Main Contents
 QUINTA FOR WINDOWS --  HELP

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Introduction

Basic Game Rules

Using the Control Panel

Using Menus

How to Play

Strategy

The Fifteen Tactics

The QUINTA.INI File

Problems

Shareware


Introduction

QUINTA for Windows is a game that runs on IBM and IBM-compatible computers.  It requires a mouse and Microsoft Windows Ver 3.0 or greater and is written in Microsoft Visual Basic, Version 3.0.  QUINTA is similar to Go-Moku, GO and the board game PENTE (registered trademark of Parker Brothers).  See Basic Game Rules for more information.


Game Rules
Basic Game Rules

QUINTA is actually quite simple to play.  There are two players who alternate placing their stones on the board.  There are three modes: 1) two-players, 2) one-player versus the computer and 3) computer-versus-computer.

There are two ways to win.  First, you may win by placing five or more of your stones in a straight row.  The row may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal.  (Like winning at Tick Tack Toe but with five pieces instead of three.)  Second, you may win by capturing five of your opponent's pairs of stones.  You capture a pair by enclosing them with two of your stones, one at each end.  You may capture more than one pair with a single move.  Note that you do not capture your opponent's pair when he puts two pieces between yours, only when you place the second piece around his pair.  Always make your first move in the middle of the board as indicated by the mark.  That's all there is to it.  Of course, you must defend yourself from being attacked in the same way.  There are tactics that the computer uses to make its moves that are explained under The Fifteen Tactics.  Each time the computer makes a move the tactic it used is displayed in the Control Panel.  You can sharpen your strategies by observing the computers techniques.


Using the Control Panel

The MODE Option Buttons let you select the mode of play.  You may select Two Player, One-Player-versus-Computer or Computer-versus-Computer.  Use the Clear button to clear the board after a game is completed.  Use the Quit button to leave QUINTA completely.

When the Computer-vs-Computer mode is selected the three buttons in the AUTO box become available.  To let the computer play both sides press the Run button.  You may halt play at any time by pressing the Halt button and you may resume the automatic play by pressing the Run button again.  When the game is Halted in the Auto mode the Step button becomes available to step the game one move at a time.  The Back button will be enabled at appropriate times allowing you to reverse the game play and take back moves.  This is particularly helpful when learning strategy.

There are several indications of the games status.  The Games Won counters report how many games each player has won during this session.  The button marked "0" lets you reset the score.  The Pairs Lost counters show how many pairs each player has lost thus far in the current game.  A player who loses five pairs loses the game.

The phrase appearing in the Tactic Box under the "QUINTA" name indicates the tactic used by the computer on its previous move.  They are explained under Strategy.

The stone displayed just above the control box shows which player is to make the next move.


Using Menus

The File menu is used to exit the program.

The Options menu lets you set the sound on or off as well the level of play (Novice or Advanced).  If you save the settings by selecting Save Settings they will be restored next time you start QUINTA.

The Help menu has three selections the first provides instructions on using Help.  The second lets you view these help screens  and the third is the "About Box" that tells about the author and revision level of QUINTA.


How to Play

The default mode is One-Player.  In this mode the player plays against the computer.  The player goes first.  To place a stone just point to an intersection with the mouse and press the left mouse button.  After the player makes a move the computer will take its turn and will display the tactic it used.  The first move should be made in the center position.  If you want the computer to go first just place your first stone off to the side.

In the Computer-vs-Computer mode pressing the Run button causes the computer to play both players.  The game may be paused by pressing the Halt button.  It may then be stepped one move at a time by pressing the Step button or resumed at automatic speed by pressing the Run button..

In the Two Player mode each player takes a turn with the mouse.  No tactic is displayed.

You may switch between modes during the course of a game.  You can set up situations in the Two Player mode and then switch to One Player or Comp-vs-Comp mode.  You can also press the Step button during the Two Player mode.  This lets you see where the computer would move.


Strategy

There are a few basics to understand about the game strategy.  If a player gets four in a row with no opponent's stone at either end (called an "open four"), he will win on the next move unless one of the stones can be captured.  If the opponent blocks one end of this "open four", the player can form five-in-a-row by placing his stone at the other end.  Since this is true, if a player has three-in-a-row with no opponent at either end (called an "open three"), it must be blocked by the opponent or it can be made into an open four on the next move, leading to a win.  Similarly, a split three or a split four is equally dangerous and must be blocked.

It is desirable to place a stone that forms two rows (of three or four) simultaneously.  The opponent will only be able to deal with one threat at a time.  The computer does not recognize this strategy and so can be beaten with its use.  Sometimes the computer's move creates this double threat and you will be beaten, but it was not intentional.

The computer has been taught fifteen different tactics.  They are rank ordered in importance.  The computer starts with the most important and searches for the situation calling for that particular tactic.  If the situation exists, the appropriate move is made.  If not, it works its way down the list until a move is required.  The last tactic is to make a random move which is always done if no previous move has been made.  The strategies are a combination of defensive and offensive moves.

The computer does not "look ahead" to plan its strategy though it does employ a few subtleties when set to the Advanced skill level.  (Strategies that are unique to Advanced skill are shown with "(ADV)" in the Strategy section)

1.	If it can block a row by placing a stone in more than one position it will try to use the position where it will not be captured on the next move.

2.	It will not waste a move blocking a short row that can not be extended to five-in-a-row.

3.	If it can block a row by removing one of the opposing stones as part of a pair, it will do that in preference to placing a stone at the end of the chain.

4.	It will not make a random move where it can be immediately captured.


The Fifteen Tactics

The fifteen tactics below are attempted by the computer on all positions of the board.  They are checked in the order presented here.  Actually, only the positions in a rectangle one position larger than the furthest stone from the center are tested.  That is why the calculations take longer as the board fills.

1.   MAKE 5 - This is the highest priority tactic for obvious reasons.  It makes the game-winning move by extending a row of four to five (or more).

2.   BLOCK 4 - This is the defensive counterpart to tactic 1.  It blocks a row of four to prevent the opposing win.  If the opposing row of four is closed, the block will succeed.  If it is open, the opposing player will win on the next move unless a stone in the row can be captured.

3.   EXTEND SPLIT 3 - An offensive move that tries to create a winning row of five stones from a split row of 3.

4.   BLOCK SPLIT 4 - The defensive counterpart to tactic 3.  Tries to block creation of a long row.  It will block by removing a stone if it can (ADV).

5.   BLOCK SPLIT 3 - The defensive counterpart to tactic 3.

6.   EXTEND OPEN 3 - An offensive tactic to lengthen an open row of three.  It will try to choose an end where it will not be captured on the next turn (ADV).

7.   BLOCK OPEN 3 - The defensive counterpart to tactic 6 (NOV).  It will try to break up the open three by taking a pair if that is possible (ADV) and will try to choose an end where it will not be captured on the next turn (ADV).

8.   TAKE 2 - This tactic will capture an opponent's pair.  It will do so even if the placed stone can be captured on the next move.

9.   EXTEND CLOSED 2 - This is the defensive counterpart to tactic 8. It tries to prevent a closed pair from being captured.  It does so even if the placed stone can be captured on the next move.

10.  EXTEND OPEN 2 - An offensive move to lengthen an open two.  It will only extend the row if the placed stone can not be captured on the next move (ADV).

11.  BLOCK OPEN 2 - (ADV) A defensive move to prevent an open two from being lengthened.  It will only place the stone if it can not be captured on the next move.

12.  BLOCK CLOSED 3 - (ADV) A defensive move to prevent the lengthening of a closed three.  It will try to remove one of the stones first.  It will only place the stone if it can not be captured on the next move.

13.  EXTEND CLOSED 3 - (ADV) The offensive counterpart to tactic 12. It will only place the stone if it can not be captured on the next move.

14.  BLOCK SPLIT 2 -  A defensive move to prevent the lengthening of an open split two.  It will only place the stone if it can not be captured on the next move. (ADV)

15.  RANDOM - When all other tactics are not required this move will place a stone in a pseudo position.  It will not place a stone where it can be captured on the next move.  The search begins at the center and spirals outward.  There is a random factor applied to the first several moves to give variety to the computer's games.


QUINTA.INI File
The QUINTA.INI file

The initialization file QUINTA.INI is placed in the directory in which you installed QUINTA.  Among other things it contains the file names for the sounds.  See the Problems section if you are having trouble with the sounds.  QUINTA defaults to using four of the standard WAV files that are installed with WIndows.  The settings for Sound (ON/OFF) and Skill (NOV/ADV) are also saved here when Save Settings is selected from the OPTIONS menu.

The Initialization file is a plain text file and can be edited with Notepad.  The entries look like this:

[OPTIONS]

VictorySoundFile=tada.wav

BadSoundFile=chord.wav

PutAPieceSoundFile=ding.wav

TakeTwoPiecesSoundFile=chimes.wav

Sound=ON

Skill=ADV

To change the sounds to files of your own choosing just edit the file names.  The sound files must be in the "WAV" format.  The names are self explanatory.  If the files are not located in your Windows directory you must include the whole path name.  For example:

VictorySoundFile=c:\sounds\trumpets.wav


Problems

Can not hear sounds - You must have a sound board installed to make use of the sounds in QUINTA.  Also check to see that Sound in the Options menu is checked.   You must have the appropriate WAV files installed.  See the section on the QUINTA.INI file for the list of files.


Shareware

This program is being distributed as Shareware.  It is not free software.  You may try it out at no charge but if you decide to keep it you must send a registration fee of $12 to Pennant Enterprises at the address below:  A DOS version of QUINTA is also available.

               Pennant Enterprises

               25 Shadow Lane

               Great Neck, NY 11021

                Les Penner

               (516) 466-5574

Send any comments and suggestion to the above address or to Compuserve 75236,1572 or Prodigy TMDB08A......


Split Three

Two stones in a row adjacent to an open space followed by another stone of the same color.


Split Four

Two stones in a row, followed by an open space followed by two more stones in a row.  Or, three stones in a row followed by an empty space followed by one more stone of the same color.


Split 2

A Split 2 is two stones of the same color with an empty space between them.


Blocked

To "block" is to place an opposing stone at the end of a row.


Closed

A row of stones of a particular color is said to be "closed" if the opponent has a stone at one end.


Open

A row of stones is said to be "open" if there are no opposing stones at either end.


Stones

Stones are the pieces used by each player...