Gin Rummy (Version 3.3) - GINRUMMY.FAQ
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
==========================

Q. What programming language is Gin Rummy written in?

A. Microsoft Visual Basic.  See the "For The Technically Curious" section of
   the help file for more information.


Q. Why do I get an "Invalid File Format" message when I try to run Gin Rummy?

A. Because there is an older, and incompatible, version of VBCTL3D.VBX on
   hard disk.  Gin Rummy is loading this rather than the newer version
   distributed with Gin Rummy 3.2 and later versions.  Make sure that the
   copy of VBCTL3D.VBX distributed with this version is present in your
   \windows\system directory and make sure you delete any other copies of
   VBCTL3D.VBX which are on your system (possibly in the directory where you
   previously kept Gin Rummy, or your \windows directory).

   [If you have multiple programs on your system which use VBCTL3D.VBX and
   they require different versions of VBCTL3D.VBX, you can install a copy of
   the required version in the same directory as each program that requires
   it.  Such a copy will be loaded in favor of the "central" copy in  the
   /windows/system directory.]


Q. Why does my mouse not work correctly in Gin Rummy?

A. We have had a couple of reported instances of this problem with Gin Rummy
   (Gin Rummy's stablemate), but we were unable to replicate it or guess at
   what the problem might be.  One customer found that the problem
   disappeared when he upgraded from Microsoft Windows 3.1 to Windows for
   Workgroups 3.11.  We therefore surmise that this problem is system
   configuration dependent in some way.


Q. What happens if Gin Rummy causes system messages, "bombs out", or freezes?

A. These problems are almost always to do with the way your system memory
   is configured or managed.  Check that you have around 400K minimum of
   low memory available and that your memory manager (e.g., EMM386) is not
   causing the conflict.  Gin Rummy is quite intensive in its use of system
   resources and runs on 99% of customers' systems without problems. However,
   sometimes such problems are reported, and all we can do is offer the
   advice noted here.


Q. Why do I get "subscript out of bounds" error messages and/or see Gin Rummy
   start to behave erratically?

A. Gin Rummy is designed to respond to single mouse-clicks, not double-clicks.
   In versions prior to v3.3, it was possible to trip Gin Rummy if it reacted
   to the second click before it had finished processing the first click.  In
   versions 3.3 and later, Gin Rummy traps and ignores extra clicks when it
   is busy. 


Q. I have my graphics driver set to "Large Fonts".  Why are some of the fonts
   displayed smaller?

A. Some graphics drivers handle "Large Fonts" by increasing the size of fonts
   that Windows displays in title bars and menus, for example.  For these 
   drivers, Gin Rummy automatically abbreviates some of the menu names (to 
   avoid wrap-around onto a second menu line) and adjusts the position of the
   status bar to compensate for the title bar and menu line being taller to
   accomodate the larger fonts.  Otherwise, everything appears as it does for
   the normal "Small Fonts" setting.  It is likely that you won't even notice
   these adjustments.  

   However, other cards, such as the Diamond Stealth, alter the Twips
   parameter of the display in order to display everything larger - not just
   the fonts.  Versions 3.3 and later of Gin Rummy compensates for this by
   shrinking some of the font sizes on those windows which display card
   images, particularly the main playing window.  While this "makes
   everything fit" the result is not as attractive as when "Small Fonts" is
   the enabled graphics display mode.  It is our opinion that the "Large 
   Fonts" setting on graphics cards which behave in this manner is counter
   productive, since "Small Fonts" at the next lower screen resolution
   provides a more attractive working environment, with less disruption, for
   many applications.  


Q. Why do I have to reset my sound and color preferences each time I play?

A. You don't.  After you have made the changes, "Save Configuration".


Q. How do I permanently change the default colors or card designs?

A. Set up the screen as you want the defaults to be.  Then select the "Save
   Configuration" choice from the "Configuration" menu.  Consult the help
   file for more information.


Q. Does Gin Rummy cheat by peeking at the player's cards?

A. No!  However, at the higher skill levels, Gin Rummy will remember every
   card in the discard pile, and will also make probability estimates of
   which unseen cards might be in your hand versus the stock.


Q. Why didn't you respond to the suggestions for enhancement I made?

A. Our first priority is to provide a quality game at the lowest possible
   price and this prevents us from entering into much personal correspondence.
   Most suggestions are incorporated into the next version of Gin Rummy. This
   is our way of responding positively to your suggestions.


Q. Why don't you accept credit cards or online registrations through
   CompuServe, for example?

A. Again, our first priority is to provide a quality game at the lowest
   possible price and thus we keep our overheads to a minimum.  With respect
   to online registration, our customers obtain Gin Rummy from a wide variety
   of sources and it would be impractical for us to offer different
   registration means for each source.


Q. I am a shareware distributor.  How do I obtain permision to distribute
   Gin Rummy to my customers?

A. As noted in the readgin.txt file, permission is automatically granted
   provided you distribute only the files noted therein.  Include VBRUN300.DLL
   if your customers might not otherwise have it on their systems.


Q. I am a software developer.  Are you able to share any of the Gin Rummy
   program code?

A. No.  All Gin Rummy code is proprietary, except for the third-party
   components which are described in the help file (in the section called "For
   The Technically Curious").


Q. Does MeggieSoft Games market any other games?

A. Gin Rummy was our first offering, released in 1994.  Gin Rummy is the
   second.  See the help file for an overview of Gin Rummy.


