six options on the Main Menu: Play a 1 Player Game This option allows you to challenge the computer in a new game at any skill level. Play a 2 Player Game Select this option to challenge a friend in a game. Restore a Previous Game This option allows you to retrieve a previously stored game from diskette. Type the filename of the stored game to retrieve the unfinished game. Construct a Game Experiment with different strategies by constructing your own starting board. Select the starting positions for you and your opponent by moving the cursor around the board. For information on constructing a game, refer to the section titled "Constructing a Game." 5 Change the Setup This option takes you to the Setup Menu. Use these options to change the setup of the game, including the difficulty level, which player makes the first move, the game clock, and the initial positions of the game pieces. See "Changing the Game Setup" for information about each setup option. Choosing a Game Option~ Choose an option on the Main Menu by typing the number after the message: Type selection number: [ ] After a few moments, the name screen appears. Entering Player Names~ Type your name and your opponent's name (if you are playing with two players) within the brackets. Each name can contain up to eight letters. Press Enter after typing each name. After a few moments, the game screen appears. 6 Playing the Game~ ---------------- VERSO begins with the four playing pieces in the middle squares of the board; two belong to you, two belong to your opponent. Both sides attempt to capture the other side's game pieces by "outflanking" them. Capturing Playing Pieces~ To outflank your opponent, place one of your playing pieces in a square next to a square occupied by one of your opponent's playing pieces. The square can be horizontal, vertical or diagonal from your opponent and must be blocked at both ends by one of your playing pieces. Follow these steps to select a square: 1. Use the following keys to move the cursor around the board: Cursor Up Up Cursor Down Down Cursor Right Right Cursor Left Left Home Up and left End Down and left PgUp Up and right PgDn Down and right 2. Press Enter to place your playing piece in the square you select. All of the captured pieces then turn to your color. You can also capture your opponent's playing pieces in more than one direction at a time, depending on the placement of your game piece. The more pieces you outflank in one move, the more points you receive. You and your opponent alternate turns at outflanking each other. You must capture at least one of your opponent's pieces on each turn. If you cannot capture an opponent's piece, you forfeit your turn. 7 Ending the Game~ The game is over if all of the board positions have been taken, neither player can capture an opponent's playing piece, or a player's time limit expires. When the game is over, the following message appears at the bottom of the screen: Game Over Do you want to record this game? (Y/N) If you type Y, the program asks you to enter a filename. It then records the moves made by each player throughout the game. You can review these moves to plan strategies by using the DOS TYPE command or by using any ASCII text editor to display the file. You can also use the DOS COPY command to copy the moves to your printer, LPT1. If you do not want to record the moves, type N. The program returns you to the Main Menu. Scorekeeping~ Players receive one point for each of their playing pieces on the board. All pieces received after a move are immediately added to the score. Players lose points for pieces that are captured by their opponent. The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins. If you are using a time limit and time runs out before the end of the game, the player who has time remaining is the winner. 8 Getting Help~ You can press F1 at any time during a game to view a help screen. These screens provide useful information to help you throughout the program. When you are finished viewing a help screen, press the Enter key to continue with the program. 9 Playing Options~ --------------- Playing options are available throughout the game. Read the following sections to learn more about each option. Quit Computer Search~ Press Q when playing the game to stop the computer from searching for its next move. It will be forced to take the best move it has considered so far. This option is only available if you are playing against the computer. Show All Available Moves~ Press A to display all of your available moves. Show Recommended Move~ Press R to see what move the computer recommends for you. This option is only available if you are playing against the computer. Replay Last Move~ Press L to replay your last move. For example, if you did not enter the best move, press L to erase the move and begin again. This option is only available if you are playing against the computer. 10 Change Screen Colors~ Press C to change the colors of the screen and the playing pieces. The Colors Option screen appears. This option is only available if you are using a color display. To change any of the colors, press the corresponding letter or number to cycle through the available colors. Press the Enter key when the screen displays the desired color combinations. If you do not want to change any of the colors, press Esc. Pause Game~ Press P to pause the game. The game screen disappears and the following message appears: Press <--' to return to the game or press Esc to exit. Sound On/Off~ Press S to turn the sound off. Press S again to turn the sound on. 11 Saving a Game~ ------------- The Save option lets you save a game at any time during play. Follow these steps to save a game: 1. Press F2. The following message appears: Enter filename: [ ] 2. Type the name you want to use for this game. 3. Press Enter. After the program saves the game, you can either continue playing or quit. Restoring a Game~ Follow these steps to restore a saved game: 1. At the Main Menu, press 3. 2. Enter the filename of the game you want to play. The file must be on the default drive. 3. The game screen appears. Play continues from the point at which you saved the game. The restored game uses the current setup options. Note: You cannot restore a recorded game. A recorded game is only a list of the moves made by each player during the game. 12 Quitting the Game~ ----------------- You can quit a game at any time by following these steps: 1. Press the Esc key. The following message appears: Are you sure? (Y/N) 2. Type Y to quit the game. The following message appears: Game Over Do you want to record this game? (Y/N) 3. Type Y if you want to record the moves made by each player. Then enter a filename for the game. Type N if you do not want to record the game. The program returns you to the Main Menu. 13 Changing the Game Setup~ ----------------------- Select option 6 from the Main Menu to see the Setup Menu. The Setup Menu provides options that change the setup of a game. Choose this option before selecting a game if you want to change the current game setup. VERSO Setup Menu Press a letter to change setup: D - Difficulty level: Novice F - First move by: [] C - Computer plays: [] T - Time limit: 30 min. I - Initial positions: Diagonal Press <--' to continue Press the letter beside each option to change the setup. When you have finished selecting the options, press Enter to return to the Main Menu. The options remain in effect until you change them or restart the program. If you do not want to change any setup options, press Esc. The following sections describe each setup option. 14 Difficulty Level~ Press D to cycle through the different skill levels of play: Beginner Student Novice Frequent Expert Master The default setting is Novice. If you are playing VERSO for the first time, select the Beginner level. As you become more acquainted with the game, you can try more advanced levels of play. This setup option is used only if you are playing against the computer. First Move~ Press F to choose which player makes the first move to start the game. Computer Color~ Press C to choose the color of the computer player. This setup option is used only if you are playing against the computer. 15 Time Limit~ Press T to select the time limit for the game. You can specify the time in 10-minute increments, from 10 to 90 minutes. The default setting is 30 minutes. If you do not want to use a time limit, select "None." If you set a time limit, players start the game without any time showing on their timers. As the game progresses, the amount of time it takes a player to make each move is added to that player's timer. If a player's timer reaches the time limit before the completion of the game, the other player is automatically the winner. Initial Positions~ Press I to choose the initial starting position. The first two playing pieces can be set up diagonally adjacent or vertically adjacent. Beginning with a vertical setup gives the first player an early scoring advantage. 16 Constructing a Game~ ------------------- This section describes how to set up your own starting board to play against the computer or against a friend. Follow these steps to construct a board: 1. Select Option 4 or 5 from the Main Menu. 2. Enter player names. A blank game board appears on the screen. 3. Use the cursor movement keys to move the prompt around the board. 4. Press F3 to place a piece for Player 1 in a square. If you want to place a piece for Player 2 in the square, press F3 again. Pressing F3 one more time erases the playing piece from the square. 5. If you make a mistake, press F4 to erase a playing piece. You can enter as many game pieces as you want to. 6. When you are finished, press F10. The following message appears: Are you sure? (Y/N) 7. Type N if you want to add more pieces. Type Y if you are finished placing pieces on the board. You may now begin playing the game.