BOGGLY - Psion 3a - Shareware (version 1.50) ------------------------------------------- Overview -------- Boggly is a solitare (one player) simulation of Parker Brothers' classic dice game "Boggle". The aim is to find as many words as possible in a random 4x4 grid of letters within a certain time. Each word must be formed from a series of adjacent letters in the grid. Boggly is shareware: once you have tried the program, if you like it and intend to keep playing it then you should register it. Although the unregistered version is fully playable, to encourage registration the high score table has been disabled. Registration is rewarded with a special code to enter which upgrades the program to the registered version and unlocks the high score facilities. Registration ------------ Boggly costs UK£6 or US$10 - cash or UK cheque (to C. Kessell) only please. Send your remittance together with name and address (postal or e-mail) to: Chris Kessell, 11 Sweetbriar Close, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, Glos. GL52 4SU ENGLAND In return you will receive a personalised code to register your copy of Boggly and unlock the high score system. Installation ------------ The BOGLY150.ZIP distribution file should contain the following files: Name: Copy to: Description: BOGGLY.OPA \APP Program BOGGLY.TXT - This information file Of these only BOGGLY.OPA needs to be copied to your Psion. It is recommended that it is copied to an \APP directory in any drive (although it will run from any location). Then, from the System screen, use the "Install" option in the Apps menu to add the Boggly icon to your display. ******************************************************************************* IMPORTANT NOTE TO USERS OF BOGGLY v1.3/v1.31: The \APP\BOGGLY subdirectory and BOGGLY.GFX file are no longer required and can be deleted, as all graphics data is now embedded within the BOGGLY.OPA file. ******************************************************************************* When run, Boggly creates up to three small data files in the /OPD directory: BOGGLY.INI (user options), BOGGLY.DAT (high score table - registered version only), and BOGGLY.REG (registration details - registered version only). Playing the Game ---------------- The aim of the game is to find as many words as possible in a random 4x4 grid of letter dice within a certain time. Each word must be formed from a series of adjacent letters in the grid, moving up, down, left, right or diagonally. A given dice can only be used once per word. Each word must be at least 3 letters long, and a valid English dictionary word. Note that different forms of the same base word - different tenses, plurals, etc. - ARE allowed. The game ends when the timer runs out or you give up. Your words are then scored as follows: Letters: 3 4 5 6 7 8 or more Score (pts): 1 1 2 3 5 11 Duplicates of the same word, of course, score nothing. Screen Layout ------------- When first run, Boggly displays its title screen. Starting a new game (by selecting New Game from the menu or just pressing Enter) moves you on to the main playing screen which, I hope, is quite intuitive. The display is split up into four parts: - A notepad area, where your words are listed as they are entered; - The grid containing the 4x4 matrix of letter dice; - A countdown timer, showing (graphically and numerically) how much time you have left; - A display of your current score. The notepad has space for 56 words, which has (until now) always been more than enough for me! If this limit is exceeded the cursor will return to the top-left corner and any further words will be displayed over the top of earlier words (don't worry, the earlier words are remembered by the program!). I have allocated enough memory space for 100 words; if this limit is reached (!) the game will end. Please let me know if anyone needs this limit raised. Menu Options ------------ Game Menu (in Title Screen) New Game - Displays a dialog box requesting your name and the desired game number (leave at zero for a random game). The game number is displayed in the corner of the screen at the start and end of each game. Entering a game number allows you to replay any particular game at any time. You can also set the game options from the New Game dialog box, or from the separate Options menu item described below. Options - Displays a dialog with six options: Option Default Description ------ ------- ----------- Name - Player name Sound On Turn game sounds on/off Timer 3 minutes Set the game time to 1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes, or turn the timer off for unlimited time (use the Give Up menu item to end the game). Rule Checking Full Choose between Full or Partial rule checking. See the section on rule checking below for more details. Duplicate Trapping On Boggly automatically prevents you entering the same word twice. Spell Checker Not Implemented For future use... All the above options are automatically saved to disk between games. Game Menu (during Game) Pause - Pauses the game, stopping the timer until a key is pressed. The dice grid is greyed out while paused. Boggly also pauses automatically whenever it is moved to the background or the Psion is turned off. Give Up - End the current game. Special High Scores - REGISTERED VERSION ONLY Displays the high score table. The top seven scores are listed, showing the players' names, scores, game numbers and dates. Clear High Scores - REGISTERED VERSION ONLY Clears the high score table, resetting all scores to zero. Register - Allows the registration name and code to be entered. (This menu item disappears once the program has been registered). About - Displays some information about Boggly and how to register it. Exit - Quit Boggly and return to the System screen. Entering Words -------------- During the game, simply type in the words you find in the grid, ending each word by pressing Enter. The Delete key can be used to correct errors as you type. However, once a word has been committed by pressing Enter it cannot be modified or deleted. Note that "Qu" scores as a single letter, and that pressing "Q" automatically generates the accompanying "u". Help ---- Pressing the Help key brings up a brief description of the rules of Boggly and the scoring. Rule Checking ------------- As you type, Boggly checks that the word you are entering follows the game rules, i.e. that it can be made up from a series of adjacent letters in the grid. If you attempt to break the rules - by entering a letter that is not adjacent to the last one, for example - then the letter is ignored and Boggly beeps and displays a warning message in the corner of the screen. There is a small performance penalty with rule checking - a slight delay between pressing a key and the letter appearing on the display, due to the time taken to scan the grid for your letter sequence. Normally this time lag is barely perceptible, but if desired the rule checking can be adjusted from the Options menu. With rule checking changed from "Full" to "Partial", Boggly only checks that the letters you type exist somewhere in the grid - it doesn't care whether each letter is adjacent to the last. Note that Boggly does not (yet) verify that your entries are valid English dictionary words. That's up to you! Eventually I hope to be able to use the Psion's built-in Spell Checker to do this. Finally, many thanks for your interest in Boggly! Any comments, feedback etc. can be e-mailed to me at cmkessell@iee.org Also keep an eye on my website at http://www.blitter.demon.co.uk for updates etc. Chris Kessell