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Text File | 1997-03-17 | 25KB | 505 lines

=============================================== Dynamic Gin (TM) 1.17 16-bit Edition for Windows 3.1, NT and 95 Copyright 1995, 1996 by CyberSym Technologies All rights reserved =============================================== This file provides additional information about Dynamic Gin (TM) and its installation. We recommend you read this file in its entirety. ============================================================= Table of Contents ============================================================= 1. About Dynamic Gin Version 1.17 2. How to Get Assistance 3. System Requirements 4. Installing Dynamic Gin 5. Uninstalling Dynamic Gin 6. Features in Dynamic Gin 7. Dynamic Gin Version History 8. Purchasing (Registering) Dynamic Gin 9. Distributing Dynamic Gin 10. Learning to Play Gin Rummy 11. Configuring Dynamic Gin for More than One User 12. Using Background Images (Scenery) in Dynamic Gin 13. Running under Windows 95 or Windows NT 14. Changes in Dynamic Gin Statistics ============================================================= 1. About Dynamic Gin Version 1.17 ============================================================= Dynamic Gin is a computer version of the classic Gin Rummy card game. It utilizes a dynamic learning procedure for computer play, which makes Dynamic Gin different from most other computer card games. The computer play is much less predictable and more like that of a human opponent. Dynamic Gin runs under Windows 3.1, Windows NT, and Windows 95. It is a fully-functional shareware program. You can play and evaluate Dynamic Gin free of charge for an evaluation period of 36 days or 30 sessions-- whichever lasts longer. (A session cannot exceed 24 hours.) After that time, play is inactivated and you must purchase Dynamic Gin if you wish to continue playing (see Purchasing (Registering) Dynamic Gin below). New in Version 1.17: - Faster overall learning and slightly more competitive expert difficulty level. - Dynamic Gin now gives you a warning prompt if you attempt to start a new game while an existing game is in progress. - Fixed several very rare or minor bugs and cosmetic problems. ============================================================= 2. How to get assistance ============================================================= If you have difficulty installing or running Dynamic Gin, or if you have suggestions or comments about Dynamic Gin, please contact CyberSym Technologies at Internet e-mail: smartsym@cybersym.com Compuserve mail: 70621,3373 America Online mail: CyberSym Regular Mail: P.O. Box 127, Providence, UT 84332 U.S.A. Phone: 1-801-753-8384 Check our Web site (http://www.cybersym.com) for the latest Dynamic Gin version and information. Dynamic Gin is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware- related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 USA, FAX 616-788-2765 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. ============================================================= 3. System Requirements ============================================================= Dynamic Gin requires an 80386 or better processor, a mouse, and Windows 3.1 or later. You need at least 2.1 Mbytes of free hard disk space to install Dynamic Gin, and Dynamic Gin occupies about 1.8 Mbytes of hard disk space once it's installed. Dynamic Gin can run (with some limitations) on any VGA display. For best enjoyment of Dynamic Gin graphics, you should have a display that supports at least 256 colors. ============================================================= 4. Installing Dynamic Gin ============================================================= To install Dynamic Gin on your computer: 1. First locate the Dynamic Gin installation program DGSETUP.EXE. If you are installing from a CyberSym Technologies installation disk, make sure the disk is inserted in your disk drive. If you have obtained the Dynamic Gin installation package from some other source (e.g. a shareware CD-ROM or an online forum), you may need to decompress the package with a decompression utility before you find DGSETUP.EXE. 2. In Program Manager, select File, Run (if you are using Windows 95, select Start, Run). 3. Type the full path for the DGSETUP.EXE file. (If you are installing from an installation disk, this is A:\DGSETUP.EXE where A is the letter of your disk drive). 4. Choose OK. 5. Follow the instructions on the screen. The installation program allows you to choose the location where you want Dynamic Gin on your hard drive. The install program searches for any previous installation of Dynamic Gin 16-bit edition. If you have a previous installation, we recommend you install Dynamic Gin into the same location as the previous installation. You will automatically retain any Dynamic Gin registration that you had previously activated. You will also retain any player configurations you might have established under the previous installation (see "Configuring Dynamic Gin for More than One User"). If you install the new Dynamic Gin version into a different location and had previously registered Dynamic Gin, then you will need to activate the registration for the new Dynamic Gin installation. To do this, start the new version of Dynamic Gin, go to Options, Activate Registration, and enter the registered user name and user authorization code you received when you originally registered Dynamic Gin. If you are running the Windows 95 shell interface (Windows 95 or NT 4.0), be aware of the following installation issues. a. Do not install Dynamic Gin into a directory path longer than 66 characters. This is necessary to keep Dynamic Gin compatible with earlier versions of Windows. b. Folders/subfolders created during installation do not appear in the Windows Explorer until you select the View, Refresh option in the Explorer. c. If you so choose, the installation program creates a program folder (of whatever name you choose) containing several icons. The folder appears under Programs on the Start menu. However, in the Windows 95 shell interface, program folders don't automatically stay on your desktop. If you want the Dynamic Gin folder to always appear on your desktop (as opposed to just on the Start menu), follow these instructions: --In the Explorer, find the folder (Dynamic Gin or whatever name you chose during installation) which is typically located inside the Programs folder inside the Start Menu folder inside the Windows folder. --Using the mouse secondary (right) button, drag the Dynamic Gin folder to your desktop. --Release the folder and select Create Shortcut(s) Here on the popup menu that appears. --When the folder appears on your desktop, select the title underneath, and edit the text title to be whatever you want. Once you have completed the installation, you do not need to keep the DGSETUP.EXE installation program on your hard disk. It is however a good idea to keep a backup floppy disk copy of the Dynamic Gin installation package (or the original installation disk), including DGSETUP.EXE. During the installation process, the install program creates a file called INSTALL.LOG in the Dynamic Gin main directory. DO NOT move, edit, or delete this file if you ever intend to upgrade or uninstall Dynamic Gin. When you first start Dynamic Gin after installation, under a few conditions, you may get a warning message about a "Dynamic Gin Backdrop Scenery Error". If so, Dynamic Gin runs with a default background after this message appears. In this case, you should either select Options, Scenery to load a backdrop scenery image, or you can check the Disable Scenery option under Options, Preferences to keep scenery off and disable this message in future sessions. ============================================================= 5. Uninstalling Dynamic Gin ============================================================= If for some reason, you wish to uninstall Dynamic Gin from your computer, do one of the following: Windows 3.1 or NT (3.51 or less): If you created a Program Manager group at installation, simply run the icon Uninstall Dynamic Gin. Otherwise locate the file UNWISE.EXE in your main Dynamic Gin directory and execute it. You can do this by double clicking on the filename in File Manager. You can also execute the program by entering the full path to this file in the dialog box that pops up after you choose File, Run from Program Manager or File Manager. Follow the instructions that appear on screen. Windows 95 or NT 4.0: In control panel, double click on the Add/Remove icon. When the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog appears, select Dynamic Gin under the Install/Uninstall tab. Press the Add/Remove button, and follow the instructions on the screen. (Close the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog when you are finished.) Under a few conditions, the uninstall program may be unable to completely remove a Dynamic Gin installation. This can happen if you manually added any files or subdirectories to the Dynamic Gin main directory or any of its subdirectories. In these situations, you can complete the uninstall process by manually deleting the Dynamic Gin main directory (and any files and/or subdirectories therein). You may also need to manually remove icons and the Dynamic Gin group or folder from Program Manager or the Start Menu in the Windows 95 shell interface. ============================================================= 6. Features in Dynamic Gin ============================================================= Dynamic Gin offers the following features: a. Variations. You can select from three different variations of Gin Rummy: Simple Gin, Standard (knock) Gin, and Oklahoma Gin. You can also select the number of points to play to in a Gin Rummy game. b. Learning. Dynamic Gin adapts and improves as it plays against a human opponent. This makes the game less predictable and more interesting than most other computer card games. You can choose from four different starting difficulty levels. c. Cardbacks. You can select from eight cardbacks. You can also have Dynamic Gin choose randomly from among the eight cardbacks for each new Gin Rummy game. d. Dealing/Sorting. You can choose traditional Gin Rummy dealing (10 cards per player with passing at the start of play) or Eleven/Ten dealing (first player in a hand receives 11 cards and must discard or knock at the start of play). Dynamic Gin also offers menu commands and optional configuration options to sort your hand by suit or by ascending or descending card face value. e. Resume. You can resume an unfinished game from the previous session. You can also configure Dynamic Gin to automatically resume any unfinished game from the previous session. f. Button Bar Configuration. You can choose the location you prefer for the button bar, or you can get rid of the button bar altogether. g. Background Scenery. Dynamic Gin can display a bitmap image as the background behind the cards. h. User Configurations. You can set up separate configurations for different people who play Dynamic Gin at different times on the same computer. (See "Configuring Dynamic Gin for More than One User" below.) ============================================================= 7. Dynamic Gin Version History ============================================================= 1.00: Initial release. 1.05: Added 4th (expert) difficulty level, options for automatic sorting of hands, and optional eleven/ten dealing method. Made minor documentation changes. 1.06: Fixed several minor bugs. "Sort by face value after deal" preference is now retained between sessions. Scenery now loads correctly under Windows 95 High Color (16-bit) display mode. Selection of non-standard sizes for certain Windows 95 interface objects no longer causes a truncated Dynamic Gin window. 1.10: Added more extensive play statistics, including game point totals for both user and computer in each Gin variation. Improved loading performance and made several user interface enhancements. Fixed two very rare internal bugs. Added installation support for Windows NT 4.0. Documented toll-free order number for customers in the USA or Canada. 1.14: Added context menus (right mouse button) for taking cards, discarding cards, and knocking. Also added support for taking the upcard or stock card by single (or double) clicking. Revised menu and button bar organization to make clearer the distinction between starting another hand and starting a new game. Added options to sort your cards by face value in either ascending or descending order. Implemented a list of laid off cards that appears at the end of any hand where there are lay offs. Introduced measures to skirt a system-dependent problem that caused some users to occasionally see incorrect card images. 1.17: Improved the overall learning rate, and slightly increased the competitiveness for the expert difficulty level. Fixed several very rare or minor bugs. Made minor user interface enhancements. Dynamic Gin now gives a warning prompt if you start a new game while an existing game is in progress. ============================================================= 8. Purchasing (Registering) Dynamic Gin ============================================================= When you purchase Dynamic Gin, we send you a unique set of registration keys (codes). Your registration keys are valid for major version 1 of Dynamic Gin (any and all minor versions or revisions). Once you enter these keys into Dynamic Gin (under the Options, Activate Registration menu command), you will no longer be bothered by shareware evaluation notices in Dynamic Gin. You also receive a Registered License to use major version 1 of Dynamic Gin (see the file LICENSE.TXT or the Dynamic Gin License Agreement topic in the Dynamic Gin on-line help). Under the terms of this license, you can use either or both the 16-bit (Windows 3.1, NT, and 95) or 32-bit (Windows 95 and NT 4.0) editions of major version 1 of Dynamic Gin. You can also have copies of Dynamic Gin on more than one of your computers, as long as only one copy is run at any given time. You are entitled to download and use any minor version revisions of major version 1 of Dynamic Gin. You also receive free technical support for as long as CyberSym Technologies continues to distribute Dynamic Gin (or a minimum of 90 days). To purchase (register) Dynamic Gin, select the Purchase Dynamic Gin button on the dialog that appears when evaluating Dynamic Gin, or pull down the Options menu in Dynamic Gin and select Purchase Dynamic Gin. Follow the instructions for ordering. There are a variety of options for ordering by phone, regular mail, on-line mail, or the internet with payment by check or charge card. You can also find ordering information in the ORDER.TXT file. ============================================================= 9. Distributing Dynamic Gin ============================================================= You are encouraged to pass a copy of Dynamic Gin along to your friends for evaluation (subject to the terms in the license agreement--see either LICENSE.TXT, the VENDINFO.DIZ file, or the Dynamic Gin License Agreement topic in the Dynamic Gin on-line help). Please encourage them to purchase (register) their copy if they find they can use it. Distributors or vendors wishing to distribute Dynamic Gin should refer to the accompanying VENDINFO.DIZ file. ============================================================= 10. Learning to Play Gin Rummy ============================================================= If you've never played Gin Rummy, it's not hard to learn. The Dynamic Gin on-line help contains descriptions of the object of the game, rules, terminology, and scoring. (Remember that in Help, you can click on any highlighted (colored, underlined) text at any time to jump to that topic.) You can probably also figure out how to play without using Help if you watch the instructions on the Dynamic Gin status bar. Dynamic Gin follows Hoyle's rules in which aces rank low, and sequences are not allowed to go round the corner (wrap from high to low). Many people who play Simple Gin ignore the normal rules about passing at the beginning of a hand. If you're not familiar with passing, pay close attention to the Dynamic Gin status bar and/or look at the discussion of passing in Dynamic Gin Help. Alternatively, you might want to try playing with the Eleven/Ten dealing method. There are a number of different variations of Gin Rummy. The variation many people know is Simple Gin. Dynamic Gin includes two other variations: Standard Gin and Oklahoma Gin. Simple Gin is probably the easiest variation to learn, but we recommend you try all the variations. Scoring in Standard and Oklahoma Gin is more complex because you can lay off cards and undercut. This is described in the online help. Make sure you understand the difference between a "hand" of Gin Rummy and a "game". A game consists of several hands played until one player or the other accumulates enough points to finish (usually 100). You can start a new game at the end of each hand, but the computer will not keep track of scores in statistics. To have the computer keep track of statistics and running point totals, make sure you start the next hand instead of a new game whenever one hand is over and the game isn't finished. ============================================================= 11. Configuring Dynamic Gin for More than One User ============================================================= In many cases, different people are likely to play Dynamic Gin at different times on the same computer (e.g., a family home computer). This can pose some problems. Over time, Dynamic Gin adapts to the style and skill of its human opponent. This feature distinguishes Dynamic Gin from most other computer card games. This may not work so well when there are different players with different abilities and styles. Also the ability to resume (or automatically resume) previous games isn't very appropriate with multiple users. To solve these problems, Dynamic Gin allows you to set up a separate player configuration for each different player. Every player configuration has its own subdirectory with the name of the player. The player can then arrange the Dynamic Gin user interface as they desire. They can resume their own previously unfinished games, and they can play whatever Dynamic Gin variation and difficulty level they prefer. The commands for creating, removing, or switching player configurations are located on the Options menu in Dynamic Gin. You can have as many as 24 different player configurations (in addition to the default configuration). A splash dialog box appears at the time you start Dynamic Gin if there are player configurations from which to choose. As soon as you select the configuration you want from the list on the dialog box, Dynamic Gin finishes loading. If you want to change configurations while Dynamic Gin is running, you can use the Switch Player Configuration command on the Options menu. Each configuration requires some extra hard disk space. The required extra space ranges from about 60,000 bytes to as much as 600,000 bytes on some computers with high color displays. For a typical computer with a 256 color display, each configuration requires about 290,000 bytes. ============================================================= 12. Using Background Images (Scenery) in Dynamic Gin ============================================================= Dynamic Gin can display bitmap images (scenery) as a background for the cards. This creates a stunning game interface and contributes to the pleasure and relaxation of playing Dynamic Gin. Dynamic Gin comes with one 16 color image (COLLAGE.BMP) and one 256 color image (SUNSET.BMP). Dynamic Gin. Scenery images work best with displays that support 256 colors or more. In addition to the two images that come with Dynamic Gin, CyberSym Technologies has assembled collections of additional images. You can find these collections on many online services, bulletin boards, and shareware CD's. Look for the names DGIMGA.ZIP (256-color) and DGIMGB.ZIP (16-color). You are free to obtain and use these images, subject to their enclosed copyrights. We can also ship disk copies of these collections to you for a small media charge (see ORDER.TXT or instructions for purchasing Dynamic Gin in the Dynamic Gin on-line help). Dynamic Gin also allows you to use your own bitmap images as scenery. For more information, see the description of the Options, Scenery menu command in Dynamic Gin Help. If your computer is short on hard disk space or RAM, you may wish not to display scenery images. You can disable scenery entirely in Dynamic Gin by selecting Options, Preferences and checking the Disable Scenery box in the dialog box. This option takes effect the next time you start Dynamic Gin. Occasionally you may encounter problems with scenery in Dynamic Gin. These problems result from inconsistencies in the standards for Windows bitmap files. Problems typically arise when you change the color resolution of your system. Simply reselect scenery to resolve the problem. If you have a 256 color system and you're using a 256 color bitmap for your Windows desktop, you may see some minor degradation of scenery image quality in Dynamic Gin. This is an unfortunate but normal consequence of the way Windows handles color palettes. You can get rid of this problem by switching to a higher color resolution (16K colors, 32K colors, or higher) for your system. ============================================================= 13. Running under Windows 95 or Windows NT ============================================================= This is a 16-bit edition of Dynamic Gin. It runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT, as well as Windows 3.1. However, if you are using Windows 95 or Windows NT, be aware of two restrictions. Dynamic Gin does not support long filenames or overall path names longer than 80 characters. This is only likely to be an issue when selecting bitmap scenery images under Options, Scenery. ============================================================= 14. Changes in Dynamic Gin Statistics ============================================================= Prior to version 1.10, Dynamic Gin kept statistics on the best score for user and computer in each Gin Rummy variation. It also kept the aggregate total number of games won in ALL variations for user and computer. Starting in version 1.10, Dynamic Gin now keeps the total number of points, the number of games won, and the best score for user and computer in EACH individual Gin Rummy variation. If you are upgrading from a version earlier than 1.10, the new statistics window will initially reflect the best scores in different variations based on play in your old version. It will NOT show number of games won or total points from play in your old version. (The DYNGIN.INI file [Statistics] category does however retain the old aggregate totals for games won under the keys UserWins and ComputerWins.) Since in the new window only the best scores really reflect earlier play, you may want to initially reset statistics just to keep things consistent in the new statistics window.