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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #3306)
[PCjs Machine "ibm5170"]
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RENJU.TXT
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* VGA-RENJU *
* Release 2.0 *
* Sep 25, 1992 *
* *
* John Girard *
* 446 Novavista Drive *
* Winnipeg, MB *
* CANADA *
* R2N 3V9 *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Introduction
************
History of the Game
VGA-RENJU is a variation of the game of Go, an ancient game
from the Orient. Go has been played for at least 2000 years
and is considered the most popular game in the world today.
Despite this, Go is not very well known in North America.
Go is a game of position played on a board of 19 vertical
lines and 19 horizontal lines. The intersections of these
lines are called points and this is where the players place
the game pieces known as stones. Go is a very complex game
which challenges Chess in terms of movement strategy. VGA-
RENJU is modelled after a simpler variation known by many
names including: Renju, Moku and Go-Moku.
System Requirements
VGA-RENJU is designed to be played on IBM PC or true
compatible equipped with a VGA monitor and a mouse. I had
considered supporting other PC configurations and will in
the future if there is a demand for it.
Shareware Registration
VGA-RENJU is shareware. That means you are free to try the
game, but if you continue to use the game you should
register with the author by sending a registration fee of
$5.00 to the author at the above address. That really is
quite a good deal and by supporting shareware authors you
will be able to continue obtaining quality software at very
reasonable prices. You may also freely copy this game and
give it to your friends provided you do not charge for the
program and do not alter any part.
When you register the game, please let me know what version
you have and what you think of the game. I would appreciate
any comments you have on improving the game or any problems
that you discover. All registered users will be notified
of new versions and changes that have been made. Users who
submit a registration of $10.00 or more will be sent the
currnt version with their name on the title screen.
Playing VGA-RENJU
******************
When you start the program, a title screen will appear with
a dialogue box asking if you would like to see the
instructions. The first time you play you should quickly
review the instruction by clicking your left mouse button on
the Yes box. Throughout the game you will see similar
dialogue boxes. You also use the left mouse button to
register your answer.
After the instructions a Set-Up box will appear. You may
use the left mouse button to change any of the settings by
clicking the boxes. Each of the options are described below
under the title Options.
Starting Game Play
VGA-RENJU is a two player game. Player 1 is always a human
but Player 2 may be either a human or the computer. Each
player is assigned a colour, either Green or Yellow, during
the game Set-Up. The default is that Player 1 is Green as
Green moves first. Players alternate placing stones on the
board points by clicking the left mouse button on the point
desired. The object of the game is to either capture five
of your opponent's pairs or to form a five stone chain ( a
contiguous line in any direction). A variation of the game
eliminates the pair capture option, in which case the game
is won by forming a five stone chain.
After each human move, three boxes will "light-up" allowing
you to:
QUIT: once clicked you will be given a chance to end your
session and return to DOS.
NEW: allows you to start a new game with the same setup.
SETUP: brings up the SetUp options menu, allowing you to
change settings. NOTE: This option will end the current
game and start a new game with the new settings.
BACK: this returns the board to state it was in prior to
the players last turn. This is really useful when playing
the computer and you make a silly move. When playing the
two player version, you may wish to not permit this feature.
If you do allow Take Backs in the two player version beware
that the board returns to the previous state of the current
player. So if it is Green's turn and the Back box is
clicked the board returns to the state prior to Green's last
move. This effectively eliminates Yellow's last move.
HELP: clicking this will make the computer make your move
for you. Again this is quite handy when playing the
computer. The move will be made with the same level of
logic the computer is using.
DEMO: plays a computer vs computer game using the Easy
level of play.
INSTR clicking this will bring up the online instructions.
When you click Done on the instructions you will return to
the game in progress.
ABOUT: displaying information about VGA-Renju.
Legal Moves
Players must make legal moves, if not the computer will tell
you! For a move to be legal, the point must be vacant. You
may not put a stone on top of another one. The second part
of a legal moves deals with Forks. Forks may be legal or
illegal depending on what you selected during the Set-Up -
the default is that Forks are illegal. Once you are
familiar with the game try changing this option to make Forks
legal. You will find that the game strategy becomes very
different - it really becomes a new game.
The on line rules describe a Fork quite well with coloured
pictures that I recommend you review. A fork is formed when
two rows of exactly three stones are joined at a common
pivot. If either row has more than three stones it does
not constitute a fork nor does five in a row. All of the
examples below are Forks:
X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X
X X X X X
However none of these are Forks:
X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X
X X X X X X
X X X
Don't worry if your are not clear on what is or is not a
Fork. If you form a Fork while playing, a red line will be
drawn over the stones forming the Fork. If this happens
click the left mouse button and the offending stone will be
removed. You will then have to choose a new point to place
the stone.
Pair Capture
If you selected Yes to Pair Capture during Set-Up (the
default) then if is possible to win the game by capturing
five pairs of stones from your opponent. Like the Fork
option changing this to No during Set-Up will change the
game's strategy.
A pair capture occurs when you trap exactly two of your
opponent's adjacent stones between two of your own. When
this happens the two stones trapped will be removed from the
board and placed beside the board under the Pairs Lost. A
pair capture must be an aggressive move, see the online
rules for examples.
Game Board
The majority of your screen is the game board. To place a
stone you simply click the desired point with the left mouse
button. Some mice are more sensitive than others, so if the
stone does not appear, click the left mouse button again.
Once you have played a while you will know how long you must
hold the button down.
Message Box
If you make an illegal move, win or lose the game a message
will appear where the Help Box and Score Board normally are.
After reading the message click your left mouse button any
where on the screen and the message will disappear.
Marking Stones
The last move made by the computer is marked with a dot.
This avoids 'losing' the computer's move. In the two player
version the last move made by each player is marked.
Ties
A tie is declared when the current player may not make a
legal move.
Options
*******
Set-Up Box
The Set-Up box is displayed at the beginning of each
session. After completion of the game you are given an
opportunity to change the options but you may not change the
option during a game. If you are not happy with the options
selected click on the Quit box, choose Yes to Play Again and
Yes to Change Set-Up. The Set-Up box will then be
displayed. Each option is explained below:
BOARD SIZE: A game of Go is played on a 19 by 19 board. In
VGA-RENJU you may choose any size between 9 by 9 to 19 by
19. The default is 12 by 12.
PLAYER 2: Allows you to select you opponent, either a human
or the computer. The default is the computer.
PLAYER 2 COLOUR: Allows you choose your opponent's colour,
remember that Green moves first. The default is Yellow.
SOUND: You may choose NONE (good for those late nights),
BEEPS (makes those annoying little sounds when you make
mistakes, lose stones etc) or MUSIC (plays songs and has
beeps). If you choose MUSIC you may end a song early by
clicking the right mouse button. The default is BEEPS.
HANDICAP: If you play the computer you may give it a
handicap. The number you choose for a handicap will result
in that number of the computer's coloured stones being
placed on random points of the board. You may choose
between O and 9 or ?. If you select ?, the computer decides
how many stones to play. The default is 0.
LOGIC LEVEL: Three levels of Logic are available: Easy,
Medium and Hard. The higher the level the more difficult it
is to beat the computer and the longer the computer will
think between moves. In the Easy and Medium level games the
computer chooses its move almost instantaneously but in the
hard level the computer will take several seconds on a large
board. This will depend on your machine's capability. The
default is hard.
FORKS: You may make Forks either Legal or Illegal as
explained above.
PAIR CAPTURE: You select Yes or No.
Game Variations
By varying the Forks and Pair Capture options you may change
the game, effectively making new versions. The default game
is quite similar to the game of Renju or Moku (Forks are
illegal and Pair Capture on). By making Forks legal and
turning Pair Captures off the game becomes very simple, a
good game for children. The object is just to get five in
a row. Some people find the Fork rule really frustarting,
other find it really challenging and a good way to 'suck-in'
the computer. Experiment with different options.
Files
*****
You should received two files:
Renju.Txt This file - ASCII instructions
VGARenju.exe Main Program
Please feel free to pass this program to friends, BBSs etc
but make sure both files are included. If you archive the
files please call the archive VGAREN2 with the appropriate
extension (zip, arj, pak etc).
Disclaimer
**********
VGA-RENJU is sold 'as-is', without any warranty as to
performance or any other warranties whether expressed or
implied. Because of the many hardware and software
environments into which this program may be used, no
warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered.
The user must assume the entire risk of using the program.
Any liability of the seller will be limited exclusively to
product replacement or the refund of the registration fee.
Modifications
*************
Version 1.1
Changed the design so that the board is not completely
redrawn everytime there is a Fork or Pair Capture.
Eliminated the bug that added one to the handicap after
every game if the the computer was green.
Added option to view instructions while playing a game.
More than one function may be executed during each turn.
For example, you may use both Help and Instr in one turn.
The mouse is much more sensitive when placing stones on the
board, version 1.0 required many 'double' clicks. This may
cause problems on 486s and even fast 386s.
Version 2.0
Logic changed in all three levels (Easy, Medium and Hard), new
algorithms are much less predicatble.
Viewing instruction during a game is easier.
Changed screen layout by adding options for SetUp, New, Demo
and About.
Other Games by John Girard
**************************
Pegasus (Requires EGA/VGA and mouse)
Pegasus is based on a game of Solitaire that is thought
to have been invented in the early 1700s by Frenchmen
inprisoned in Solitary confinement. Although that is
disputed, it is known that the game was very popular in
England by the end of the 1700s. The games are played on
a board with 33 holes. Pegasus includes two games:
Classic Solitaire
Normally the game starts with 32 pegs in the holes,
although the number of starting pegs may vary. The aim
is to remove pegs by jumping them, leaving a single peg
in the center. Several boards designs and different games
are provided, plus there is an option to create your own
board layout.
Fox & Goose
Fox & Goose picks up where Classic Solitaire leaves off.
Played on the same board this game is a computer verus
human hunt game. The computer tries to capture Geese by
jumping them while you try to surround the Fox. Sound
easy ... well try it. Several boards are provided and
you may change the number of Geese to increase or decrease
the level of difficulty.
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #3306
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
GO BAT 31 1-27-93 12:01p
RENJU TXT 17333 10-03-92 9:59a
VGARENJU EXE 155568 10-05-92 7:59a
SHOW EXE 2040 9-12-88 10:48a
4 file(s) 174972 bytes
146432 bytes free