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install/demo/fpcgames.txt

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+The FPC games docs...
+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------
+NOTICE:
+
+The ported games (see below) were found on a site that claims to only have
+PD stuff, and the webmaster said that everything he published was sent to
+him with that purpose. We tried finding the persons mentioned in the mail
+over internet, but that failed.
+If there is somebody that claims authorship of these programs, please mail
[email protected], and the sources will be removed from our websites.
+
+SameGame can also use the API for mousecontrol. This because the RTL mouseunit
+MsMouse only exists under Go32V2. The API mouse routines work with Linux, but
+have (right now) a problem with GPM version 1.17. Use a different version if
+you can 1.15 works according to the developpers.
+
+The source code of FPCTRIS and SAMEGAME) are written by Marco van de Voort
+and are donated to the FPC project. The FPC project distributes all sources
+under a modified GNU license (much like the so called LGPL) see copying.fpc.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------
+REQUEST:
+
+As a developper team, we don't want spend 90% of our time in creating demoes.
+If you have something nice, which explains not yet demonstrated features or
+technicques, mail contact us via [email protected], or add it to the
+contrib page.
+The readers are also encouraged to explore FPC's excellent documentation
+with many examples!!!!!
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+0 What are the FPC games?
+
+The FPC-games are a series of simple, small games written or ported by
+Marco van de Voort ([email protected]) as demos for the
+Free Pascal compiler (FPC) and its Run Time Libraries (RTL).
+The "ported" games were first used to test the compability of the GRAPH
+unit. Since we had them, and they were very likely PD or GPL, we decided
+to use them when we couldn't contact the authors
+
+Currently the games are
+
+  (Games written by Marco van de Voort)
+- FPCTris (v0.08)                       Tetr'ish game.
+- Samegame (v0.03)                      As found on e.g. GNOME.
+
+ Other games:
+- Gravwars (Sohrab Ismail-Beigi?)       Simple angle and shoot game
+                                        (like TANK distributed with QBasic)
+- Maze (Randy Ding)                     Maze generator and "game"
+- Quad (Justin and Whitney Pierce)      Memory game but with 4 cards each.
+
+All "other games" games are simpler than my ones, though Quad has overall
+the most sophisticated graphics, and Maze a reasonably complicated algoritm
+(compared to the other ones)
+
+Most of these games use Gameunit.pp which contains some very simple
+generic routines:
+- textual and graphics mode safe input dialogue (replacement for readkey)
+- highscores (show, helper routines for entering scores etc)
+- wrappers for mouse via msmouse or API on other targets
+- Some routines needed for BP compability
+
+To compile the games on non dos targets you have to change DEFINE the
+MouseAPI conditional in gameunit.pp (automatical for Linux).
+
+To get the graphics versions of fpctris and samegame, compile using
+-dUsegraphics, the makefile should automatically build both.
+
+Future
+--------
+
+- Some cards games (BlackJack, Poker, and two Dutch games called "Rikken" and
+   "Toepen") are in preparation
+- A server for Linux, so that Linux clients can connect to it for multiplayer
+   services. One server for all games, otherwise small games like this clog up
+   the number of free ports ;-)
+   This is also important because most of the cardsgames (except BlackJack)
+   can't be played against the computer, the AI is to difficult. (Poker is maybe
+   also possible)
+- More games
+- A fortune clone (far more sophisticated than everything here) to complete
+  the BSD games analogy
+
+---------
+FPCTRIS
+
+Fpctris is a tetris class game, originally designed
+
+- to be distributed with FPC as Crt demo,
+- Keeping possible integration in the IDE in mind (would add 15k or so)
+- Svgalib version etc etc. Anyway, the engine is quite platform independant,
+   and can be ported to different platforms (also TUI,GUI) if needed.
+   (this has now be done. Graph seems fast enough)
+
+The current versions are still under development, but already playable even
+under telnet.
+
+TODO list:
+
+- (difficult, also interesting for Crt and IDE), get more terminals supported
+  under Linux. Specially I don't want to issue the escape sequence that rapes
+  your console to an IBM compat charset. Linux users don't like that.
+  (temporarily solved by doing this only on user request)
+
+- (Linux) Sockets multiplayer client system :-). Have actually started on it,
+   but are getting nowhere. The server will be separate and support more than
+   one game. So you get one port for several games.
+
+- Setup screen ((create) alternate blocks etc)
+
+- Commandline options/config file. (.rctetris per user :-))
+
+KNOWN BUGS:
+
+ - Upperrow not used with some chars. (Requires shifting up). Possibly related
+   that very rarely "game over" appears when there's still one or two rows to
+   go. (Since the 5x5 version some of this has been removed. If you get a
+   L-shaped character and immediately rotate, the upper line is used)
+ - Biggest problem at the moment is the delay procedure and its init on machines
+    under heavy load. Can't change that though. Only under heavy load, so a
+    less big problem on heavy machines.
+ - Selection of colors don't take screen attribs into account. So figures can
+    seem to disappear on weird TTY's or 4Dos people using strange ANSI prompts.
+
+History:
+
+v0.00    First version with working gameplay, created during the Brussels
+          meeting. published on tflily.
+v0.01    Some work done, first version on my page. Most improvements done in
+         Brussels, too many to name here.
+v0.02  - Got rid of binary encoding, and calculating shapes etc when a new
+         figure is created. All is done on startup now. Adding characters
+         is simpler now.
+      - A lot of parameters are variables instead of constants.
+      - Experienced tetrissers press "e" once.
+      - Colors! Linux has the color default off (press "C")
+v0.03  (Only used at Stack, not on web)
+      - Keep on pushing arrow down no longer freezes FPCTris.
+      - Basic level system implemented.
+      - High ascii background in color mode.
+v0.04  (Only used at Stack, not on web)
+      - The push-down arrow fix removed the possibility to move the character
+         after arrow-down, which I liked much. Fixed. # of possible moves after
+         arrow-down also adjustable.
+      - Tried compiling with W32 compiler. RTE 216 (which is gpf I believe)
+         Is Crt unit. Hello World "Use crt" also gpf's.
+      - Removed the first, forgotten bugfix for the hickup problem. Now the
+         "feel" of the game is ok. When you push down, it goes down, but you
+         have the change to do one more move.
+v0.05  (Never used anywere, backup version before movement to 5x5 figures)
+      - More Score info
+      - Help possiblity
+      - Highscores. (also saved to file, and searched in the path)
+      - Entering highscores uses inputstr. Size boosts to 1200 lines. Yuck.
+      - Most functionality now implemented.
+v0.06 (To Peter)
+      - 5x5 figures including "The Cross". Worked almost rightaway, but figures
+         rotate a bit weird.
+      - Better rotation 5x5 system. Only smallest square around figure is
+         rotated.
+      - Better scores. Incl quadratic (progressive is a better word) scores for
+         multiple lines. Now it does matter if you remove 2 x 1 line or 2
+         lines at once.
+      - Some small other fixes.
+      - 'q' is also exit.
+
+v0.07  - Highscore table routines moved to gameunit. Gameunit.pp now required.
+
+v0.08 - FileMode in GameUnit fixed.
+      - Small error that never popped up fixed. Pierre found it by compiling with
+         checks on.
+      - Graph mode implemented. Hopefully it also works under Linux (read the
+        Graph unit is platform independant enough) Compile with -dUseGraphics.
+
+----------
+SameGame.
+
+Principle copied from KDE/GNOME.
+
+The principle: The playfield is a grid consisting out of 3 colors.
+You can mark a certain spot on the playfield, and all adjacent grid-cubes
+(horizontally or vertically) will also get marked by the computer.
+When you press the left button, and two or more cubes are marked, the marked
+cubes will disappear, and the playfield will colapse to the bottom left.
+This can be repeated until there are no more agregates. If the field is empty
+then, you receive a bonus.
+
+The trick is that the score for each disappearing aggregate of cubes is more
+than linear (0.25* quadratic right now) dependant on the number of cubes it
+contains.
+
+This means that removing 5 times an aggregate of 2 cubes will result in a far
+smaller score than one aggregate of 10 cubes. ( 5*2^2 < 10^2)
+
+TODO:
+
+[none]
+
+BUGS:
+
+- Maybe better algoritm for initial filling of playfield.
+- Runtime sizable playfield.
+
+HISTORY:
+
+v0.01 :
+       - Initial version.
+       - Slightly improved initial algoritm.
+
+v0.02  - Using gameunit. GPM support via API, but whole thing GPF's under Linux,
+          but works under Go32V2.
+       - Highscores,helpscreen, all small things that come with a decent finishing
+         of the concept
+v0.03  - Fix to game unit that upset configuration files under 0.99.13
+       - q,x and Escape now exit.
+       - Weirdly enough, mouse cursor disappears when moving over a black spot.
+          Playing with delays was unsuccesfull.
+       - Graphical support. Compile with -dUseGraphics
+
+----------
+Gravwars (author:Sohrab Ismail-Beigi)
+
+Specify angle and speed, and try to hit the other spaceship. Some planetoids
+exist that can bend the curve of the bullet/ray.
+The game uses is designed for TP4.0 and uses Turtle'ish drawing. So we
+use it as a test for TP4.0 Graph compability.
+
+TODO:
+- Use InputStr for input.
+
+BUGS/FLAWS : None, except that it is very basic (and not worth extending)
+
+HISTORY:
+
+v0.01 :
+       - Initial FPC port.
+----------
+MAZE    (Author Randy Ding)
+
+Nothing special, but from all FPC-games the one with a real algoritm.
+(some form of shortest path through a maze I guess) The others are much
+simpler as far as algoritms are concerned.
+
+The programs asks some simple parameters, and creates a more or less complex
+MAZE. The task for the player is to go from one side to the other:
+
+Use I,J,K,M or arrow keys to walk through the maze
+Hit X when you give up!
+
+TODO:
+- Use InputStr for input.
+- Help on screen if there is enough room?
+- Big mazes/very high resolutions?
+   (bigger than the current max 200x200 is unreadable on 1024/768)
+
+HISTORY
+ v0.01 :
+       - Initial FPC port.
+
+------------
+QUAD
+
+My favorite of the other games, and by far the most work to port/clean up.
+
+The program deals some cards blind. It flips over maximal 4 cards, and if
+the 4 turned are the same, it removes them. (the game exists as a card game
+called MEMORY too, but only with two cards at the same time)
+You have to remove all the cards to win, and the highscore record
+the time. QUAD loads some pictures from quaddata.dat.
+
+TODO:
+- Use graphical versions of highscore.
+
+HISTORY
+ v0.01 :
+       - Initial FPC port.