YahtzeeGUI Copyright (C) Moose O'Malley, -------------- July 2017. +===========================================================+ | T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S | +===========================================================+ | * Introduction | * Using this Program | * The Future | * Reviews / Awards / CDs | * Freeware Information | * Warranty | * Amendment History | * Contacting the Program's Author +===========================================================+ Introduction : -------------- YahtzeeGUI is a simple dice game that runs under the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). YahtzeeGUI is a clone of another Yahtzee game I developed (in Delphi) that is also on my web site - it uses the same icons, same sound effects (my voice, etc) but apart from that, this Java version is a complete re-write. This game will run on ANY operating system that is capable of running the JVM, including desktops, laptops, and tablets running Windows, Linux, Unix, etc, such as PCs, Macs, Raspberry PI, etc. This program is free software. Anyone - any person, any company, or any business - can use this program for free. No fees or payment is required. See "Freeware Information" below. Using this Program : -------------------- Download and install the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for your machine / OS (if it is not already installed on your machine): http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html Extract the contents of the YahtzeeGUI.zip file you downloaded from my web site to a folder on your machine. And then, double click on: YahtzeeGUI.jar icon / file to run the game in the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Now, you are ready to play Yahtzee. :) See "Yahtzee Rules" below for details of how play Yahtzee in general. To start a new game of Yahtzee, click the "Start Game" button, and the dice will automatically be rolled. You can discard any unwanted dice (by clicking on them) and re-roll the dice (by clicking the "Roll Dice" button) up to 2 times, select a scoring category by clicking a button (such as "Ones", "Twos", .... "3 of a Kind", etc), and then click the "Roll Dice" button to start your next turn. To see what the current roll of the dice would score in each available category, simply look at the numbers next to each score box. (Provided you have "Show Potential Scores in each category" turned on / checked - see below). When all scoring categories are filled, the game is over. Click the "Start Game" button to start a new game. To help you work with dice, various little buttons are provided near the dice (provided you have "Show Dice Invert, Off, On buttons" turned on / checked - see below). These buttons are as follows : - Invert button turns reverses the selection of the dice. i.e. all dice selected for re-roll and now kept, and all dice that were kept are marked for re-roll. - Off button - turns all dice off. i.e. it selects them all for re-roll. - On button - turns all dice on. i.e. it keeps all dice - none are selected for re-roll. These buttons are provided: * High Scores: display a top 100 high scrores table (if any). * Start: start a new game. * Roll: roll or re-roll dice. * Help: display a help / about screen. * Exit: exit and close the YahtzeeGUI program. Yahtzee Rules : --------------- Each game of Yahtzee consists of 13 rounds. In each round, you roll the five dice (and you can also re-roll any or all of the dice up to twice more) and then you score the dice in one of the 13 scoring categories. For each game, you must score once and only once in each scoring category. This means that towards the end of the game you may have to settle for scoring zero or a low score in some scoring categories. The score is determined by the dice that you have rolled and by the category that you have scored it in : - Ones : the sum of all dice with a face value of 1 e.g. 1,1,2,4,6 would score 2 points if scored in the "Ones" category. - Twos : the sum of all dice with a face value of 2 e.g. 2,2,2,4,6 would score 6 points if scored in the "Twos" category. - Threes : the sum of all dice with a face value of 3 - Fours : the sum of all dice with a face value of 4 - Fives : the sum of all dice with a face value of 5 - Sixes : the sum of all dice with a face value of 6 - 3 of a Kind : The sum of all dice, provided you have 3 or more of one of the dice. e.g. 1,4,5,5,5 would score 20 points. - 4 of a Kind : The sum of all dice, provided you have 4 or more of one of the dice. e.g. 1,1,1,1,5 would score 9 points, and 1,5,5,5,5 would score 21 points. - Small Straight : 30 points (4 consecutive numbers). e.g. 1,2,3,4,6 or 1,2,2,3,4. - Large Straight : 40 points (5 consecutive numbers). e.g. 1,2,3,4,5 or 2,3,4,5,6. - Full House : 25 points. A Full House is 3 of a Kind AND a Pair. e.g. 3,3,3,5,5. - Chance : The sum of all dice. e.g. 1,3,3,5,6 would score 18 points. - Yahtzee (5 of a Kind) : 50 points You also get a bonus of 35 points, if the total of all the dice in the Ones to Sixes scoring categories is greater than or equal to 63 points. Prior to computer versions of Yahtzee, physical dice were rolled, people added up the dice in their head, and scoring was done on paper. Computer versions of Yahtzee, such as my program, mean that you can enjoy Yahtzee without having all of this hassle. In addition, my program enforces the Yahtzee rules, sorts the dice, maintains high scores, and provides many other features and options to improve the game-play experience. The Future : ------------ In the future, many improvements could be made to this program, such as : - R to roll / re-roll dice. - An Applet version for running in a web browser. - Support for various versions of Yahtzee - such as "Multi-Yahtzee". e.g. 50 for the first Yahtzee, and 100 points for each subsequent one. - Support for multiple human players in a single game. - Support for human Vs computer play. - More / better sound effects. - Yoda Yahtzee (I can do a great Yoda impersonation). - Levels, challenge levels, etc. - Different modes of play, 2 or more Players, etc. - Anything else ? If you would like any of these improvements, or would like to suggest more, please email me and let me know. How much more work I do on this program depends entirely on what support I get, how many people use the program, etc. Reviews / Awards / CDs : ------------------------- None so far. Freeware Information : ----------------------- This is free software. Anyone - any person, any company, or any business - can use this program for free. No fees or payment is required. However, if you find the program useful, then please consider making a PayPal donation to support my efforts. (To make a donation, please run the program and select the "About" option under the Help menu, and then click the PayPal link on the "About" screen). Warranty : ---------- This software and the accompanying files are provided "as is" and without warranties as to performance or merchantability or any other warranties whether expressed or implied. The user assumes the entire risk of using this software. If you do find any faults with this program, email me and let me know. Amendment History : -------------------- Vers Date Description 1.0f 15-Jul-2017 First public release and my 100th software title released on my Moose's Software Valley web page. (727 lines of code / comments / blank lines in primary source files.) If this program was not downloaded from my Home Page, then it is possibly an old version. The latest version of this program is available from my WEB page - see below. Mike "Moose" O'Malley ____________________________________________________ Moose's Software Valley - Established July, 1996. WEB: http://moosesoftware.16mb.com/ ____________________________________________________