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 (3" 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.
