


        
        
                                   Code Master
                                   version 1.0
        
        This  file gives a brief description of the Code Master game  and 
        included  files.  The game itself is based heavily on  the  board 
        game Master Mind and so it might be pretty self explanitory to  a 
        lot of you...but not everyone, eh?
        
        --Object--
        
        The  object  of  the game is to "break the code"  of  four  tiles 
        picked  by Code Master.  You have 10 lines to attempt  this,  but 
        good players will consistantly do it in 4 or 5...then it  becomes 
        a time challenge.
        
        
        --Playing the game--
        
        Code Master will first come up with a title screen with a  stupid 
        little  function on it and, of course, a notice that the game  is 
        SHAREWARE!   To  get instructions, just click the  mouse  on  the 
        button that says "Instructions" or push "I" on the ol' keyboard.
        
        Once all that is take care of the main screen will be  displayed.  
        On the left is the "board" where you will place tiles and receive 
        pegs.   Along the top is a menu/status bar.  And on the right  is 
        the  interaction  area, where you will be prompted for  the  next 
        thing you want to do.
        
        The  first question from Code Master asks if you'd like  multiple 
        occurances of the same tile in the answer.  Allowing  repetitions 
        will  make  the  game more difficult.  For example,  if  you  are 
        playing with 6 possible tiles, and you know that none of the four 
        in  the answer repeat, it becomes easy to eliminate  combinations 
        without  too much difficulty.  However, if the tiles  may  repeat 
        the  combinations  become more numerous and not as easy  to  rule 
        out.  It's really a personal choice, so...
        
        As soon as you make that decision Code Master begins timing  you.  
        The first prompt is for the position you'd like to place a  tile.  
        They  are numbered 1 to 4, so just push the corrosponding key  or 
        click the mouse on the screen button.  You may also point to  the 
        tile  on  the  board that you want to fill.   Then  you  will  be 
        prompted  for  the tile that you want to put  in  that  position.  
        Again,  press the proper key to click the mouse on the  tile  you 
        want.
        
        Once you are satisfied with your selections for that row you  can 
        press "O" or click the mouse on the OK on the menu bar.  You will 
        then  receive pegs in the following fashion.  You will receive  a 
        black peg for each tile that you have correctly placed.  You will 
        receive  a white peg for each tile that you correctly chose,  but 
        put in the wrong location.  The pegs will be awarded next to  the 
        row  that  you were working on, and will come black  first,  then 
        white.   The order in which they come is totally  independent  of 
        the tiles they represent.  
        
        And  that's about it for the game.  You may change the tile in  a 
        position  as  many  times  as  you want  but  you  only  have  10 
        rows...so, good luck.
        
        --Special--
        
        The Special item on the menu bar is reached be clicking the mouse 
        on special or pressing "S".  There are then these choises:
        
        -Toggle sound-
        This turns the sound on and off.  This is also possible with  the 
        F2 key.  The default is on.
        
        -Toggle mouse-
        This turns the mouse on and off.  The mouse driver must be loaded 
        when the program starts.  The default is on. 
        
        -Change tiles-
        This lets you load another tile set for use.  A word of  warning, 
        though, the old tiles still look the way they were, so it can  be 
        confusing  to  change in the middle of a game.  I've  written  an 
        editor to create tile sets and I'll release it if there is enough 
        demand.
        
        -No. of tiles-
        This allows you to set the difficulty of the game be changing the 
        number  of tiles there are to choose from.  The default  is  six, 
        but  seven and eight are also choices.  Another  warning,  change 
        the  tile number before starting a game because if you don't  the 
        game will be lost.
        
        -New game-
        Start a new game.  Allows you to change whether or repetions  are 
        allowed.
        
        -Quit-
        Get back to where it was Code Master was called (DOS, etc).
        
        --Help--
        Context sensitive help on selecting a position or tile.
        
        --Clue--
        Show  you one of the tiles that is in the answer.  Takes 10  from 
        your score.
        
        --Scoring--
        You  start  off with 100 points.  If you choose to  play  without 
        repetitions in the answer the score is docked 20.  For each  line 
        you use another 5 is taken off.  The object is to finish with the 
        highest score you can...in the least amount of time.
        Code Master is ShareWare.  This means that if you like or contin-
        ue  to use it after, oh say 10 days, you should register it  with 
        the author.  Registration not only give the author some compensa-
        tion  for taking all this time to write this, but also makes  him 
        feel that he didn't do it for nothing.  Please register by  send-
        ing $10 to the author:
        
          Vince Curley
          6468 Purple Hills Dr.
          San Jose, CA  95119-1540
        
        Also  include you name and address and disk size (3.5, 5.25)  and 
        also where you got the program.  When you register I'll send  you 
        the  newest version of Code Master and probably the Tile  Editor, 
        too.  What a deal!
        
        
        This program is not crippled, but the next version will  probably 
        have command line options, an options file for saving your  pref-
        erences and any bugs you tell me about fixed.
        
        I'm  always open to suggestions and comments.  If you like  some-
        thing,  tell me.  If you hate something, even  more  importantly, 
        tell  me.  (Something about the program...)  And especially  tell 
        me  about all the bugs.  It is version 1.0 and I'm not  Microsoft 
        so I can't call them features...so I'll fix 'em.
        
        Anyway...enough babbling.
        
        The include files are:
        
        CM.EXE              -    The executable.
        EGAVGA.BGI          -    The graphics driver.
        PICS.CMI            -    VGA tile file of colored circles.
        EGAPICS.CMI         -    EGA ...
        SHAPES.CMI          -    VGA tile file of weird shapes
        EGASHAPES.CMI       -    EGA ...
        EGALAW.CMI          -    EGA tile file of lawyer stuff (I made
                                 this  for  a  friend, I  have  no  other
                                 excuse.)
        GOTH.CHR            -    Character font or gothic letterning.
        CM.TXT              -    This document.



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