DARTS 3.0 This program was writen in Turbo Pascal 6.0, by Scott C. Williams. You may copy and distribute this program with the following restrictions. 1. No fee may be charged for this program, execpt for the cost of materials used in the copying. ( Disks ) 2. All of the files, and documentation must accompany the darts30.exe file. The files that should be included for darts 3.0 are: DARTS30.EXE DARTS30.TXT EGAVGA.BGI The EGAVGA.BGI file must be in the same directory as the darts30.exe file or the program won't run. This document is divided into two sections. The first section is the commands used, and the hardware requirements of darts 3.0. The second section is the rules for the three games included with the program. I. Computer requirements and game commands. A. Requirements 1. IBM Pc or compatiable, with a VGA graphics card and monitor. and at least 640k of RAM. B. Starting up To run darts 3.0 simply type darts30 at the dos prompt. The opening screen will first ask you for you name and then for the name of a second player. To play the computer, simply hit [ENTER] at the prompt for the second game. You will then be asked for the skill level that you want to play at. 0 is hardest and 5 is easiest. This number controls the speed at which the throwbar moves across the screen(to be talked about later). Then you must select which game you would like to play. There are three choices: Cricket, Around the Clock, and 301. Then you will throw a single dart for closest to center to see who goes first. If there is a tie then you will throw again until there is a winner. C. How to aim your throw. When the computer tells you it is your turn to throw you will see a message, Position cursor and press [ENTER]. The cursor is a small circle on the board. You move it with the arrow keys on both the numeric keypad and the arrow keys on the extended keyboard. If you have both sets of arrow keys then leave your NUM LOCK key on. With the NUM LOCK key on the arrow keys move the cursor by large jumps in order to move around the board quickly. With the NUM LOCK key off, the cursor moves at very small jumps, or you could use the arrow keys for small jumps and the number keys 8-up, 2-down, 4-left, 6-right, for the large jumps, if you only have one set of arrow keys. Once you get the cursor where you want it then hit [ENTER]. D. How to throw the Dart. To throw the dart, first aim it as described above. Then hit the space bar to start the throw. A red bar will start moving across the screen to the left. This is your backswing. The optimum position is the red line obove the bar. You must hit the space bar again to start you fore swing. If your backswing goes to the left of the red line then your dart will go above you aim spot. If to the right, then your dart will go below your aim point. After hitting the space bar the throw bar will turn blue and go back to the right. Your optimum release point is the blue line. If you hit the space bar when the throw bar is to the left of the line, then you will have released too soon and the dart will to the right of you aim point. If you hit the space bar to the right of the line, then you will pull you throw and your dart will go to the left of the aim point. You will normally throw three times each turn. The computer takes care of all scoring, and to exit the program, just press 'q' and the program will exit. If it is the computers turn when you press the 'q' key then the program will end after the computers turn is over. II. RULES OF THE GAMES A. CRICKET Cricket is a game where you must score three each of the following: 20s, 19s, 18s, 17s, 16s, 15s, and bulls. You score one for a dart in the light gray parts of the board in the particular section. The green circle is the double ring and is worth two of the particular section. The red circle is the triple ring and is worth three of the particular section. The green section of the bullseye is a single bull and the red section is a double bull. The computer scores cricket with slashes and circles. One score of a section is denoted by a '/', two with a 'X', and three with a X with a circle around it. B. AROUND THE CLOCK Around the clock is a simple game, but can be good for practice, or younger players. The goal is to get one of each section on the board including bulls, in order. So first you throw at 1s, then 2s, etc. up through 20s then bulls. The double and triple rings have no bearing in this game. The computer displays what section you need next to the left of the board. C. 301 301 is probably the most popular game of darts. You start out with a score of 301 and must take your score down to exactly 0. To start your scoring you must double in. That is hit the double ring and you subtract that amount from your score. For example, on your first throw you hit a double 16. Your score now is 269. Once you double in, then what ever you throw at you subtract from your score, multipling it by 2 if in the double ring and 3 if in the triple ring. A single bull is worth 25 and a double bull is worth 50. At the end of the game you must double out exactly. Therefore if you have 39 you must first get an even score, say by hitting a single 1, now your score is 38 and you need to score a double 19 to win. If you get your score to zero, but don't double out then you will have busted and your entire score for that turn is not used and you score returns to what it was before your turn. You will also bust if your score goes to 1 (you can't double out), or if you go under zero. Your old and new scores are displayed at the right of the board. The new score is what your score will be if you don't bust on this turn, while the old score is what your score will go back to if you bust.