Down&Out is a board game in which a grid of pebbles is to be cleared. It may serve as a diversion that is easy on the eye and mind, or it can be played as a challenging game of strategy, where the results of every sequence of moves have to be painstakingly calculated.
License
Down&Out is shareware. This means that if you use it for more than a couple of weeks, you are required to pay a registration fee of $10 (USD). By registering, you will also get a registration code that will get rid of the registration reminders. For more information on registering, please refer to the document 'Registration' in the Down&Out Folder.
Playing Down&Out
The aim and rules of Down&Out are simple. A board of randomly colored pebbles must be cleared. Any pebble that has at least one neighbour of the same color as itself may be removed. Removing pebbles is done by clicking on them. When a group of pebbles disappear, those stacked on top of it fall down to fill the gaps. Should there be any empty columns after a move, they will be removed by moving the left and right parts of the stack together. The game then proceeds until no more pebbles can be removed.
Scores are awarded for every pebble that is removed. The score of any move is proportional to the square of the number of pebbles removed. In other words, removing 2 pebbles will yield a score of 4, removing 3 will give 9 points and so on. This means that the reward for removing a large number of pebbles is very high and that the final score may be determined largely by a single or a couple of moves. To obtain a high score, these crucial moves have to be well thought out and set up. Good strategies pay off in Down&Out!
Registering and Getting Support
For information about registering Down&Out or getting support, please refer to the enclosed document 'Registration'.
