GIN RUMMY (Version 3.2) - READGIN.TXT ===================================== Gin Rummy is probably the best known member of the Rummy family of card games. Gin Rummy is believed to be the first fully-comprehensive shareware Gin Rummy game available for Microsoft Windows. You play against the computer, which can be set to use a number of different skill levels. At expert and champion level, the computer is hard to beat and provides a very challenging game. Customizable features include: Colors Sound effects Card backs Screen resolution (600x480 or 800x600) AutoMouse (moves mouse pointer automatically between deck and hand) Opponent skill level Rule variations The only installation requirements are that GINRUMMY.EXE, RUMCARDS.BMP, GINRUMMY.HLP, and the wav files reside in the same directory; and that VBRUN300.DLL and VBCTL3D.VBX are present in your path (typically in the windows\system directory). VBCTL3D.VBX is included with this distribution. VBRUN300.DLL should be downloaded separately if you don't already have it on your system. **************************************************************************** IMPORTANT NOTE: If you already have Gin Rummy on your system and it is earlier than version 3.2, you must replace the old VBCTL3D.VBX with the new version included with this distribution. Failure to do so will result in an "Invalid File Format" message when trying to run Gin Rummy. If you have replaced the old version but still receive this message, there is another copy of the VBCTL3D.VBX file on your hard disk -- which must be deleted. If you are installing a shareware distribution copy, the best practice is to move (not copy) VBCTL3D.VBX to the /windows/system directory as you install Gin Rummy. **************************************************************************** To use the sound effects, you must either have a sound card installed in your system, or have the speak.exe driver installed to use your system's regular speaker. Speak.exe is a freely distributed product from Microsoft, and is available on most online services and bulletin board systems. Gin Rummy is distributed with a few sound files, others may be obtained from libraries on most online services and bulletin board systems. To enable sound effects, you must check the "Enable Sounds" box from the "Sounds..." option under the "Configuration" menu. Remember to "Save Configuration" to make the setting permanent. Gin Rummy is shareware, and is fully functional. You may evaluate this program for a period of 21 days after which you must register it or remove it from your system. To not comply with this condition is a violation of United States and international copyright law. To register Gin Rummy, please use the printable order form under the "Help" menu of Gin Rummy. If you are unable to, or chose not to, print the order form, please make sure that you: 1. Specify that you are registering Gin Rummy (using the memo area on your check is acceptable) 2. Include sales tax if you are a Massachusetts resident 3. Enclose a check for the correct amount, in U.S. funds, payable to Carol Bufton You will receive your registration code by mail. The registration code is encoded from your name, so be sure to provide your name exactly as you wish to be registered. If you require a diskette (3½" only), add $3 making the total cost $15. The diskette version may contain a later version of Gin Rummy if improvements have been made since the release of your evaluation copy. Because we cannot track which versions are currently available at what locations, it is possible that Gin Rummy will have been updated since your evaluation copy unless you downloaded a recent version from CompuServe or America Online. Please allow 28 days for your registration to arrive, although every effort will be made to mail your registration within 5 days. Your registration code licenses you to use the version of Gin Rummy that you are currently evaluating, irrespective of which is the latest version currently available on America Online, CompuServe, or registered diskette. Your registration may also be valid with future versions as they become available. You may not share your registration code with others. Your registration permits you and other users to use Gin Rummy on any single-user computer system. You may also use Gin Rummy on any other computer system of which you are the primary user, such as a laptop. You may distribute Gin Rummy (as shareware) to others provided that you derive no revenue other than that associated with distribution, and provided that you distribute the following, and only the following, files intact: READGIN.TXT - This file GINRUMMY.EXE - The program GINRUMMY.HLP - The help file FAQGIN.TXT - The "frequently asked questions" file RUMCARDS.BMP - The card images VBRUN300.DLL - The Visual Basic Runtime VBCTL3D.VBX - The Visual Basic 3D Effects extension To use Gin Rummy you need Microsoft Windows 3.1 and a mouse (with at least two buttons). An Intel 386 class system with 4 megabytes of RAM is recommended as a minimum. Gin Rummy has not been evaluated on less capable systems, but should present no problems other than responsiveness and speed. You are recommended to take advantage of the comprehensive help file information in order to learn how to play Gin Rummy. Perhaps the best first step to learning Gin Rummy is to use the "Player | AutoPlay" option and watch the computer play against itself. Enjoy! Revision History ---------------- Version 1.x - Development versions. Version 2.0 - Beta test version Version 2.1 - First shareware release. Fully functional. Version 2.2 - Minor improvements and problem fixes. Version 2.3 - Improved opponent skill algorithms Version 3.0 - Custom card backs - "Trim Corners" - "AutoMouse - Dialogs" - "Series Scoring" 3.01 - Maintenance release 3.02 - Maintenance release Version 3.2 - Changed rule option from "No Layoff On Gin" to "Layoff On Gin", thus changing the default to what is probably the more common convention. EXISTING USERS SHOULD CHECK THEIR SETTING. - Fixed problem where "11 Card Gins" option was not being correctly recovered after it had been saved as selected. - Fixed problem where opponent would occasionally not layoff correctly after player has knocked. - Fixed problem where player could click on table instead of discarding after knocking. - Added "Display Deadwood" under the "Player" menu. When selected the points value of unmeldable cards in the player's hand is displayed in the lower right of the Gin Rummy window. - Expanded "Hint" now lists a complete sequence of moves from taking a card (if not yet taken), melds (if player can knock) through discarding. - Added double-click "safety catch" alternative for discarding. When active, a single right-click has no effect and two successive single right-clicks on the same card will generate a reminder to double-click. - Added "Check Meldable Discard" configuration option. When selected, you will be asked for confirmation before discarding a card which is meldable. - Added "Check Missed Layoff" configuration option. When selected, you will be asked for confirmation before ending a round after the opponent knocked if you can still lay down or lay off cards to the table. - Added compensation to the user interface when system graphics are set to display "large fonts". In this case, the menu names are shortened to avoid menu bar wrapping, the window height is extended a little, and AutoMouse(Dialogs) adjusts appropriately. - Added compensation to overcome reported problem of Windows '95 not processing empty files the same as Windows 3.1 does - Added detection to ignore double-click where it could cause "subscript out of range" problems when used instead of a single mouse click. - Moved player-related options from the "Configuration" menu to the "Player" menu. Moved "AutoPlay" to the "Assistant" menu. - Removed the ability to save options for player or as default. Options are now always saved under the current player name. To change the local default options, change to player "Default" first. - Added "AutoSave" option to the "Configuration" menu. When selected the "Save ..." option in the the "Configuration", "Player", "Opponent" and "Rules" menus are removed and all option changes made within these menus are always saved immediately. - Added "AutoStart" option to the "Configuration" menu. By default Gin Rummy will now pause and display a large "Start" button when starting and when having changed players. This enables menu option changes to be made before starting. Selecting "AutoStart" overrides this behavior, causing Gin Rummy to start immediately - as it did in previous versions. - 3D Effects options are now replaced by a "No 3D Effects" configuration option. The effects are now enabled/disabled immediately. Previous users must replace VBCTL3D.VBX (in the windows directory) with the new version provided. - When the opponent takes a new card from the stock, the card back will now be briefly highlighted as confirmation. (This is suppressable via a new "Opponent menu" option.) © MeggieSoft Games 1995. All Rights Reserved.