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** T R I P L E Y A H O O **
** T R I P L E Y A H O O **
** T R I P L E Y A H O O **
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version 1.0
(c) Copyright 1994, StuSoft .
March 20, 1994
All programming and design by Stuart Denman.
A highly addictive multi-player GEM Triple Yahtzee game for Atari ST/STE/TT
and Falcon Computers. Supports Digitized DMA Sound, 3D buttons, SPEEDO/GDOS
fonts, and colored icons if available. Works in ALL resolutions and all
color modes including graphics cards. It also runs under MultiTOS.
Cool, huh?
ABOUT THIS MANUAL
-----------------
HINT: Read through this whole manual for a hidden Easter egg.
This manual may be reproduced in hardcopy form for PERSONAL USE ONLY.
Here is a list of the sections in this manual:
-> Legal Stuff (Required Reading)
-> How to Register
-> About the Program
-> A Description of the Game
-> Scoring the Dice
-> Bonus Points and Totals
-> Game Playing Shortcuts
-> The Game Menu
-> The Windows Menu
-> The Preferences Dialog Box
-> The Multitude of Preferences
-> Triple Yahoo Hints and Tips
-> Closing Remarks
LEGAL STUFF (REQUIRED READING)
------------------------------
USE THIS PROGRAM AT YOUR OWN RISK! The author assumes no liability
whatsoever for any damages that may result from using this program. This
program includes absolutely no warranty, written or implied.
PLEASE distribute this UNREGISTERED game everywhere, provided that this text
file is included with the program. DO NOT RE-ARCHIVE TRIPLE YAHOO! Keep a
copy of the original ZIP file so you can upload it to BBS's and distribute
it to your friends.
TRIPLE YAHOO MAY NOT BE SOLD FOR ANY PRICE BY ANYONE OTHER THAN THE AUTHOR.
PUBLIC DOMAIN AND SHAREWARE RETAILERS HAVE PERMISSION TO DISTRIBUTE THE
UNREGISTERED VERSION FOR A MINIMAL FEE NOT ANY HIGHER THAN THE COST TO
REPRODUCE THE DISK.
WARNING: Any attempt to alter the program or its supporting files may
result in permanent damage to your computer. Triple Yahoo will "Lash-back"
if it detects any modifications to its code. The author assumes no
liability for damages caused by this feature.
HOW TO REGISTER
---------------
THIS PROGRAM IS 100% SHAREWARE! If you play Triple Yahoo, you MUST send $15
to $20 in United States dollars to the author. I am making the shareware fee
a range because I want you to send the amount you think is appropriate. If
you can't afford $20, send $15. If you like the game a lot, send $20.
Payment can be made in US currency or make US check or money order payable
to Stuart Denman and mail to:
STUSOFT or Stuart Denman
1751 N.E. Naomi Pl.
Seattle, WA 98115
USA
For a faster reply between JUNE 15 and SEPTEMBER 20, mail to:
(It's still OK to mail to the above address, though).
STUSOFT or Stuart Denman
500 S. Pine St.
Ellensburg, WA 98926
USA
***** FOREIGN ORDERS READ HERE *****
*
* At this time I am also accepting GERMAN MARKS, but I am requiring 40 DM
* for the shareware fee at the current March 1994 exchange rate of 0.56.
* This includes processing and exchange fees. I can accept some other
* Western European money (like BRITISH POUNDS). Foreign payment must be in
* CASH BILLS. No coins. Canadian dollars are also accepted. The foreign
* Shareware fee is the equivalent of $20 to $25 (U.S. dollars) at the
* current exchange rate. Again, this includes processing and exchange fees.
* Please keep in mind that I only speak English! Thanks.
*
***** FOREIGN ORDERS READ HERE *****
Clearly include the following, or use the automatic form (see below):
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
(For people outside the US, please specifically indicate which is your city,
and which is your state/province, etc. I'm not familiar with foreign postal
formats.)
FIRST NAME, LAST NAME
STREET ADDRESS
CITY, STATE/PROVINCE
ZIP/POSTAL CODE
COUNTRY
You will receive a keycode to register the game and disable the shareware
reminders that hinder the gameplay. If any updates are made to the game,
you will also be sent the latest version. There is no guarantee that I will
make another version.
Also include your Internet, Genie, or Delphi E-mail address if you have one.
I can send you your keycode by E-mail and you'll be able to get it much
faster.
Comments and bug-reports are welcome and you can send them to the above
address or E-mail me at: sdenman@cs.washington.edu
Cool Automatic Registration Form! (CARF)
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I have included an automatic registration form printer into the
Registration dialog box. This is optional to make it easier for you to
register; you can send your own letter if you want. Just type all of the
information into the registration box as indicated and omit the keycode.
Be sure to include all the information asked for. Make sure your printer
is online and click on PRINT FORM to print the single sheet with your
information on it. Fill out any blanks and the comment space by hand, and
sign it. Enclose your shareware fee, and mail it. It's Easy!
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
-----------------
Supporting files:
(Some of these are created by the game after you run it. These all must be
in the same directory as the game.)
TRIYAHOO.APP The game program
TRIYAHOO.RSC The resource file
TRIYAHOO.PRF The preferences file
HIGHSCOR.DAT High score file
PLAYERS.DAT The list of saved default players
Other files are *.YAH files which are the saved games and can be put
anywhere.
This program has been tested on a TT030, FALCON030, MEGA STE, 1040 ST, and
on a NOVA graphics card. It runs under Geneva or MultiTOS. The game looks
best on a system with 3D buttons and color icons like the Falcon, MultiTOS,
or Geneva.
Triple Yahoo has over 130K of digitized sounds, so if you have an STE, TT,
or Falcon, you can enjoy these great effects. If you have a TT, make sure
the program load flag is set to ST RAM so the program will not load in TT
RAM. Regular ST users get beeps and music instead of DMA sound.
The game uses GDOS fonts, and supports some of the new features of Speedo
GDOS. You can set the point size of outline fonts as well as the width.
The ZIP file includes a directory called DESKICON which contains two files:
YAH_ICON.RSC and YAH_CICN.RSC. These are resource files that contain two
icons for use with NEWDESK on newer TOS versions. YAH_ICON.RSC contains
monochrome icons for use on older systems, and YAH_CICN.RSC contains color
icons for use on newer systems that support them. To install these icons
onto your system for use with Triple Yahoo, copy the icons from these
resource files with a resource editor into the DESKICON.RSC or DESKCICN.RSC
files on your boot drive. Then re-boot the computer and assign TRIYAHOO.APP
one of the icons using "Install Icon" as described in your computer's
manual. Don't forget to save the desktop!
On newer TOS versions, you can drag saved games (*.YAH files) to
TRIYAHOO.APP and Triple Yahoo will load your game automatically when it
runs. You can also install Triple Yahoo as an application with YAH as the
document type. This way when you double click on a *.YAH file at the
desktop, the computer will automatically run Triple Yahoo and load in your
saved game.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME
-------------------------
To play the game, run TRIYAHOO.APP. The game may take a while to load if
you have a lot of GDOS fonts installed. The High Scores window will come
up (if it was up when the last preferences were saved), followed by the
"About Triple Yahoo" dialog. Computers with DMA sound should hear three
"Yahoos" played. Be sure to turn up your computer's volume if you want to
hear the sound effects. This dialog will automatically come up when you
start the game until you get a keycode by registering. Click on OK to
continue with the game, or click on "Shareware Info" for registration
information.
To start a game, select New Game from the Game menu. Enter the names of
all the players (up to 4) and make sure the button is highlighted before
every player who will play in this game. Click on SAVE if you want these to
be the default names and come up next time you run the program. Click PLAY
to start the game. A Dice window and Score Card will appear. Click on ROLL
in the dice window to roll the dice.
The object of the game is not only to get the highest score possible, but
also to beat your opponent if you are playing against someone. As of this
date, my personal high score is 2178. 1500 to 1700 is more typical. You
score points by rolling five dice. You get three rolls, and after your
first roll, you can select which dice to roll again by clicking on them with
the left mouse button. These are then covered up by a pattern. Patterned
dice are then rolled again when you click on ROLL in the dice window.
When the ROLL button says SCORE, you have used up all of your three rolls
and must score the dice on the Score Card. You can score your roll at any
time, not just after three rolls. Your score depends on the combinations of
dice that you rolled. There is a lot of strategy involved, not only in
choosing which dice to roll, but also which category to score it in. This
is because you can score the same roll in many places, and also because the
three columns in Triple Yahoo are added up differently; the second column is
doubled and the third column is tripled. This is done in the "1-2-3 Total"
row.
After you have scored your roll, play moves to the next player, or you can
roll again if you are playing a one-player game. The game ends when there
are no more blanks in the Score Card (39 different scores), and the winner
is announced.
SCORING THE DICE
----------------
Here is a short description of the different ways you can score an
arrangement of dice:
ONES, TWOS, THREES, FOURS, FIVES, and SIXES:
The score is calculated here by adding up all the dice of a particular
value. For example a roll of 33636 would score 9 points next to THREES and
12 points if it was scored next to SIXES.
THREE OF A KIND:
All dice are added up to get the score, but if you don't have at least three
dice that are the same value, you get zero.
FOUR OF A KIND:
All dice are added up to get the score, but if you don't have at least four
dice that are the same value, you get zero.
FULL HOUSE:
Worth 25 points. You must have any three dice that are the same value along
with another pair of matched dice. (This is the same as poker).
SMALL STRAIGHT:
Worth 30 points. Four of the five dice must have sequential values with no
gaps in the values. For example 14623 is a small straight because 1234 is a
straight.
LARGE STRAIGHT:
Worth 40 points. All five dice must be have sequential values with no gaps.
YAHOO:
Worth 50 points. All five dice must have the same value.
CHANCE:
All dice are added up. This can be anything, but usually you score
something here when you can't get a good score in any of the other places.
BONUS POINTS AND TOTALS
-----------------------
The other entries on the score card are bonuses and totals of the columns:
SUBTOTAL:
This is the sum of the upper columns (ONES through SIXES).
BONUS:
You get 35 points in every column whose SUBTOTAL is 63 or greater.
UPPER TOTAL:
Sum of the SUBTOTAL and BONUS for each column.
YAHOO BONUS:
This is worth 100 points. All you need to do is have three YAHOOs scored
into the YAHOO row. If you get a fourth, fifth, or sixth YAHOO and are able
to score it in any entry in a particular column, you will get a YAHOO BONUS
of 100 points under that column. Note that if you score zero (for example a
yahoo scores zero in the LARGE STRAIGHT category), you do NOT get a YAHOO
BONUS.
LOWER TOTAL:
Sum of all the lower categories and the YAHOO BONUS.
COMBINED TOTAL:
Sum of the UPPER and LOWER TOTAL for each column.
1-2-3 TOTAL:
Here the first column is left the same, but the COMBINED TOTAL entry of the
second column is doubled and the third column is tripled.
GRAND TOTAL:
Sum of the 1-2-3 TOTAL in each column to get a final single total.
The best way to learn how things are scored is to just roll the dice and
experiment. You'll see what things do. The scoring is also summarized in
the HELP dialog accessed from the Game menu or by pressing the HELP key.
GAME PLAYING SHORTCUTS
----------------------
I have added several techniques that make gameplay much easier and faster.
All menu items have keyboard equivalents and these are listed next to the
item in the menu. There are also some keys that deal with rolling the dice
and these are listed by pressing HELP or selecting HELP in the menu.
A lot of times during the game you want to keep several dice of the same
value and roll the others. To keep all the dice of a particular value,
click the right mouse button or double click the left mouse button on a die
of the value you want to keep. On some machines, you have to hold the right
mouse button down a little longer than usual to get it to work, but you can
always double click instead.
To temporarily show a score in the score card but not place it, click and
hold the right mouse button in the place you want to score it and release it
when done. You can also click the left mouse button while holding down the
ALTERNATE key. Release ALTERNATE when you are done looking.
THE GAME MENU
-------------
NEW GAME - Brings up the player name entry box and starts a new game.
Click on SAVE in this dialog to make these the default players.
LOAD GAME - Loads a saved game. The file is deleted upon loading.
SAVE AND END GAME - Saves the current game and ends it (it ends so you can't
cheat). Type in the file name at the fileselector with a .YAH extension.
Game preferences are only saved in a .YAH file if "Prefs Saved with Game" is
checked in the menu. Otherwise, only the player's names and their scores
are saved.
UNDO SCORE - This allows you to undo the last score you placed onto the
score card and return the dice to their previous state. Notice that once
you roll again after you score the dice, you cannot undo it.
SET PREFERENCES - This calls up the preferences dialog box where you can
configure the game to your liking. This is described in detail below. Note
that saving the preferences in this dialog also saves the current window
positions.
SAVE DEFAULTS - Saves the current preferences as well as the current
window positions as the default preferences (in the TRIYAHOO.PRF file).
Then, the next time you run Triple Yahoo or click on Reload Defaults, the
game will have the same preferences as when you last clicked on Save
Defaults. Save Defaults is the same as saving them from the Preferences
dialog box.
RELOAD DEFAULTS - Loads the default preferences from the TRIYAHOO.PRF file.
This puts the windows, colors, etc., back to the way they were when you ran
the game or last clicked on Save Preferences.
PREFS SAVED WITH GAME - This can be checked or unchecked by clicking on it.
If it is checked, the current preferences will be saved with the next saved
game. When you load that game in, the windows, colors, font, etc. will be
set as they were when you saved that game. If you do not save the
preferences with a game, the game will just use the current preference
settings.
HELP - This calls up the Help dialog box which describes some gameplay
shortcuts as well as a description of how the scores are calculated.
QUIT - Quits the program. If you are playing a game, it will ask you if you
want to save the current game before quitting.
THE WINDOWS MENU
----------------
DICE, SCORE CARD, HIGH SCORES - These three menu selections call up their
corresponding window. If the window is open, it brings it to the top. If
it was closed, it opens it on top.
CLOSE ALL - Closes all of the game's windows, including the dice window.
RAISE ALL - Brings all of the windows to the top, and opens them if they
were previously closed. This is also useful in MultiTOS to bring all of the
windows forward when switching applications.
FULL SIZE ALL - This sizes the Score Card and High Score windows to their
fullest extent. This command is handy for when you change from a small
font to a larger one and want to expand all the windows.
CLEAR HIGH SCORES - Clears the high scores to the default. You will
permanently lose any highscores unless you manually backup the
HIGHSCOR.DAT file.
THE PREFERENCES DIALOG BOX
--------------------------
To open the preference dialog box, click on Preferences in the Game menu or
press Control-P. Each of the shadowed buttons are popup menus which allow
you to change a specific setting. Some of the popup menus scroll up or down
to allow more selections than will fit on several lines. The previous
selection is indicated by a check mark before it.
There are two ways to select an item from a popup menu:
1. Click once on the popup button. The menu should pop up and stay up.
Move to the item you want to select and click again. To scroll up or down
in the menu, click on the particular arrow once for each line you want to
move. To cancel your selection and revert back to the previous selection,
click the mouse button outside of the popup menu.
2. Click on the popup button and hold down the mouse button. Keep holding
the button down and move the mouse until you highlight the item you want,
then release the button to select it. To scroll up or down, move the mouse
over the arrow and the menu will scroll. Move the mouse off of the arrow to
stop scrolling. To cancel your selection and revert back to the previous
selection, release the mouse button outside of the popup menu.
Disabled items cannot be selected from the popup menu (like Color Dice if
you are running in a Monochrome resolution), and clicking on these reverts
back to the previous selection. Click on one of the two faces in the
"About Triple Yahoo" dialog to hear the Easter egg. Keep clicking if it
doesn't work the first time. Never thought you'd find this hidden text, did
you? It's in a pretty hidden place. You did read the WHOLE manual, didn't
you?
After setting the preferences to your liking, you can click on one of the
lower four buttons to accept or reject your settings. Clicking on CANCEL
will change all preferences back to what they were when you clicked on
Preferences from the Game menu. SAVE will save the preferences as they
appear in the dialog above so that the game will come up the same way next
time you run the program. Once you save the preferences, clicking on CANCEL
will not alter the saved preferences, only the one for the current game.
Remember that the positions of all the windows are saved at the Preferences
dialog box. If you move the windows, you have to re-save the settings here
or by clicking on Save Preferences from the Game menu to make them the
default. Clicking on OK will enable the current settings for this game, but
will not save them to disk. Again, you must click on SAVE to permanently
save them. LOAD will load and revert back to the last saved preferences.
This is the same as Reload Defaults in the Game menu.
THE MULTITUDE OF PREFERENCES
----------------------------
The following is a description of the various preference settings and what
each does. The list goes from the right button to left button in each row,
then down from the first row to the last row in the dialog.
SOUND: This sets which sounds will play. "No Sound" turns the sound off.
"Effects" will play clicking sounds and other effects. If you do not have
DMA sound, this will play beeps and music. "Comments" will play the
digitized voices. "Play All" will play both effects and comments.
COMMENTS: This allows you to set the percentage of the time that comment
sounds are played. Comments are played depending on the dice you roll.
Changing the percentage will set the computer so it will not comment every
time it sees a good (or bad) roll.
DICE: This sets the look of the dice you are using. You may only have one
or two choices depending on the resolution or system you have. "Dice" are
monochrome dice, "Numbers" are numerical dice, and "Color Dice" are 3D color
dice that only work on systems supporting color icons. If you use color
dice, your system's color palette must use the default Atari desktop colors
to look correct. In resolutions using the 9 point (8x8) system font, this
button will be set to "Small Dice" and you cannot change it.
DICE COLOR: When using "Dice", "Numbers", or "Small Dice", a popup button
will appear to the right of the Dice popup button. This will allow you to
change the color of those dice. The default is 0 (white).
ROLL: This determines the rolling speed of the dice. "Slow" through "Fast"
will spin the dice on the screen a number of times. "Instant" will make
the dice instantly appear.
BACKGROUND: This sets the color of the background of the High Scores and
Score Card windows.
DICE WINDOW: This sets the color of the background of the Dice window.
NAMES: This determines how the current player is indicated in the Score
Card window. You can bold the current player, lighten the other players,
or choose combinations of those.
COLOR: This sets the text color of the current player's name. Other
players are black.
SCORE COLOR: This sets the text color of the scoring numbers.
TEXT COLOR: This sets the text color of the scoring categories in the Score
Card window, as well as some other miscellaneous text in the High Score
window.
FONT: This selects the GDOS/SpeedoGDOS font to use in the Score Card and
High Scores windows. If GDOS is not installed, you can only use the system
font.
POINT SIZE: This sets the height of the current font in points. You can
either type it in or select in with the popup button. The popup includes
the default point sizes. Speedo outline fonts can be set more accurately by
typing in the point size.
WIDTH SIZE: SpeedoGDOS outline fonts will have a Width Size entry where you
can set the width of the outline font in points. Changing the point size
from the popup button will change both the Point size and Width size to
your selection. When the Width size is the same value as the point size,
your font will be correctly proportioned.
TRIPLE YAHOO HINTS AND TIPS
---------------------------
1. If a configuration of dice has a fixed score (like Full House, 25
points), score it in the 3rd column first and then the second column. If
you fail to get one later, it's better to take a loss in the first column
than the third because the first column is only worth 1/3 of the 3rd.
2. Try to keep your chance slots free until the very end of the game.
3. If you get at least 3 of each value in the upper categories for a
particular column, you can get the bonus for that column.
4. If you have two dice of some high value and you are trying for a third
one on the last roll, pick some lower valued dice and try for more of those
instead. For example, it will hurt you less if you don't get another two
than if you don't get another six. Of course, you have to have a place to
score those low valued dice. It's not good to use up one of your chances
unless absolutely necessary.
5. Register the game! For a small amount of money, you can have relaxing,
uninterrupted games for the rest of your life! Think about it...
6. Have FUN! Remember, the computer is not biased. The rolling is
completely random, so any bad games are due to your bad luck and lack of
strategy. Sorry, honest truth. =)
CLOSING REMARKS
---------------
That's all I can think of, so go at it and enjoy! Please keep in mind that
I have spent hundreds of hours working on this game to perfect it. I think
the Atari community needs QUALITY games like this that run clean, play
great, and can be used on ALL systems (less filling). So if you like this
game, register it! If I get enough people, I might feel like making another
awesome game. Thanks to all who register!
I'd like to also thank Dan Alyward for his dedicated help in testing the
game. Thanks to Jeff Beeghly for his help as well.
Let's see some more Atari programs out there, people! Get started!