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.
~ian / sgt-puzzles.git / blobdiff