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PROFESSIONAL VIDEO POKER FOR WINDOWS (tm) ==================================== SHAREWARE VERSION ***************** Version 2.0b November 4, 1994 Copyright (c) 1993-94, All Rights Reserved Bitwise Software International, Inc. 901 West Hononegh Drive Phoenix, Arizona 85027 (602) 582-4468 Compuserve ID: 72074, 2677 Last Updated: November 4, 1994 IMPORTANT: ========== If you are upgrading to Professional Video Poker for Windows V2.0a or higher from a lower version (1.5, 1.1, or 1.0), the program will NOT run correctly if you try to use the previous version's save, defaults, or the payoff/stat files. Be sure to answer "Y" to all file replace prompts when installing this version. -- The save files are those with the extension .SAV. -- The defaults file is PVPOKER.DEF. -- The payoff/stat files are those with the extension .P01 thru .P14. REQUIREMENTS: ============= Windows 3.1, windows compatible PC computer, windows compatible VGA display with 640x480 resolution or higher, 3 Meg RAM, 3 Meg free on hard disk. YOU MUST BE RUNNING WINDOWS IN 386 ENHANCED MODE. Do not start Windows with the /S or /R switches. See your Windows Manual for more information on startup memory modes. Recommended: Windows 3.1, windows compatible 386/486+ computer running at 25Mhz+, windows compatible SVGA display with 640x480 resolution or higher, 16+ colors, 4+ Meg RAM, 5+ Meg free on hard disk, Mouse. LATEST VERSION: =============== This copy of Professional Video Poker may not be the latest version currently available. We are constantly updating, improving, and fixing bugs in this program. Therefore, if you a using an unregistered version, check the Windows Fun Forum (card games library) on CompuServe for the latest unregistered version. ON-LINE REGISTRATION: ===================== ATTENTION CompuServe and Ziff-Net users: you may register your copy of Professional Video Poker directly through CompuServe. To register on-line, use the go command GO CIS:SWREG and enter Registration ID #2584. The cost is the same and will be billed automatically to your Compuserve Account. You should still send us a completed registration form for our files. Registering on-line is the fastest way to obtain your Registered User's License File from us. Once you register on-line, check your CompuServe e-mail the next day (or two) to download your License File. This encrypted file allows you access to the restricted areas of the game and will allow you free lifetime upgrades (via CompuServe). INSTALLATION: ============= To install this game from the distribution diskette, simply copy the file "PVPOKE.EXE" to the desired directory ("\PVPOKER" suggested) on your hard disk and run the program. This is a self-installing packed file and running it will unpack and install all the needed files and programs. Once self-install process is complete, this file (PVPOKE.EXE) can be removed. However, you should always retain a copy of this file on diskette or tape just in case you need to reinstall it in the future. If a message appears asking you whether or not you wish to replace an existing file in the PVPOKER directory, answer with a "Y". DO NOT USE OLD FILES WITH A NEW VERSION - FATAL ERRORS WILL RESULT. NOTE: After the installation process is complete, the install program will try to run the game program automatically. This should be successful providing the install process was completed successfully and Windows could find a valid copy of the VBRUN300.DLL file in the PVPOKER directory or in the common WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. To start the game manually, run the file PVPOKER.EXE from Windows File Manager or click on the PVPOKER icon installed into the GAMES Program Group (or the program group you selected). The icon file PVPOKER.ICO contains the icon for you to use if you wish to manually add Professional Video Poker for Windows (tm) to your Games Program Group or set one up just for this game. Please see the Windows Users Manual for instructions on adding Program Items and setting up Program Groups from the Program Manager. NOTE: Be sure you are running Windows Version 3.1 or higher and your are running Windows in "386 Enhanced Mode" (not Standard Mode). Check your \WINDOWS directory and see if you have a WIN.BAT file. Be sure the WIN.COM or WIN command in the batch file DOES NOT include the /S switch. This causes Windows to start in Standard Mode. Be sure the command is followed by blanks or /E to insure you start in Enhanced Mode. Otherwise, this game may not operate correctly. If you cannot see the 386 Enhanced Program Item (icon = computer chip) on the Windows Control Panel, then you are not running Windows in the Enhanced Mode. Please see your Windows Users Manual for more information. Also, once you are running Windows in 386 Enhanced Mode, you should set up as large a Permanent Swap File (not Temporary) as Windows will allow. This allows Windows to use free disk space as computer memory and it will allow you to run bigger programs. This is done from Windows Control Panel with the 386 Enhanced Icon. This program was written in Visual Basic V3.0 and REQUIRES the Visual Basic V 3.0 Runtime Library file called VBRUN300.DLL (normally included). Be sure this file is located in the same directory where you loaded and unzipped PVPOKE.EXE. NOTE: If you obtained a copy of this game from Compuserve, Ziff-Net, or any other BBS, the file VBRUN300.DLL was not included in the packed file PVPOKE.EXE. This was done to save download time and related costs. The file VBRUN300.DLL is available in most BBS forums -- check with your forum's Sysop or search the BBS files by name for "VBRUN" or "Visual Basic". NOTE: Occasionally, Microsoft will release an updated VBRUN300.DLL file which will correct some bugs in their runtime modules. You should periodically compare the date/time/size of this file to the latest one available on CompuServe in the Microsoft MBASIC+ Forum. If a later one is released, please download it and place it in the PVPOKER directory. Professional Video Poker will use it automatically from then on. FILES: ====== FXTLS200.DLL - Special Effect Routines (Licensed). FXIMG200.VBX - Licensed VB Control. FXLBL200.VBX - Licensed VB Control. FXMTX200.VBX - Licensed VB Control. FXSND200.VBX - Licensed VB Control. CSGROUP.VBX - Licensed VB Control. QPRO200.DLL - Special Effect Routines (Licensed). VBRUN300.DLL - Microsoft's Visual Basic Runtime Library (Licensed). READ.ME - This file. PVPOKE.EXE - Self-installing packed distribution file. PVPOKER.EXE - Unpacked Professional Video Poker for Windows Game. PVPOKER.HLP - Help File for this program. PVPOKER.ICO - Icon for adding to Window's Program Manager. PVPOKER.P01 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #1. PVPOKER.P02 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #2. PVPOKER.P03 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #3. PVPOKER.P04 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #4. PVPOKER.P05 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #5. PVPOKER.P06 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #6. PVPOKER.P07 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #7. PVPOKER.P08 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #8. PVPOKER.P09 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #9. PVPOKER.P10 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #10. PVPOKER.P11 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #11. PVPOKER.P12 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #12. PVPOKER.P13 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #13. PVPOKER.P14 - Payoffs and Cumulative Stats for Game #14. PVPOKER.DEF - Game default settings file. PVPOKER.SAV - Saved Game(s). *.WAV - Various Windows sound files for this Game. TEST RESULTS AND FEEDBACK ========================= Please put this program through its paces and report back any positive or negative feedback, suggestions, or bug reports. We want your input! Your responses will help us improve this game. Our Compuserve ID number is: 72074,2677. Please check CompuServe's Windows Fun Forum, Card Games Library for the latest unregistered version of this program. Please download the latest version which will most likely correct any problems you are having or contain the features you would like to see. BASIC OPERATION: =============== Professional Video Poker is a true windows application which can be run and controlled by you just like any other windows application. When first loaded, Professional Video Poker will display its opening window while it initializes itself. Next a the main playing area will be displayed. When Professional Video Poker starts, it will load a file called "PVPOKER.DEF" as the default rules and other game settings. If it cannot find this file, it will use its own pre-programmed default settings. See the next section for more information regarding saving/restoring games and the default settings. Next, Professional Video Poker will attempt to load the default payoffs and cummulative stats for all 14 of the games available for play. These are found in the files PVPOKER.P01...P14. If any of these files are not found, the game program will automatically create them up based on its own pre-programmed settings. When the main playing window is first displayed, you will notice several buttons at the bottom of the screen. Some of which will be disabled (grayed out) and some of which will be enabled. At the start of a new hand, the DEAL button will be the default button and should be used to deal the next hand. To deal, move the mouse pointer to the DEAL button and press the left mouse button. The other buttons will be enabled/disabled depending on what is happening during the game. For example, once the initial cards are dealt for a new hand, the DEAL button will be grayed out and the DRAW button will be active. DEAL BUTTON: =========== The DEAL button will deal the initial 5 cards for a new hand. Note: you must bet at least 1 credit before this button will work. Once you play your first hand, pressing the DEAL button before selecting a new bet will cause the LAST BET to be used automatically. This way, you do not have to enter the same bet each-and-every time a hand is played. Only the very first hand's bet is required to be selected by you. When the DEAL button is pressed, the game will shuffle the single deck of 52 cards (53 or 54 when the Joker Wild games are being played) and deal out 5 initial cards. If you are dealt any of the current game's winning hands (shown above the cards), the game will highlight the highest winning hand it finds. This will help insure you do not "throw away" a winning hand by mistake. Once dealt, select the cards you wish to hold with the mouse by clicking the left mouse button while the mouse pointer is over the card. Then press the DRAW button to replace any cards NOT HELD. Directly below each card is a status label which shows the HOLD/DISCARD status of that card. When you first click a card, it will show HOLD as the status. Clicking it again will show a status of DISCARD. Any cards which DO NOT show a HOLD status, will be replaced when the DRAW button is pressed. NOTE: you can select cards as HOLD/DISCARD without the mouse. This is done by pressing the numbers "1" through "5" on your keyboard. Pressing the "1" will toggle the HOLD status of the first card and "2" will toggle card #2, and so on. This is true for selecting a card on the "Double or Nothing Window" as well (explained later). Another way to DEAL cards is to click on the card deck. This will deal the initial cards just like pressing the DEAL button. BET MAX BUTTON: =============== The BET MAX button will deposit either the maximum coins (5) or your bank balance (credits) - whichever is less. Then the initial 5 cards will be automatically dealt for the next hand. BET +1 BUTTON: ============== The BET +1 button will increase the current bet by one credit. This can be done until your bank runs out of credits or until you increase your bet to the max allowed (5). Note: if you press this button just after the previous hand has been completed, this will not cause the bet to be 1. Instead, the previous hand's bet will be increased by 1 credit. Also, you can increase the current bet by one credit by clicking on the "Insert Coins" coin-slot area in the upper right corner of the screen. OTHER WAYS TO ENTER A BET: ========================== You can also use the mouse and click on one of the five payoff columns for the current game. If you click on the second column, the column will highlighted in Green and your bet will be 2 coins. Click again on column 4, and your bet will be changed to 4 coins. Another way to select a bet is to press the "1", "2", "3", "4", or "5" on your keyboard. When starting a new hand, these keys will allow you to select 1 coin thru 5 coins as the bet. NOTE: if the hand has already started, these keys will toggle the Hold/Discard status for cards 1 thru 5. Please note that as you change your bet, your bank balance is adjusted (up or down) accordingly. DRAW BUTTON: ============ The DRAW button will complete a hand by replacing any or all of the initial five cards that have NOT BEEN SELECTED as HOLD. Be sure to correctly click on the cards you wish to HOLD with the mouse. If you have not selected any cards to hold, then all 5 cards are replaced by new ones. If you have selected all 5 to be held, then no new cards are dealt. Another way to DRAW cards is to click on the card deck. This will complete the hand just like pressing the DRAW button. HOLD ALL BUTTON: ================ In addition to holding cards by clicking on them individually, you can quickly mark all of them as "HOLD" by pressing this button. This does not automatically deal out the rest of the hand -- you must still press the DRAW button when you are ready. DISCARD ALL BUTTON: =================== This button works just the opposite of the HOLD ALL button. This marks all 5 cards as DISCARD. EXIT BUTTON: ============ This button allows you to quit playing Professional Video Poker for Windows and exit back to Window's Program Manager. Be sure to SAVE the game before exiting if you wish to resume it at a later time. Note: If you press the EXIT button by accident, you can cancel the request by pressing the CANCEL button on the "Are You Sure" (you wish to exit) Window. SAVE BUTTON: ============ Pressing the SAVE button will store the current game in progress to a disk file called PVPOKER.SAV. Once a game is saved, you can resume it at a later time by using the RESUME A SAVED GAME on the FILE Menu. NOTE: The Save/Restore features can only be accessed by Registered Users. PRINT BUTTON: ============= Pressing the PRINT button will print a copy of the current hand and payoffs for you keep or to send in to us. NOTE: any Registered User who wins a natural royal flush progressive jackpot should use the PRINT Button and send the printout of the hand to us. We will then send you a free copy of Ultima 21 Deluxe Blackjack for Windows. The hand must be won naturally and must not use wild cards or any "pre-set" or "hand-picked" cards. SAVING & USING THE GAMES DEFAULT SETTINGS: ======================================== Professional Video Poker allows you to customize the various card dealing effects, game type, game speed, jackpot balance, bank balance, etc.... When any of these settings are changed, the game automatically records them into a default settings file called PVPOKER.DEF. This allows the game to "remember" how you like to play. The next time you start Professional Video Poker for Windows from Window's Program Manager, the settings stored in this file will automatically be used. This eliminates the need to set up all the game settings "your way" each time you want to play. If the game cannot find this file, it will automatically revert back to the pre-programmed default settings and store them in this file. Note: in order for Professional Video Poker to locate and load this file automatically, it must reside in the same directory as Professional Video Poker for Windows. If the game cannot find this file, it will revert back to its "factory" settings and re-create this file in the program's startup directory on your hard disk. ERRORS AT STARTUP ================= If you encounter either of the following two errors at startup: 1) "OVERFLOW" 2) "Invalid Control Index" then the startup files (PVPOKER.DEF, PVPOKER.Pxx, & PVPOKER.SAV) may be corrupted or may be the wrong version. Try renaming these files to something else and restarting Professional Video Poker. The game will then use its own internal game settings since it will not be able to find these files. You should first try renaming the PVPOKER.DEF and restarting the game. 99% of the time this file is causing the problem. If you are upgrading to Professional Video Poker for Windows V2.0a or higher from a lower version (1.5, 1.1, or 1.0), the program will NOT run correctly if you try to use the previous version's save, defaults, or the payoff/stat files. Be sure to answer "Y" to all file replace prompts when installing this version. -- The save files are those with the extension .SAV. -- The defaults file is PVPOKER.DEF. -- The payoff/stat files are those with the extension .P01 thru .P14. If you still have problems after trying this procedure, please contact the Author by e-mail on Compuserve or by phone. SAVING AND RESUMING A GAME =========================== Professional Video Poker allows Registered users to save and restore MULTIPLE games. This should not be confused with the saving of default settings explained above. A game is saved to a file with the extension ".SAV". The default save file name is "PVPOKER.SAV" and this file is normally located in the same directory as the game program (PVPOKER.EXE). When saving and restoring games, you have the option to select the save file name and directory. NOTE: Even though you can specify a different directory other than the one containing PVPOKER.EXE, we do not recommend it. Keep all of this Game's related files in the same directory for easy backup and removal. To save a game, click on the FILE menu and select the SAVE option. This works the same as clicking the SAVE Button on the main screen. At any time, Professional Video Poker allows you to resume a previously saved game by clicking on the FILE menu and selecting the RESUME GAME option. CHANGING PLAYING OPTIONS ======================== Professional Video Poker's menu system (located at the top of the playing table) allows you to change every aspect about the game and it's playing options. FILE MENU: ========== a) Save a game for later play (discussed above). b) Resume a previously saved game (discussed above). c) Exit the game (discussed above). SPEED MENU: =========== This allows you to control how fast the game operates. The options are SLOW, MEDIUM, FAST, and VERY FAST. The type of computer and video card will determine how you wish the game speed to be set. Try the different settings to find the one that gives you the desired card dealing speed and special effect speed (discussed below) you like. SPECIAL EFFECTS MENU: ===================== Type of Effect Option: ====================== One of the most unique features of this game is to allow you to control what type of card dealing special effect you would like to the game to use. They range from "no effect" to "cards dripping" into place on your computer screen. There are 50 impressive special effects to choose from. The default is to "push up" the card once it is dealt but you can select any one of them. The only way to see the type of effects is to try each one while keeping in mind that the "Effect Speed" and "Effect Grain Size" will also control how fast the special effect occurs on your computer. Effect Speed Option: ==================== You can control how fast the card dealing special effect is performed for each card. The settings available are SLOW, MEDIUM, FAST, and VERY FAST. If you have a very fast computer and video card, you may need to change the Effect Speed setting to SLOW in order to "see" some of the effects actually perform on your screen. If you have a slower computer system, you may need to select the VERY FAST effect speed to keep the special effect from being "too slow" for game play. Effect Grain Size Option: ========================= When the game performs a special effect, the grain size selected here determines how much of the card is drawn at one time. The larger the grain size, the more of the card is drawn at one time (using the special effect you selected) and this results is faster card dealing. The smaller the grain size, the less of the card is drawn at one time (using the special effect you selected) and this results is slower card dealing. The Effect Grain settings are: Small (slowest), MEDIUM, LARGE, and VERY LARGE (fastest). Performance Issues: ------------------- Each computer system and video card's performance are different when running Windows Programs. We offer the Game Speed and Special Effect settings to allow each user to adjust the settings to receive maximum performance as well as maximum pleasure from Professional Video Poker for Windows. If you need help, please contact the Author after trying the different settings yourself to see what their effects on the game's operational speed and card dealing effects are. You should be able to find a combination that suits you and your computer system. But if not, we will certainly help you. CHANGE MENU: ============ Game Type: ---------- There are 14 different game types you can select from. These games were built from the 14 most popular games found in the Las Vegas Casinos. When you combine these 14 games with the ability to turn on and off the Double-or-Nothing Feature for each game, you can play 28 different Games with Professional Video Poker for Windows! Progressive Games: ------------------ The term "progressive" refers to the ever-increasing jackpot balance for a Royal Flush. To "hit the jackpot", the player needs to build a Royal Flush (Ace high straight flush) and have a 5 coin bet. If you do not play 5 coins and you get a Royal Flush, the progressive jackpot WILL NOT BE PAID. As in the real Casinos, progressive jackpots are paid for from a percentage of the bets you make each hand and a Progressive Game's payoffs are slightly lower than those of a Regular Game. Regular Games: -------------- Regular Games a very much like their Progressive game counterparts except there is NO INCREASING JACKPOT and the payoffs are slightly higher. When you receive a natural royal flush with 5 coins bet, the fixed amount in column 5 is paid instead of an increasing jackpot. Wild Card Games: ---------------- There are a couple of wild card games available in Professional Video Poker for Windows. Note: the progressive jackpot is NOT PAID on Royal Flushes that include wild cards -- the progressive jackpot is only paid when the Royal Flush contains only "natural" (non-wild) cards. DEUCES WILD: ------------ This game uses the four "twos" in the deck as wild cards. This allows for many more "high" hands than does non-wild card games. Therefore, you will notice the payoffs are lower for each winning hand and the lowest minimum hand is Three-of-a-Kind. JOKER WILD ---------- There are two versions of this game. One is played with a single Joker and the other is played with 2 Jokers. Both types of Joker games use the Joker as a wild card. Just like in the DEUCES WILD game, the payoffs are lower in this game and the minimum hand is either two-pair or a pair of Aces or Kings depending on what type of Joker game is being played. Customizing the Payoffs: ------------------------ Registered Users are given access to the Payoff Customization feature of this game. The payoff amounts can be changed for each winning hand. Payoffs for each game, whether customized or not, are stored in the "PVPOKER.Pnn" files on your hard disk. The "Pnn" extension refers to games "P01" thru "P14" and each game payoff file contains the winning hand descriptions and types, their payoffs, and any wild card information. In addition, these files contain the cumulative stats for each game. Stats are cummulative until you reset them and will keep running stats for every hand played ever with this game program. Change Bank Balance ------------------- This option allows you to select a new bank balance (of credits). The default is $100 and whatever bank balance you select with this option will become the default starting balance for new games. You will need to select this option whenever your bank runs out of credits. This option allows you to replenish the bank and continue to play video poker. Change Jackpot Balance ---------------------- This option allows you to reset the jackpot balance for all Progressive Games. The jackpot balance is automatically increased during game play. The jackpot balance is the same for all types of progressive games available with this game program. Once reset, the jackpot will continue to grow until someone hits a "natural" Royal Flush. Professional Video Poker always "remembers" the progressive jackpot from game-to-game even when you do not use the "save/restore game" features. Remember, the progressive jackpot is only paid when: you are playing a "progressive" game, the Royal Flush is natural (no wild cards), and you have bet 5 coins. If someone wins a progressive jackpot, the amount will be paid to the player and then the jackpot will be reset back the amount selected here. *********************************************************** NOTE: any Registered User who wins a natural royal flush progressive jackpot should use the "PRINT" Button and send a copy of the printout to us. We will then send you a free copy of Ultima 21 Deluxe Blackjack for Windows. The hand must be won naturally and must not use wild cards or any "pre-set" or "hand-picked" cards. *********************************************************** Set Card Back ------------- There are many different "deck styles" or card backs to choose from. Use this option to change to a different card back. Whichever card back you choose with this option will become the default card back for all new games. Set Double-or-Nothing Feature ----------------------------- For each game type available in Professional Video Poker for Windows, you have the option to turn on or off the Double-or- Nothing feature. This feature is on or off across games so you only have to turn it on or off one time -- not each time you switch games. When active, this feature will allow you to double your winnings each time a winning hand appears. If you win your double-or-nothing attempt, you winnings are doubled and you will be given the chance to double them again. If you lose, you win nothing and the game continues on to the next hand. When attempting the double-or-nothing feature, the game will deal out 1 card face-up and 4 cards face down. You must then pick 1 of the face-down cards and attempt to beat the face-up or Dealer's card. Note: Aces are considered the highest card. If the card you pick beats the Dealer's card, then you double your winnings. If it is less than the Dealer's, you lose your winnings. If the card is the same (tie), you will lose nothing and you will be given the chance to attempt the double once again. EXAMPLE: If you build a full house that pays 25, a double-or- nothing window will appear asking you if you wish to risk the 25 credits to win 50 credits. If you choose NO, you will simply collect the 25 credits and proceed to the next hand like normal. If you choose YES, a window will appear and deal out 5 total cards (1 face-up and 4 face-down). The first card is the Dealer's card and you must attempt to beat it by picking one of the four face-down cards. If you beat it, you will double your winnings from 25 credits to 50. The game will then give you the option to attempt to double the 50 and win 100. This continues until you lose or select NO on the "double again" window. Pick Cards in Hand ------------------ This option allows you to select from 1 to 5 cards to appear in the hand or hands to follow. This feature allows you to set the position (card #1,2,3,4,or 5), the card's value (Ace thru King), and the suit of the card. You can set from 1 to 5 cards to appear in the next hand only or every hand from then on. This way you can practice certain hand combinations in order to perfect your own Video Poker playing strategy. Note: this feature is available to Registered Users only. STATS MENU OPTION ================= This option will display the current stats for the game in progress. These stats are cummulative from the time you first loaded this game program on your computer until the end of time. They DO NOT reset each time you start this game program. However, Registered Users are allowed to reset the stats back to 0 at any time during a game. Each game available with Professional Video Poker for Windows has its own cummulative stats and they are automatically stored in its PVPOKER.Pnn file as game play occurs. Therefore, if you play 5 hands of Deuces Wild and 10 hands of Jokers Wild, the two games will have their own independent stats. The Deuces Wild stats will be for first 5 hands and the Jokers Wild stats will be for next 10 hands. The stats will show the total number of hands won, the number of times each type of winning hand has appeared, average bets, average return on your bets, and so on. SOUND MENU OPTION ================= This option will allows you to turn on and off Sound Effects. There are several sound effects included with this Game and they require a Windows compatible Sound Card. The Windows sound files all end with the extension ".WAV". When the Game first starts, the default is for all sound effects to be OFF. If you encounter problems with the sound effects ON, use the SOUND menu and turn the Sound OFF. If you cannot access the Game after turning on sound effects, just delete the file PVPOKER.DEF from the \PVPOKER directory and restart the game. This will cause the game to use its own internal defaults which starts with Sound OFF. This should allow you access to the Game once again. Some Sound Cards and Drivers may not work properly with this program. If you experience problems, please contact us immediately. Since all WAV sound files must be read from your hard disk each time they are played, a slow hard disk will cause the game to slow noticably during sound file reading and playback. Be sure you have a disk caching program like Smart Drive loading and running. All Windows program will benefit from disk caching. AUTHOR'S COMMENTS ================= THERE IS NO OTHER GAME AVAILABLE for DOS or WINDOWS that provides you with such flexibility as far as game types go. Combine this with the 50 card dealing special effects and the other impressive features and you should agree this is the most sophisticated Video Poker game ever created! NOTE: if you cannot find your favorite version of Video Poker, please let us know so we can incorporate it into a future version of this game. This game program was written to easily handle any type of 5 card draw poker game. You input will help make this game even better. SHAREWARE REGISTRATION: ======================= When you register your shareware copy of Professional Video Poker for Windows (tm), you will receive an encrypted license file which will provide you access to the restricted areas of the program. You will then be able to save and restore games, customize payoffs, set cards, and play 10 additional "wild" video poker games. In addition, the the "Please Register" reminder windows will no longer appear every few hands. Registered Users are placed on our preferred customer list & receive priority notification about our new games and receive special discounts on them. Registered users also receive FREE LIFETIME UPGRADES (via CompuServe) and FREE LIFETIME PHONE-IN SUPPORT. COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ======================== This Windows game is the culmination of hundreds of suggestions and comments from our very popular DOS version of Video Poker Plus. As you can see, we have listened to those suggestions and implemented almost every single one of them in this version for Windows. Please drop us a note with your comments or suggestions. They are always welcomed and help us improve our games in future versions. SHAREWARE REGISTRATION: ======================= Professional Video Poker for Windows (tm) is NOT FREEWARE nor IS IT PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE. This copyrighted product is being offered in the shareware manner. We rely solely on honest shareware users for income from these products. You may copy and distribute this game to your friends but you MUST include all the files unzipped from the PVPOKE.ZIP master file. If you use this game after the 30 day free trial period, YOU MUST REGISTER IT! The cost to register is $29.95 (personal checks, Company checks, money orders, & certified checks accepted - do not send cash - credit cards not accepted) ATTENTION COMPUSERVE and ZIFFNET users: you may register your copy of Professional Video Poker directly through CompuServe. To register on-line, use the go command GO CIS:SWREG and enter Registration ID #2584. The cost is the same and will be billed automatically to your Compuserve Account. You should still send us a completed registration form for our files. Registering on-line is the fastest way to obtain your Registered User's License File from us. Once you register on-line, check your CompuServe e-mail the next day (or two) to download your License File. This encrypted file allows you access to the restricted areas of the game and will allow you free lifetime upgrades (via CompuServe). REGISTRATION FORM: ================== Please fill out and print the Registration Form. This form is located inside Professional Video Poker for Windows (tm) and is accessed by clicking the Register Button on the About Window. This form is important and should be sent in with each registration. Send your $29.95 check or money order and your completed Registration Form to: Bitwise Software International, Inc. Attn: Jay J Falconer 901 West Hononegh Drive Phoenix, Arizona 85027 (602) 582-4468 WHAT YOU GET BY REGISTERING: ============================ a) A special encrypted license file which will give you access to the restricted areas of the game. You will be able to access the save/restore game features, the edit payoffs feature, the reset stats feature, the set cards feature, and you be able to play 10 additional "wild" video poker games. b) Be placed on our preferred customer mailing list & receive priority notifications of new versions, new software, & special promotions. c) Receive special discounts on all new products. d) Free lifetime on-line support on CompuServe via e-mail as well as free lifetime call-in phone support. e) Free lifetime upgrades of this game via CompuServe or other BBS systems. f) Piece of mind that you are an honest shareware user. Please help keep the spirit of shareware alive! Registrations are the ONLY income from these products. Hundreds of hours of time & effort have gone into this software and we hope honest shareware users will show their support & appreciation through their registrations. OUR OTHER SOFTWARE ================== If you like Professional Video Poker for Windows, you should obtain a copy of our other casino game for Windows called Ultima 21 Blackjack for Windows. It is also a shareware windows game and should be available from the the same source you obtained this game from. If not, try a shareware source such as CompuServe Windows Fun Forum, The Software Labs, Public Brand Software, and many, many others. Ultima 21 Blackjack is no ordinary blackjack game. It allows you to control everything! You can customize the: casino to play in, its rules, the number of decks, the number of players, the dealer at your table, the card count system, the playing strategy, what drink you would like, whos playing in the various lounges and show rooms, and the list goes on and on. Try it, you will really enjoy this "full casino experience". SPECIAL THANKS ============== Special thanks goes to Stephen Murphy, author of the FREEWARE card drawing routines (can be found on Compuserve). His outstanding work and support helped make this product's card drawing faster and more colorful. Also, we would like to thank the dozen or so excellent beta testers who have taken the time to completely test and evaluate this program. Their many bug reports, suggestions, and general comments were, in no small way, of great help to us. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- REVISION HISTORY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/01/94 - Version 1.0 ===================== First Version released with all major features. Very stable for a first release (at least we thought so). 5/31/94 - Version 1.1 ===================== Fixed bugs in hand recognition routines. Now correctly identifies a Wild Card Full House and a Wild Card Royal Flush. This was a problem in the Deuces Wild Games Only - Joker Wild Games were working OK. The routines were not seeing the Deuces as a wild card for these particular hands. They now work properly. 9/01/94 - Version 1.5a ====================== Added Windows WAV File support for various sound effects. Added the SOUND Menu for controlling Sound Effects. Enhanced the Game Save and Restore Features to support multiple saves/restores. Added "moving text banner" to main table. Improved the shuffle card routines to increase the overall randomness of the card deck. 10/15/94 - Version 2.0a ======================= Fixed spelling of "deuces" in all areas of game (hopefully). Fixed number of hands limitation/error caused by playing in excess of 2,700 hands in a single game. Also added the ability to order drinks and to check out who is playing in the Casino's various lounge and bars. Added "Celebrity Sightings" fun stuff to the game. Changed the incentives for users to register this game with us. 11/04/94 - Version 2.0b ======================= Created self-installing version for Windows. One-step installation is done now by running the PVPOKE.EXE file from diskette or hard disk. Complete user control over destination directory and hard disk as well as program group control. Should make installation for novice Windows users much easier. All other features are the same as v2.1a above. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTES ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4/30/94 KNOWN PROBLEMS: =============== S3 Video Drivers: ----------------- Microsoft Visual Basic Versions 2.0 and 3.0 are not fully compatible with certain third party S3 Video Drivers (Windows Video Drivers for the S3 Graphics Chip soldered onto your accelerated video card). You may experience "out of memory or resources" problems, "Object Was Unloaded" problems, as well as other unexpected application errors while using ANY Graphic Intensive Visual Basic program with these type of S3 video drivers. These problems are NOT under the control of our program, Visual Basic, or Windows. ONLY the video driver Company can correct the problem. Please contact your video driver Company to get the latest copy of their Windows video drivers. Most Companies will update their drivers every few months to fix bugs and add enhancements. If you use the super or regular VGA Video Drivers supplied with Windows 3.1, these types of problems will most likely go away. To test your driver, install one of Microsoft's standard VGA Drivers that comes with Windows and see if your problem(s) go away. If so, then the other Company's Video Driver is the problem. Contact the driver Company and report the problem. Tell them you tested it against Microsoft's standard VGA Windows driver and it has to be their driver (since the problem went away). ======================================= POSSIBLE "OUT OF MEMORY" ERROR SOLUTION ======================================= In the January 24, 1994 issue of Info World, Brian Livingston has written in his weekly Windows column on a cure for what he calls "the most important cause of Windows instability." The instability is reflected in messages such as "Out of memory", "This application has violated system integrity", or "Application error" which happen even when plenty of memory and resources are available. It occurred to me that this may be related to some of the random problems that users are experiencing with WPWin 6.0, so I am summarizing his column here. The solution to the problem is to insert a single line into the [386 Enhanced] section of your SYSTEM.INI file, reading: MaxBPs=768 "MaxBPs" is an abbreviation for "maximum breakpoints." Breakpoints are small pieces of memory, about 10 bytes each, that Windows uses to save the state of a "virtual machine" (VM). All Windows applications run in a single VM, and each DOS session runs in its own VM. Windows applications may also create additional VMs for various reasons. Normally, Windows allocates 4K of RAM for breakpoints, which means that 358 breakpoints are set up when it starts. Windows immediately uses about 200 of these, leaving about 158 remaining. It is possible that in a long Windows sessions these could get used up, causing the strange errors described above. Setting MaxBPs to any number from 359 to 768 uses an additional 4K of RAM. The number could be set higher (up to 1,177) at the cost of yet another 4K. (please let the Author know if this "possible solution" works on your machine. That way we can track the results and relay them to other customers with similar problems. Thanks.) ========================================================================== Professional Video Poker For Windows (tm) LICENSE AGREEMENT ========================================================================== Your use of Professional Video Poker For Windows (tm) indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions outlined in the sections to follow. Professional Video Poker For Windows (tm) ("the Software") is a Windows 3.1 shareware video poker game licensed by Bitwise Software International, Inc. ("BSI") from the Author, Jay J. Falconer. This copyrighted Software is NOT FREEWARE or PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE. SHAREWARE LICENSE ================= You are entitled to distribute the ENTIRE UNMODIFIED contents of the distribution package to anyone you wish, free of charge. You may NOT distribute any other programs that utilizes the Software without obtaining a Registered User License for the Software from BSI. For a period of no more than 30 days, you may use, test, & duplicate the enclosed version of the Software. Thereafter, if you wish to continue using the Software, you must register the Software with BSI, or else you must cease all use of the Software. You will violating U.S. copyright laws if you fail to register with BSI and continue to use this Software for more than 30 days. Continued use of this program without registration is a violation of 17 United States Code, sections 101 through 810. This carries severe financial penalties including but not limited to fines of up to $50,000 per violation. REGISTERED USER LICENSE ======================= If you pay the registration fee for the Software to BSI, BSI will grant you a non-exclusive license to use ONE copy of the Software regardless if the owner of the license is a person or a business ("the Licensee"). For each registration fee paid, the Licensee is permitted to use ONE copy of the Software on ONE computer by ONE person. In addition, the Licensee may distribute the Shareware Version of the Software, free of charge, provided the ENTIRE UNMODIFIED contents of the Shareware Version of the Software package is distributed. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES, may a Registered User distribute or otherwise make available the PVPOKER.LIC file to any other person or organization. SHAREWARE VENDORS ================= Shareware vendors who wish to charge a small fee for distribution of the Software must obtain prior written approval from BSI. BSI will provide the latest copy of the Software and also provide the vendor with full instructions on BSI's requirements for shareware distribution. LIMITED WARRANTY ================ The Software is distributed and licensed under an "as is" basis. For a period of 30 days from the date that you pay the registration fee, you may return all materials provided by BSI, destroy any and all copies of the Software and documentation you have made and then you will receive a refund of your registration fee minus a $10 restocking charge, provided that all the materials are returned and they are undamaged. If the materials are damaged, your refund will be deducted for the replacement costs of the damaged materials. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES ======================== BSI makes no claims as to the suitability of the software for any specific purpose. EXCEPT FOR THE LIMITED WARRANTY STATED ABOVE, BSI DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WRITTEN OR ORAL, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY SPECIFIC PURPOSE. The Limited Warranty stated above gives you specific legal rights, but you may have other rights which may vary from state to state. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY ======================= In no event shall BSI be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of the use of the Software, including without limitation any direct, indirect or consequential damages or any damages for business interruption, loss of profits, loss of information, or any pecuniary loss even if BSI has been notified of the possibility of such damages. The limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages may not be allowed in some states, and in these states those particular prohibited limitations do not apply. LIMITATION OF REMEDIES ====================== Should you have problems with the Software, BSI's entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be, at BSI's discretion, either (a) to repair or replace the Software, or (b) to terminate the License and send you a refund of your registration fee minus a restocking charge, provided that all materials are returned undamaged. If the materials are damaged your refund will be deducted for the replacement costs of the damaged materials. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ===================== Professional Video Poker (tm) is protected by the copyright laws of the United States, and by the copyright laws of many other countries pursuant to international treaties. Copyright (c) 1993-94, All Rights Reserved, Bitwise Software International, Inc. No portion of the Software, documentation or examples may be copied, stored, or transmitted except as provided for by the License. Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. TRADEMARK INFORMATION ===================== Professional Video Poker for Windows (tm) is a trade marked name held by Bitwise Software International, Inc. under the approval of Jay J. Falconer of Phoenix Arizona (the Author).