Turtle Dice is $10 shareware, and may be registered through e-mail, or regular postal mail, using the "Register" program that accompanies this distribution. For more information on registration, visit <http://www.kagi.com/>. Turtle Dice may be freely distributed, assuming no alterations to the original package are made.
Right now, the game is a simple implementation of a single-player yahtzee-like game. If I find there is an interest in this game (ie, if registration levels are good), I plan to issue a Deluxe version that will include visual customization and multi-player options. Turtle Dice should run on any Macintosh (PPC or 68k) with System 7 or later and at least 256 colors on the display. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for other improvements or have any trouble with the existing version. I can be reached at <turtle@kagi.com>. Please register and support all shareware. Thanks.
HOW TO PLAY
Short and Simple
Turtle Dice is a simple implementation of a yahtzee-like dice game. To roll the die, select the die you wish to roll (ie, pick them up) by single-clicking and push the roll button. To score a roll, click on the desired spot in the scorecard. You may undo a misplaced score before you roll your next turn with the undo button, or by selecting "undo" under the "Edit" menu (CMD-Z)...you may not, of course, undo a roll.
Sounds may be toggled on and off by using the "Sound" command in the "Edit" menu, or with CMD-S.
To begin a new game, select "New" from the "File" menu (CMD-N).
The Full Explaination
Turtle Dice is played as a series of turns. You begin each turn by rolling five dice. You then have two additional rolls, in which you may re-roll any number of dice to improve your score. Select dice to re-roll by clicking on them (ie, picking them up).
At any time during a turn, you may choose to score the roll by clicking on the appropriate box in the scorecard. The game continues until all the boxes on the scorecard have been filled. You may score in any of the columns in any order. The game ends when all boxes on the scorecard are full.
The scoring hierarchy is similar to that of Poker, and works as follows:
Ones through Sixes - Scores the total of value of the corresponding number (ie, if you have three sixes and score it on a six box, you will get 18 points)
Upper Bonus - If the total of the scores in the ones through sixes boxes of any column sums to 63 or greater (equal to three of each number), you receive a 35 bonus.
3 of a Kind - Sum of all die, if at least three are matching numbers.
4 of a Kind - Sum of all die, if at least four are matching numbers.
Full House - 25 points, of you have three of a kind and two of a kind (ie, two twos, and three fives).
Small Straight - 30 points for a series of four numbers in a row (dice can be in any order), such as 1, 2, 3, 4, or 3, 4, 5, 6.
Large Straight - 40 points for a series of five numbers in a row (dice can be in any order), the only possibilities here are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Yahtzee - 50 points for all five dice of the same value.
Chance - The sum of all five die, regardless of their values.
