YahWho was written in Borland Pascal version 7 using the Turbo Vision 2.0 event-driven development environment. The author is Keith Greer, with thanks to Tom and Guy Hunter for some of the original concepts and algorithms. YahWho is a dying breed of program, designed to run nicely on nearly any IBM compatible machine however lowly, under plain old DOS. Although a CGA card would be nice, this game even supports Monochrome mode or LCD!
Using this Help System: Q
You may access help at any time by pressing F1 or clicking the help command on the status line. Highlighted text are key words or phrases which can take you to more help on that subject. Each keyword can be selected by using the Tab or Shift-Tab key. When the keyword you want is selected, press Enter. Using the mouse, just double-click the keyword you want. You may zoom the Help Window to full-screen by pressing F5 or clicking the Zoom icon in the upper right corner. Press ESC or click the help window close icon in the upper left corner to close the help window and return to the game.
Contents Using
Turbo
Vision
Contents
About
Using
Turbo
Vision
Starting
Rolling
Scoring
Ending
The Menu Bar:
Game
Dice
Scores
Options
Windows
Using Turbo Vision
In case you've never used a Turbo Vision program before, here are a few things about operating the program that will come in handy. First, notice that when YahWho is started, the screen has a command line (menu) at the top, a status line with some commands at the bottom, and a background in the middle with an "About" box containing program information and memory availability. d
Commands may be issued to the program either through the keyboard or mouse. The menu may be activated by pressing F10 and then using the arrow keys to highlight an item. Press Enter to select it. Using the mouse just point to the desired menu item and click. Clicking on items on the status line or pressing the indicated key will perform those commands.
Letters or keys on the menu or status line which are highlighted indicate that item's "hot-key". Press and hold Alt in conjunction with that key to activate the command. For example, Alt-X will terminate the program and return you to DOS or whatever was running when you started YahWho.
Some items may be "grayed out" at times, indicating that command is disabled. For example, the "Roll" command is disabled unless there are dice visible and at least one of them is selected for rolling. o
At times, you will see a "dialog box" similar to the "About" box at the beginning which demands your attention. It may be simply a message with information or a warning, or it may require you to type in some information. There will be at least one button for you to click to respond to the box and put it away. You will not be able to do anything else until you do.
If more than one item is available for selection, pressing Tab will rotate through each one, highlighting it in some way. When the item you want is highlighted, press Enter to select it. Of course, with a mouse things are a lot simpler - just point to it and click!
Feel free to experiment. You can't hurt your machine, and YahWho can't write over any information on your drive. Try clicking on anything on the screen. Try "dragging" with the mouse. Dragging means to point to an item, hold down the primary button, and move the mouse. Have Fun! %
About
Starting
Contents
Starting the Game
YahWho is a standard variation of the Milton-Bradley Yahtzee(tm) game. Any number of players can participate. To begin, put the "About" box away by pressing ESC or clicking it's green close icon in the upper left corner. Click on Game on the Menu Bar, then New
Game on the pull-down menu. A dialog box will prompt you for the player name, not to exceed 10 characters. Type it in. You may use the arrow keys and Ins/Del to correct any typing mistakes. Click Ok or press Enter to open the new Game Window. The player's Window is identified with their name at the top.
Each new player is added to the current game using F2. A player may join a game in progress at any time, and receives his or her own Game Window. Each player's game proceeds completely separate from other players. (The advantage of Event-Driven programming!) No particular playing order need be followed. The F3 (Next Player) key rotates forwards through each player in the game in a circular fashion. Shift-F3 rotates backwards through the player order. Each player's window is identified by a number in the upper right corner. If a player knows their window number, they can bring their window up immediately by holding down Alt and pressing the window number.
Contents
Rolling
Rolling the Dice
The game scoreboard is on the left, and the space for the dice is on the right. The Roll command is active on the status line indicating you are ready for the first roll. Click the Roll command or press Enter (
). Your first roll appears. Notice that with each roll, the score items light up on the scoreboard indicating that you will receive at least some score (i.e. not 0) for those items for this roll.
If you want to reroll certain dice, point to the desired dice with the mouse and click. They will be highlighted indicating they are selected for rerolling. If you change your mind, simply click them again to deselect them. Using the keyboard, you may press the number of the desired dice (1-5) to select/deselect them. When all desired dice are selected, activate the Roll command again.
Hint: All the dice may be selected by double-clicking the frame surrounding them or by pressing F4. Clicking the frame once will deselect them all, as will pressing Shift-F4.
Contents
Scoring
Scoring a Roll
Per Yahtzee rules, you are allowed 3 rolls before you must score. After your third roll, the Roll command is deactivated until you select a score on the scoreboard. You may place a score at any time before the third roll. Just point and click on a score. Using the keyboard, first make sure the scoreboard is "active" (has a double line box around it). If not, press Tab to deactivate the dice and activate the scoreboard, and then select the number or letter hot-key for the score you want.
After scoring, you may select the Roll command again, or allow another player to take a turn by pressing F3 or clicking on "Next Player" on the status line.
If you have previously scored a Yahtzee and roll another one, you must have a valid open score position to receive the 100 point bonus. For example, if you had a Yahtzee scored, and then roll another Yahtzee of say 2's, you must have either 2's, 3 of a Kind, 4 of a Kind, or Chance open and score the new Yahtzee in one of these. If you do, the Yahtzee score will be incremented by 100 each time this occurs.
When all scores have been filled in, this player's window is deactivated. When all other players participating in this game have their scores filled in, the Game is over and YahWho will report the winner. Players whose score exceeds the minimum score in the Top 10 list will have their score recorded there for posterity even if they didn't win the game. Players whose score exceeds 300 will enter the Hall of Fame.
Contents
Ending
Ending the Game
A player may leave the game in progress at any time by clicking the green close icon at the top left of their own Game Window. A confirmation will be requested. Remaining players in the Game may play the game to completion. Selecting Game/New
Game from the menu will abort ALL PLAYERS' games and begin a fresh game. Selecting Game/Exit will abort ALL PLAYERS' games and exit the program.
Contents
About
The "About Window" displays at program start-up and shows the program version and other miscellaneous information. You may display it at any time by clicking on the
icon on the menu bar, or by hitting Alt-Spacebar, then selecting About.
Game
This menu provides the following items: .
New
New
Player
Save
Load
Exit
Contents
Game
New Game
This item will start a new game of Yahtzee. If an unfinished game is underway, you will be asked to confirm that you want to quit the current game before a new one is started. If there was a previous game, you will be asked if the same players will be playing the new game. Clicking Yes will cause YahWho to start new game windows for each of the previous players. Clicking No will close the old game windows and prompt for each player's name. %
Starting
Game Game Contents
Game
New Player
This item adds a new player to an existing game, and creates a new Game Window. A new player may be added to a game in progress at any time before the game ends.
Contents Game
Enter New Player
Type in the name of the new player. You may enter any text, up to 10 characters. The first letter of each word will be automatically capitalized. You may use the arrow keys and Ins/Del to correct any typing mistakes. Click on Ok or press Enter to create a new Game Window with this player's name, or click Cancel or hit ESC to abort entering the new player.
Contents
Game
Save
This item will open a Game
Dialog in which you may enter the name of file you want the current game saved to. This file may be retrieved using the Load command, and you may begin play exactly where you left off.
Contents Game
Game
Load
This item will open a Game
Dialog with which you can specify the name of the game file you want to retrieve. You may then begin playing the game exactly where it was when it was saved using the Save command.
Contents Game
Game
Exit
Use this item or its Alt-X hot key to terminate the game. If an unfinished game is in progress, you must confirm that you want to exit the program. Selecting Alt-X on the status line performs this same function.
Contents Game
Dice
This menu provides items for selecting or deselecting all dice for rolling. The items are:
Select
DeSelect
Contents
Dice
Select All
(F4)
This item selects all dice for rerolling. Using the mouse, you may also double-click the frame surrounding the dice.
Contents Dice
Dice
DeSelect All
(Shift-F4)
This item removes all dice from selection for rerolling. Using the mouse, you may also click the frame surrounding the dice once.
Contents Dice
Scores
This menu provides items for displaying the score history, and for resetting the scores. The items are: (
Top
Hall
Reset
Scores
Contents
Scores
Top 10
This item displays the highest 10 scores since the last time they were reset.
Contents Scores
Top 10
This dialog shows the 10 highest scores since the last time the scores were reset. Click Ok or press ESC or Enter to put the dialog away.
Contents
Scores
Hall of Fame
Members of the Hall of Fame had scores of 300 or higher. You may not erase or reset these scores from within the program. They are recorded here for posterity.
Contents Scores
Hall of Fame
This dialog shows players whose scores were 300 or higher. These scores may not be erased from within the program. Click the scroll bar or use the arrow keys to scroll the list within the window. Click Ok or press ESC or Enter to put the dialog away.
Scores
Reset Scores
Select this item to erase the Top 10 scores if you get discouraged about not being able to join the elite. Note that this does not erase the Hall of Fame scores. A confirmation will be requested.
Contents Scores
Options
This submenu allows you to change any user preferences and colors. You may make these settings permanent using the Save
Config option.
Options
Colors...
The Colors item brings up the Colors
dialog box, where you can customize the colors of the display.
Contents
Help on the Colors dialog box
The Colors dialog box consists of two list boxes, a text display area, the standard OK, Cancel, and Help buttons, and one of the following:
On color and black-and-white systems, it
also contains two color palettes.
On monochrome systems, it contains a set
of radio buttons instead of the palettes.
This dialog box is where you can change the colors of different parts of this program.
Group
Desktop
Menus
Dialogs
Game Window
Help System
The Group list box contains the names of the different regions of the program that you can customize. L
Item
Color
When you select a group from the Group list, the Item list box displays the names of the different views in that region.
Foreground
Background
On color and black-and-white systems, you use the Foreground and Background palettes to modify colors.
Colors
) Mono low
( ) Mono high
( ) Mono underscore
( ) Mono inverse
On monochrome systems, you use the Colors set of radio buttons systems to modify the character attributes. Q
Text Text Text
Text Text Text
On all systems, the display text (above the Help button) shows the current color or attribute settings. V
If you wish to reset your colors to the "factory" defaults, select the Reset button.
Changes do not take effect on the desktop until you close the Colors dialog box by choosing OK. Remember to save your settings with the Save
Config option on the Options menu.
Contents
Setting Preferences
You may select a mode suitable for your display in this dialog, or set snow checking off for much faster screen writing on newer CGA cards. You may also turn sounds on or off. Be sure to save your preferences using Save
Config on the Options menu.
Contents
Save Config
Use this item to make your colors and preferences remain permanent.
Contents
Window
(Alt-W)
The Window menu contains commands to close, move and perform other window-management commands.
Most of the windows in this program have all the standard window elements, including scroll bars, a close box, and zoom icons. >
For more about windows and their elements, refer to windows. 9
Window-management commands
Tile
Cascade
Size/Move
Zoom
Next
Previous
Close
Contents
Window
Tile
Choose Window
Tile to tile all file viewers on the desktop. L
Tiled Windows
Windows Contents
Window
Cascade
Choose Window
Cascade to stack all file viewers on the desktop. A
Cascaded Windows
Windows Contents
Window
Size/Move
(Ctrl-F5)
Choose this command to change the size or position of the active window.
Size
If you press Shift while you use the arrow keys, you can change the size of the active window. Once you've adjusted its size or position, press Enter. Q
If a window has a Resize corner, you can drag that corner to resize the window.
Move
When you choose Window
Size/Move, the active window moves in response to the arrow keys. Once you've moved the window to where you want it, press Enter. F
You can also move a window by dragging its title bar with the mouse.
Windows Contents
Window
Zoom
(F5)
Choose Zoom to resize the active window to the maximum size. If the window is already zoomed, you can choose this command to restore it to its previous size.
You can also click the zoom icon in the upper right corner or double-click anywhere on the window's title bar (except where an icon appears) to zoom or unzoom the window.
Windows Contents
Window
Next
Choose Next to cycle forwards through the windows on the desktop. This is the same as the Next Player command on the status line.
Windows Contents
Window
Previous
Choose Previous to cycle backwards through the windows on the desktop.
Windows Contents
Window
Close
(Alt-F3)
Choose Close to close the active window. N
You can also click the Close box in the upper left corner to close a window.
Windows Contents
Help on Game File Dialog Box
The Game File dialog box contains an input box, a file
list, a file information panel, a history list that's attached to the Name
inputbox, and the following buttons:
Cancel
Open
Clear
Game Contents
Name
The Name input box is where you enter the name of the file to load, or the file-name mask to use as a filter for the Files list box (for example, *.*). "
Game
Dialog Game Contents
Files
FILENM01.PAS
FILENM09.PAS
FILENM02.PAS
FILENM10.PAS
FILENM03.PAS
FILENM11.PAS
FILENM04.PAS
FILENM12.PAS
FILENM05.PAS
..
FILENM06.PAS
\MOREXAMP
FILENM07.PAS
\TOURS
FILENM08.PAS
\ANSWERS.DIR
The Files list box lists the names of files in the current directory that match the file-name mask in the Name input box, plus the parent directory and all subdirectories.
C:\TP\EXAMPLES\*.PAS
HELLO.PAS 52 Jul 14,1990 12:00pm
The File information panel shows the path name, file name, date, time, and size of the selected file. =
None of the items on this information panel are selectable. #
Game
Dialog Game Contents
[ Open ]
The Open button opens the specified file into a game window precisely where you left it when the game was saved. You may also double-click a file name from the File
List to open it. #
Game
Dialog Game Contents
[ Ok ]
The Ok button saves the current game to the specified file. You may also double-click a file name in the File
List to overwrite it with the current game. #
Game
Dialog Game Contents
[ Cancel ]
If you choose Cancel, nothing changes and no action occurs, and the dialog box is put away. M
(Esc always cancels a dialog box, even if a Cancel button does not appear.) #
Game
Dialog Game Contents
[ Clear ]
The Clear button will pop up a dialog asking you to confirm if you want to delete the specified game file. #
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