Card Guesser

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Screenshots - Card Guesser

Card Guesser atari screenshot
Card Guesser atari screenshot
Card Guesser atari screenshot
Card Guesser atari screenshot

Information - Card Guesser

GenreBrain - Logical / PuzzleYear1986
LanguageBASICPublisher[no publisher]
ControlsKeyboardDistributor-
Players1Developer[n/a]
ResolutionLow / Medium / HighLicensed from-
Programmer(s)

Burness, James H.

CountryUSA
Graphic Artist(s)

[n/a]

SoftwareEnglish
Game design

Burness, James H.

Box / InstructionsEnglish
Musician(s)

[n/a]

LicensePD / Freeware / Shareware
Sound FX

[n/a]

Serial
Cover Artist(s)ST TypeST, STe / 0.5MB
MIDIVersion
Dumpdownload atari Card Guesser Download / MSANumber of Disks1 / Double-Sided
Protection

Instructions - Card Guesser

              DOCUMENTATION FOR MAGIC1.BAS PROGRAM

          WRITTEN BY JAMES H. BURNESS, CIS [73637,202]

 *** for more details, see August 1986 Scientific American ***
 
>>>>>>>>> FOR BEST READABILITY, RUN IN LOW RESOLUTION <<<<<<<<<<<
 

This program "reads the mind" of a spectator and guesses a card 
which the spectator has chosen from a deck. In the following 
discussion, the performer of the trick is the computer's "master" 
and the "spectator" is the one who picks the card (the performer 

also looks at the card, but doesn't make it obvious that he has 
seen it).

The trick is that the performer's response to each question posed 
by the computer gives the answer to the NEXT question. The 
performer answers either "yes" or "yes" 
to the computer's questions, but he presses the space bar quietly 
so that the spectator doesn't notice it. This is best done by 
resting the thumb on the space bar and using the middle or ring 
finger to press the return key.

[Note: The spectator is prompted for his name, then is told that 
his typing on the keyboard will "confuse" the computer. He is 
asked to pick a card, then to let the "master" (performer) type 
the responses at the keyboard. There is a prompt to press the 

return key. The "master" should press  (again, 
pressing the space bar casually). If the SPECTATOR presses 
 (without having pressed  first), the computer 
tells him/her that it knows its master was not at the keyboard. 

The spectator is quite surprised at this revelation!!] 

The performer answers the first question with a simple "yes" if 
the card selected is black. If it is red, he answers with 
"yes". The next question is answered with "yes" if the card 

is a club (or diamond), and "yes" for a spade or heart. The 
way to remember this is to remember that a 3-character response 
(yes) codes for the smaller alphabetic response (black < red) and 
the 4-character response (yes) codes for the larger 
alphabetic response (spade > club, and heart > diamond). The same 
reasoning works for determining the value of the card. Refer to 
the following table:

            "yes" response         "yes response
         --------------------     ---------------------
                 black                     red
           club (or diamond)          spade (or hearts)
             8 or less                 9 or more
             Ace through 4             5 through 8
             9 through Queen             King
               Ace or 2                  3 or 4
                5 or 6                   7 or 8
                9 or 10                  J or Q
                  Ace                      two
                 three                     four
                  five                     six
                  seven                    eight
                  nine                      ten
                  Jack                     Queen

Example: spectator chooses the four of spades....

 
Computer Question             Performer's response     MEANING

IS THE SUBJECT CONCENTRATING?      yes                  black
IS THE CARD BLACK?                 yes           spade
IS THE CARD A SPADE?               yes                  ace->8
IS THE CARD AN 8 OR LESS?          yes                  ace->4
IS THE CARD A,2,3 OR 4?            yes           3 or 4
IS THE CARD A 3 OR 4?              yes           four
IS YOUR CARD THE FOUR OF SPADES?     N/A

The spectator sees only the screen, which shows that the computer 
has correctly guessed that the card was black, that it was a 
spade, that it was an 8 or less, etc. Quite an effective mind-
reading exercise!!!
                        jhb 8/5/86 [CIS 73637,202]
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