Copyright: Version 1.0


How to Play

As you begin a new game by pushing the start button or selecting the start item in the game menu, one token of each players will be placed on the board, depending on the choice you've done in the new item, also in the game menu. Those tokens will show the start point for the corresponding player (the green player begin in the top right corner of the game board, the purple player in the bottom right, the yellow player in the bottom left, and the grey player in the top left (for 4 players games)). From those corners, each players will begin by placing a token in the start cell, or in a neighbor cell. After that, during the game, some different actions will be available:

1. One push action:

This action meaning is simply putting a token anywhere on the game board, following the push validity rules.

2. One cell action:

This action is done when you push a cell which already have three of your tokens. In that case, that cell lose two tokens, and give one token to all its neighbour cells (if those cells are not frozen). It's the only way to obtain a Tripod cell and to attack other players.

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3. Two cells action:

You do this action when you push a cell with already three of your tokens, and if one of its neighbour cell has also three of your tokens (but if that push can't lead to a Taka owner push).

If a two cells action occurs, the cell you have pushed react as if you've done a one cell action on it, so each neighbour cells receive a token. If one (or more) of those cells has already three of your tokens, it reacts as fellow: as it receives a token from another cell (the cell you've pushed), it will give two tokens to its own neighbour cells, except the cell it recieves the token from, and will keep two cells this time:

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4. Three cells action:

As you can guess, this action is the next step of two cells action:

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Although this action is the most powerful (you can earn 13 tokens in only one push!), it's also the longer to prepare.

You can also have other configurations, as for example:

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In this case, even if the cell surrounded by the red circle should receive one token from the pushed cell and three from the cell above, it only receives two tokens from that last one. The reason is that a cell may not  receive more than 3 tokens in the same turn (or only in the special case of an attack).

Remark: Three cells action is the bigger action a player can do.

NB: something good to know also: during the game, if you feel it's over for you (...coward!), you can drop the game by clicking on your flag (on the dispatcher board) when it's your turn to play.


Goal
The Goal of Takagoraku

The goal is simply to have much more points than any other player...

Points are earned each time you place a token (by clicking a cell) on the game board. The points are calculated as fellow:

1 token = 1 point (= one token cell)

2 tokens = 2 points (= two tokens cell)

3 tokens = 3 points (= three tokens cell)

3 tokens + 1 Takatoken = 3 points + 2 points = 5 points (= Taka owner cell)

The points are displayed on the dispatcher board as colour lines. The blue lines represent the Takatoken points while the colour lines show the usual points. The lines' colour are the same than the players' colour. For example:

as showed, the yellow player now is winning with much more tokens and Takatokens than other players. However, having more Takatokens than a player doesn't mean have more points than that player (ex.: purple and green players). But that situation can be anyway explained as a result of a special tactic, as we can see on the tactics topic.

On the points board, the lighted colour (current player's colour flag) on the bottom shows the current active player (ex.: in this case, grey player is playing).


Tactics
Tactics of Takagoraku

Between all the tactics we could find for Takagoraku, here are the four base tactics you could use to win a game:

1. Expansionist tactic:

Adopting that tactic, the player will expand his territory as a virus would do: expanding around the start point, applying as much as possible three cells pushes. After a few turns, that player would have much more tokens than any other players. That tactic would be the primary basically tactic. The only bad point here is that no cell is protected by a Takatoken.

2. Snake tactic:

While another player try to grow his action field, you run into it with a single line of tokens. Before he could do anything, you are near enough to stop his expansion. With a little experience, you can win a two players game in small board mode in only 20 turns. That tactic is to avoid within a four players game.

3. Selfish tactic:

You don't like when other players take your positions? Then protect each of them by adding Takatokens each time you can. It's a good tactic to apply when you notice the other players are fighting without you, letting you free time to act freely.

4. Wall tactic:

To make a "wall", tries to surround another player with Taka owner cells. If a player if fully surrounded by such cells (or frozen cells), the only thing he'll be able to do is to finish to fill with his tokens the area within the "wall of Taka owner cells" which surround him. After that, he'll have all the time to see the others players playing without him...


New
New Game

This window let you change the game attributes.

* The maximum area size will depend on your screen resolution.

* Here you can choose to play a game of two or four players, including computers (AI). You can even let the computer play with himself. But be careful: in that case, the only way to stop the game is to let the computer win (it can take some hours!), or stop the game manually by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del, select Takagoraku v1.0 in the list, and then stop it.

* The computer type determines how wise are the other computer players.


Start
Start Game

The start button or the start item on the game menu let you start a new game with the preferences displayed in the new window.


Push Validity Rules

For each cells selected by mouse or by keys, a colour triangle shows what rule are applied. The colours meanings are as fellow:

Colour of players: a push on that cell is possible,

Red colour: 	forbidden cell. That cell is not adjacent to one of your cells, or is already occupied by another player.

Blue colour:	frozen cell. That cell is a special cell (Tripod cell), or have already a Taka owner.


Cells Attributes

Some cells have special attributes:

1. Tripod:

this cells accepts tokens only if they result from one, two, or three cell push. As soon as it accepts a token, the three token positions become occupied by the same tokens than the coming one. After that, the cell belongs to the player until the end of the game (that cell is then considered as frozen for other players, that means other players can't interact anymore with that cell). Example:

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Green player has three tokens on the centre cell.

Green player has then pushed one more time the centre cell (which made a one cell action). The Tripod have accepted the token of green player from the centre cell, and auto-fill its three token positions.

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Purple player have also a three tokens cell near the Tripod already owned by the green player. Purple player push one more time his cell, but this time, no token enter the Tripod.

2. Taka owner cell (Taka owner push):

this cell belongs the player represented by the tokens' colour until the end of the game. As it have Taka owner, it's frozen (this time, also for its owner). It's a primordial point for the tactics, because such a cell is fully protected for the rest of the game. You have to keep in mind anyway that a Taka owner cell is no more in use for cells push actions...

A Taka owner cell is gained if you push a three tokens cell AND if the cells around that three tokens cell are full of your tokens and/or frozen. Examples:

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and cells surrounded with Taka owner cells and/or Tripods:

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and also, the cells near the borders of the game board (example, at a corner):

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Attack Other Players

Players attack by sending their tokens into opponents' cells using one, two, or three cells actions. Each time player's cell receive one (or several) of opponent's tokens, that cell reacts as fellow (for example, purple player's cell receive green player's tokens):

      receive 1 token:	(-1 purple's token)

                   receive 2 tokens:	(-2 purple's tokens)

                   receive 3 tokens:	(-3 purple's tokens + 1 green's token)

     receive 1 token:	(-1 purple's token)

                   receive 2 tokens:	(-2 purple's tokens + 1 green's token)

                   receive 3 tokens:	(-2 purple's tokens + 2 green's tokens)

     receive 1 token:	(-1 purple's token + 1 green's token)

                    receive 2 tokens:	(-1 purple's token + 2 green's tokens)

                    receive 3 tokens:	(-1 purple's token + 3 green's tokens)

Remark: the "enemy's token" a player's cell can receive are cumulative if that "enemy player" have attacked with a three push action in such a follow configuration:

                                        push:

  three cell action decomposition:

                                            and finally:

This attack is the most offensive attack you could do, as the attacked player loose three of his tokens, and let enter two enemy's tokens. The relative score is then 5 points loosed by the attacked player...and so 5 points gained by the attacker.

Several good attacks often result to the "death" of the player attacked. A player stop to play when he can't push any cell on the game board. In that case, his lost colour flag appears on the dispatcher board.


Keyboard
Players Keyboard Control

Here you can customise your keys if you'd like to play with the keyboard (very useful if several humans play together). The keys you've selected are recorded for the current instance of Takagoraku. The next time you will launch the game, the keys will bet set in default position.

* The player button let you change all the keys of that player. By clicking on a player key box, you can change that key only.

The number of the players is a number for human players. If you play with one (or more) computer player, Ply 1 corresponds to the first human player to play, Ply 2 to the second human player to play,... even if a computer player play before humans.


Highscores
High Scores Table

That screen shows you the top 10 best scores of Takagoraku.


Options
Takagoraku Options

This screen let you choose the main options of Takagoraku, such:

* which game's language (the Change button let you choose between English, French, and Japanese (in that case, you need an OS which can read 2-bytes caracters, or any specialised program, as NJWin you can download at http://www.njstar.com.au)),

* show the introduction window during 3 seconds each time you launch Takagoraku (those two last options are automatically saved, and will be active next time you'll launch Takagoraku),

* play the sounds of the game (sounds of the game board),

* show the cells played by the computer (its selected cell blink during 1 second each time it will plays),

* turn your mouse into a "magnet mouse", which will place itself on the last cell you played in the begining on each turn (also useful when you play with several human players).

The save button saves the options so they will become the new default options. OK button just applies the options for the current instance of the game.


Game Board

This is the field where the games will append. The players will be placed in the top right/bottom left diagonal (if two players game), or on each corners (if four players game).


Dispatcher Board

The dispatcher is the "master" of the game. Its work is to check all actions done by the players (including computer players). It shows also the points all players have earned.

The lower part of that board represents the four players flags. The flags can be one of the following flags:

player's colour flags

current player's colour flag

player's drop colour flag

player's lost colour flag

At the end of the game, the dispatcher shows you who have won by highlighting the player (or the players) who have got the highest points. If that (those) player(s) hasn't (haven't) drop the game, he (they) will be allowed to enter the high scores table if the score is big enough.


How to Register

So as I see, you're wise (because you're reading probably the most interesting page on this help file). If you'd like to register, here is the way you can fellow:

For your convenience, we have contracted another company, NorthStar Solutions, to procees any order you may wish to place with you Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card. Please be sure to mention you would like to order the product 3341 when placing your order.

INTERNET ORDERS

Visit NorthStar Solutions at

http://www.nstarsolutions.com

and fill out their online order form (fast, easy and secure!)

PHONED ORDERS

Calls are taken from 9 am to 7 pm, CST, from Monday to Friday

800 699-6395 (From the U.S. only)

785 539-3731

ask for Product 3341

FAXED ORDERS

Available 24 hours / 24.

785 539-3743

MAILED ORDER

You may register with a check or money order.

Make them payable to "NorthStar Solutions" and send them to:

1228 Westloop PI, Suite 204

Manhattan, KS 66502

United States

Please provide (or be prepared to provide) the following informations:

* the program you are registering (product 3341),

* your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover numbre and expiration date (if using credit card),

* your E-mail address (so NorthStar Solutions can send you an E-Mail confirming your order and so I can contact you easily for you serial number and any important follow-up informations, upgrade announcements, etc.).

And you can also send you orders directly to Taka Entertainment if you live near Belgium:

SMIRNOW Stéphane

50, Grand Route de Liège

4162, Hody

BELGIUM

tel:  32-(0)4-383 67 73

fax: 32-(0)4-383 72 47

E-Mail: stephane.smirnow@ping.be


Why Registering

Gnnnahaha...because if you don't register at last 15 days after you installed the game, you won't be able to play ANYMORE!!!...HAHAHAHAHA...(crazy laugh)...

And also, if you register, I will be sooooooo mush happy...you WANT to make me happy, isn't it?

If you register, you'll have a endless period of playing time, and also you'll get all the updates (untill version 2.0) for free. Plus, registered people will get some advantages for the next games of Taka Entertainment (...surprise (^-^)...)

Interesting, isn't it? And only for 8 US dollars! It's less than a cinema ticket (in Belgium)... So don't make mistake, and register quickly, and you will be one of the happy owners of this fabulous game (^-^)...


Us...
Us...(Takagoraku team)

First, for people who have read at least a part of this help file...please excuse-me for my bad English (...you language isn't so simple indeed (^-^)...)

So, about us? Well, as you can see in the [About the team...] item in the [help] menu, the team is very poor now. Just my wife, the dog (it's in fact our family dog...), and me:

* my wife Takako Omata who come from Japan (hontou (^-^) ???). She gave me the better support I could have wished to have...(so you know now why this game and this team have those names (^-^)...),

* Rawette, the dog (crazy),

* and me, Stephane Smirnow, 3rd year student in a polytechnic school called INPRES (school which have probably the best computer department in Belgium)...by the way, here is its flag...

...interesting, isn't it? If you'd like to make games such Takagoraku, or much more better game, don't forget to get informations about INPRES at the URL http://www.prov-liege.be. You'll learn there how to have the chance to be one of its students (^-^)...(I hope my teachers will read this).

In this page, I'd like also to thanks my friends who helped my to translate the original French texts:

* Patrick Lindsey, who corrected my poor english (thank you Pat),

* Mom, who would have helpedme to translate in italian if we've had the time,

* and of course...but I don't tell you...xxxxxx who translated in japanese.

(By the way, don't forget to register (^-^)...)


Hey!...excuse-me for m