Contents For Catch Three Help

Catch Three is a fun social card game. This computer version is a single player only. You must have a mouse to play this game.

How to...

About the game

Start the game

Scoring

Compete with a friend

Animation options

About the author


About The Game

Catch Three is derived from a popular Chinese card game. The game is usually played by six persons. Three on each side as a team. The game can also be played by two persons, each controlling three decks of cards. In the two person version, you are not allowed to look at your cards unless you make a play.

In the computer version, you play against the computer. Imagine there are six persons. You control three and the computer controls the other three. You can look the card only if it is your turn to play and you are able to make a play. You will lead the first card when you started a new game. Whoever get out first will lead in the next round. All person then take turns to play. You may pass, or play bigger cards. When everyone passes, the person can lead a card again. Extra Joker is the biggest, followed by Joker, Ace, King, ...,  and Two. The object of the game is to try to get rid of all of your cards as soon as possible.


Start The Game

1. Type your name in the name box, then click OK button. The seed box will be explained later.

2. Each person will get nine cards. Usually you play your smallest cards first.

3. Select the card you want to play with your left mouse button. You may pass with right  mouse button or using the option menu item.

4. You can play cards of equal value (different suite) as a group. Assuming that you have two 7's, if you click mouse on the right 7, you meant to play two 7 as a group. If you click mouse on the left 7, you meant to play one 7. When you click mouse on the right side of all of your cards, you meant to play the smallest card.

5. Try to coordinate all three of your player's cards to the maximum efficiency.

6. After  three of players of either side all get rid of their cards, cards will be shuffled and new round begin.


Scoring

A person will score 30, 20, 10, -10, -20 or -30 points according the order he/she finished his/her cards. Your total score for each round is the sum of the points of all three of your players. The score will be accumulated to next round unless you choose new in the game menu item to start a new game. The computer score is minus of your score since the sum of scores of you and the computer is zero.

You can look your current score any time by choose score in the game menu item. The top ten players with different seed numbers are also displayed.


Compete With A Friend

Each time you start a new game, a seed will be assigned to you. The default number is the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970. This number is used as the seed to generate all random numbers to shuffle the cards. You may type any positive integer as seed number.

The cards generated will be exactly the same if the same seed are used. This provides a way to play against a friend. Just use the same seed number to start your game. You will have the exactly the same cards. The computer has a fixed strategy. You may compete with you friends to get the highest scores in the predetermined number of games.


Animation Options

Animation speed depends on the number of cards sequence to show in the animation. If your computer is slow, you need to reduce the number of cards sequence by choose slow animation under the option menu item. If the number of cards sequence is zero, no animations in the program. The number of cards sequence is saved with the scores and is automatically restored in your next game.


About The Author

Please see about  under help menu item for registration information.

The other main programs written by the author are: DingDang Chinese word processor for DOS, and DingDang Chinese word processor for Microsoft Window 3.1.

Enjoy the game,

Yijun Ding

12640 Southridge Dr.

Little Rock, AR 72212

USA