Vexed 2.1 Beta 1 Readme.txt

Vexed 2.1 Beta 1 Readme.txt - May 25, 2003

Contents

0. What's new in Vexed 2.1

1. Introduction

2. Installation

3. Instructions
Basic Game Play
Scoring
Undo, Memorize, Recall, Replay, Restart, Block Check
Game Options
Level Packs
Solutions
Menus
Screen Layout

4. Other info

5. Contact us

6. Known bugs / Todo's

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0. What's new in Vexed 2.1

Here are primary new functions:

- Grayscale support for monochrome devices (six new grayscale
block sets)
- New animation and graphics on the congratulations screen,
donated by Scott Ludwig
- Congrats screen displays levelpack score
- Added 10 new levelpacks, numbers 3-12 (600 new levels)
- Added new "tap" function: tap block to move, then
destination (no drag required, but dragging still works.)
This should help reduce screen wear.
- New "move pending" icon to support tap operation
- Start of OS 5 hires support, not complete with Beta 1

Here are the main fixes in this release:

- Fixed vertical bar video bug on OS 5 devices
- Fixed drag errors, where invalid dragging could increment
the score
- If a level already played, keep the lower of the two scores
- Allow power off in the congrats screen
- OK to show solution to level without penalty if level
previously solved

For a complete list of changes, see the changes.txt file included
with the program.

1. Introduction

Welcome to Vexed! Vexed is a great puzzle game for Palm OS
devices written by James McCombe. He released the game and its
source code in 1999 under the GNU General Public License.

Now there's a group of people working together to improve Vexed as
an Open Source project on SourceForge.net. Visit the Vexed
SourceForge project page at http://sourceforge.net/projects/vexed
for more information.

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2. Installation

To install, simply install Vexed version 2.1 using your Palm
install tool of choice. You may safely install over previous
versions of Vexed.

The program and all external level packs are contained in the
vexed21Beta1.zip file. The source code to Vexed and all of the
Vexed tools is in the vexed21Beta1Src.zip file.

You should be aware that the Classic and Classic II level packs
are built-in to the Vexed 2.1 PRC file. If you beam Vexed 2.1
to another device, it will have access to those two level packs
automatically.

All other level packs are external databases and should be
installed via any Palm install tool. Support for beaming
individual level packs is available from the Level Packs screen in
Vexed.

See the Instructions section below for a description of the level
packs.

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3. Instructions

Basic Game Play

Vexed is a puzzle game in which your goal is to move similar
blocks together, which causes them to disappear. Once all the
blocks are gone, you've solved the level and you're presented with
a new level to solve.

You move blocks by putting the stylus on them and dragging to
either the right or left. If an empty space is encountered,
"gravity" takes over and the blocks fall towards the bottom.

You can move more than one block left or right with a single
drag of the stylus. The block move stops on the first block in
which an action can occur, or where you ended dragging the stylus.

New with Version 2.1 is a "tap" method of moving blocks in
addition to dragging. Use your stylus to tap the block you wish
to move. Then tap the open space where you want the block to move
to. The destination must be an open space to be valid. The tap
method lets you tap on a row different from the block.

Scoring

The Vexed scoring is based on a golf-like "par" concept. The
level pack has a solution stored for each level. If you solve the
level in the same number of moves as what is stored in the level
pack, you get a score of 0, or par, for that level. Note that the
stored solution may not be the most efficient one, so you can beat
"par" and have a negative score.

The score displayed in the title bar is a cumulative score for the
entire level pack.

Using the Solution feature adds five to your score.

Undo, Memorize, Recall, Replay, Restart, Block Check

Undo

There is a 15-move undo facility. Once you've made a move a "U"
icon appears at the bottom of the screen. Tapping it will undo the
previous move. The buffer holds 15 moves. The undo buffer is not
saved across invocations of Vexed.

Memorize and Recall

Solving a difficult level might take many attempts involving many
moves. The memorize feature lets you save where you are in a
level, and restart from that point. Tap the "M" icon at the
bottom of the screen, and an "R" icon appears. Tap the "R"
(recall) icon to restore the game board to its status when you
memorized it.

Level Replay

You can replay all of the moves made in the current level, and
also of the previous level. These options are under the "Game"
menu.

Note! The replay functions use the memorize buffer described
above. If you replay a level, your current memorize buffer will
be emptied.

Restart

Tap the restart icon at the bottom right of the screen to restart
a level from the beginning.

Note! The Undo, Memorize, and Replay data is not saved when you
exit Vexed!

Block Check

You can display just one type of blocks in order to help you solve
the puzzle. Hold the stylus down on a block while pressing the page
up key, and only blocks of that type will be displayed. Once you
lift the stylus, the game board is redrawn.

Game Options

The preferences options you set in the preferences menu option are
saved in something called the "saved preferences." This data is
also saved back to your PC when you hotsync, so if you do a hard
reset, you'll be able to restore this information.

The state of the current level is also saved in preferences, but
this time in the "unsaved preferences."

This means that when you re-invoke Vexed, it'll go to your most
recent level and you won't start the level from the beginning.
Instead, it will go to the point at which you left off. But this
data is not included with your hotsync to your PC, so you'll have
to restart the level from the beginning in the event of a hard
reset / restore sequence.

Preferences

You can set the following settings affecting how the program works
in the preferences screen found in the Game menu (or the "/R"
shortcut):

Piece move animation

This animates (and slows down) the movement of blocks as they move
sideways. Unselect this to speed up game play.

Gravity animation

This animates (and slows down) the movement of blocks as they fall
due to gravity. Unselect this to speed up game play.

Piece elimination animation

This animates (and slows down) the erasing of blocks as they
disappear. Unselect this to speed up game play.

Blinds Effect

This is the animation effect you see when a level is first loaded
or reloaded. Unselect this to speed up game play.

Skip Intro

Select this option to skip the animated introduction each time you
run Vexed. You can also tap the screen or press the page up /
page down keys to interrupt the animated introduction.

Sound

Select this option to turn on sound effects.

Block Set

This is a pop-up menu to let you select between 3 monochrome or 6
different block sets.

Note! If you turn off the first three animations, the replay and
solution functions will be very fast, so you probably need to keep
at least one of them on if you use Solution or Replay.

Level Packs

There are now 19 different level packs available. The Classic and
Classic II levels are built-in to the Vexed prc file, while the
others are installed on the Palm separately. Use the Level Packs
option from the Levels Menu to work with level packs. The level
packs screen will display which level packs you have installed
on your device. For each level pack it also shows your current
score, the highest level you've solved, and how many levels are in
the level pack, for example:

Confusion Pack:10 (4/60)

The level packs screen also gives you information about the source
of the level pack and types of levels found within.

These are the current level packs:

Classic Original Vexed 1.3 levels

Classic II First expansion pack from Steve Haynal,
previously released as Vexed 1.4a.

Children's Very easy levels meant for children.

Variety I These levels provide a full spectrum of difficulties
from easy to hard.

Variety II Continuation of the Variety Pack. From easy to hard.

Twister Difficult. Many of these levels have twists that add
challenge.

Confusion Pack Hard! These levels are tricky and require careful
planning to solve.

Panic Very hard! So hard you'll panic after the first one.

Impossible Impossible. You need to be Einstein to make it through
this game pack!

Variety 3-12 Packs New level packs in Vexed 2.1 Beta 1

Solutions

You can elect to see the solution for a level. Select the Show
Solution option from the Levels Menu to view the solution. Viewing
solutions adds 5 to your score!

Selecting the Show Solution option saves your current level state
and the solution screen is drawn. It automatically starts
displaying the solution and will continue unless you tap the
screen or press the page up / page down keys. If you interrupt
it, use the arrow icons at the bottom of the screen or the page up
/ page down keys to step forward and back through the solution.

Tapping the restart icon in the bottom right corner of the screen
restarts the solution from the beginning.

Tap the Done button to exit the solution and return to the level
where you left off.

Menus

Tapping on the title bar will open up the two pull down menus
available, Game and Levels.

Game Menu

The Game Menu has the following options:

Preferences

Use this option to set the Game Options described above. They are
stored in the Palm's "saved preferences."

Replay Current Level

Show all the moves made so far in the current level from the
beginning.

Replay Previous Level

Show all moves made in the previous level. If you haven't solved
a level yet in your current session this option is not available.

Beam Vexed

This menu option lets you beam the Vexed program to another
device. Go into the Level Packs menu form to beam individual
level packs.

How To Play

This displays some brief instructions on how to play the game.

About

Displays information about Vexed. Tap the Credits button for
information about the authors of Vexed.

Levels Menu

The Levels Menu has the following options:

Level Packs

This option opens up a screen to deal with level packs. Move the
cursor up and down through the list to see information about each
level, including the author and a description of the level pack.

This is the format of the level packs in the list:

"<name>:<level pack score> (<highest level completed> / <number of
levels in the pack>)

For example,

"Confusion Pack: 10 (4/60)"

To load a level pack, move the cursor to the pack desired and tap
on OK.

You can beam level packs to another device by selecting the pack
to beam with the cursor and tapping on Beam.

You can delete a level pack by moving the cursor to the level pack
you wish to delete and tapping on Delete.

Blocks Remaining

This option displays how many blocks there are remaining of each
type.

Clear Solved Levels

The program remembers which level you were playing and how many
levels were solved when the program exits. Use this option if you
want to reset this and have the program think you're starting over
on the very first level.

Show Solution

Select this option to see how to solve the current level as
described above. Viewing the solution will add 5 to your score.

Screen Layout

Refer to the icon at the top left of this page for an example of
the Vexed screen.

Title Bar

This is the format of the information on the title bar:

Level number

The number of the level within the level pack, starting with
level 0.

Level name

Each level pack has a theme used to assign names to individual
levels. For example, the Children's Pack uses ice cream flavors.
It's more fun to be stuck on level Chocolate Chip than level 23,
isn't it? If you wish to modify the level names there is a tool
to add titles to the level pack databases within the source code
zip file.

Current number of moves

How many moves you've taken so far in the level.

Par moves

The number of moves for this level in the solution stored in the
level pack ("par"). Note that the solution stored may not be the
most efficient, so it is possible to beat par and get a negative
score.

Score

Your total score for the entire level pack. It is the sum of your
moves above or below par for each level completed. The lower the
number, the better your score.

Gameboard

Under the title bar is the game play area, a grid of blocks 10 by
8.

Control Icons

Underneath the game board are a set of control icons. From left
to right, here are their functions:

First

The left-most icon jumps to the first level in the level pack,
level 0.

Previous

The second icon with the arrow pointing to the left moves to the
previous level. If you're on level 0 this does nothing.

Level Select

The magnifiying glass icon brings up a form to let you select
exactly which level you want to select. Use the up and down
arrows or the page up / page down keys to select the new level.
It will display all levels in the level pack, but you cannot
select a level higher than one past the highest level you've
solved.

Next

The right-hand pointing arrow will move up to the next level past
your current level. You are only allowed to move to levels up to
one past the highest level you've solved.

Last

The fifth icon jumps to the one past the highest level you've
solved.

Undo

The sixth icon from the left is an uppercase "U" character. This
icon appears after you've made your first move in a level.
Tapping this icon moves back one move. The buffer for the undo
function holds 15 moves, so you may only go back that many moves.

Recall

The seventh icon from the left is an uppercase "R" character. It
appears when you tap the "Memorize" icon, discussed next. Tap
the Recall icon to return the gameboard to the state it was in
when you memorized it.

Memorize

The eighth icon from the left is an uppercase "M" character. Use
this function to memorize the current state of the gameboard in
order to return to it later.

Restart

The icon in the bottom right erases all moves taken in the current
level and lets you start the level over from the beginning.

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4. Other Info

Vexed Home Page http://vexed.sourceforge.net

Vexed Project on SourceForge http://sourceforge.net/projects/vexed

Vexed Users Mailing List http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vexed-users

Vexed Developers Mailing List http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vexed-developers

Vexed Announcements Mailing List http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vexed-announce

Vexed CVS Source Tree http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/?cvsroot=vexed

Scott Ludwig's Home Page http://www.tinyware.com

Matthew McClintock's Home Page http://work.colum.edu/~matma/

Steve Haynal's Vexed Page http://softerhardware.com/vexed.html

Irked - Windows/PocketPC Vexed http://www.ipidooma.net/irked/

Vexed for Psion Computers http://www.freepoc.de/vexed.htm

If you are interested in making your own Vexed level packs, or
perhaps a Vexed level editor, please send a note to Scott Ludwig
([email protected]). There are now tools to generate and solve
levels, but it takes some horsepower and time to do it. You can
get more information about the tools by downloading the Vexed
source code from the Vexed SourceForge project page, and then
Scott will help you to get started.

Also, there is a tool called "titler" which can add the level
titles seen at the top of each level. You can run this tool to
create your own level titles.

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5. Contact us

You can subscribe to Vexed announce, users, and beta mailing
lists, and participate in discussions about Vexed in the forums
at the Vexed project on SourceForge.net. See the links above.

You can also send mail to members of the Vexed team listed on
the Vexed Home Page.

This is beta software. You should understand that there are
bugs in this version! Please report any problems or issues you
have with either the program or the level packs. Enter the
problem and the hardware you're using here:

http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=104648

Thanks!

6. Known bugs / Todo's

- The About screen needs some formatting on certain devices
- Hires support is incomplete (should be part of next beta)
- VFS support should be added
- The tap from the about screen can be passed into the program
and taken as a move