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<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html";>
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<TITLE>Four wins manual</TITLE>
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</HEAD>
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<BODY LINK="#0000ff" VLINK="#800080" TEXT="#000000" BGCOLOR="#ffffff">
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<h1> Four wins</h1>
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</B> </FONT><P> </P>
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<B> How do you play "four wins" ? </B>
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<P>
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Four wins is a game for two player.
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Each player is represented by a colour (yellow and red).
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The goal of the game is to get four connected pieces of your
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colour into a row, column or any diagonal.
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This is done by placing one of your pieces into any of the
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seven columns.
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A piece will begin to fill a column from the bottom, i.e. it
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will fall down until it reaches the ground level or another stone.
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After a move is done it is the turn of the other player. This is
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repeated until the game is over, i.e. one of the players has
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four pieces in a row, column or diagonal or no more moves are possbile
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because the board is filled.
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</P>
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<p> <p>
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<B> The board </B>
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<P>The board is separated into three regions.</P>
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<UL>
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<LI>The game board:<BR>
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It is constructed out of 7x6 fields which will be filled from bottom
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to top. The fields are marked in the colour of the player who made the
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current move.<BR>
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On top of each column a coloured arrow shows were the last piece had been
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put.
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<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>The status display:<BR>
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The status display shows which player colour starts and which colour is
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played by whom (player,computer,remote connection). It further shows the
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level of the computer opponent, the number of moves done as well as the
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computer calculated chance of winning. This chance is calculated only if
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the computer opponent makes a move. A positive number means that the player
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has an advantage, a negative number means that the computer thinks
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he is better.
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<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>The table display:<BR>
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Here the number of won, lost and drawn games is noted for both player.
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Also the number of aborted games (Brk) and the sum of games is shown.
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<br>
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</LI>
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</UL>
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<p> <p>
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<B> The File menu</B>
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<P>
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<UL>
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<LI>New game<BR>
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Start a new game. <br>
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</LI>
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<LI>End Game<BR>
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Immediately end a game. This will raise the break counter in the statistics
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by one.<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Statistics<BR>
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Show the all time statistic of all games. This will be saved,
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but can be cleared in this menu as well.<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Send remote message...:<BR>
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Opens a dialog window which lets you send a message to a remote player.
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<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Hint<BR>
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The computer will calculate the best possible move and mark it with a small
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circle on the board.
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How good the move is depends on the level of the computer.<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Exit<BR>
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Exit the program and save all statistical data
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<br>
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</LI>
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</UL>
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<p> <p>
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<B>The Edit menu</b>
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<P>
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<UL>
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<LI>Undo move<BR>
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Undo the last move. If the previous player is played by the computer
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two moves are taken back so that it is the player's turn again.<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Redo move<BR>
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Replay a move which had been undone.
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<br>
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</LI>
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</UL>
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<p> <p>
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<B>The View menu</b>
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<P>
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<UL>
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<LI>Show statusbar<BR>
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Displays the status bar
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<br>
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</LI>
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</UL>
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<p> <p>
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<B> The Options menu </b>
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<p>
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<UL>
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<LI>Startcolour<BR>
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Determines which colour has the first move.<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Yellow played by<BR>
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Choose here who shall play for the yellow side. This can either be
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the local player, the computer or a remote player. Connecting to
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a remote host will pop up a conenction dialog which is explained
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later.<br>
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During game only the player who is not moving can be changed.
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<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Red played by<BR>
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This is analogous to the yellow side. It is possible that there are
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two local players just as the computer can take both local players.
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Only one remote player is possible though. If the client does
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not choose one remote player they will be asked as soon as a connection
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is built. It <b>does not matter</b> what colour the remote side
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chooses. If both remote parties choose to play the same colour the
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computer will handle this and transform the other players colour
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appropriately!
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<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Level<BR>
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The level determines who well the computr plays. A higher level makes
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the computer play better but think longer. For levels larger than 5 or 6
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you need a fast computer!
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<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Change Names<BR>
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Change the names of the two players. The names will be saved and reloaded
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in the next game!
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<br>
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</LI>
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<LI>Network server<BR>
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If this menu item is selected your computer tries to behave as
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game network server. This is of course only of any importance if
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you are doing a network game.
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Only the computer acting as server will be able to start a new game
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or transfer a started game to the client's side.
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<br>
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If both computers want to be server or none of them it is randomly
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selected.
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<br>
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</LI>
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</UL>
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<p> <p>
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<B> The Help menu </B>
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<P>This menu displays the help text as well as information
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about the program and the operation system.</P>
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<p> <p>
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<B> Remote connections </B>
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<P>
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It is possible to play the game over a network connection
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with another computer. To do so both player on both computers
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have to select one colour played by a human player and the
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other by the remote player. Who chooses which colour does not
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matter. It even does not matter if both choose to play the same
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colour as this will transparentely be interchanged by the game.
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<p>
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One of the computers will act as game server. Only this one can
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start a nbew network game. Also all its game data will be transfered
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to the client computer. This includes games already in play - this
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means a remote player can join a game already begun. Who will be
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server can be selected by the <i>network server</i> menu item in
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the options menu. If both choose to be server or client the game
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randomly selects one.
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<p>
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When a network connection is build you are ask to enter a remote
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host and a port. The port can usually just been left untouched. But
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if you now what you do replace it by another number, which has to
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be the same in both player games of course. The hostname should be
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the name of the remote host to which you are connecting. Only one
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of the two players has to supply a hostname, the other one need not
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to, but can.
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<p>
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<P>
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<p>
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<hr>
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<B>Author: </B>
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<P>© 1995-2000 Martin Heni (martin@heni-online.de)</P>
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<FONT SIZE=2></FONT></BODY>
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</HTML>
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