Contents
Contents for Magic Hexagons Help

To learn how to use Help, press F1.

Introduction

About Magic Hexagons

Acknowledgements

Requirements

Registration

Register this copy of Magic Hexagons

Register using CompuServe

How To...

Play Magic Hexagons

Set the board size

Set the number of colours

Set the difficulty level

Play a timed game

Change rotation animation

Other Information

Keyboard shortcuts

Contacting the Author

Magic Hexagons distribution


About Cryptic
About Magic Hexagons

Magic Hexagons is a simple Windows game.

Magic Hexagons was written in 1994, 1995 by Steven Porter using Turbo Pascal for Windows 1.5.  Magic Hexagons © 1994, 1995 Steven Porter.  Portions of this product are copyright Borland International.


Playing Magic Hexagons

Aim of the game

To complete each game, you must move the hexagonal pieces around so that each colour is connected: this means that all the red pieces must connect to one another, all the green pieces must connect to one another, etc.  It does not matter how the each colour connects, only that each colour must  be joined in one 'lump'.  Here are three examples of valid end-of-game boards:

Notice that the middle board has 4 blank hexagons (grey).  These can be ignored, and do not have to be connected.  On level 1, the board has a large number of blanks, on level 3 the board has no blanks.  The game is more difficult to complete if there are fewer blanks.

Game play

To move the pieces round, you should click on the hexagons.  When you click on a hexagon, the 6 hexagons which surround it will rotate in either a clockwise or anticlockwise fashion.  To rotate clockwise, use the left mouse button, and to rotate antclockwise use the right mouse button.

Game difficulty

Easier	Harder

Small board size	Large board size

Low number of colours	High number of colours

Difficulty level 1	Difficulty level 3

Tips

Start getting used to the games rules by playing on level 1, with 1 or 2 colours and with a small board size.

Concentrate on grouping one colour together, and then tackle the next colour.  Don't try to group two colours together at once.

If there are lots of blank spaces, try to group colours far away from one another.

See Also

Setting the board size

Setting the number of colours

Setting the difficulty level

Playing a timed game

Keyboard shortcuts


Setting the board size

To set the board size, choose Options... from the Game menu.  A dialog box will appear, and you should enter a number.  The larger the number the larger the board.

If you have a large board, the game can often be more difficult, and take much longer to complete.

See Also

Playing Magic Hexagons

Setting the number of colours

Setting the difficulty level

Keyboard shortcuts


Setting the number of colours

To set the number of colours that Magic Hexagons uses, select Options... from the Game menu.  A dialog box will appear, and you should change the Colours control.  The more colours you use, the more difficult the game is.

See Also

Playing Magic Hexagons

Setting the board size

Setting the difficulty level

Keyboard shortcuts


Setting the difficulty level

To set the difficulty level, select Options... from the Game menu.  A dialog will appear, and you should change the Level control.  Level 1 is the easiest, and level 3 is the most difficult.

On level 1, there are plenty of blank hexagons.  On level 2, there are some blank hexagons.  On level 3 there are no blank hexagons.

The more blank hexagons there are, the easier the game is.

If you use level 3, you must select more than one colour.

See Also

Playing Magic Hexagons

Setting the board size

Setting the number of colours

Keyboard shortcuts


Playing a timed game

You can play Magic Hexagons against the clock.

To time yourself, you can toggle the timer on and off by selecting Timed from the Game menu.

See Also

Playing Magic Hexagons

Changing rotation animation


Changing rotation animation

You may wish to alter the rotation animation to speed up game play when you play a timed game.

To turn off rotation animation completely, toggle Animation in the Options dialog.

To toggle between fast and slow rotation, toggle Fast on/off in the Options dialog.

See Also

Playing Magic Hexagons

Playing a timed game


Options Dialog

This dialog can be viewed by selecting Options from the Game menu.

Colours

To change the number of colours on the board, click on the up and down arrows in the Colours control, or type in the required number of colours.  Valid ranges are from 1 to 6.

Size

To change the size of the board, click on the up and down arrows in the Size control, or type in the required size.  Valid ranges are from 3 to 8.

Level

To change the level of play, click on the up and down arrows in the Level control, or type in the required level.  Valid ranges are from 1 to 3.

Note that if you select Level 3, you must also select more than one colour.

Animate

Toggle this control by clicking on it to turn animation on and off.  When animation is on, you will visually see the hexagons rotating.

Fast Animation

Click on Fast Animation to speed the speed at which the rotation happens.  This only applies if Animation is on.


Acknowledgements

Magic Hexagons was written using Turbo Pascal for Windows 1.5.  Turbo Pascal for Windows © 1987, 1991, 1992 Borland International.  Portions of this product are also copyright Borland International.


Requirements

Magic Hexagons requires the following minimum hardware to function correctly:

1	IBM compatible PC AT

2	Microsoft Windows 3.1

3	Mouse, trackball or pointing device


Registration

Magic Hexagons is distributed as shareware.  This means that after an evaluation period (in this case 30 days) you must register with the author if you intend to use the software.

When you do register, not only will you receive peace of mind, but

•	you will receive a register ID

•	the annoying opening and closing dialogs will disappear

•	you may receive other shareware material if required

•	you may receive an updated version if required

There are several methods of registration available.

Please click on the appropriate method below for further information:

•	Credit Card Registration

•	CompuServe Registration

•	Postal Mail Registration


Credit Card Registration

The registration fee is $15 US when registering by credit card.  The cost is slightly higher because of the additional expense of processing credit card transactions.  For an additional $3 US, an update disk (to include some additional shareware on a trial basis) will be shipped to you.

You can register by MC, Visa, Amex or Discover.

When registering by credit card you must quote:

•	Magic Hexagons

•	Product ID 11833

•	credit card holder

•	credit card number

•	credit card expiry date

•	your postal address

•	your telephone number

•	your email address, if applicable

•	whether or not you require an update disk

Finally, to register do one of the following:

Telephone	•	800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394

Email	•	71355.470@compuserve.com

FAX	•	713-524-6398

Post	•	PsL, PO Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705.

Please note that the above addresses and numbers are for credit card orders only.  The author of Magic Hexagons cannot be contacted at these numbers.  Credit card companies do not allow me to process orders, so please do not send credit card details to me - only the above listed contacts can handle the credit cards.

Queries about shipment, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site liscences, and non-credit card  orders must only be directed to the author personally.

To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify me the day of your order and I will process the registration within a day or two.

See Also

CompuServe Registration

Postal Mail Registration


Postal Mail Registration

The registration fee is five pounds sterling or equivalent payment in readily convertible currency or money order when registering by postal mail.

Registration payments should be payable to Steven Porter.

To register you should print out the registration form, fill it in and send it with your payment to this address:

Steven Porter

(Magic Hexagons)

27 Elm Place

Aberdeen

Scotland, United Kingdom

AB2 3SN

See Also

Registration Form

CompuServe Registration

Credit Card Registration


Registration Form
Magic Hexagons v1.1 Registration Form

Addressed To

Steven Porter

(Magic Hexagons)

27 Elm Place

Aberdeen

Scotland, United Kingdom

AB2 3SN

Registration

[   ]	I wish to register my copy of Magic Hexagons.  I enclose the registration fee of five pounds sterling (UK £5.00) or equivalent.

Updates

[   ]	Please supply a  3.5 inch 1.44MB disk for latest version of Magic Hexagons (and other shareware software on a trial basis).  I enclose an extra £1.50 (£3.00 for non UK locations) to cover costs of disk, duplication, postage and packing.

Details

Name:	________________________________________

Address:	________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

Telephone:	________________________________________

E-Mail:	________________________________________

Signed:	________________________________________


Keyboard short-cuts

Key	Description/Menu Equivalent

F1	Help/Contents.  Allows you to view the help file.

F2	Game/New.  Allows you to reset the game or start a new game.


registration payment

Payment for registration through postal mail can be done in a number of ways:

1	United Kingdom Bank Cheque

2	Eurocheques

3	Postal Money Order, written in UK pounds sterling

4	UK pounds sterling currency

5	US bank Cheque

6	US dollars currency

I suggest that $10 US is equivalent to £5.  Registrants outwith the UK should include the £1.50 equivalent in US funds for disk, duplication and postage if the update disk is required.


CompuServe Registration

Registering using CompuServe has some additional benefits:

•	quick and easy process on-line

•	you will receive notice of update releases

•	you will receive your register ID sooner

•	you will told how to locate my other software on CompuServe for downloading

The registration fee is ten US dollars when registering by CompuServe.  This is slightly more than the US equivalent of £5 because CompuServe claims 15% of the registration fee in commission.

To register using CompuServe, type GO SWREG at any ! prompt.  CIM users should click on the GO icon, and type SWREG.  Magic Hexagons has a registration ID of 4294.  You need this number to register on-line.

CompuServe will charge the registration fee of ten dollars to your CompuServe account, and notify me of your registration.  Once I receive notification of your registration, I will send  you your register ID by CompuServe email, which you can type in to the opening dialog in Magic Hexagons.

Users who register using CompuServe will not receive additional shareware by post, since all of my latest shareware is available on CompuServe.

See Also

Postal Mail Registration

Credit Card Registration


Contacting the Author

If you have any comments or suggestions about Magic Hexagons or any of my other shareware, then please feel free to drop them in the post, or e-mail them to my CompuServe address:

Steven Porter

27 Elm Place

Aberdeen

Scotland, United Kingdom

AB2 3SN

CompuServe: 100421,505

Internet: 100421.505@compuserve.com


Shareware distribution
Magic Hexagons Distribution

You are free to distribute this version of Magic Hexagons providing the following conditions are adhered to:

All files contained within the original ZIP must remain unmodified.

All files contained within the ZIP must be kept together.

You must not distribute a registered version of Magic Hexagons, nor should you reveal your registration ID to anyone else.

Please feel free to distribute the unregistered software to friends and upload onto electronic systems, including BBSs, Internet etc.


shareware

Programs and data distributed as shareware are not free.  The user may make full use of the program for a limited period (normally 30 days) after which he or she must register with the author of the software (if he or she intends to continue using it).  A nominal registration fee is charged to encourage further work and reward the author for his endeavours.