Ancient Yacht Help

WARNING

Introduction

Starting a Game

Playng a Game

Roll the Dice

Number of Rolls Left

Score a Roll

Next Player

Completing a Game

Scoring

Scoring 5-Dice Games

Scoring 10-Dice Games

Yacht

Large Straight

Small Straight

Four of a Kind

Full House

Sixes

Fives

Fours

Threes

Twos

Ones

Choice

Double Yacht

Double Large Straight

Double Small Straight

Eight of a Kind

Double Full House

Oops!

Give Me Back My Dice!

I Clicked on the Wrong Category!

Sound

Quit

Order

About Shareware


WARNING!

Please be advised that changing the size of the Ancient Yacht Help Window can interfere with the animation of the program.


Introduction

Ancient Yacht  is a  dice game where the object is to score the highest you can by rolling the dice, or a subset of the dice, a maximum number of rolls, depending on the game variation and the level of difficulty, and placing a score in one of the twelve score categories each turn.

The game is played with one to four players or with one player playing against the computer for the five-dice games.  Ancient Yacht is a set of four yacht games:

Five-dice, one-column Yacht

Five-dice, two-column Yacht

Ten-dice, one-column Yacht

Ten-dice, two-column Yacht

The five-dice option can be played with one set of scoring categories (1 column).  Or, it can be played with two columns of complete sets of score categories.  The scores in the 2 columns are sub-totaled at the bottom of the screen and the sub-total for the second column is doubled.  Finally, the player's total score is the sum of these two sub-totals.  As you can see, two-column Yacht provides additional strategic options.

The ten-dice game is played in much the same way as the five-dice game, except that ten dice are used.  Scoring for some categories is a greater challenge.  For example, in order to score Double Yacht, ten of a kind are needed, and so three levels of difficulty (3, 4, or 5 rolls) are provided.  Some of the score categories are more difficult to obtain, but the scores for each category are correspondingly larger. The two-column option is also available for the ten-dice game.


Starting a Game

To start playing Ancient Yacht , select the "Play new game" from the "Play" menu.  Or, if you've already played one game, and wish to play another game with the same playing options, choose "Play again" from the "Play" menu.  If you wish to play a different variation of Yacht, after having played already, choose "Play new game."

You will now see a "Choose an option" dialog.  Choose one of the following:

o   5-Dice Yacht

o   5-Dice Double-Column Yacht

o   Ten-Dice Yacht

o   Ten-Dice Double-Column Yacht

(The shareware version Ancient Yacht has only 5-Dice Yacht available.)

If you've chosen one of the 10-Dice game variations, next, from the "Level of Difficulty" dialog, choose one of the following (maximum number of rolls per turn):

o   5 Rolls

o   4 Rolls

o   3 Rolls

From the "Number of Players" dialog, choose one of the following:

o   One Player

o   One Player vs Computer

o   Two Players

o   Three Players

o   Four Players

(Note: the shareware version, Ancient Yacht has the One-, Two-, Three-, and Four-Players options available.)

Then enter the Player(s)' name(s)


Playing a Game

You are ready to play a game.  The score for the first player is on the scroll to the right of the screen with the player's name and total at the bottom of the scroll.  The dice are in the cup at the bottom left of the screen.  Notice when you move the mouse around, the cursor on the screen will change.  The cursor will change from a hand holding a die, to a hand holding a quill pen, to a scroll with the word "Roll" written on it.  These cursors indicate the action which may be taken at that part of the screen if it is appropriate to do so.  Of course, before you've rolled the dice, it is meaningless to try to score a category.


Roll the Dice

To start, click on the cup.  Your cursor will be the "Roll" cursor when it is on the cup.  The cup will rattle, and the dice will be rolled onto the tabletop.  If you are satisfied with the dice you have rolled, you may click on a score category.  Probably, however, you will want to roll some or all of the dice one or more times.  To roll some (or all) of the dice again, click on each die you wish to roll again.  Notice the cursor now is a hand holding a die.  The dice will disappear into the cup.  When you have the dice you wish to roll again in the cup, click on the cup to roll these dice.  NOTE: If you have accidentally put the wrong dice into the cup, don't worry!  Select "Give me back my dice!" from the "Oops!" menu, and all the dice in the cup will be placed back on the tabletop, so you can choose again which dice to roll.  (Once you have rolled the dice, however, you cannot get them back!)

Continue in this way until you have rolled all or some of the dice the maximum number of times (3 in the 5-Dice game, 3, 4, or 5 in the 10-Dice game depending on the level of difficulty) or have dice you are satisfied with and wish to score.


Number of Rolls Left

Notice the small gray dots under the cup.  These indicate the number of rolls left.


Score a Roll

Click on one of the score category names on the scroll, or even to the right of the name where the score will be written, or, in the 2-column game, click in one of the rounded rectangles, where you wish the score to go.  The score will automatically be entered for you and the total (and sub-totals, if any) will be added and written onto the scroll (Scoring).

If you accidentally clicked in the wrong score category, never fear!  Just select "I clicked the wrong category!" from the "Oops!" menu and that score will be erased from the scroll (and subtracted from the total, and sub-total, if any) and your dice will be placed back on the screen, where you can choose the correct category.  If you have any rolls left, you may roll the dice again before choosing a score category.

If you are playing a 2-column game, the sub-total of the second column is doubled, so it makes sense to put high scores there.


Next Player

If you are playing against the computer or against another player, a "Next Player" button will appear on the cup.  The cursor will now be a scroll with the word "Next" on it.  When you have taken a look at your score and are ready to go on, click on this button.

After you have clicked on the "Next Player" button the screen will change to show the next player's scroll.  The next player will look at their score to see what they need to score and click on the cup again to roll the dice.  If it is the computer's turn, the computer will roll the dice, wait a few seconds and roll some or all of the dice again, or choose a score category.  When the computer is working, the cursor will change to an hourglass.  After the computer scores, the dice will remain on the screen so you can see its choice.  You know it is your turn when the "Next Player" button appears on the cup.


Completing a Game

Play continues in this way until all players have filled in every category on their score scrolls.  One score category must be chosen after each turn.  If, for example, you were trying to get a Yacht (five of a kind) and ended up with a pair of threes, a pair of fours and a one, you may score in Threes (6 points), or in Fours (8 points), or perhaps even in Twos (0 points).  If Yacht is the only category left unscored, you need to choose that score category and receive zero points for Yacht.

At the end of the game, the program will show the winner of the game, and also keeps track of the ten highest scores in each of the four game variations (5-Dice Yacht, 5-Dice Double-Column Yacht, 10-Dice Yacht, 10-Dice Double-Column Yacht).


Scoring

Remember, in a two-column game, the second column sub-total is doubled, so you score more points by putting your first (and perhaps only) Yacht, Large Straight, etc., there.  However, if your score for that category is low, say a Full House of only 7 points, it is better to put that score in the first column, if available.

See Scoring 5-Dice Games and Scoring 10-Dice Games


Scoring 5-Dice Games

Yacht

Large Staight

Small Straight

Four of a Kind

Full House

Sixes

Fives

Fours

Threes

Twos

Ones

Choice


Scoring 10-Dice Games

Double Yacht

Double Large Staight

Double Small Straight

Eight of a Kind

Double Full House

Sixes

Fives

Fours

Threes

Twos

Ones

Choice


Yacht

In order to score points in the Yacht category, you need five of a kind.  The score for Yacht is always 50 points, whether you have five 6's or five 1's.


Large Straight

In order to score points in the Large Straight category, you need either:

1 2 3 4 5

    OR

2 3 4 5 6

Your score is always 30 points, regardless of which Large Straight was rolled.


Small Straight

To get points for a Small Straight, you need one of the following:

1 2 3 4

   OR

2 3 4 5

  OR

3 4 5 6

Your score is always 15 points, regardless of which Small Straight was rolled.


Four of a Kind

For points in this category, you need four of the same number, e.g., 3 3 3 3 4, or 4 4 4 4 1.  Your score is the total of all the pips on the five dice.  A Four of a Kind of 6 6 6 6 6 will score 30 points, the maximum obtainable, whereas a Four of a Kind of 1 1 1 1 2 will score only 6 points.


Full House

A Full House in Yacht is scored the total of the pips on all the dice if there is three of a kind and a pair.  The maximum score for Full House is for a roll of 6 6 6 5 5, for a total of 28 points.


Sixes

Sixes are scored by summing the pips of all the 6's which were rolled.  The maximum score in this category when using 5 dice is 30 for five 6's.  The maximum score in this category when using 10 dice is 60 for ten 6's.  The minimum score is zero points if no 6's were rolled.


Fives

Fives are scored by summing the pips of all the 5's which were rolled.  The maximum score in this category when using 5 dice is 25 for five 5's.  The maximum score in this category when using 10 dice is 50 for ten 5's.  The minimum score is zero points if no 5's were rolled.


Fours

Fours are scored by summing the pips of all the 4's which were rolled.  The maximum score in this category when using 5 dice is 20 for five 4's.  The maximum score in this category when using 10 dice is 40 for ten 4's.  The minimum score is zero points if no 4's were rolled.


Threes

Threes are scored by summing the pips of all the 3's which were rolled.  The maximum score in this category when using 5 dice is 15 for five 3's.  The maximum score in this category when using 10 dice is 30 for ten 3's.  The minimum score is zero points if no 3's were rolled.


Twos

Twos are scored by summing the pips of all the 2's which were rolled.  The maximum score in this category when using 5 dice is 10 for five 2's.  The maximum score in this category when using 10 dice is 20 for ten 2's.   The minimum score is zero points if no 2's were rolled.


Ones

Ones are scored by summing the pips of all the 1's which were rolled.  The maximum score in this category when using 5 dice is 5 for five 1's.  The maximum score in this category when using 10 dice is 10 for ten 1's.  The minimum score is zero points if no 1's were rolled.


Choice

The score for the Choice category is just the sum of the pips of all of the dice.  The maximum score when using 5 dice is 30 points for five 6's.  The maximum score when using 10 dice is 60 for ten 6's.  This is a good category to score when no other category fits the rolled dice.  You will always receive some points here, and if you have many 5's and 6's, the number of points may be high, especially in the second column.


Double Yacht

In order to score points in the Double Yacht category, you need ten of a kind.  The score for Double Yacht is always 100 points, whether you have ten 6's or ten 1's.


Double Large Straight

In order to score points in the Double Large Straight category, you need to score two sets of large straights.  The combinations may be:

1 2 3 4 5   AND   1 2 3 4 5

       OR

2 3 4 5 6   AND   2 3 4 5 6

       OR

1 2 3 4 5   AND   2 3 4 5 6

Your score is always 60 points, regardless of which set of Double Large Straight was rolled.


Double Small Straight

To get points for a Double Small Straight, you need two sets of Small Straight.  The combinations may be one of the following:

1 2 3 4   AND   1 2 3 4

    OR

1 2 3 4   AND   2 3 4 5

    OR

1 2 3 4   AND   3 4 5 6

    OR

2 3 4 5   AND   2 3 4 5

    OR

2 3 4 5   AND   3 4 5 6

    OR

3 4 5 6   AND   3 4 5 6

Your score is always 30 points, regardless of which set of Double Small Straight was rolled.


Eight of a Kind

For points in this category, you need eight of the same number, e.g., 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4, or 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 1.  Your score is the total of all the pips on all ten dice.  And Eight (!) of a Kind of 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 will score 60 points, whereas an Eight (!) of a Kind of 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 will score only 10 points.


Double Full House

A Double Full House in Yacht is scored (pay attention here) the total of all the pips on all the dice if there is:

Four of a Kind

      AND

Three of a Kind

      AND

Two of a Kind

      AND

One of a Kind

The maximum score on a Double Full House is on 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 3, or 50 points.


Oops!

The Oops! menu is provided if you accidentally dropped the wrong dice into the cup to be re-rolled (see Give Me Back My Dice!) or if you accidentally clicked on the wrong score category (see I Clicked on the Wrong Category!).


Give Me Back My Dice!

If you have accidentally put the wrong dice into the cup, don't worry!  Select "Give me back my dice!" from the "Oops!" menu, and all the dice in the cup will be placed back on the tabletop, so you can choose again which dice to roll.  (Once you have rolled the dice, however, you cannot get them back!)


I Clicked the Wrong Category!

If you accidentally clicked the wrong score category, never fear!  Just select "I clicked the wrong category" from the "Oops!" menu and that score will be erased from the scroll (and subtracted from the total, and sub-total, if any) and your dice will be placed back on the screen, where you can choose the correct category.  If you have any rolls left, you may roll the dice again before choosing a score category.


Sound

Choose the menu options to turn the sound effects on and off.  The dimmed option is the one that is currently activated, and hence, cannot be chosen.  Turning sound effects on and off may be done at any time during the game.


Quit

Clicking on the "Quit" menu allows you to exit the game at any time.


Order

Having played 5-Dice Yacht, you may now feel ready for a greater level of challenge.  Test your logical reasoning, problem solving and luck against a computer player.  When you feel proficient playing against the computer in single- and double-column Yacht, then go on to the even greater challenge of 10-Dice Yacht.  Once you've played the 10-Dice variations of the game, you may never want to play 5-Dice Yacht again!  The 5-Dice game seems tame by comparison!  But when you order Ancient Yacht, for only $9.95 US, you receive all four game variations, and a computer player for the two 5-dice variations.

To order Ancient Yacht, choose "Order Ancient Yacht" from the "Order" menu, fill in the dialog box and follow instructions.  Or print the file register.wri (using Windows Accessory Write) or print the file register.txt (using Windows Accessory Notepad, or from DOS), fill in the form and mail to the address on the form:

LatticeWork Software

P.O. Box 362

Lafayette Hill, PA 19444

The following support of Ancient Yacht is provided.  LatticeWork Software will answer questions and fix serious bugs during a one-year period after ordering.  For problems involving specific hardware or software environment or feature, LatticeWork Software may choose not to modify the program.  In that case, if the problem is reported within three months after ordering, then LatticeWork Software will refund the user's order price.  You may contact LatticeWork Software at the following addresses:

1)  LatticeWork Software

     P.O. Box 362

     Lafayette Hill, PA 19444

2)  By way of America Online mail to LatticeWrk

3)  By way of CompuServe mail to 74453,2112


About Shareware

Ancient Yacht is a "shareware program" and is provided at no extra charge to the user for evaluation.  Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system.  The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products.