and via \I{keys}keyboard shortcuts, in addition to any game-specific
actions.
+(On Mac OS X, to conform with local user interface standards, these
+actions are situated on the \I{File menu}\q{File} and \q{Edit
+menu}\q{Edit} menus instead.)
+
\dt \ii\e{New game} (\q{N}, Ctrl+\q{N})
\dd Starts a new game, with a random initial state.
\dd Redoes a previous undone move.
+\dt \ii\e{Copy}
+
+\dd Copies the current state of your game to the clipboard in text
+format, so that you can paste it into (say) an e-mail client or a
+web message board if you're discussing the game with someone else.
+(Not all games support this feature.)
+
+\dt \ii\e{Solve}
+
+\dd Transforms the puzzle instantly into its solved state. For some
+games (Cube) this feature is not supported at all because it is of
+no particular use. For other games (such as Pattern), the solved
+state can be used to give you information, if you can't see how a
+solution can exist at all or you want to know where you made a
+mistake. For still other games (such as Sixteen), automatic solution
+tells you nothing about how to \e{get} to the solution, but it does
+provide a useful way to get there quickly so that you can experiment
+with set-piece moves and transformations.
+
+\lcont{
+
+Some games (such as Solo) are capable of solving a game ID you have
+typed in from elsewhere. Other games (such as Rectangles) cannot
+solve a game ID they didn't invent themself, but when they did
+invent the game ID they know what the solution is already. Still
+other games (Pattern) can solve \e{some} external game IDs, but only
+if they aren't too difficult.
+
+}
+
\dt \I{exit}\ii\e{Quit} (\q{Q}, Ctrl+\q{Q})
\dd Closes the application entirely.
\H{common-id} Recreating games with the \ii{game ID}
The \q{\i{Specific...}} option from the \I{Game menu}\q{Game} menu
-lets you see a short string (the \q{game ID}) that captures the
-initial state of the current game.
+(or the \q{File} menu, on Mac OS X) lets you see a short string (the
+\q{game ID}) that captures the initial state of the current game.
The precise \I{ID format}format of the ID is specific to each game.
It consists of two parts delimited by a colon (e.g., \c{c4x4:4F01,0});
The easiest way to do this is to set up the parameters you want
using the \q{Type} menu (see \k{common-type}), and then to select
-\q{Specific} from the \q{Game} menu (see \k{common-id}). The text in
-the \q{Game ID} box will be composed of two parts, separated by a
-colon. The first of these parts represents the game parameters (the
-size of the playing area, for example, and anything else you set
-using the \q{Type} menu).
+\q{Specific} from the \q{Game} or \q{File} menu (see \k{common-id}).
+The text in the \q{Game ID} box will be composed of two parts,
+separated by a colon. The first of these parts represents the game
+parameters (the size of the playing area, for example, and anything
+else you set using the \q{Type} menu).
If you run the game with just that parameter text on the command
line, it will start up with the settings you specified.
ascending order.
In basic Twiddle, your move is to rotate a square group of four
-tiles about their common centre. (Orientation is not significant:
-tiles never end up upside down!) On more advanced settings, you can
-rotate a larger square group of tiles.
+tiles about their common centre. (Orientation is not significant in
+the basic puzzle, although you can select it.) On more advanced
+settings, you can rotate a larger square group of tiles.
I first saw this type of puzzle in the GameCube game \q{Metroid
Prime 2}. In the Main Gyro Chamber in that game, there is a puzzle
is just to arrange all the 1s into the first row, all the 2s into
the second row, and so on.
+\b You can configure whether the orientation of tiles matters. If
+you ask for an orientable puzzle, each tile will have a triangle
+drawn in it. All the triangles must be pointing upwards to complete
+the puzzle.
+
\C{rectangles} \i{Rectangles}
~ian / sgt-puzzles.git / blobdiff