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1\title Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection
2
3\cfg{winhelp-filename}{puzzles.hlp}
4\cfg{winhelp-contents-titlepage}{Contents}
5
6\cfg{text-filename}{puzzles.txt}
7
8\cfg{html-contents-filename}{index.html}
9\cfg{html-template-filename}{%k.html}
10\cfg{html-index-filename}{docindex.html}
11\cfg{html-leaf-level}{1}
12\cfg{html-contents-depth-0}{1}
13\cfg{html-contents-depth-1}{2}
14\cfg{html-leaf-contains-contents}{true}
15
16\cfg{info-filename}{puzzles.info}
17
18\cfg{ps-filename}{puzzles.ps}
19\cfg{pdf-filename}{puzzles.pdf}
20
21\define{by} \u00D7{x}
22
23\define{dash} \u2013{-}
24
25\define{times} \u00D7{*}
26
27\define{divide} \u00F7{/}
28
29\define{minus} \u2212{-}
30
31This is a collection of small one-player puzzle games.
32
33\copyright This manual is copyright 2004-2014 Simon Tatham. All rights
34reserved. You may distribute this documentation under the MIT licence.
35See \k{licence} for the licence text in full.
36
37\cfg{html-local-head}{<meta name="AppleTitle" content="Puzzles Help">}
38
39\C{intro} Introduction
40
41I wrote this collection because I thought there should be more small
42desktop toys available: little games you can pop up in a window and
43play for two or three minutes while you take a break from whatever
44else you were doing. And I was also annoyed that every time I found
45a good game on (say) \i{Unix}, it wasn't available the next time I
46was sitting at a \i{Windows} machine, or vice versa; so I arranged
47that everything in my personal puzzle collection will happily run on
48both, and have more recently done a port to \i{Mac OS X} as well. When I
49find (or perhaps invent) further puzzle games that I like, they'll
50be added to this collection and will immediately be available on
51both platforms. And if anyone feels like writing any other front
52ends \dash PocketPC, Mac OS pre-10, or whatever it might be \dash
53then all the games in this framework will immediately become
54available on another platform as well.
55
56The actual games in this collection were mostly not my invention; they
57are re-implementations of existing game concepts within my portable
58puzzle framework. I do not claim credit, in general, for inventing the
59rules of any of these puzzles. (I don't even claim authorship of all
60the code; some of the puzzles have been submitted by other authors.)
61
62This collection is distributed under the \i{MIT licence} (see
63\k{licence}). This means that you can do pretty much anything you like
64with the game binaries or the code, except pretending you wrote them
65yourself, or suing me if anything goes wrong.
66
67The most recent versions, and \i{source code}, can be found at
68\I{website}\W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puzzles/}.
69
70Please report \I{feedback}\i{bugs} to
71\W{mailto:anakin@pobox.com}\cw{anakin@pobox.com}.
72You might find it helpful to read this article before reporting a bug:
73
74\W{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html}\cw{http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html}
75
76\ii{Patches} are welcome. Especially if they provide a new front end
77(to make all these games run on another platform), or a new game.
78
79
80\C{common} \ii{Common features}
81
82This chapter describes features that are common to all the games.
83
84\H{common-actions} \I{controls}Common actions
85
86These actions are all available from the \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu
87and via \I{keys}keyboard shortcuts, in addition to any game-specific
88actions.
89
90(On \i{Mac OS X}, to conform with local user interface standards, these
91actions are situated on the \I{File menu}\q{File} and \I{Edit
92menu}\q{Edit} menus instead.)
93
94\dt \ii\e{New game} (\q{N}, Ctrl+\q{N})
95
96\dd Starts a new game, with a random initial state.
97
98\dt \ii\e{Restart game}
99
100\dd Resets the current game to its initial state. (This can be undone.)
101
102\dt \ii\e{Load}
103
104\dd Loads a saved game from a file on disk.
105
106\dt \ii\e{Save}
107
108\dd Saves the current state of your game to a file on disk.
109
110\lcont{
111
112The Load and Save operations preserve your entire game
113history (so you can save, reload, and still Undo and Redo things you
114had done before saving).
115
116}
117
118\dt \I{printing, on Windows}\e{Print}
119
120\dd Where supported (currently only on Windows), brings up a dialog
121allowing you to print an arbitrary number of puzzles randomly
122generated from the current parameters, optionally including the
123current puzzle. (Only for puzzles which make sense to print, of
124course \dash it's hard to think of a sensible printable representation
125of Fifteen!)
126
127\dt \ii\e{Undo} (\q{U}, Ctrl+\q{Z}, Ctrl+\q{_})
128
129\dd Undoes a single move. (You can undo moves back to the start of the
130session.)
131
132\dt \ii\e{Redo} (\q{R}, Ctrl+\q{R})
133
134\dd Redoes a previously undone move.
135
136\dt \ii\e{Copy}
137
138\dd Copies the current state of your game to the clipboard in text
139format, so that you can paste it into (say) an e-mail client or a
140web message board if you're discussing the game with someone else.
141(Not all games support this feature.)
142
143\dt \ii\e{Solve}
144
145\dd Transforms the puzzle instantly into its solved state. For some
146games (Cube) this feature is not supported at all because it is of
147no particular use. For other games (such as Pattern), the solved
148state can be used to give you information, if you can't see how a
149solution can exist at all or you want to know where you made a
150mistake. For still other games (such as Sixteen), automatic solution
151tells you nothing about how to \e{get} to the solution, but it does
152provide a useful way to get there quickly so that you can experiment
153with set-piece moves and transformations.
154
155\lcont{
156
157Some games (such as Solo) are capable of solving a game ID you have
158typed in from elsewhere. Other games (such as Rectangles) cannot
159solve a game ID they didn't invent themself, but when they did
160invent the game ID they know what the solution is already. Still
161other games (Pattern) can solve \e{some} external game IDs, but only
162if they aren't too difficult.
163
164The \q{Solve} command adds the solved state to the end of the undo
165chain for the puzzle. In other words, if you want to go back to
166solving it yourself after seeing the answer, you can just press Undo.
167
168}
169
170\dt \I{exit}\ii\e{Quit} (\q{Q}, Ctrl+\q{Q})
171
172\dd Closes the application entirely.
173
174\H{common-id} Specifying games with the \ii{game ID}
175
176There are two ways to save a game specification out of a puzzle and
177recreate it later, or recreate it in somebody else's copy of the
178same puzzle.
179
180The \q{\i{Specific}} and \q{\i{Random Seed}} options from the
181\I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu (or the \q{File} menu, on \i{Mac OS X}) each
182show a piece of text (a \q{game ID}) which is sufficient to
183reconstruct precisely the same game at a later date.
184
185You can enter either of these pieces of text back into the program
186(via the same \q{Specific} or \q{Random Seed} menu options) at a
187later point, and it will recreate the same game. You can also use
188either one as a \i{command line} argument (on Windows or Unix); see
189\k{common-cmdline} for more detail.
190
191The difference between the two forms is that a descriptive game ID
192is a literal \e{description} of the \i{initial state} of the game,
193whereas a random seed is just a piece of arbitrary text which was
194provided as input to the random number generator used to create the
195puzzle. This means that:
196
197\b Descriptive game IDs tend to be longer in many puzzles (although
198some, such as Cube (\k{cube}), only need very short descriptions).
199So a random seed is often a \e{quicker} way to note down the puzzle
200you're currently playing, or to tell it to somebody else so they can
201play the same one as you.
202
203\b Any text at all is a valid random seed. The automatically
204generated ones are fifteen-digit numbers, but anything will do; you
205can type in your full name, or a word you just made up, and a valid
206puzzle will be generated from it. This provides a way for two or
207more people to race to complete the same puzzle: you think of a
208random seed, then everybody types it in at the same time, and nobody
209has an advantage due to having seen the generated puzzle before
210anybody else.
211
212\b It is often possible to convert puzzles from other sources (such
213as \q{nonograms} or \q{sudoku} from newspapers) into descriptive
214game IDs suitable for use with these programs.
215
216\b Random seeds are not guaranteed to produce the same result if you
217use them with a different \i\e{version} of the puzzle program. This
218is because the generation algorithm might have been improved or
219modified in later versions of the code, and will therefore produce a
220different result when given the same sequence of random numbers. Use
221a descriptive game ID if you aren't sure that it will be used on the
222same version of the program as yours.
223
224\lcont{(Use the \q{About} menu option to find out the version number
225of the program. Programs with the same version number running on
226different platforms should still be random-seed compatible.)}
227
228\I{ID format}A descriptive game ID starts with a piece of text which
229encodes the \i\e{parameters} of the current game (such as grid
230size). Then there is a colon, and after that is the description of
231the game's initial state. A random seed starts with a similar string
232of parameters, but then it contains a hash sign followed by
233arbitrary data.
234
235If you enter a descriptive game ID, the program will not be able to
236show you the random seed which generated it, since it wasn't
237generated \e{from} a random seed. If you \e{enter} a random seed,
238however, the program will be able to show you the descriptive game
239ID derived from that random seed.
240
241Note that the game parameter strings are not always identical
242between the two forms. For some games, there will be parameter data
243provided with the random seed which is not included in the
244descriptive game ID. This is because that parameter information is
245only relevant when \e{generating} puzzle grids, and is not important
246when playing them. Thus, for example, the difficulty level in Solo
247(\k{solo}) is not mentioned in the descriptive game ID.
248
249These additional parameters are also not set permanently if you type
250in a game ID. For example, suppose you have Solo set to \q{Advanced}
251difficulty level, and then a friend wants your help with a
252\q{Trivial} puzzle; so the friend reads out a random seed specifying
253\q{Trivial} difficulty, and you type it in. The program will
254generate you the same \q{Trivial} grid which your friend was having
255trouble with, but once you have finished playing it, when you ask
256for a new game it will automatically go back to the \q{Advanced}
257difficulty which it was previously set on.
258
259\H{common-type} The \q{Type} menu
260
261The \I{Type menu}\q{Type} menu, if present, may contain a list of
262\i{preset} game settings. Selecting one of these will start a new
263random game with the parameters specified.
264
265The \q{Type} menu may also contain a \q{\i{Custom}} option which
266allows you to fine-tune game \i{parameters}. The parameters
267available are specific to each game and are described in the
268following sections.
269
270\H{common-cmdline} Specifying game parameters on the \i{command line}
271
272(This section does not apply to the \i{Mac OS X} version.)
273
274The games in this collection deliberately do not ever save
275information on to the computer they run on: they have no high score
276tables and no saved preferences. (This is because I expect at least
277some people to play them at work, and those people will probably
278appreciate leaving as little evidence as possible!)
279
280However, if you do want to arrange for one of these games to
281\I{default parameters, specifying}default to a particular set of
282parameters, you can specify them on the command line.
283
284The easiest way to do this is to set up the parameters you want
285using the \q{Type} menu (see \k{common-type}), and then to select
286\q{Random Seed} from the \q{Game} or \q{File} menu (see
287\k{common-id}). The text in the \q{Game ID} box will be composed of
288two parts, separated by a hash. The first of these parts represents
289the game parameters (the size of the playing area, for example, and
290anything else you set using the \q{Type} menu).
291
292If you run the game with just that parameter text on the command
293line, it will start up with the settings you specified.
294
295For example: if you run Cube (see \k{cube}), select \q{Octahedron}
296from the \q{Type} menu, and then go to the game ID selection, you
297will see a string of the form \cq{o2x2#338686542711620}. Take only
298the part before the hash (\cq{o2x2}), and start Cube with that text
299on the command line: \cq{PREFIX-cube o2x2}.
300
301If you copy the \e{entire} game ID on to the command line, the game
302will start up in the specific game that was described. This is
303occasionally a more convenient way to start a particular game ID
304than by pasting it into the game ID selection box.
305
306(You could also retrieve the encoded game parameters using the
307\q{Specific} menu option instead of \q{Random Seed}, but if you do
308then some options, such as the difficulty level in Solo, will be
309missing. See \k{common-id} for more details on this.)
310
311\H{common-unix-cmdline} \i{Unix} \i{command-line} options
312
313(This section only applies to the Unix port.)
314
315In addition to being able to specify game parameters on the command
316line (see \k{common-cmdline}), there are various other options:
317
318\dt \cw{--game}
319
320\dt \cw{--load}
321
322\dd These options respectively determine whether the command-line
323argument is treated as specifying game parameters or a \i{save} file
324to \i{load}. Only one should be specified. If neither of these options
325is specified, a guess is made based on the format of the argument.
326
327\dt \cw{--generate }\e{n}
328
329\dd If this option is specified, instead of a puzzle being displayed,
330a number of descriptive game IDs will be \I{generating game IDs}invented
331and printed on standard output. This is useful for gaining access to
332the game generation algorithms without necessarily using the frontend.
333
334\lcont{
335
336If game parameters are specified on the command-line, they will be
337used to generate the game IDs; otherwise a default set of parameters
338will be used.
339
340The most common use of this option is in conjunction with \c{--print},
341in which case its behaviour is slightly different; see below.
342
343}
344
345\dt \I{printing, on Unix}\cw{--print }\e{w}\cw{x}\e{h}
346
347\dd If this option is specified, instead of a puzzle being displayed,
348a printed representation of one or more unsolved puzzles is sent to
349standard output, in \i{PostScript} format.
350
351\lcont{
352
353On each page of puzzles, there will be \e{w} across and \e{h} down. If
354there are more puzzles than \e{w}\by\e{h}, more than one page will be
355printed.
356
357If \c{--generate} has also been specified, the invented game IDs will
358be used to generate the printed output. Otherwise, a list of game IDs
359is expected on standard input (which can be descriptive or random
360seeds; see \k{common-id}), in the same format produced by
361\c{--generate}.
362
363For example:
364
365\c PREFIX-net --generate 12 --print 2x3 7x7w | lpr
366
367will generate two pages of printed Net puzzles (each of which will
368have a 7\by\.7 wrapping grid), and pipe the output to the \c{lpr}
369command, which on many systems will send them to an actual printer.
370
371There are various other options which affect printing; see below.
372
373}
374
375\dt \cw{--save }\e{file-prefix} [ \cw{--save-suffix }\e{file-suffix} ]
376
377\dd If this option is specified, instead of a puzzle being
378displayed, saved-game files for one or more unsolved puzzles are
379written to files constructed from the supplied prefix and/or suffix.
380
381\lcont{
382
383If \c{--generate} has also been specified, the invented game IDs will
384be used to generate the printed output. Otherwise, a list of game IDs
385is expected on standard input (which can be descriptive or random
386seeds; see \k{common-id}), in the same format produced by
387\c{--generate}.
388
389For example:
390
391\c PREFIX-net --generate 12 --save game --save-suffix .sav
392
393will generate twelve Net saved-game files with the names
394\cw{game0.sav} to \cw{game11.sav}.
395
396}
397
398\dt \cw{--version}
399
400\dd Prints version information about the game, and then quits.
401
402The following options are only meaningful if \c{--print} is also
403specified:
404
405\dt \cw{--with-solutions}
406
407\dd The set of pages filled with unsolved puzzles will be followed by
408the solutions to those puzzles.
409
410\dt \cw{--scale }\e{n}
411
412\dd Adjusts how big each puzzle is when printed. Larger numbers make
413puzzles bigger; the default is 1.0.
414
415\dt \cw{--colour}
416
417\dd Puzzles will be printed in colour, rather than in black and white
418(if supported by the puzzle).
419
420
421\C{net} \i{Net}
422
423\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.net}
424
425(\e{Note:} the \i{Windows} version of this game is called
426\i\cw{NETGAME.EXE} to avoid clashing with Windows's own \cw{NET.EXE}.)
427
428I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{FreeNet}
429\k{FreeNet}, written by Pavils Jurjans; there are several other
430implementations under the name \i{NetWalk}. The computer prepares a
431network by connecting up the centres of squares in a grid, and then
432shuffles the network by rotating every tile randomly. Your job is to
433rotate it all back into place. The successful solution will be an
434entirely connected network, with no closed loops. \#{The latter
435clause means that there are no closed paths within the network.
436Could this be clearer? "No closed paths"?} As a visual aid,
437all tiles which are connected to the one in the middle are
438highlighted.
439
440\B{FreeNet} \W{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm}\cw{http://www.jurjans.lv/stuff/net/FreeNet.htm}
441
442\H{net-controls} \i{Net controls}
443
444\IM{Net controls} controls, for Net
445\IM{Net controls} keys, for Net
446\IM{Net controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Net
447
448This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse. The
449controls are:
450
451\dt \e{Select tile}: mouse pointer, arrow keys
452
453\dt \e{Rotate tile anticlockwise}: left mouse button, \q{A} key
454
455\dt \e{Rotate tile clockwise}: right mouse button, \q{D} key
456
457\dt \e{Rotate tile by 180 degrees}: \q{F} key
458
459\dt \e{Lock (or unlock) tile}: middle mouse button, shift-click, \q{S} key
460
461\dd You can lock a tile once you're sure of its orientation. You can
462also unlock it again, but while it's locked you can't accidentally
463turn it.
464
465The following controls are not necessary to complete the game, but may
466be useful:
467
468\dt \e{Shift grid}: Shift + arrow keys
469
470\dd On grids that wrap, you can move the origin of the grid, so that
471tiles that were on opposite sides of the grid can be seen together.
472
473\dt \e{Move centre}: Ctrl + arrow keys
474
475\dd You can change which tile is used as the source of highlighting.
476(It doesn't ultimately matter which tile this is, as every tile will
477be connected to every other tile in a correct solution, but it may be
478helpful in the intermediate stages of solving the puzzle.)
479
480\dt \e{Jumble tiles}: \q{J} key
481
482\dd This key turns all tiles that are not locked to random
483orientations.
484
485(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
486
487\H{net-params} \I{parameters, for Net}Net parameters
488
489These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
490\q{Type} menu.
491
492\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
493
494\dd Size of grid in tiles.
495
496\dt \e{Walls wrap around}
497
498\dd If checked, flow can pass from the left edge to the right edge,
499and from top to bottom, and vice versa.
500
501\dt \e{Barrier probability}
502
503\dd A number between 0.0 and 1.0 controlling whether an immovable
504barrier is placed between two tiles to prevent flow between them (a
505higher number gives more barriers). Since barriers are immovable, they
506act as constraints on the solution (i.e., hints).
507
508\lcont{
509
510The grid generation in Net has been carefully arranged so that the
511barriers are independent of the rest of the grid. This means that if
512you note down the random seed used to generate the current puzzle
513(see \k{common-id}), change the \e{Barrier probability} parameter,
514and then re-enter the same random seed, you should see exactly the
515same starting grid, with the only change being the number of
516barriers. So if you're stuck on a particular grid and need a hint,
517you could start up another instance of Net, set up the same
518parameters but a higher barrier probability, and enter the game seed
519from the original Net window.
520
521}
522
523\dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
524
525\dd Normally, Net will make sure that the puzzles it presents have
526only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
527difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this
528feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. (Also, finding \e{all}
529the possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an
530advanced player.)
531
532
533\C{cube} \i{Cube}
534
535\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.cube}
536
537This is another one I originally saw as a web game. This one was a
538Java game \k{cube-java-game}, by Paul Scott. You have a grid of 16
539squares, six of which are blue; on one square rests a cube. Your move
540is to use the arrow keys to roll the cube through 90 degrees so that
541it moves to an adjacent square. If you roll the cube on to a blue
542square, the blue square is picked up on one face of the cube; if you
543roll a blue face of the cube on to a non-blue square, the blueness is
544put down again. (In general, whenever you roll the cube, the two faces
545that come into contact swap colours.) Your job is to get all six blue
546squares on to the six faces of the cube at the same time. Count your
547moves and try to do it in as few as possible.
548
549Unlike the original Java game, my version has an additional feature:
550once you've mastered the game with a cube rolling on a square grid,
551you can change to a triangular grid and roll any of a tetrahedron, an
552octahedron or an icosahedron.
553
554\B{cube-java-game} \W{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm}\cw{http://www3.sympatico.ca/paulscott/cube/cube.htm}
555
556\H{cube-controls} \i{Cube controls}
557
558\IM{Cube controls} controls, for Cube
559\IM{Cube controls} keys, for Cube
560\IM{Cube controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Cube
561
562This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
563
564Left-clicking anywhere on the window will move the cube (or other
565solid) towards the mouse pointer.
566
567The arrow keys can also used to roll the cube on its square grid in
568the four cardinal directions.
569On the triangular grids, the mapping of arrow keys to directions is
570more approximate. Vertical movement is disallowed where it doesn't
571make sense. The four keys surrounding the arrow keys on the numeric
572keypad (\q{7}, \q{9}, \q{1}, \q{3}) can be used for diagonal movement.
573
574(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
575
576\H{cube-params} \I{parameters, for Cube}Cube parameters
577
578These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
579\q{Type} menu.
580
581\dt \e{Type of solid}
582
583\dd Selects the solid to roll (and hence the shape of the grid):
584tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, or icosahedron.
585
586\dt \e{Width / top}, \e{Height / bottom}
587
588\dd On a square grid, horizontal and vertical dimensions. On a
589triangular grid, the number of triangles on the top and bottom rows
590respectively.
591
592
593\C{fifteen} \i{Fifteen}
594
595\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.fifteen}
596
597The old ones are the best: this is the good old \q{\i{15-puzzle}}
598with sliding tiles. You have a 4\by\.4 square grid; 15 squares
599contain numbered tiles, and the sixteenth is empty. Your move is to
600choose a tile next to the empty space, and slide it into the space.
601The aim is to end up with the tiles in numerical order, with the
602space in the bottom right (so that the top row reads 1,2,3,4 and the
603bottom row reads 13,14,15,\e{space}).
604
605\H{fifteen-controls} \i{Fifteen controls}
606
607\IM{Fifteen controls} controls, for Fifteen
608\IM{Fifteen controls} keys, for Fifteen
609\IM{Fifteen controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Fifteen
610
611This game can be controlled with the mouse or the keyboard.
612
613A left-click with the mouse in the row or column containing the empty
614space will move as many tiles as necessary to move the space to the
615mouse pointer.
616
617The arrow keys will move a tile adjacent to the space in the direction
618indicated (moving the space in the \e{opposite} direction).
619
620Pressing \q{h} will make a suggested move. Pressing \q{h} enough
621times will solve the game, but it may scramble your progress while
622doing so.
623
624(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
625
626\H{fifteen-params} \I{parameters, for Fifteen}Fifteen parameters
627
628The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
629menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory. (Once
630you've changed these, it's not a \q{15-puzzle} any more, of course!)
631
632
633\C{sixteen} \i{Sixteen}
634
635\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.sixteen}
636
637Another sliding tile puzzle, visually similar to Fifteen (see
638\k{fifteen}) but with a different type of move. This time, there is no
639hole: all 16 squares on the grid contain numbered squares. Your move
640is to shift an entire row left or right, or shift an entire column up
641or down; every time you do that, the tile you shift off the grid
642re-appears at the other end of the same row, in the space you just
643vacated. To win, arrange the tiles into numerical order (1,2,3,4 on
644the top row, 13,14,15,16 on the bottom). When you've done that, try
645playing on different sizes of grid.
646
647I \e{might} have invented this game myself, though only by accident if
648so (and I'm sure other people have independently invented it). I
649thought I was imitating a screensaver I'd seen, but I have a feeling
650that the screensaver might actually have been a Fifteen-type puzzle
651rather than this slightly different kind. So this might be the one
652thing in my puzzle collection which represents creativity on my part
653rather than just engineering.
654
655\H{sixteen-controls} \I{controls, for Sixteen}Sixteen controls
656
657Left-clicking on an arrow will move the appropriate row or column in
658the direction indicated. Right-clicking will move it in the opposite
659direction.
660
661Alternatively, use the cursor keys to move the position indicator
662around the edge of the grid, and use the return key to move the
663row/column in the direction indicated.
664
665You can also move the tiles directly. Move the cursor onto a tile,
666hold Control and press an arrow key to move the tile under the
667cursor and move the cursor along with the tile. Or, hold Shift to
668move only the tile. Pressing Enter simulates holding down Control
669(press Enter again to release), while pressing Space simulates
670holding down shift.
671
672(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
673
674\H{sixteen-params} \I{parameters, for Sixteen}Sixteen parameters
675
676The parameters available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
677\q{Type} menu are:
678
679\b \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory.
680
681\b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
682the grid. By default, Sixteen will shuffle the grid in such a way
683that any arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can
684override this by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to
685be performed. Typically your aim is then to determine the precise
686set of shuffling moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer
687(say) a four-move shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the
688more moves you ask for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter
689than the target length will turn out to be possible.
690
691
692\C{twiddle} \i{Twiddle}
693
694\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.twiddle}
695
696Twiddle is a tile-rearrangement puzzle, visually similar to Sixteen
697(see \k{sixteen}): you are given a grid of square tiles, each
698containing a number, and your aim is to arrange the numbers into
699ascending order.
700
701In basic Twiddle, your move is to rotate a square group of four
702tiles about their common centre. (Orientation is not significant in
703the basic puzzle, although you can select it.) On more advanced
704settings, you can rotate a larger square group of tiles.
705
706I first saw this type of puzzle in the GameCube game \q{Metroid
707Prime 2}. In the Main Gyro Chamber in that game, there is a puzzle
708you solve to unlock a door, which is a special case of Twiddle. I
709developed this game as a generalisation of that puzzle.
710
711\H{twiddle-controls} \I{controls, for Twiddle}Twiddle controls
712
713To play Twiddle, click the mouse in the centre of the square group
714you wish to rotate. In the basic mode, you rotate a 2\by\.2 square,
715which means you have to click at a corner point where four tiles
716meet.
717
718In more advanced modes you might be rotating 3\by\.3 or even more at
719a time; if the size of the square is odd then you simply click in
720the centre tile of the square you want to rotate.
721
722Clicking with the left mouse button rotates the group anticlockwise.
723Clicking with the right button rotates it clockwise.
724
725You can also move an outline square around the grid with the cursor
726keys; the square is the size above (2\by\.2 by default, or larger).
727Pressing the return key or space bar will rotate the current square
728anticlockwise or clockwise respectively.
729
730(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
731
732\H{twiddle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Twiddle}Twiddle parameters
733
734Twiddle provides several configuration options via the \q{Custom}
735option on the \q{Type} menu:
736
737\b You can configure the width and height of the puzzle grid.
738
739\b You can configure the size of square block that rotates at a time.
740
741\b You can ask for every square in the grid to be distinguishable
742(the default), or you can ask for a simplified puzzle in which there
743are groups of identical numbers. In the simplified puzzle your aim
744is just to arrange all the 1s into the first row, all the 2s into
745the second row, and so on.
746
747\b You can configure whether the orientation of tiles matters. If
748you ask for an orientable puzzle, each tile will have a triangle
749drawn in it. All the triangles must be pointing upwards to complete
750the puzzle.
751
752\b You can ask for a limited shuffling operation to be performed on
753the grid. By default, Twiddle will shuffle the grid so much that any
754arrangement is about as probable as any other. You can override this
755by requesting a precise number of shuffling moves to be performed.
756Typically your aim is then to determine the precise set of shuffling
757moves and invert them exactly, so that you answer (say) a four-move
758shuffle with a four-move solution. Note that the more moves you ask
759for, the more likely it is that solutions shorter than the target
760length will turn out to be possible.
761
762
763\C{rect} \i{Rectangles}
764
765\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.rectangles}
766
767You have a grid of squares, with numbers written in some (but not all)
768of the squares. Your task is to subdivide the grid into rectangles of
769various sizes, such that (a) every rectangle contains exactly one
770numbered square, and (b) the area of each rectangle is equal to the
771number written in its numbered square.
772
773Credit for this game goes to the Japanese puzzle magazine \i{Nikoli}
774\k{nikoli-rect}; I've also seen a Palm implementation at \i{Puzzle
775Palace} \k{puzzle-palace-rect}. Unlike Puzzle Palace's
776implementation, my version automatically generates random grids of
777any size you like. The quality of puzzle design is therefore not
778quite as good as hand-crafted puzzles would be, but on the plus side
779you get an inexhaustible supply of puzzles tailored to your own
780specification.
781
782\B{nikoli-rect} \W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/shikaku.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/shikaku.html}
783(beware of Flash)
784
785\B{puzzle-palace-rect} \W{https://web.archive.org/web/20041024001459/http://www.puzzle.gr.jp/puzzle/sikaku/palm/index.html.en}\cw{https://web.archive.org/web/20041024001459/http://www.puzzle.gr.jp/puzzle/sikaku/palm/index.html.en}
786
787\H{rectangles-controls} \I{controls, for Rectangles}Rectangles controls
788
789This game is played with the mouse or cursor keys.
790
791Left-click any edge to toggle it on or off, or left-click and drag to draw
792an entire rectangle (or line) on the grid in one go (removing any existing
793edges within that rectangle). Right-clicking and dragging will allow you
794to erase the contents of a rectangle without affecting its edges.
795
796Alternatively, use the cursor keys to move the position indicator
797around the board. Pressing the return key then allows you to use the
798cursor keys to drag a rectangle out from that position, and pressing
799the return key again completes the rectangle. Using the space bar
800instead of the return key allows you to erase the contents of a
801rectangle without affecting its edges, as above. Pressing escape
802cancels a drag.
803
804When a rectangle of the correct size is completed, it will be shaded.
805
806(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
807
808\H{rectangles-params} \I{parameters, for Rectangles}Rectangles parameters
809
810These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
811\q{Type} menu.
812
813\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
814
815\dd Size of grid, in squares.
816
817\dt \e{Expansion factor}
818
819\dd This is a mechanism for changing the type of grids generated by
820the program. Some people prefer a grid containing a few large
821rectangles to one containing many small ones. So you can ask
822Rectangles to essentially generate a \e{smaller} grid than the size
823you specified, and then to expand it by adding rows and columns.
824
825\lcont{
826
827The default expansion factor of zero means that Rectangles will
828simply generate a grid of the size you ask for, and do nothing
829further. If you set an expansion factor of (say) 0.5, it means that
830each dimension of the grid will be expanded to half again as big
831after generation. In other words, the initial grid will be 2/3 the
832size in each dimension, and will be expanded to its full size
833without adding any more rectangles.
834
835Setting an expansion factor of around 0.5 tends to make the game
836more difficult, and also (in my experience) rewards a less deductive
837and more intuitive playing style. If you set it \e{too} high,
838though, the game simply cannot generate more than a few rectangles
839to cover the entire grid, and the game becomes trivial.
840
841}
842
843\dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
844
845\dd Normally, Rectangles will make sure that the puzzles it presents
846have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
847difficult and more subtle, so if you like you can turn off this
848feature and risk having ambiguous puzzles. Also, finding \e{all} the
849possible solutions can be an additional challenge for an advanced
850player. Turning off this option can also speed up puzzle generation.
851
852
853\C{netslide} \i{Netslide}
854
855\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.netslide}
856
857This game combines the grid generation of Net (see \k{net}) with the
858movement of Sixteen (see \k{sixteen}): you have a Net grid, but
859instead of rotating tiles back into place you have to slide them
860into place by moving a whole row at a time.
861
862As in Sixteen, \I{controls, for Netslide}control is with the mouse or
863cursor keys. See \k{sixteen-controls}.
864
865\I{parameters, for Netslide}The available game parameters have similar
866meanings to those in Net (see \k{net-params}) and Sixteen (see
867\k{sixteen-params}).
868
869Netslide was contributed to this collection by Richard Boulton.
870
871
872\C{pattern} \i{Pattern}
873
874\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pattern}
875
876You have a grid of squares, which must all be filled in either black
877or white. Beside each row of the grid are listed the lengths of the
878runs of black squares on that row; above each column are listed the
879lengths of the runs of black squares in that column. Your aim is to
880fill in the entire grid black or white.
881
882I first saw this puzzle form around 1995, under the name
883\q{\i{nonograms}}. I've seen it in various places since then, under
884different names.
885
886Normally, puzzles of this type turn out to be a meaningful picture
887of something once you've solved them. However, since this version
888generates the puzzles automatically, they will just look like random
889groupings of squares. (One user has suggested that this is actually
890a \e{good} thing, since it prevents you from guessing the colour of
891squares based on the picture, and forces you to use logic instead.)
892The advantage, though, is that you never run out of them.
893
894\H{pattern-controls} \I{controls, for Pattern}Pattern controls
895
896This game is played with the mouse.
897
898Left-click in a square to colour it black. Right-click to colour it
899white. If you make a mistake, you can middle-click, or hold down
900Shift while clicking with any button, to colour the square in the
901default grey (meaning \q{undecided}) again.
902
903You can click and drag with the left or right mouse button to colour
904a vertical or horizontal line of squares black or white at a time
905(respectively). If you click and drag with the middle button, or
906with Shift held down, you can colour a whole rectangle of squares
907grey.
908
909You can also move around the grid with the cursor keys. Pressing the
910return key will cycle the current cell through empty, then black, then
911white, then empty, and the space bar does the same cycle in reverse.
912
913Moving the cursor while holding Control will colour the moved-over
914squares black. Holding Shift will colour the moved-over squares
915white, and holding both will colour them grey.
916
917(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
918
919\H{pattern-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pattern}Pattern parameters
920
921The only options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
922menu are \e{Width} and \e{Height}, which are self-explanatory.
923
924
925\C{solo} \i{Solo}
926
927\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.solo}
928
929You have a square grid, which is divided into as many equally sized
930sub-blocks as the grid has rows. Each square must be filled in with
931a digit from 1 to the size of the grid, in such a way that
932
933\b every row contains only one occurrence of each digit
934
935\b every column contains only one occurrence of each digit
936
937\b every block contains only one occurrence of each digit.
938
939\b (optionally, by default off) each of the square's two main
940diagonals contains only one occurrence of each digit.
941
942You are given some of the numbers as clues; your aim is to place the
943rest of the numbers correctly.
944
945Under the default settings, the sub-blocks are square or
946rectangular. The default puzzle size is 3\by\.3 (a 9\by\.9 actual
947grid, divided into nine 3\by\.3 blocks). You can also select sizes
948with rectangular blocks instead of square ones, such as 2\by\.3 (a
9496\by\.6 grid divided into six 3\by\.2 blocks). Alternatively, you
950can select \q{jigsaw} mode, in which the sub-blocks are arbitrary
951shapes which differ between individual puzzles.
952
953Another available mode is \q{killer}. In this mode, clues are not
954given in the form of filled-in squares; instead, the grid is divided
955into \q{cages} by coloured lines, and for each cage the game tells
956you what the sum of all the digits in that cage should be. Also, no
957digit may appear more than once within a cage, even if the cage
958crosses the boundaries of existing regions.
959
960If you select a puzzle size which requires more than 9 digits, the
961additional digits will be letters of the alphabet. For example, if
962you select 3\by\.4 then the digits which go in your grid will be 1
963to 9, plus \cq{a}, \cq{b} and \cq{c}. This cannot be selected for
964killer puzzles.
965
966I first saw this puzzle in \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-solo}, although it's
967also been popularised by various newspapers under the name
968\q{Sudoku} or \q{Su Doku}. Howard Garns is considered the inventor
969of the modern form of the puzzle, and it was first published in
970\e{Dell Pencil Puzzles and Word Games}. A more elaborate treatment
971of the history of the puzzle can be found on Wikipedia
972\k{wikipedia-solo}.
973
974\B{nikoli-solo} \W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/sudoku.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/sudoku.html}
975(beware of Flash)
976
977\B{wikipedia-solo} \W{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku}\cw{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku}
978
979\H{solo-controls} \I{controls, for Solo}Solo controls
980
981To play Solo, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
982type a digit or letter on the keyboard to fill that square. If you
983make a mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and press
984Space to clear it again (or use the Undo feature).
985
986If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a number, that
987number will be entered in the square as a \q{pencil mark}. You can
988have pencil marks for multiple numbers in the same square. Squares
989containing filled-in numbers cannot also contain pencil marks.
990
991The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use
992them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a
993particular square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a
994particular number, or you can use them as lists of the possible
995numbers in a given square, or anything else you feel like.
996
997To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type
998the same number again.
999
1000All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type
1001a number, or when you left-click and press space. Right-clicking and
1002pressing space will also erase pencil marks.
1003
1004Alternatively, use the cursor keys to move the mark around the grid.
1005Pressing the return key toggles the mark (from a normal mark to a
1006pencil mark), and typing a number in is entered in the square in the
1007appropriate way; typing in a 0 or using the space bar will clear a
1008filled square.
1009
1010(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1011
1012\H{solo-parameters} \I{parameters, for Solo}Solo parameters
1013
1014Solo allows you to configure two separate dimensions of the puzzle
1015grid on the \q{Type} menu: the number of columns, and the number of
1016rows, into which the main grid is divided. (The size of a block is
1017the inverse of this: for example, if you select 2 columns and 3 rows,
1018each actual block will have 3 columns and 2 rows.)
1019
1020If you tick the \q{X} checkbox, Solo will apply the optional extra
1021constraint that the two main diagonals of the grid also contain one
1022of every digit. (This is sometimes known as \q{Sudoku-X} in
1023newspapers.) In this mode, the squares on the two main diagonals
1024will be shaded slightly so that you know it's enabled.
1025
1026If you tick the \q{Jigsaw} checkbox, Solo will generate randomly
1027shaped sub-blocks. In this mode, the actual grid size will be taken
1028to be the product of the numbers entered in the \q{Columns} and
1029\q{Rows} boxes. There is no reason why you have to enter a number
1030greater than 1 in both boxes; Jigsaw mode has no constraint on the
1031grid size, and it can even be a prime number if you feel like it.
1032
1033If you tick the \q{Killer} checkbox, Solo will generate a set of
1034of cages, which are randomly shaped and drawn in an outline of a
1035different colour. Each of these regions contains a smaller clue
1036which shows the digit sum of all the squares in this region.
1037
1038You can also configure the type of symmetry shown in the generated
1039puzzles. More symmetry makes the puzzles look prettier but may also
1040make them easier, since the symmetry constraints can force more
1041clues than necessary to be present. Completely asymmetric puzzles
1042have the freedom to contain as few clues as possible.
1043
1044Finally, you can configure the difficulty of the generated puzzles.
1045Difficulty levels are judged by the complexity of the techniques of
1046deduction required to solve the puzzle: each level requires a mode
1047of reasoning which was not necessary in the previous one. In
1048particular, on difficulty levels \q{Trivial} and \q{Basic} there
1049will be a square you can fill in with a single number at all times,
1050whereas at \q{Intermediate} level and beyond you will have to make
1051partial deductions about the \e{set} of squares a number could be in
1052(or the set of numbers that could be in a square).
1053\#{Advanced, Extreme?}
1054At \q{Unreasonable} level, even this is not enough, and you will
1055eventually have to make a guess, and then backtrack if it turns out
1056to be wrong.
1057
1058Generating difficult puzzles is itself difficult: if you select one
1059of the higher difficulty levels, Solo may have to make many attempts
1060at generating a puzzle before it finds one hard enough for you. Be
1061prepared to wait, especially if you have also configured a large
1062puzzle size.
1063
1064
1065\C{mines} \i{Mines}
1066
1067\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.mines}
1068
1069You have a grid of covered squares, some of which contain mines, but
1070you don't know which. Your job is to uncover every square which does
1071\e{not} contain a mine. If you uncover a square containing a mine,
1072you lose. If you uncover a square which does not contain a mine, you
1073are told how many mines are contained within the eight surrounding
1074squares.
1075
1076This game needs no introduction; popularised by Windows, it is
1077perhaps the single best known desktop puzzle game in existence.
1078
1079This version of it has an unusual property. By default, it will
1080generate its mine positions in such a way as to ensure that you
1081never need to \e{guess} where a mine is: you will always be able to
1082deduce it somehow. So you will never, as can happen in other
1083versions, get to the last four squares and discover that there are
1084two mines left but you have no way of knowing for sure where they
1085are.
1086
1087\H{mines-controls} \I{controls, for Mines}Mines controls
1088
1089This game is played with the mouse.
1090
1091If you left-click in a covered square, it will be uncovered.
1092
1093If you right-click in a covered square, it will place a flag which
1094indicates that the square is believed to be a mine. Left-clicking in
1095a marked square will not uncover it, for safety. You can right-click
1096again to remove a mark placed in error.
1097
1098If you left-click in an \e{uncovered} square, it will \q{clear
1099around} the square. This means: if the square has exactly as many
1100flags surrounding it as it should have mines, then all the covered
1101squares next to it which are \e{not} flagged will be uncovered. So
1102once you think you know the location of all the mines around a
1103square, you can use this function as a shortcut to avoid having to
1104click on each of the remaining squares one by one.
1105
1106If you uncover a square which has \e{no} mines in the surrounding
1107eight squares, then it is obviously safe to uncover those squares in
1108turn, and so on if any of them also has no surrounding mines. This
1109will be done for you automatically; so sometimes when you uncover a
1110square, a whole new area will open up to be explored.
1111
1112You can also use the cursor keys to move around the minefield.
1113Pressing the return key in a covered square uncovers it, and in an
1114uncovered square will clear around it (so it acts as the left button),
1115pressing the space bar in a covered square will place a flag
1116(similarly, it acts as the right button).
1117
1118All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.
1119
1120Even Undo is available, although you might consider it cheating to
1121use it. If you step on a mine, the program will only reveal the mine
1122in question (unlike most other implementations, which reveal all of
1123them). You can then Undo your fatal move and continue playing if you
1124like. The program will track the number of times you died (and Undo
1125will not reduce that counter), so when you get to the end of the
1126game you know whether or not you did it without making any errors.
1127
1128(If you really want to know the full layout of the grid, which other
1129implementations will show you after you die, you can always use the
1130Solve menu option.)
1131
1132\H{mines-parameters} \I{parameters, for Mines}Mines parameters
1133
1134The options available from the \q{Custom...} option on the \q{Type}
1135menu are:
1136
1137\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1138
1139\dd Size of grid in squares.
1140
1141\dt \e{Mines}
1142
1143\dd Number of mines in the grid. You can enter this as an absolute
1144mine count, or alternatively you can put a \cw{%} sign on the end in
1145which case the game will arrange for that proportion of the squares
1146in the grid to be mines.
1147
1148\lcont{
1149
1150Beware of setting the mine count too high. At very high densities,
1151the program may spend forever searching for a solvable grid.
1152
1153}
1154
1155\dt \e{Ensure solubility}
1156
1157\dd When this option is enabled (as it is by default), Mines will
1158ensure that the entire grid can be fully deduced starting from the
1159initial open space. If you prefer the riskier grids generated by
1160other implementations, you can switch off this option.
1161
1162
1163\C{samegame} \i{Same Game}
1164
1165\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.samegame}
1166
1167You have a grid of coloured squares, which you have to clear by
1168highlighting contiguous regions of more than one coloured square;
1169the larger the region you highlight, the more points you get (and
1170the faster you clear the arena).
1171
1172If you clear the grid you win. If you end up with nothing but
1173single squares (i.e., there are no more clickable regions left) you
1174lose.
1175
1176Removing a region causes the rest of the grid to shuffle up:
1177blocks that are suspended will fall down (first), and then empty
1178columns are filled from the right.
1179
1180Same Game was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1181
1182\H{samegame-controls} \i{Same Game controls}
1183
1184\IM{Same Game controls} controls, for Same Game
1185\IM{Same Game controls} keys, for Same Game
1186\IM{Same Game controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Same Game
1187
1188This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
1189
1190If you left-click an unselected region, it becomes selected (possibly
1191clearing the current selection).
1192
1193If you left-click the selected region, it will be removed (and the
1194rest of the grid shuffled immediately).
1195
1196If you right-click the selected region, it will be unselected.
1197
1198The cursor keys move a cursor around the grid. Pressing the Space or
1199Enter keys while the cursor is in an unselected region selects it;
1200pressing Space or Enter again removes it as above.
1201
1202(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1203
1204\H{samegame-parameters} \I{parameters, for Same Game}Same Game parameters
1205
1206These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1207\q{Type} menu.
1208
1209\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1210
1211\dd Size of grid in squares.
1212
1213\dt \e{No. of colours}
1214
1215\dd Number of different colours used to fill the grid; the more colours,
1216the fewer large regions of colour and thus the more difficult it is to
1217successfully clear the grid.
1218
1219\dt \e{Scoring system}
1220
1221\dd Controls the precise mechanism used for scoring. With the default
1222system, \q{(n-2)^2}, only regions of three squares or more will score
1223any points at all. With the alternative \q{(n-1)^2} system, regions of
1224two squares score a point each, and larger regions score relatively
1225more points.
1226
1227\dt \e{Ensure solubility}
1228
1229\dd If this option is ticked (the default state), generated grids
1230will be guaranteed to have at least one solution.
1231
1232\lcont{
1233
1234If you turn it off, the game generator will not try to guarantee
1235soluble grids; it will, however, still ensure that there are at
1236least 2 squares of each colour on the grid at the start (since a
1237grid with exactly one square of a given colour is \e{definitely}
1238insoluble). Grids generated with this option disabled may contain
1239more large areas of contiguous colour, leading to opportunities for
1240higher scores; they can also take less time to generate.
1241
1242}
1243
1244
1245\C{flip} \i{Flip}
1246
1247\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.flip}
1248
1249You have a grid of squares, some light and some dark. Your aim is to
1250light all the squares up at the same time. You can choose any square
1251and flip its state from light to dark or dark to light, but when you
1252do so, other squares around it change state as well.
1253
1254Each square contains a small diagram showing which other squares
1255change when you flip it.
1256
1257\H{flip-controls} \i{Flip controls}
1258
1259\IM{Flip controls} controls, for Flip
1260\IM{Flip controls} keys, for Flip
1261\IM{Flip controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Flip
1262
1263This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
1264
1265Left-click in a square to flip it and its associated squares, or
1266use the cursor keys to choose a square and the space bar or Enter
1267key to flip.
1268
1269If you use the \q{Solve} function on this game, it will mark some of
1270the squares in red. If you click once in every square with a red
1271mark, the game should be solved. (If you click in a square
1272\e{without} a red mark, a red mark will appear in it to indicate
1273that you will need to reverse that operation to reach the solution.)
1274
1275(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1276
1277\H{flip-parameters} \I{parameters, for flip}Flip parameters
1278
1279These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1280\q{Type} menu.
1281
1282\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1283
1284\dd Size of grid in squares.
1285
1286\dt \e{Shape type}
1287
1288\dd This control determines the shape of the region which is flipped
1289by clicking in any given square. The default setting, \q{Crosses},
1290causes every square to flip itself and its four immediate neighbours
1291(or three or two if it's at an edge or corner). The other setting,
1292\q{Random}, causes a random shape to be chosen for every square, so
1293the game is different every time.
1294
1295
1296\C{guess} \i{Guess}
1297
1298\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.guess}
1299
1300You have a set of coloured pegs, and have to reproduce a
1301predetermined sequence of them (chosen by the computer) within a
1302certain number of guesses.
1303
1304Each guess gets marked with the number of correctly-coloured pegs
1305in the correct places (in black), and also the number of
1306correctly-coloured pegs in the wrong places (in white).
1307
1308This game is also known (and marketed, by Hasbro, mainly) as
1309a board game \q{\i{Mastermind}}, with 6 colours, 4 pegs per row,
1310and 10 guesses. However, this version allows custom settings of number
1311of colours (up to 10), number of pegs per row, and number of guesses.
1312
1313Guess was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1314
1315\H{guess-controls} \i{Guess controls}
1316
1317\IM{Guess controls} controls, for Guess
1318\IM{Guess controls} keys, for Guess
1319\IM{Guess controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Guess
1320
1321This game can be played with either the keyboard or the mouse.
1322
1323With the mouse, drag a coloured peg from the tray on the left-hand
1324side to its required position in the current guess; pegs may also be
1325dragged from current and past guesses to copy them elsewhere. To
1326remove a peg, drag it off its current position to somewhere invalid.
1327
1328Right-clicking in the current guess adds a \q{hold} marker; pegs
1329that have hold markers will be automatically added to the next guess
1330after marking.
1331
1332Alternatively, with the keyboard, the up and down cursor keys can be
1333used to select a peg colour, the left and right keys to select a
1334peg position, and the space bar or Enter key to place a peg of the
1335selected colour in the chosen position. \q{D} or Backspace removes a
1336peg, and Space adds a hold marker.
1337
1338Pressing \q{h} or \q{?} will fill the current guess with a suggested
1339guess. Using this is not recommended for 10 or more pegs as it is
1340slow.
1341
1342When the guess is complete, the smaller feedback pegs will be highlighted;
1343clicking on these (or moving the peg cursor to them with the arrow keys
1344and pressing the space bar or Enter key) will mark the current guess,
1345copy any held pegs to the next guess, and move the \q{current guess}
1346marker.
1347
1348If you correctly position all the pegs the solution will be displayed
1349below; if you run out of guesses (or select \q{Solve...}) the solution
1350will also be revealed.
1351
1352(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1353
1354\H{guess-parameters} \I{parameters, for Guess}Guess parameters
1355
1356These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1357\q{Type} menu. The default game matches the parameters for the
1358board game \q{Mastermind}.
1359
1360\dt \e{Colours}
1361
1362\dd Number of colours the solution is chosen from; from 2 to 10
1363(more is harder).
1364
1365\dt \e{Pegs per guess}
1366
1367\dd Number of pegs per guess (more is harder).
1368
1369\dt \e{Guesses}
1370
1371\dd Number of guesses you have to find the solution in (fewer is harder).
1372
1373\dt \e{Allow blanks}
1374
1375\dd Allows blank pegs to be given as part of a guess (makes it easier, because
1376you know that those will never be counted as part of the solution). This
1377is turned off by default.
1378
1379\lcont{
1380
1381Note that this doesn't allow blank pegs in the solution; if you really wanted
1382that, use one extra colour.
1383
1384}
1385
1386\dt \e{Allow duplicates}
1387
1388\dd Allows the solution (and the guesses) to contain colours more than once;
1389this increases the search space (making things harder), and is turned on by
1390default.
1391
1392
1393\C{pegs} \i{Pegs}
1394
1395\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pegs}
1396
1397A number of pegs are placed in holes on a board. You can remove a
1398peg by jumping an adjacent peg over it (horizontally or vertically)
1399to a vacant hole on the other side. Your aim is to remove all but one
1400of the pegs initially present.
1401
1402This game, best known as \I{Solitaire, Peg}\q{Peg Solitaire}, is
1403possibly one of the oldest puzzle games still commonly known.
1404
1405\H{pegs-controls} \i{Pegs controls}
1406
1407\IM{Pegs controls} controls, for Pegs
1408
1409To move a peg, drag it with the mouse from its current position to
1410its final position. If the final position is exactly two holes away
1411from the initial position, is currently unoccupied by a peg, and
1412there is a peg in the intervening square, the move will be permitted
1413and the intervening peg will be removed.
1414
1415Vacant spaces which you can move a peg into are marked with holes. A
1416space with no peg and no hole is not available for moving at all: it
1417is an obstacle which you must work around.
1418
1419You can also use the cursor keys to move a position indicator around
1420the board. Pressing the return key while over a peg, followed by a
1421cursor key, will jump the peg in that direction (if that is a legal
1422move).
1423
1424(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1425
1426\H{pegs-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pegs}Pegs parameters
1427
1428These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1429\q{Type} menu.
1430
1431\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1432
1433\dd Size of grid in holes.
1434
1435\dt \e{Board type}
1436
1437\dd Controls whether you are given a board of a standard shape or a
1438randomly generated shape. The two standard shapes currently
1439supported are \q{Cross} and \q{Octagon} (also commonly known as the
1440English and European traditional board layouts respectively).
1441Selecting \q{Random} will give you a different board shape every
1442time (but always one that is known to have a solution).
1443
1444
1445\C{dominosa} \i{Dominosa}
1446
1447\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.dominosa}
1448
1449A normal set of dominoes \dash that is, one instance of every
1450(unordered) pair of numbers from 0 to 6 \dash has been arranged
1451irregularly into a rectangle; then the number in each square has
1452been written down and the dominoes themselves removed. Your task is
1453to reconstruct the pattern by arranging the set of dominoes to match
1454the provided array of numbers.
1455
1456This puzzle is widely credited to O. S. Adler, and takes part of its
1457name from those initials.
1458
1459\H{dominosa-controls} \i{Dominosa controls}
1460
1461\IM{Dominosa controls} controls, for Dominosa
1462
1463Left-clicking between any two adjacent numbers places a domino
1464covering them, or removes one if it is already present. Trying to
1465place a domino which overlaps existing dominoes will remove the ones
1466it overlaps.
1467
1468Right-clicking between two adjacent numbers draws a line between
1469them, which you can use to remind yourself that you know those two
1470numbers are \e{not} covered by a single domino. Right-clicking again
1471removes the line.
1472
1473You can also use the cursor keys to move a cursor around the grid.
1474When the cursor is half way between two adjacent numbers, pressing
1475the return key will place a domino covering those numbers, or
1476pressing the space bar will lay a line between the two squares.
1477Repeating either action removes the domino or line.
1478
1479Pressing a number key will highlight all occurrences of that
1480number. Pressing that number again will clear the highlighting. Up to two
1481different numbers can be highlighted at any given time.
1482
1483(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1484
1485\H{dominosa-parameters} \I{parameters, for Dominosa}Dominosa parameters
1486
1487These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1488\q{Type} menu.
1489
1490\dt \e{Maximum number on dominoes}
1491
1492\dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by controlling the size of the
1493set of dominoes used to make it. Dominoes with numbers going up to N
1494will give rise to an (N+2) \by (N+1) rectangle; so, in particular,
1495the default value of 6 gives an 8\by\.7 grid.
1496
1497\dt \e{Ensure unique solution}
1498
1499\dd Normally, Dominosa will make sure that the puzzles it presents
1500have only one solution. Puzzles with ambiguous sections can be more
1501difficult and sometimes more subtle, so if you like you can turn off
1502this feature. Also, finding \e{all} the possible solutions can be an
1503additional challenge for an advanced player. Turning off this option
1504can also speed up puzzle generation.
1505
1506
1507\C{untangle} \i{Untangle}
1508
1509\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.untangle}
1510
1511You are given a number of points, some of which have lines drawn
1512between them. You can move the points about arbitrarily; your aim is
1513to position the points so that no line crosses another.
1514
1515I originally saw this in the form of a Flash game called \i{Planarity}
1516\k{Planarity}, written by John Tantalo.
1517
1518\B{Planarity} \W{http://planarity.net}\cw{http://planarity.net}
1519
1520\H{untangle-controls} \i{Untangle controls}
1521
1522\IM{Untangle controls} controls, for Untangle
1523
1524To move a point, click on it with the left mouse button and drag it
1525into a new position.
1526
1527(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1528
1529\H{untangle-parameters} \I{parameters, for Untangle}Untangle parameters
1530
1531There is only one parameter available from the \q{Custom...} option
1532on the \q{Type} menu:
1533
1534\dt \e{Number of points}
1535
1536\dd Controls the size of the puzzle, by specifying the number of
1537points in the generated graph.
1538
1539
1540\C{blackbox} \i{Black Box}
1541
1542\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.blackbox}
1543
1544A number of balls are hidden in a rectangular arena. You have to
1545deduce the positions of the balls by firing lasers positioned at
1546the edges of the arena and observing how their beams are deflected.
1547
1548Beams will travel straight from their origin until they hit the
1549opposite side of the arena (at which point they emerge), unless
1550affected by balls in one of the following ways:
1551
1552\b A beam that hits a ball head-on is absorbed and will never
1553 re-emerge. This includes beams that meet a ball on the first rank
1554 of the arena.
1555
1556\b A beam with a ball in its front-left square and no ball ahead of it
1557 gets deflected 90 degrees to the right.
1558
1559\b A beam with a ball in its front-right square and no ball ahead of
1560 it gets similarly deflected to the left.
1561
1562\b A beam that would re-emerge from its entry location is considered to be
1563 \q{reflected}.
1564
1565\b A beam which would get deflected before entering the arena by a
1566 ball to the front-left or front-right of its entry point is also
1567 considered to be \q{reflected}.
1568
1569Beams that are reflected appear as a \q{R}; beams that hit balls
1570head-on appear as \q{H}. Otherwise, a number appears at the firing
1571point and the location where the beam emerges (this number is unique
1572to that shot).
1573
1574You can place guesses as to the location of the balls, based on the
1575entry and exit patterns of the beams; once you have placed enough
1576balls a button appears enabling you to have your guesses checked.
1577
1578Here is a diagram showing how the positions of balls can create each
1579of the beam behaviours shown above:
1580
1581\c 1RHR----
1582\c |..O.O...|
1583\c 2........3
1584\c |........|
1585\c |........|
1586\c 3........|
1587\c |......O.|
1588\c H........|
1589\c |.....O..|
1590\c 12-RR---
1591
1592As shown, it is possible for a beam to receive multiple reflections
1593before re-emerging (see turn 3). Similarly, a beam may be reflected
1594(possibly more than once) before receiving a hit (the \q{H} on the
1595left side of the example).
1596
1597Note that any layout with more than 4 balls may have a non-unique
1598solution. The following diagram illustrates this; if you know the
1599board contains 5 balls, it is impossible to determine where the fifth
1600ball is (possible positions marked with an \cw{x}):
1601
1602\c --------
1603\c |........|
1604\c |........|
1605\c |..O..O..|
1606\c |...xx...|
1607\c |...xx...|
1608\c |..O..O..|
1609\c |........|
1610\c |........|
1611\c --------
1612
1613For this reason, when you have your guesses checked, the game will
1614check that your solution \e{produces the same results} as the
1615computer's, rather than that your solution is identical to the
1616computer's. So in the above example, you could put the fifth ball at
1617\e{any} of the locations marked with an \cw{x}, and you would still
1618win.
1619
1620Black Box was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1621
1622\H{blackbox-controls} \i{Black Box controls}
1623
1624\IM{Black Box controls} controls, for Black Box
1625\IM{Black Box controls} keys, for Black Box
1626\IM{Black Box controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Black Box
1627
1628To fire a laser beam, left-click in a square around the edge of the
1629arena. The results will be displayed immediately. Clicking or holding
1630the left button on one of these squares will highlight the current go
1631(or a previous go) to confirm the exit point for that laser, if
1632applicable.
1633
1634To guess the location of a ball, left-click within the arena and a
1635black circle will appear marking the guess; click again to remove the
1636guessed ball.
1637
1638Locations in the arena may be locked against modification by
1639right-clicking; whole rows and columns may be similarly locked by
1640right-clicking in the laser square above/below that column, or to the
1641left/right of that row.
1642
1643The cursor keys may also be used to move around the grid. Pressing the
1644Enter key will fire a laser or add a new ball-location guess, and
1645pressing Space will lock a cell, row, or column.
1646
1647When an appropriate number of balls have been guessed, a button will
1648appear at the top-left corner of the grid; clicking that (with mouse
1649or cursor) will check your guesses.
1650
1651If you click the \q{check} button and your guesses are not correct,
1652the game will show you the minimum information necessary to
1653demonstrate this to you, so you can try again. If your ball
1654positions are not consistent with the beam paths you already know
1655about, one beam path will be circled to indicate that it proves you
1656wrong. If your positions match all the existing beam paths but are
1657still wrong, one new beam path will be revealed (written in red)
1658which is not consistent with your current guesses.
1659
1660If you decide to give up completely, you can select Solve to reveal
1661the actual ball positions. At this point, correctly-placed balls
1662will be displayed as filled black circles, incorrectly-placed balls
1663as filled black circles with red crosses, and missing balls as filled
1664red circles. In addition, a red circle marks any laser you had already
1665fired which is not consistent with your ball layout (just as when you
1666press the \q{check} button), and red text marks any laser you
1667\e{could} have fired in order to distinguish your ball layout from the
1668correct one.
1669
1670(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1671
1672\H{blackbox-parameters} \I{parameters, for Black Box}Black Box parameters
1673
1674These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1675\q{Type} menu.
1676
1677\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1678
1679\dd Size of grid in squares. There are 2 \by \e{Width} \by \e{Height} lasers
1680per grid, two per row and two per column.
1681
1682\dt \e{No. of balls}
1683
1684\dd Number of balls to place in the grid. This can be a single number,
1685or a range (separated with a hyphen, like \q{2-6}), and determines the
1686number of balls to place on the grid. The \q{reveal} button is only
1687enabled if you have guessed an appropriate number of balls; a guess
1688using a different number to the original solution is still acceptable,
1689if all the beam inputs and outputs match.
1690
1691
1692\C{slant} \i{Slant}
1693
1694\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.slant}
1695
1696You have a grid of squares. Your aim is to draw a diagonal line
1697through each square, and choose which way each line slants so that
1698the following conditions are met:
1699
1700\b The diagonal lines never form a loop.
1701
1702\b Any point with a circled number has precisely that many lines
1703meeting at it. (Thus, a 4 is the centre of a cross shape, whereas a
1704zero is the centre of a diamond shape \dash or rather, a partial
1705diamond shape, because a zero can never appear in the middle of the
1706grid because that would immediately cause a loop.)
1707
1708Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-slant}.
1709
1710\B{nikoli-slant}
1711\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/ja/puzzles/gokigen_naname}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/ja/puzzles/gokigen_naname}
1712(in Japanese)
1713
1714\H{slant-controls} \i{Slant controls}
1715
1716\IM{Slant controls} controls, for Slant
1717
1718Left-clicking in a blank square will place a \cw{\\} in it (a line
1719leaning to the left, i.e. running from the top left of the square to
1720the bottom right). Right-clicking in a blank square will place a
1721\cw{/} in it (leaning to the right, running from top right to bottom
1722left).
1723
1724Continuing to click either button will cycle between the three
1725possible square contents. Thus, if you left-click repeatedly in a
1726blank square it will change from blank to \cw{\\} to \cw{/} back to
1727blank, and if you right-click repeatedly the square will change from
1728blank to \cw{/} to \cw{\\} back to blank. (Therefore, you can play
1729the game entirely with one button if you need to.)
1730
1731You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid. Pressing the
1732return or space keys will place a \cw{\\} or a \cw{/}, respectively,
1733and will then cycle them as above. You can also press \cw{/} or
1734\cw{\\} to place a \cw{/} or \cw{\\}, respectively, independent of
1735what is already in the cursor square. Backspace removes any line from
1736the cursor square.
1737
1738(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1739
1740\H{slant-parameters} \I{parameters, for Slant}Slant parameters
1741
1742These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1743\q{Type} menu.
1744
1745\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1746
1747\dd Size of grid in squares.
1748
1749\dt \e{Difficulty}
1750
1751\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. At Hard level,
1752you are required to do deductions based on knowledge of
1753\e{relationships} between squares rather than always being able to
1754deduce the exact contents of one square at a time. (For example, you
1755might know that two squares slant in the same direction, even if you
1756don't yet know what that direction is, and this might enable you to
1757deduce something about still other squares.) Even at Hard level,
1758guesswork and backtracking should never be necessary.
1759
1760
1761\C{lightup} \i{Light Up}
1762
1763\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.lightup}
1764
1765You have a grid of squares. Some are filled in black; some of the
1766black squares are numbered. Your aim is to \q{light up} all the
1767empty squares by placing light bulbs in some of them.
1768
1769Each light bulb illuminates the square it is on, plus all squares in
1770line with it horizontally or vertically unless a black square is
1771blocking the way.
1772
1773To win the game, you must satisfy the following conditions:
1774
1775\b All non-black squares are lit.
1776
1777\b No light is lit by another light.
1778
1779\b All numbered black squares have exactly that number of lights adjacent to
1780 them (in the four squares above, below, and to the side).
1781
1782Non-numbered black squares may have any number of lights adjacent to them.
1783
1784Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-lightup}.
1785
1786Light Up was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
1787
1788\B{nikoli-lightup}
1789\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/akari.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/akari.html}
1790(beware of Flash)
1791
1792\H{lightup-controls} \i{Light Up controls}
1793
1794\IM{Light Up controls} controls, for Light Up
1795
1796Left-clicking in a non-black square will toggle the presence of a light
1797in that square. Right-clicking in a non-black square toggles a mark there to aid
1798solving; it can be used to highlight squares that cannot be lit, for example.
1799
1800You may not place a light in a marked square, nor place a mark in a lit square.
1801
1802The game will highlight obvious errors in red. Lights lit by other
1803lights are highlighted in this way, as are numbered squares which
1804do not (or cannot) have the right number of lights next to them.
1805
1806Thus, the grid is solved when all non-black squares have yellow
1807highlights and there are no red lights.
1808
1809(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1810
1811\H{lightup-parameters} \I{parameters, for Light Up}Light Up parameters
1812
1813These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1814\q{Type} menu.
1815
1816\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1817
1818\dd Size of grid in squares.
1819
1820\dt \e{%age of black squares}
1821
1822\dd Rough percentage of black squares in the grid.
1823
1824\lcont{
1825
1826This is a hint rather than an instruction. If the grid generator is
1827unable to generate a puzzle to this precise specification, it will
1828increase the proportion of black squares until it can.
1829
1830}
1831
1832\dt \e{Symmetry}
1833
1834\dd Allows you to specify the required symmetry of the black squares
1835in the grid. (This does not affect the difficulty of the puzzles
1836noticeably.)
1837
1838\dt \e{Difficulty}
1839
1840\dd \q{Easy} means that the puzzles should be soluble without
1841backtracking or guessing, \q{Hard} means that some guesses will
1842probably be necessary.
1843
1844
1845\C{map} \i{Map}
1846
1847\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.map}
1848
1849You are given a map consisting of a number of regions. Your task is
1850to colour each region with one of four colours, in such a way that
1851no two regions sharing a boundary have the same colour. You are
1852provided with some regions already coloured, sufficient to make the
1853remainder of the solution unique.
1854
1855Only regions which share a length of border are required to be
1856different colours. Two regions which meet at only one \e{point}
1857(i.e. are diagonally separated) may be the same colour.
1858
1859I believe this puzzle is original; I've never seen an implementation
1860of it anywhere else. The concept of a \i{four-colouring} puzzle was
1861suggested by Owen Dunn; credit must also go to Nikoli and to Verity
1862Allan for inspiring the train of thought that led to me realising
1863Owen's suggestion was a viable puzzle. Thanks also to Gareth Taylor
1864for many detailed suggestions.
1865
1866\H{map-controls} \i{Map controls}
1867
1868\IM{Map controls} controls, for Map
1869
1870To colour a region, click the left mouse button on an existing
1871region of the desired colour and drag that colour into the new
1872region.
1873
1874(The program will always ensure the starting puzzle has at least one
1875region of each colour, so that this is always possible!)
1876
1877If you need to clear a region, you can drag from an empty region, or
1878from the puzzle boundary if there are no empty regions left.
1879
1880Dragging a colour using the \e{right} mouse button will stipple the
1881region in that colour, which you can use as a note to yourself that
1882you think the region \e{might} be that colour. A region can contain
1883stipples in multiple colours at once. (This is often useful at the
1884harder difficulty levels.)
1885
1886You can also use the cursor keys to move around the map: the colour of
1887the cursor indicates the position of the colour you would drag (which
1888is not obvious if you're on a region's boundary, since it depends on the
1889direction from which you approached the boundary). Pressing the return
1890key starts a drag of that colour, as above, which you control with the
1891cursor keys; pressing the return key again finishes the drag. The
1892space bar can be used similarly to create a stippled region.
1893Double-pressing the return key (without moving the cursor) will clear
1894the region, as a drag from an empty region does: this is useful with
1895the cursor mode if you have filled the entire map in but need to
1896correct the layout.
1897
1898If you press L during play, the game will toggle display of a number
1899in each region of the map. This is useful if you want to discuss a
1900particular puzzle instance with a friend \dash having an unambiguous
1901name for each region is much easier than trying to refer to them all
1902by names such as \q{the one down and right of the brown one on the
1903top border}.
1904
1905(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1906
1907\H{map-parameters} \I{parameters, for Map}Map parameters
1908
1909These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1910\q{Type} menu.
1911
1912\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1913
1914\dd Size of grid in squares.
1915
1916\dt \e{Regions}
1917
1918\dd Number of regions in the generated map.
1919
1920\dt \e{Difficulty}
1921
1922\dd In \q{Easy} mode, there should always be at least one region
1923whose colour can be determined trivially. In \q{Normal} and \q{Hard}
1924modes, you will have to use increasingly complex logic to deduce the
1925colour of some regions. However, it will always be possible without
1926having to guess or backtrack.
1927
1928\lcont{
1929
1930In \q{Unreasonable} mode, the program will feel free to generate
1931puzzles which are as hard as it can possibly make them: the only
1932constraint is that they should still have a unique solution. Solving
1933Unreasonable puzzles may require guessing and backtracking.
1934
1935}
1936
1937
1938\C{loopy} \i{Loopy}
1939
1940\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.loopy}
1941
1942You are given a grid of dots, marked with yellow lines to indicate
1943which dots you are allowed to connect directly together. Your aim is
1944to use some subset of those yellow lines to draw a single unbroken
1945loop from dot to dot within the grid.
1946
1947Some of the spaces between the lines contain numbers. These numbers
1948indicate how many of the lines around that space form part of the
1949loop. The loop you draw must correctly satisfy all of these clues to
1950be considered a correct solution.
1951
1952In the default mode, the dots are arranged in a grid of squares;
1953however, you can also play on triangular or hexagonal grids, or even
1954more exotic ones.
1955
1956Credit for the basic puzzle idea goes to \i{Nikoli}
1957\k{nikoli-loopy}.
1958
1959Loopy was originally contributed to this collection by Mike Pinna,
1960and subsequently enhanced to handle various types of non-square grid
1961by Lambros Lambrou.
1962
1963\B{nikoli-loopy}
1964\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/slitherlink.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/slitherlink.html}
1965(beware of Flash)
1966
1967\H{loopy-controls} \i{Loopy controls}
1968
1969\IM{Loopy controls} controls, for Loopy
1970
1971Click the left mouse button on a yellow line to turn it black,
1972indicating that you think it is part of the loop. Click again to
1973turn the line yellow again (meaning you aren't sure yet).
1974
1975If you are sure that a particular line segment is \e{not} part of
1976the loop, you can click the right mouse button to remove it
1977completely. Again, clicking a second time will turn the line back to
1978yellow.
1979
1980(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
1981
1982\H{loopy-parameters} \I{parameters, for Loopy}Loopy parameters
1983
1984These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
1985\q{Type} menu.
1986
1987\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
1988
1989\dd Size of grid, measured in number of regions across and down. For
1990square grids, it's clear how this is counted; for other types of
1991grid you may have to think a bit to see how the dimensions are
1992measured.
1993
1994\dt \e{Grid type}
1995
1996\dd Allows you to choose between a selection of types of tiling.
1997Some have all the faces the same but may have multiple different
1998types of vertex (e.g. the \e{Cairo} or \e{Kites} mode); others have
1999all the vertices the same but may have different types of face (e.g.
2000the \e{Great Hexagonal}). The square, triangular and honeycomb grids
2001are fully regular, and have all their vertices \e{and} faces the
2002same; this makes them the least confusing to play.
2003
2004\dt \e{Difficulty}
2005
2006\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle.
2007\#{FIXME: what distinguishes Easy, Medium, and Hard? In particular,
2008when are backtracking/guesswork required, if ever?}
2009
2010
2011\C{inertia} \i{Inertia}
2012
2013\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.inertia}
2014
2015You are a small green ball sitting in a grid full of obstacles. Your
2016aim is to collect all the gems without running into any mines.
2017
2018You can move the ball in any orthogonal \e{or diagonal} direction.
2019Once the ball starts moving, it will continue until something stops
2020it. A wall directly in its path will stop it (but if it is moving
2021diagonally, it will move through a diagonal gap between two other
2022walls without stopping). Also, some of the squares are \q{stops};
2023when the ball moves on to a stop, it will stop moving no matter what
2024direction it was going in. Gems do \e{not} stop the ball; it picks
2025them up and keeps on going.
2026
2027Running into a mine is fatal. Even if you picked up the last gem in
2028the same move which then hit a mine, the game will count you as dead
2029rather than victorious.
2030
2031This game was originally implemented for Windows by Ben Olmstead
2032\k{bem}, who was kind enough to release his source code on request
2033so that it could be re-implemented for this collection.
2034
2035\B{bem} \W{http://xn13.com/}\cw{http://xn13.com/}
2036
2037\H{inertia-controls} \i{Inertia controls}
2038
2039\IM{Inertia controls} controls, for Inertia
2040\IM{Inertia controls} keys, for Inertia
2041\IM{Inertia controls} shortcuts (keyboard), for Inertia
2042
2043You can move the ball in any of the eight directions using the
2044numeric keypad. Alternatively, if you click the left mouse button on
2045the grid, the ball will begin a move in the general direction of
2046where you clicked.
2047
2048If you use the \q{Solve} function on this game, the program will
2049compute a path through the grid which collects all the remaining
2050gems and returns to the current position. A hint arrow will appear
2051on the ball indicating the direction in which you should move to
2052begin on this path. If you then move in that direction, the arrow
2053will update to indicate the next direction on the path. You can also
2054press Space to automatically move in the direction of the hint
2055arrow. If you move in a different direction from the one shown by
2056the arrow, arrows will be shown only if the puzzle is still solvable.
2057
2058All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.
2059In particular, if you do run into a mine and die, you can use the
2060Undo function and resume playing from before the fatal move. The
2061game will keep track of the number of times you have done this.
2062
2063\H{inertia-parameters} \I{parameters, for Inertia}Inertia parameters
2064
2065These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2066\q{Type} menu.
2067
2068\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2069
2070\dd Size of grid in squares.
2071
2072
2073\C{tents} \i{Tents}
2074
2075\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.tents}
2076
2077You have a grid of squares, some of which contain trees. Your aim is
2078to place tents in some of the remaining squares, in such a way that
2079the following conditions are met:
2080
2081\b There are exactly as many tents as trees.
2082
2083\b The tents and trees can be matched up in such a way that each
2084tent is directly adjacent (horizontally or vertically, but not
2085diagonally) to its own tree. However, a tent may be adjacent to
2086other trees as well as its own.
2087
2088\b No two tents are adjacent horizontally, vertically \e{or
2089diagonally}.
2090
2091\b The number of tents in each row, and in each column, matches the
2092numbers given round the sides of the grid.
2093
2094This puzzle can be found in several places on the Internet, and was
2095brought to my attention by e-mail. I don't know who I should credit
2096for inventing it.
2097
2098\H{tents-controls} \i{Tents controls}
2099
2100\IM{Tents controls} controls, for Tents
2101
2102Left-clicking in a blank square will place a tent in it.
2103Right-clicking in a blank square will colour it green, indicating
2104that you are sure it \e{isn't} a tent. Clicking either button in an
2105occupied square will clear it.
2106
2107If you \e{drag} with the right button along a row or column, every
2108blank square in the region you cover will be turned green, and no
2109other squares will be affected. (This is useful for clearing the
2110remainder of a row once you have placed all its tents.)
2111
2112You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid. Pressing the
2113return key over an empty square will place a tent, and pressing the
2114space bar over an empty square will colour it green; either key will
2115clear an occupied square. Holding Shift and pressing the cursor keys
2116will colour empty squares green. Holding Control and pressing the
2117cursor keys will colour green both empty squares and squares with tents.
2118
2119(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2120
2121\H{tents-parameters} \I{parameters, for Tents}Tents parameters
2122
2123These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2124\q{Type} menu.
2125
2126\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2127
2128\dd Size of grid in squares.
2129
2130\dt \e{Difficulty}
2131
2132\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. More difficult
2133puzzles require more complex deductions, but at present none of the
2134available difficulty levels requires guesswork or backtracking.
2135
2136
2137\C{bridges} \i{Bridges}
2138
2139\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.bridges}
2140
2141You have a set of islands distributed across the playing area. Each
2142island contains a number. Your aim is to connect the islands
2143together with bridges, in such a way that:
2144
2145\b Bridges run horizontally or vertically.
2146
2147\b The number of bridges terminating at any island is equal to the
2148number written in that island.
2149
2150\b Two bridges may run in parallel between the same two islands, but
2151no more than two may do so.
2152
2153\b No bridge crosses another bridge.
2154
2155\b All the islands are connected together.
2156
2157There are some configurable alternative modes, which involve
2158changing the parallel-bridge limit to something other than 2, and
2159introducing the additional constraint that no sequence of bridges
2160may form a loop from one island back to the same island. The rules
2161stated above are the default ones.
2162
2163Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-bridges}.
2164
2165Bridges was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
2166
2167\B{nikoli-bridges}
2168\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/hashiwokakero.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/hashiwokakero.html}
2169(beware of Flash)
2170
2171\H{bridges-controls} \i{Bridges controls}
2172
2173\IM{Bridges controls} controls, for Bridges
2174
2175To place a bridge between two islands, click the mouse down on one
2176island and drag it towards the other. You do not need to drag all
2177the way to the other island; you only need to move the mouse far
2178enough for the intended bridge direction to be unambiguous. (So you
2179can keep the mouse near the starting island and conveniently throw
2180bridges out from it in many directions.)
2181
2182Doing this again when a bridge is already present will add another
2183parallel bridge. If there are already as many bridges between the
2184two islands as permitted by the current game rules (i.e. two by
2185default), the same dragging action will remove all of them.
2186
2187If you want to remind yourself that two islands definitely \e{do
2188not} have a bridge between them, you can right-drag between them in
2189the same way to draw a \q{non-bridge} marker.
2190
2191If you think you have finished with an island (i.e. you have placed
2192all its bridges and are confident that they are in the right
2193places), you can mark the island as finished by left-clicking on it.
2194This will highlight it and all the bridges connected to it, and you
2195will be prevented from accidentally modifying any of those bridges
2196in future. Left-clicking again on a highlighted island will unmark
2197it and restore your ability to modify it.
2198
2199You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid: if possible
2200the cursor will always move orthogonally, otherwise it will move
2201towards the nearest island to the indicated direction. Holding Control
2202and pressing a cursor key will lay a bridge in that direction (if
2203available); Shift and a cursor key will lay a \q{non-bridge} marker.
2204Pressing the return key followed by a cursor key will also lay a
2205bridge in that direction.
2206
2207You can mark an island as finished by pressing the space bar or by
2208pressing the return key twice.
2209
2210By pressing a number key, you can jump to the nearest island with that
2211number. Letters \q{a}, ..., \q{f} count as 10, ..., 15 and \q{0} as
221216.
2213
2214Violations of the puzzle rules will be marked in red:
2215
2216\b An island with too many bridges will be highlighted in red.
2217
2218\b An island with too few bridges will be highlighted in red if it
2219is definitely an error (as opposed to merely not being finished
2220yet): if adding enough bridges would involve having to cross another
2221bridge or remove a non-bridge marker, or if the island has been
2222highlighted as complete.
2223
2224\b A group of islands and bridges may be highlighted in red if it is
2225a closed subset of the puzzle with no way to connect it to the rest
2226of the islands. For example, if you directly connect two 1s together
2227with a bridge and they are not the only two islands on the grid,
2228they will light up red to indicate that such a group cannot be
2229contained in any valid solution.
2230
2231\b If you have selected the (non-default) option to disallow loops
2232in the solution, a group of bridges which forms a loop will be
2233highlighted.
2234
2235(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2236
2237\H{bridges-parameters} \I{parameters, for Bridges}Bridges parameters
2238
2239These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2240\q{Type} menu.
2241
2242\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2243
2244\dd Size of grid in squares.
2245
2246\dt \e{Difficulty}
2247
2248\dd Difficulty level of puzzle.
2249
2250\dt \e{Allow loops}
2251
2252\dd This is set by default. If cleared, puzzles will be generated in
2253such a way that they are always soluble without creating a loop, and
2254solutions which do involve a loop will be disallowed.
2255
2256\dt \e{Max. bridges per direction}
2257
2258\dd Maximum number of bridges in any particular direction. The
2259default is 2, but you can change it to 1, 3 or 4. In general, fewer
2260is easier.
2261
2262\dt \e{%age of island squares}
2263
2264\dd Gives a rough percentage of islands the generator will try and
2265lay before finishing the puzzle. Certain layouts will not manage to
2266lay enough islands; this is an upper bound.
2267
2268\dt \e{Expansion factor (%age)}
2269
2270\dd The grid generator works by picking an existing island at random
2271(after first creating an initial island somewhere). It then decides
2272on a direction (at random), and then works out how far it could
2273extend before creating another island. This parameter determines how
2274likely it is to extend as far as it can, rather than choosing
2275somewhere closer.
2276
2277\lcont{
2278
2279High expansion factors usually mean easier puzzles with fewer
2280possible islands; low expansion factors can create lots of
2281tightly-packed islands.
2282
2283}
2284
2285
2286\C{unequal} \i{Unequal}
2287
2288\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.unequal}
2289
2290You have a square grid; each square may contain a digit from 1 to
2291the size of the grid, and some squares have clue signs between
2292them. Your aim is to fully populate the grid with numbers such that:
2293
2294\b Each row contains only one occurrence of each digit
2295
2296\b Each column contains only one occurrence of each digit
2297
2298\b All the clue signs are satisfied.
2299
2300There are two modes for this game, \q{Unequal} and \q{Adjacent}.
2301
2302In \q{Unequal} mode, the clue signs are greater-than symbols indicating one
2303square's value is greater than its neighbour's. In this mode not all clues
2304may be visible, particularly at higher difficulty levels.
2305
2306In \q{Adjacent} mode, the clue signs are bars indicating
2307one square's value is numerically adjacent (i.e. one higher or one lower)
2308than its neighbour. In this mode all clues are always visible: absence of
2309a bar thus means that a square's value is definitely not numerically adjacent
2310to that neighbour's.
2311
2312In \q{Trivial} difficulty level (available via the \q{Custom} game type
2313selector), there are no greater-than signs in \q{Unequal} mode; the puzzle is
2314to solve the \i{Latin square} only.
2315
2316At the time of writing, the \q{Unequal} mode of this puzzle is appearing in the
2317Guardian weekly under the name \q{\i{Futoshiki}}.
2318
2319Unequal was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
2320
2321\H{unequal-controls} \i{Unequal controls}
2322
2323\IM{Unequal controls} controls, for Unequal
2324
2325Unequal shares much of its control system with Solo.
2326
2327To play Unequal, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
2328type a digit or letter on the keyboard to fill that square. If you
2329make a mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and press
2330Space to clear it again (or use the Undo feature).
2331
2332If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a number, that
2333number will be entered in the square as a \q{pencil mark}. You can
2334have pencil marks for multiple numbers in the same square. Squares
2335containing filled-in numbers cannot also contain pencil marks.
2336
2337The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use
2338them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a
2339particular square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a
2340particular number, or you can use them as lists of the possible
2341numbers in a given square, or anything else you feel like.
2342
2343To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type
2344the same number again.
2345
2346All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type
2347a number, or when you left-click and press space. Right-clicking and
2348pressing space will also erase pencil marks.
2349
2350As for Solo, the cursor keys can be used in conjunction with the digit
2351keys to set numbers or pencil marks. You can also use the \q{M} key to
2352auto-fill every numeric hint, ready for removal as required, or the \q{H}
2353key to do the same but also to remove all obvious hints.
2354
2355Alternatively, use the cursor keys to move the mark around the grid.
2356Pressing the return key toggles the mark (from a normal mark to a
2357pencil mark), and typing a number in is entered in the square in the
2358appropriate way; typing in a 0 or using the space bar will clear a
2359filled square.
2360
2361Left-clicking a clue will mark it as done (grey it out), or unmark it
2362if it is already marked. Holding Control or Shift and pressing an
2363arrow key likewise marks any clue adjacent to the cursor in the given
2364direction.
2365
2366(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2367
2368\H{unequal-parameters} \I{parameters, for Unequal}Unequal parameters
2369
2370These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2371\q{Type} menu.
2372
2373\dt \e{Mode}
2374
2375\dd Mode of the puzzle (\q{Unequal} or \q{Adjacent})
2376
2377\dt \e{Size (s*s)}
2378
2379\dd Size of grid.
2380
2381\dt \e{Difficulty}
2382
2383\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. At Trivial
2384level, there are no greater-than signs; the puzzle is to solve the
2385Latin square only. At Recursive level (only available via the
2386\q{Custom} game type selector) backtracking will be required, but
2387the solution should still be unique. The levels in between require
2388increasingly complex reasoning to avoid having to backtrack.
2389
2390
2391
2392\C{galaxies} \i{Galaxies}
2393
2394\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.galaxies}
2395
2396You have a rectangular grid containing a number of dots. Your aim is
2397to draw edges along the grid lines which divide the rectangle into
2398regions in such a way that every region is 180\u00b0{-degree}
2399rotationally symmetric, and contains exactly one dot which is
2400located at its centre of symmetry.
2401
2402This puzzle was invented by \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-galaxies}, under
2403the name \q{Tentai Show}; its name is commonly translated into
2404English as \q{Spiral Galaxies}.
2405
2406Galaxies was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
2407
2408\B{nikoli-galaxies} \W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/astronomical_show.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/astronomical_show.html}
2409
2410\H{galaxies-controls} \i{Galaxies controls}
2411
2412\IM{Galaxies controls} controls, for Galaxies
2413
2414Left-click on any grid line to draw an edge if there isn't one
2415already, or to remove one if there is. When you create a valid
2416region (one which is closed, contains exactly one dot, is
2417180\u00b0{-degree} symmetric about that dot, and contains no
2418extraneous edges inside it) it will be highlighted automatically; so
2419your aim is to have the whole grid highlighted in that way.
2420
2421During solving, you might know that a particular grid square belongs
2422to a specific dot, but not be sure of where the edges go and which
2423other squares are connected to the dot. In order to mark this so you
2424don't forget, you can right-click on the dot and drag, which will
2425create an arrow marker pointing at the dot. Drop that in a square of
2426your choice and it will remind you which dot it's associated with.
2427You can also right-click on existing arrows to pick them up and move
2428them, or destroy them by dropping them off the edge of the grid.
2429(Also, if you're not sure which dot an arrow is pointing at, you can
2430pick it up and move it around to make it clearer. It will swivel
2431constantly as you drag it, to stay pointed at its parent dot.)
2432
2433You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid squares and
2434lines. Pressing the return key when over a grid line will draw or
2435clear its edge, as above. Pressing the return key when over a dot will
2436pick up an arrow, to be dropped the next time the return key is
2437pressed; this can also be used to move existing arrows around, removing
2438them by dropping them on a dot or another arrow.
2439
2440(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2441
2442\H{galaxies-parameters} \I{parameters, for Galaxies}Galaxies parameters
2443
2444These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2445\q{Type} menu.
2446
2447\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2448
2449\dd Size of grid in squares.
2450
2451\dt \e{Difficulty}
2452
2453\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. More difficult
2454puzzles require more complex deductions, and the \q{Unreasonable}
2455difficulty level may require backtracking.
2456
2457
2458
2459\C{filling} \i{Filling}
2460
2461\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.filling}
2462
2463You have a grid of squares, some of which contain digits, and the
2464rest of which are empty. Your job is to fill in digits in the empty
2465squares, in such a way that each connected region of squares all
2466containing the same digit has an area equal to that digit.
2467
2468(\q{Connected region}, for the purposes of this game, does not count
2469diagonally separated squares as adjacent.)
2470
2471For example, it follows that no square can contain a zero, and that
2472two adjacent squares can not both contain a one. No region has an
2473area greater than 9 (because then its area would not be a single
2474digit).
2475
2476Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-fillomino}.
2477
2478Filling was contributed to this collection by Jonas K\u00F6{oe}lker.
2479
2480\B{nikoli-fillomino}
2481\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/fillomino.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/fillomino.html}
2482
2483\H{filling-controls} \I{controls, for Filling}Filling controls
2484
2485To play Filling, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
2486type a digit on the keyboard to fill that square. By dragging the
2487mouse, you can select multiple squares to fill with a single keypress.
2488If you make a mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and
2489press 0, Space, Backspace or Enter to clear it again (or use the Undo
2490feature).
2491
2492You can also move around the grid with the cursor keys; typing a digit will
2493fill the square containing the cursor with that number; typing 0 will clear
2494it. You can also select multiple squares for numbering or clearing with the
2495return and arrow keys, before typing a digit to fill or clear the highlighted
2496squares (as above). The space bar adds and removes single squares to and from
2497the selection. Backspace and escape remove all squares from the selection.
2498
2499(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2500
2501\H{filling-parameters} \I{parameters, for Filling}Filling parameters
2502
2503Filling allows you to configure the number of rows and columns of the
2504grid, through the \q{Type} menu.
2505
2506
2507\C{keen} \i{Keen}
2508
2509\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.keen}
2510
2511You have a square grid; each square may contain a digit from 1 to
2512the size of the grid. The grid is divided into blocks of varying
2513shape and size, with arithmetic clues written in them. Your aim is
2514to fully populate the grid with digits such that:
2515
2516\b Each row contains only one occurrence of each digit
2517
2518\b Each column contains only one occurrence of each digit
2519
2520\b The digits in each block can be combined to form the number
2521stated in the clue, using the arithmetic operation given in the
2522clue. That is:
2523
2524\lcont{
2525
2526\b An addition clue means that the sum of the digits in the block
2527must be the given number. For example, \q{15+} means the contents of
2528the block adds up to fifteen.
2529
2530\b A multiplication clue (e.g. \q{60\times}), similarly, means that
2531the product of the digits in the block must be the given number.
2532
2533\b A subtraction clue will always be written in a block of size two,
2534and it means that one of the digits in the block is greater than the
2535other by the given amount. For example, \q{2\minus} means that one
2536of the digits in the block is 2 more than the other, or equivalently
2537that one digit minus the other one is 2. The two digits could be
2538either way round, though.
2539
2540\b A division clue (e.g. \q{3\divide}), similarly, is always in a
2541block of size two and means that one digit divided by the other is
2542equal to the given amount.
2543
2544Note that a block may contain the same digit more than once
2545(provided the identical ones are not in the same row and column).
2546This rule is precisely the opposite of the rule in Solo's \q{Killer}
2547mode (see \k{solo}).
2548
2549}
2550
2551This puzzle appears in the Times under the name \q{\i{KenKen}}.
2552
2553
2554\H{keen-controls} \i{Keen controls}
2555
2556\IM{Keen controls} controls, for Keen
2557
2558Keen shares much of its control system with Solo (and Unequal).
2559
2560To play Keen, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
2561type a digit on the keyboard to fill that square. If you make a
2562mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and press Space to
2563clear it again (or use the Undo feature).
2564
2565If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a number, that
2566number will be entered in the square as a \q{pencil mark}. You can
2567have pencil marks for multiple numbers in the same square. Squares
2568containing filled-in numbers cannot also contain pencil marks.
2569
2570The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use
2571them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a
2572particular square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a
2573particular number, or you can use them as lists of the possible
2574numbers in a given square, or anything else you feel like.
2575
2576To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type
2577the same number again.
2578
2579All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type
2580a number, or when you left-click and press space. Right-clicking and
2581pressing space will also erase pencil marks.
2582
2583As for Solo, the cursor keys can be used in conjunction with the
2584digit keys to set numbers or pencil marks. Use the cursor keys to
2585move a highlight around the grid, and type a digit to enter it in
2586the highlighted square. Pressing return toggles the highlight into a
2587mode in which you can enter or remove pencil marks.
2588
2589Pressing M will fill in a full set of pencil marks in every square
2590that does not have a main digit in it.
2591
2592(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2593
2594\H{keen-parameters} \I{parameters, for Keen}Keen parameters
2595
2596These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2597\q{Type} menu.
2598
2599\dt \e{Grid size}
2600
2601\dd Specifies the size of the grid. Lower limit is 3; upper limit is
26029 (because the user interface would become more difficult with
2603\q{digits} bigger than 9!).
2604
2605\dt \e{Difficulty}
2606
2607\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. At Unreasonable
2608level, some backtracking will be required, but the solution should
2609still be unique. The remaining levels require increasingly complex
2610reasoning to avoid having to backtrack.
2611
2612\dt \e{Multiplication only}
2613
2614\dd If this is enabled, all boxes will be multiplication boxes.
2615With this rule, the puzzle is known as \q{Inshi No Heya}.
2616
2617\C{towers} \i{Towers}
2618
2619\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.towers}
2620
2621You have a square grid. On each square of the grid you can build a
2622tower, with its height ranging from 1 to the size of the grid.
2623Around the edge of the grid are some numeric clues.
2624
2625Your task is to build a tower on every square, in such a way that:
2626
2627\b Each row contains every possible height of tower once
2628
2629\b Each column contains every possible height of tower once
2630
2631\b Each numeric clue describes the number of towers that can be seen
2632if you look into the square from that direction, assuming that
2633shorter towers are hidden behind taller ones. For example, in a
26345\by\.5 grid, a clue marked \q{5} indicates that the five tower
2635heights must appear in increasing order (otherwise you would not be
2636able to see all five towers), whereas a clue marked \q{1} indicates
2637that the tallest tower (the one marked 5) must come first.
2638
2639In harder or larger puzzles, some towers will be specified for you
2640as well as the clues round the edge, and some edge clues may be
2641missing.
2642
2643This puzzle appears on the web under various names, particularly
2644\q{\i{Skyscrapers}}, but I don't know who first invented it.
2645
2646
2647\H{towers-controls} \i{Towers controls}
2648
2649\IM{Towers controls} controls, for Towers
2650
2651Towers shares much of its control system with Solo, Unequal and Keen.
2652
2653To play Towers, simply click the mouse in any empty square and then
2654type a digit on the keyboard to fill that square with a tower of the
2655given height. If you make a mistake, click the mouse in the
2656incorrect square and press Space to clear it again (or use the Undo
2657feature).
2658
2659If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a number, that
2660number will be entered in the square as a \q{pencil mark}. You can
2661have pencil marks for multiple numbers in the same square. A square
2662containing a tower cannot also contain pencil marks.
2663
2664The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use
2665them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a
2666particular square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a
2667particular number, or you can use them as lists of the possible
2668numbers in a given square, or anything else you feel like.
2669
2670To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type
2671the same number again.
2672
2673All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type
2674a number, or when you left-click and press space. Right-clicking and
2675pressing space will also erase pencil marks.
2676
2677As for Solo, the cursor keys can be used in conjunction with the
2678digit keys to set numbers or pencil marks. Use the cursor keys to
2679move a highlight around the grid, and type a digit to enter it in
2680the highlighted square. Pressing return toggles the highlight into a
2681mode in which you can enter or remove pencil marks.
2682
2683Pressing M will fill in a full set of pencil marks in every square
2684that does not have a main digit in it.
2685
2686Left-clicking a clue will mark it as done (grey it out), or unmark it
2687if it is already marked. Holding Control or Shift and pressing an
2688arrow key likewise marks any clue in the given direction.
2689
2690(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2691
2692\H{towers-parameters} \I{parameters, for Towers}Towers parameters
2693
2694These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2695\q{Type} menu.
2696
2697\dt \e{Grid size}
2698
2699\dd Specifies the size of the grid. Lower limit is 3; upper limit is
27009 (because the user interface would become more difficult with
2701\q{digits} bigger than 9!).
2702
2703\dt \e{Difficulty}
2704
2705\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. At Unreasonable
2706level, some backtracking will be required, but the solution should
2707still be unique. The remaining levels require increasingly complex
2708reasoning to avoid having to backtrack.
2709
2710
2711\C{singles} \i{Singles}
2712
2713\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.singles}
2714
2715You have a grid of white squares, all of which contain numbers. Your task
2716is to colour some of the squares black (removing the number) so as to satisfy
2717all of the following conditions:
2718
2719\b No number occurs more than once in any row or column.
2720
2721\b No black square is horizontally or vertically adjacent to any other black
2722square.
2723
2724\b The remaining white squares must all form one contiguous region
2725(connected by edges, not just touching at corners).
2726
2727Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli} \k{nikoli-hitori} who call it
2728\i{Hitori}.
2729
2730Singles was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
2731
2732\B{nikoli-hitori}
2733\W{http://www.nikoli.com/en/puzzles/hitori.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.com/en/puzzles/hitori.html}
2734(beware of Flash)
2735
2736\H{singles-controls} \i{Singles controls}
2737
2738\IM{Singles controls} controls, for Singles
2739
2740Left-clicking on an empty square will colour it black; left-clicking again
2741will restore the number. Right-clicking will add a circle (useful for
2742indicating that a cell is definitely not black).
2743
2744You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid. Pressing the
2745return or space keys will turn a square black or add a circle respectively,
2746and pressing the key again will restore the number or remove the circle.
2747
2748(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2749
2750\H{singles-parameters} \I{parameters, for Singles}Singles parameters
2751
2752These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2753\q{Type} menu.
2754
2755\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2756
2757\dd Size of grid in squares.
2758
2759\dt \e{Difficulty}
2760
2761\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle.
2762
2763
2764\C{magnets} \i{Magnets}
2765
2766\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.magnets}
2767
2768A rectangular grid has been filled with a mixture of magnets (that is,
2769dominoes with one positive end and one negative end) and blank dominoes
2770(that is, dominoes with two neutral poles).
2771These dominoes are initially only seen in silhouette. Around the grid
2772are placed a number of clues indicating the number of positive and
2773negative poles contained in certain columns and rows.
2774
2775Your aim is to correctly place the magnets and blank dominoes such that
2776all the clues are satisfied, with the additional constraint that no two
2777similar magnetic poles may be orthogonally adjacent (since they repel).
2778Neutral poles do not repel, and can be adjacent to any other pole.
2779
2780Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Janko} \k{janko-magnets}.
2781
2782Magnets was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
2783
2784\B{janko-magnets}
2785\W{http://www.janko.at/Raetsel/Magnete/index.htm}\cw{http://www.janko.at/Raetsel/Magnete/index.htm}
2786
2787\H{magnets-controls} \i{Magnets controls}
2788
2789\IM{Magnets controls} controls, for Magnets
2790
2791Left-clicking on an empty square places a magnet at that position with
2792the positive pole on the square and the negative pole on the other half
2793of the magnet; left-clicking again reverses the polarity, and a third
2794click removes the magnet.
2795
2796Right-clicking on an empty square places a blank domino there.
2797Right-clicking again places two question marks on the domino, signifying
2798\q{this cannot be blank} (which can be useful to note deductions while
2799solving), and right-clicking again empties the domino.
2800
2801Left-clicking a clue will mark it as done (grey it out), or unmark it if
2802it is already marked.
2803
2804You can also use the cursor keys to move a cursor around the grid.
2805Pressing the return key will lay a domino with a positive pole at that
2806position; pressing again reverses the polarity and then removes the
2807domino, as with left-clicking. Using the space bar allows placement
2808of blank dominoes and cannot-be-blank hints, as for right-clicking.
2809
2810(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2811
2812\H{magnets-parameters} \I{parameters, for Magnets}Magnets parameters
2813
2814These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2815\q{Type} menu.
2816
2817\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2818
2819\dd Size of grid in squares. There will be half \e{Width} \by \e{Height}
2820dominoes in the grid: if this number is odd then one square will be blank.
2821
2822\lcont{
2823
2824(Grids with at least one odd dimension tend to be easier to solve.)
2825
2826}
2827
2828\dt \e{Difficulty}
2829
2830\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle. At Tricky level,
2831you are required to make more deductions about empty dominoes and
2832row/column counts.
2833
2834\dt \e{Strip clues}
2835
2836\dd If true, some of the clues around the grid are removed at generation
2837time, making the puzzle more difficult.
2838
2839
2840\C{signpost} \i{Signpost}
2841
2842\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.signpost}
2843
2844You have a grid of squares; each square (except the last one)
2845contains an arrow, and some squares also contain numbers. Your job
2846is to connect the squares to form a continuous list of numbers
2847starting at 1 and linked in the direction of the arrows \dash so the
2848arrow inside the square with the number 1 will point to the square
2849containing the number 2, which will point to the square containing
2850the number 3, etc. Each square can be any distance away from the
2851previous one, as long as it is somewhere in the direction of the
2852arrow.
2853
2854By convention the first and last numbers are shown; one or more
2855interim numbers may also appear at the beginning.
2856
2857Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Janko} \k{janko-arrowpath}, who call it
2858\q{Pfeilpfad} (\q{arrow path}).
2859
2860Signpost was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
2861
2862\B{janko-arrowpath}
2863\W{http://janko.at/Raetsel/Pfeilpfad/index.htm}\cw{http://janko.at/Raetsel/Pfeilpfad/index.htm}
2864
2865\H{signpost-controls} \I{controls, for Signpost}Signpost controls
2866
2867To play Signpost, you connect squares together by dragging from one
2868square to another, indicating that they are adjacent in the
2869sequence. Drag with the left button from a square to its successor,
2870or with the right button from a square to its predecessor.
2871
2872If you connect together two squares in this way and one of them has
2873a number in it, the appropriate number will appear in the other
2874square. If you connect two non-numbered squares, they will be
2875assigned temporary algebraic labels: on the first occasion, they
2876will be labelled \cq{a} and \cq{a+1}, and then \cq{b} and \cq{b+1},
2877and so on. Connecting more squares on to the ends of such a chain
2878will cause them all to be labelled with the same letter.
2879
2880When you left-click or right-click in a square, the legal squares to
2881connect it to will be shown.
2882
2883The arrow in each square starts off black, and goes grey once you
2884connect the square to its successor. Also, each square which needs a
2885predecessor has a small dot in the bottom left corner, which
2886vanishes once you link a square to it. So your aim is always to
2887connect a square with a black arrow to a square with a dot.
2888
2889To remove any links for a particular square (both incoming and
2890outgoing), left-drag it off the grid. To remove a whole chain,
2891right-drag any square in the chain off the grid.
2892
2893You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid squares and
2894lines. Pressing the return key when over a square starts a link
2895operation, and pressing the return key again over a square will
2896finish the link, if allowable. Pressing the space bar over a square
2897will show the other squares pointing to it, and allow you to form a
2898backward link, and pressing the space bar again cancels this.
2899
2900(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2901
2902\H{signpost-parameters} \I{parameters, for Signpost}Signpost parameters
2903
2904These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2905\q{Type} menu.
2906
2907\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2908
2909\dd Size of grid in squares.
2910
2911\dt \e{Force start/end to corners}
2912
2913\dd If true, the start and end squares are always placed in opposite corners
2914(the start at the top left, and the end at the bottom right). If false the start
2915and end squares are placed randomly (although always both shown).
2916
2917\C{range} \i{Range}
2918
2919\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.range}
2920
2921You have a grid of squares; some squares contain numbers. Your job is
2922to colour some of the squares black, such that several criteria are
2923satisfied:
2924
2925\b no square with a number is coloured black.
2926
2927\b no two black squares are adjacent (horizontally or vertically).
2928
2929\b for any two white squares, there is a path between them using only
2930white squares.
2931
2932\b for each square with a number, that number denotes the total number
2933of white squares reachable from that square going in a straight line
2934in any horizontal or vertical direction until hitting a wall or a
2935black square; the square with the number is included in the total
2936(once).
2937
2938For instance, a square containing the number one must have four black
2939squares as its neighbours by the last criterion; but then it's
2940impossible for it to be connected to any outside white square, which
2941violates the second to last criterion. So no square will contain the
2942number one.
2943
2944Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli}, who have variously called
2945it \q{Kurodoko}, \q{Kuromasu} or \q{Where is Black Cells}.
2946\k{nikoli-range}.
2947
2948Range was contributed to this collection by Jonas K\u00F6{oe}lker.
2949
2950\B{nikoli-range}
2951\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/where_is_black_cells.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/where_is_black_cells.html}
2952
2953\H{range-controls} \I{controls, for Range}Range controls
2954
2955Click with the left button to paint a square black, or with the right
2956button to mark a square with a dot to indicate that you are sure it
2957should \e{not} be painted black. Repeated clicking with either button
2958will cycle the square through the three possible states (filled,
2959dotted or empty) in opposite directions.
2960
2961You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid squares.
2962Pressing Return does the same as clicking with the left button, while
2963pressing Space does the same as a right button click. Moving with the
2964cursor keys while holding Shift will place dots in all squares that
2965are moved through.
2966
2967
2968(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
2969
2970\H{range-parameters} \I{parameters, for Range}Range parameters
2971
2972These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
2973\q{Type} menu.
2974
2975\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
2976
2977\dd Size of grid in squares.
2978
2979\C{pearl} \i{Pearl}
2980
2981\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.pearl}
2982
2983You have a grid of squares. Your job is to draw lines between the
2984centres of horizontally or vertically adjacent squares, so that the
2985lines form a single closed loop. In the resulting grid, some of the
2986squares that the loop passes through will contain corners, and some
2987will be straight horizontal or vertical lines. (And some squares can
2988be completely empty \dash the loop doesn't have to pass through every
2989square.)
2990
2991Some of the squares contain black and white circles, which are clues
2992that the loop must satisfy.
2993
2994A black circle in a square indicates that that square is a corner, but
2995neither of the squares adjacent to it in the loop is also a corner.
2996
2997A white circle indicates that the square is a straight edge, but \e{at
2998least one} of the squares adjacent to it in the loop is a corner.
2999
3000(In both cases, the clue only constrains the two squares adjacent
3001\e{in the loop}, that is, the squares that the loop passes into after
3002leaving the clue square. The squares that are only adjacent \e{in the
3003grid} are not constrained.)
3004
3005Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli}, who call it \q{Masyu}.
3006\k{nikoli-pearl}
3007
3008Thanks to James Harvey for assistance with the implementation.
3009
3010\B{nikoli-pearl}
3011\W{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/masyu.html}\cw{http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/masyu.html}
3012(beware of Flash)
3013
3014\H{pearl-controls} \I{controls, for Pearl}Pearl controls
3015
3016Click with the left button on a grid edge to draw a segment of the
3017loop through that edge, or to remove a segment once it is drawn.
3018
3019Drag with the left button through a series of squares to draw more
3020than one segment of the loop in one go. Alternatively, drag over an
3021existing part of the loop to undraw it, or to undraw part of it and
3022then go in a different direction.
3023
3024Click with the right button on a grid edge to mark it with a cross,
3025indicating that you are sure the loop does not go through that edge.
3026(For instance, if you have decided which of the squares adjacent to a
3027white clue has to be a corner, but don't yet know which way the corner
3028turns, you might mark the one way it \e{can't} go with a cross.)
3029
3030Alternatively, use the cursor keys to move the cursor. Use the Enter
3031key to begin and end keyboard \q{drag} operations. Use the Space,
3032Escape or Backspace keys to cancel the drag. Or, hold Control while
3033dragging with the cursor keys to toggle segments as you move between
3034squares.
3035
3036Pressing Control-Shift-arrowkey or Shift-arrowkey simulates a left or
3037right click, respectively, on the edge in the direction of the key.
3038
3039(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
3040
3041\H{pearl-parameters} \I{parameters, for Pearl}Pearl parameters
3042
3043These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
3044\q{Type} menu.
3045
3046\C{undead} \i{Undead}
3047
3048\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.undead}
3049
3050You are given a grid of squares, some of which contain diagonal
3051mirrors. Every square which is not a mirror must be filled with one of
3052three types of undead monster: a ghost, a vampire, or a zombie.
3053
3054Vampires can be seen directly, but are invisible when reflected in
3055mirrors. Ghosts are the opposite way round: they can be seen in
3056mirrors, but are invisible when looked at directly. Zombies are
3057visible by any means.
3058
3059You are also told the total number of each type of monster in the
3060grid. Also around the edge of the grid are written numbers, which
3061indicate how many monsters can be seen if you look into the grid along
3062a row or column starting from that position. (The diagonal mirrors are
3063reflective on both sides. If your reflected line of sight crosses the
3064same monster more than once, the number will count it each time it is
3065visible, not just once.)
3066
3067This puzzle type was invented by David Millar, under the name
3068\q{Haunted Mirror Maze}. See \k{janko-undead} for more details.
3069
3070Undead was contributed to this collection by Steffen Bauer.
3071
3072\B{janko-undead}
3073\W{http://www.janko.at/Raetsel/Spukschloss/index.htm}\cw{http://www.janko.at/Raetsel/Spukschloss/index.htm}
3074
3075\H{undead-controls} \I{controls, for Undead}Undead controls
3076
3077Undead has a similar control system to Solo, Unequal and Keen.
3078
3079To play Undead, click the mouse in any empty square and then type a
3080letter on the keyboard indicating the type of monster: \q{G} for a
3081ghost, \q{V} for a vampire, or \q{Z} for a zombie. If you make a
3082mistake, click the mouse in the incorrect square and press Space to
3083clear it again (or use the Undo feature).
3084
3085If you \e{right}-click in a square and then type a letter, the
3086corresponding monster will be shown in reduced size in that square, as
3087a \q{pencil mark}. You can have pencil marks for multiple monsters in
3088the same square. A square containing a full-size monster cannot also
3089contain pencil marks.
3090
3091The game pays no attention to pencil marks, so exactly what you use
3092them for is up to you: you can use them as reminders that a particular
3093square needs to be re-examined once you know more about a particular
3094monster, or you can use them as lists of the possible monster in a
3095given square, or anything else you feel like.
3096
3097To erase a single pencil mark, right-click in the square and type
3098the same letter again.
3099
3100All pencil marks in a square are erased when you left-click and type a
3101monster letter, or when you left-click and press Space. Right-clicking
3102and pressing space will also erase pencil marks.
3103
3104As for Solo, the cursor keys can be used in conjunction with the letter
3105keys to place monsters or pencil marks. Use the cursor keys to move a
3106highlight around the grid, and type a monster letter to enter it in
3107the highlighted square. Pressing return toggles the highlight into a
3108mode in which you can enter or remove pencil marks.
3109
3110If you prefer plain letters of the alphabet to cute monster pictures,
3111you can press \q{A} to toggle between showing the monsters as monsters or
3112showing them as letters.
3113
3114Left-clicking a clue will mark it as done (grey it out), or unmark it
3115if it is already marked.
3116
3117(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
3118
3119\H{undead-parameters} \I{parameters, for Undead}Undead parameters
3120
3121These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
3122\q{Type} menu.
3123
3124\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
3125
3126\dd Size of grid in squares.
3127
3128\dt \e{Difficulty}
3129
3130\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle.
3131
3132\C{unruly} \i{Unruly}
3133
3134\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.unruly}
3135
3136You are given a grid of squares, which you must colour either black or
3137white. Some squares are provided as clues; the rest are left for you
3138to fill in. Each row and column must contain the same number of black
3139and white squares, and no row or column may contain three consecutive
3140squares of the same colour.
3141
3142This puzzle type was invented by Adolfo Zanellati, under the name
3143\q{Tohu wa Vohu}. See \k{janko-unruly} for more details.
3144
3145Unruly was contributed to this collection by Lennard Sprong.
3146
3147\B{janko-unruly}
3148\W{http://www.janko.at/Raetsel/Tohu-Wa-Vohu/index.htm}\cw{http://www.janko.at/Raetsel/Tohu-Wa-Vohu/index.htm}
3149
3150\H{unruly-controls} \I{controls, for Unruly}Unruly controls
3151
3152To play Unruly, click the mouse in a square to change its colour.
3153Left-clicking an empty square will turn it black, and right-clicking
3154will turn it white. Keep clicking the same button to cycle through the
3155three possible states for the square. If you middle-click in a square
3156it will be reset to empty.
3157
3158You can also use the cursor keys to move around the grid. Pressing the
3159return or space keys will turn an empty square black or white
3160respectively (and then cycle the colours in the same way as the mouse
3161buttons), and pressing Backspace will reset a square to empty.
3162
3163(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
3164
3165\H{unruly-parameters} \I{parameters, for Unruly}Unruly parameters
3166
3167These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
3168\q{Type} menu.
3169
3170\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
3171
3172\dd Size of grid in squares. (Note that the rules of the game require
3173both the width and height to be even numbers.)
3174
3175\dt \e{Difficulty}
3176
3177\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle.
3178
3179\dt \e{Unique rows and columns}
3180
3181\dd If enabled, no two rows are permitted to have exactly the same
3182pattern, and likewise columns. (A row and a column can match, though.)
3183
3184\C{flood} \i{Flood}
3185
3186\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.flood}
3187
3188You are given a grid of squares, coloured at random in multiple
3189colours. In each move, you can flood-fill the top left square in a
3190colour of your choice (i.e. every square reachable from the starting
3191square by an orthogonally connected path of squares all the same
3192colour will be filled in the new colour). As you do this, more and
3193more of the grid becomes connected to the starting square.
3194
3195Your aim is to make the whole grid the same colour, in as few moves as
3196possible. The game will set a limit on the number of moves, based on
3197running its own internal solver. You win if you can make the whole
3198grid the same colour in that many moves or fewer.
3199
3200I saw this game (with a fixed grid size, fixed number of colours, and
3201fixed move limit) at http://floodit.appspot.com (no longer accessible).
3202
3203\H{flood-controls} \I{controls, for Flood}Flood controls
3204
3205To play Flood, click the mouse in a square. The top left corner and
3206everything connected to it will be flood-filled with the colour of the
3207square you clicked. Clicking a square the same colour as the top left
3208corner has no effect, and therefore does not count as a move.
3209
3210You can also use the cursor keys to move a cursor (outline black
3211square) around the grid. Pressing the return key will fill the top
3212left corner in the colour of the square under the cursor.
3213
3214(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
3215
3216\H{flood-parameters} \I{parameters, for Flood}Flood parameters
3217
3218These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
3219\q{Type} menu.
3220
3221\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
3222
3223\dd Size of the grid, in squares.
3224
3225\dt \e{Colours}
3226
3227\dd Number of colours used to fill the grid. Must be at least 3 (with
3228two colours there would only be one legal move at any stage, hence no
3229choice to make at all), and at most 10.
3230
3231\dt \e{Extra moves permitted}
3232
3233\dd Controls the difficulty of the puzzle, by increasing the move
3234limit. In each new grid, Flood will run an internal solver to generate
3235its own solution, and then the value in this field will be added to
3236the length of Flood's solution to generate the game's move limit. So a
3237value of 0 requires you to be just as efficient as Flood's automated
3238solver, and a larger value makes it easier.
3239
3240\lcont{
3241
3242(Note that Flood's internal solver will not necessarily find the
3243shortest possible solution, though I believe it's pretty close. For a
3244real challenge, set this value to 0 and then try to solve a grid in
3245\e{strictly fewer} moves than the limit you're given!)
3246
3247}
3248
3249\C{tracks} \i{Tracks}
3250
3251\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.tracks}
3252
3253You are given a grid of squares, some of which are filled with train
3254tracks. You need to complete the track from A to B so that the rows and
3255columns contain the same number of track segments as are indicated in the
3256clues to the top and right of the grid.
3257
3258There are only straight and 90 degree curved rails, and the track may not
3259cross itself.
3260
3261Tracks was contributed to this collection by James Harvey.
3262
3263\H{tracks-controls} \I{controls, for Tracks}Tracks controls
3264
3265Left-clicking on an edge between two squares adds a track segment between
3266the two squares. Right-clicking on an edge adds a cross on the edge,
3267indicating no track is possible there.
3268
3269Left-clicking in a square adds a colour indicator showing that you know the
3270square must contain a track, even if you don't know which edges it crosses
3271yet. Right-clicking in a square adds a cross indicating it contains no
3272track segment.
3273
3274Left- or right-dragging between squares allows you to lay a straight line
3275of is-track or is-not-track indicators, useful for filling in rows or
3276columns to match the clue.
3277
3278(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
3279
3280\H{tracks-parameters} \I{parameters, for Tracks}Tracks parameters
3281
3282These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
3283\q{Type} menu.
3284
3285\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
3286
3287\dd Size of the grid, in squares.
3288
3289\dt \e{Difficulty}
3290
3291\dd Controls the difficulty of the generated puzzle: at Tricky level,
3292you are required to make more deductions regarding disregarding moves
3293that would lead to impossible crossings later.
3294
3295\dt \e{Disallow consecutive 1 clues}
3296
3297\dd Controls whether the Tracks game generation permits two adjacent
3298rows or columns to have a 1 clue, or permits the row or column of the
3299track's endpoint to have a 1 clue. By default this is not permitted,
3300to avoid long straight boring segments of track and make the games
3301more twiddly and interesting. If you want to restore the possibility,
3302turn this option off.
3303
3304
3305\C{palisade} \i{Palisade}
3306
3307\cfg{winhelp-topic}{games.palisade}
3308
3309You're given a grid of squares, some of which contain numbers. Your
3310goal is to subdivide the grid into contiguous regions, all of the same
3311(given) size, such that each square containing a number is adjacent to
3312exactly that many edges (including those between the inside and the
3313outside of the grid).
3314
3315Credit for this puzzle goes to \i{Nikoli}, who call it \q{Five Cells}.
3316\k{nikoli-palisade}.
3317
3318Palisade was contributed to this collection by Jonas K\u00F6{oe}lker.
3319
3320\B{nikoli-palisade}
3321\W{http://nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/five_cells.html}\cw{http://nikoli.co.jp/en/puzzles/five_cells.html}
3322
3323\H{palisade-controls} \I{controls, for Palisade}Palisade controls
3324
3325Left-click to place an edge. Right-click to indicate \q{no edge}.
3326Alternatively, the arrow keys will move a keyboard cursor. Holding
3327Control while pressing an arrow key will place an edge. Press
3328Shift-arrowkey to switch off an edge. Repeat an action to perform
3329its inverse.
3330
3331(All the actions described in \k{common-actions} are also available.)
3332
3333\H{Palisade-parameters} \I{parameters, for Palisade}Palisade parameters
3334
3335These parameters are available from the \q{Custom...} option on the
3336\q{Type} menu.
3337
3338\dt \e{Width}, \e{Height}
3339
3340\dd Size of grid in squares.
3341
3342\dt \e{Region size}
3343
3344\dd The size of the regions into which the grid must be subdivided.
3345
3346\A{licence} \I{MIT licence}\ii{Licence}
3347
3348This software is \i{copyright} 2004-2014 Simon Tatham.
3349
3350Portions copyright Richard Boulton, James Harvey, Mike Pinna, Jonas
3351K\u00F6{oe}lker, Dariusz Olszewski, Michael Schierl, Lambros Lambrou,
3352Bernd Schmidt, Steffen Bauer, Lennard Sprong and Rogier Goossens.
3353
3354Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person
3355obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files
3356(the \q{Software}), to deal in the Software without restriction,
3357including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge,
3358publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software,
3359and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
3360subject to the following conditions:
3361
3362The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
3363included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
3364
3365THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED \q{AS IS}, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
3366EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
3367MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
3368NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS
3369BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN
3370ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN
3371CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
3372SOFTWARE.
3373
3374\IM{command-line}{command line} command line
3375
3376\IM{default parameters, specifying} default parameters, specifying
3377\IM{default parameters, specifying} preferences, specifying default
3378
3379\IM{Unix} Unix
3380\IM{Unix} Linux
3381
3382\IM{generating game IDs} generating game IDs
3383\IM{generating game IDs} game ID, generating
3384
3385\IM{specific} \q{Specific}, menu option
3386\IM{custom} \q{Custom}, menu option
3387
3388\IM{game ID} game ID
3389\IM{game ID} ID, game
3390\IM{ID format} ID format
3391\IM{ID format} format, ID
3392\IM{ID format} game ID, format
3393
3394\IM{keys} keys
3395\IM{keys} shortcuts (keyboard)
3396
3397\IM{initial state} initial state
3398\IM{initial state} state, initial
3399
3400\IM{MIT licence} MIT licence
3401\IM{MIT licence} licence, MIT