*Please Maximize this window to see the full text.* §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ § Jon Persky Games Presents § § 23 PICKUP v. 2.1 § §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ PACKING LIST 23PICKUP.EXE - The executable program file. 23PICKUP.TXT - This text file. If any of these files are altered or missing please let me know! REQUIREMENTS Windows 3.x, VGA. I'm not sure if you can get by without at least a 386, you're free to try. IMPORTANT: This program needs the file VBRUN100.DLL to work. Please see the Technical Information section further in this file for more details. INSTALLATION First, copy the files that came with 23 Pickup to your C:\WINDOWS directory by using File Manager. Close File Manager and open your Games group in Program Manager. Select File...New and click on Program Item. In the Description box, type "23 Pickup". In the Command Line box, type "\windows\23pickup.exe". You don't need to worry about the rest; just click OK. The icon will be there and you're ready to go! OVERVIEW In 23 PICKUP it's you against the computer in a battle of wits. You start with a pile of 23 sticks. You and the computer take turns taking 1, 2, or 3 sticks from the pile. The player who takes the last stick loses. This game takes immense strategy and it's very hard to win! HOW TO PLAY First, select your options. From the Options menu, pick the difficulty level, the starting player and the background color. Then you are ready. Click on the -1, -2, or -3 buttons to take away 1, 2, or 3 sticks. The number of sticks the computer takes is displayed at the bottom left of the screen. The number of sticks remaining is displayed at the top left. If the computer takes the last stick, you win. If you take the last stick, you lose. Good luck! COMMANDS Game Menu New (F2): Starts a new game. Exit (^X): Quits 23 Pickup. About 23 Pickup: Shareware info and other stuff. Options Menu Starting Player -> You Start: You take the first stick(s). Computer Starts: I go first. Level of Difficulty -> Easy: For beginners. Medium: A little harder, but still no sweat. Hard: Ouch! Einstein himself was 3-14 on this level. Background Color: Color-customize your background. NOTE: Choosing a Starting Player or Level of Difficulty command from the Options Menu will restart the game. There is no need to choose New from the Game Menu after choosing one of these options. Help Menu - a dialog box that tells you to open this file. STRATEGY & HINTS There is one pattern, if you go first, that will guarantee you a win, but I won't tell you here (E-mail me if you really want to know.) I will, however, tell you how to win at the end of the game. You are sure to win if it is your turn with these numbers of sticks left: 2,3,4,6,7,8. You are sure to lose if there are 1 or 5 sticks left. The same goes for the computer, so your chances of winning are even. On the easy and medium levels, the game will play on the same logic that I have told you here. The hard level will use the secret pattern. Try to remove enough sticks so that there are 1 or 5 remaining. This will ensure a win for you. Good luck!!! *For a SUPERHINT that will spare you several hours of frustration, scroll to the bottom of this file.* TECHNICAL NOTES 23 Pickup was made on Microsoft Visual Basic v. 1.0. To work effectively, the program MUST be accompanied by the file VBRUN100.DLL. You should either receive the file with this program or separately from the person or board you received this from. If not, please contact me via CompuServe [70661,700] or by mail (see below for address) and I will upload or or mail a disk (to minimize costs, I will send a low-density 5.25" disk, please tell me if this is a problem) to you at no charge. Note: VBRUN100.DLL is a large (270+ KB) file. You only need one copy of this file. So if you have previously downloaded a Visual Basic application or have the Visual Basic program, you can delete this file. However, you should have a copy of this file in the same directory as the 23 Pickup program. NEW IN VERSION 2.1 Since 2.0, I neatened up the menus and set a pause between your move and the computer's move in order to ease confusion. SHAREWARE INFO 23 Pickup is Shareware. If you enjoy it, you should register by sending $5 to: Jonathan D. Persky 5 Oak Lane Weston, CT 06883 Please include your name, address, and where you got your copy of 23 Pickup. If you register, you will receive a disk (please specify 3.5" or 5.25") of the latest versions of all completed Jon Persky Games so far. The disk will only contain one copy of the file VBRUN100.DLL. You can also register electronically if you subscribe to CompuServe. Simply type GO SWREG and search for registration #255. The registration fee will appear on your CompuServe bill. If you register by this method, the fee will be $6 instead of $5. This additional charge covers CompuServe's 15% processing fee. However, you may find this method more convenient, as you can include the fee on your CompuServe account and you don't have to bother with sending cash or checks. Please remember that the only way I receive compensation for my time and effort is by your registration payment. Remember that you'll receive a disk with the complete set of Jon Persky Games in exchange for your registration. At the current time, the disk will include 6 games (see the "Won't You Please Check Out" section below.) With shareware, disk, and postage costs, this is a $32 value for your $5 registration! The good thing about shareware is that the author and the user both benefit from it a great deal. And, if you don't like the game, simply remove it from your hard disk and your only cost is any charges associated with downloading the program. Also, you are not required to pay registration for the games you receive upon registering this game. You may upload 23 Pickup to bulletin boards in condensed or uncondensed format or pass it to your friends provided you do so at no cost and you keep the files 23PICKUP.EXE and 23PICKUP.TXT intact and unaltered. (Check with your bulletin board to make sure it has a copy of VBRUN100.DLL, and if it doesn't, please upload it separately.) AND WON'T YOU PLEASE CHECK OUT... As of September 1, 1992, these are all completed Jon Persky Games, with the latest version number in parentheses and the program name in brackets. 1. What's My Number? (3.0) [WHATSMY#.EXE] Can you guess the computer's secret number in as few turns as possible? 2. Switch (2.0) [SWITCH.EXE] 100's of combinations, only 2 solutions to this challenging logic puzzle! 3. 23 Pickup (2.1) [23PICKUP.EXE] The game where you get to prove the mechanical brain is not always smarter than the natural variety. 4. Target (2.1) [TARGET.EXE] Shoot for the bullseye in this fun dart-shooting game. Which type of throw is best for you? 5. Number Crunch (2.0) [NOCRUNCH.EXE] Can your trigger finger beat the clock and uncover the numbers in order? Based on the board game Numbers Up. 6. Jeopardy Scorekeeper (1.1) [JEOPKEEP.EXE] An accessory program that lets you play along with the contestants on TV! FEEDBACK I'd love to chat. If you subscribe to CompuServe, E-Mail me at ID# [70661,700]. Questions, comments, ideas, suggestions, criticism, or ideas for new games would be appreciated. If you don't use CompuServe, you can use the traditional mailbox method and send it to the address above. I'll be sure to get back to you personally. I am 14 years old, a novice computer programmer, and would like to learn all I can! NOTE: I can also be reached at The Fine Blue Line BBS at (203) 226-3565. P.S. PLEASE SPREAD THIS AROUND!!! Public domain software is the most popular kind out there, and its essential purpose is to provide you with quality entertainment for a low cost. Please do your best to upload this game to all the bulletin boards you subscribe to, and pass it around to your friends. It will make us all very happy ! If enough people let me know what they think, I'll feel motivated so I just might decide to put that little world peace plan I've been conjuring up into action. :-) 23 Pickup is #3 in the Jon Persky Games series. ©Copyright 1992, Jonathan D. Persky. All rights reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPERHINT (don't look unless you really, really, want to!) It is impossible to win from the hard level if the computer starts first. If you start first from the hard level, you will have to use the secret pattern in order to win. By repeatedly playing with the computer starting first, maybe you can pick up the secret pattern.