Hearts
Copyright (c) 1993 by John Comeau - All Rights Reserved.
Introduction
Hearts is a classic card game - an all time favorite. It is a
game of considerable skill, one that can hold the interest of
serious card aficionados. However, luck plays a large part also,
so the winner isn't always determined by card skill alone. This
classic game can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels.
Traditionally a four-player game, this version of hearts pits you
against 3 computer opponents. Program features include:
o Fast and easy play with mouse or keyboard.
o On-line help - whenever you may need it
o On-line playing advice - on request or automatically
o Many user selectable rules & controls - tailor the game to
YOUR preferences.
o User selectable competition - choose the opponents YOU
prefer.
o On-Line odds & statistics - an invaluable aid to anyone
seeking to become a better player.
o All original music - Sounds great with AdLib or Sound
Blaster compatible sound boards.
o Digitized sound - with most popular sound boards or with
your computer's internal speaker
o Great color graphics - Taking full advantage of your
computer's capabilities
Limited Warranty & Support
Hearts is copyrighted. Duplication of this software or any
package contents, other than for personal convenience, without
the express written consent from Villa Crespo Software is
prohibited by law. See the accompanying registration card for
warranty information.
To receive free technical assistance you must have registered by
sending the enclosed Registration Card. Telephone requests for
assistance will not be honored unless you have registered. If you
have trouble getting this software to run properly, please check
this documentation first. If you can't find the solution to your
problem, please contact us at the address/phone number below.
Villa Crespo Software
Technical Support Dept.
1725 McGovern Street
Highland Park, IL 60035
(708) 433-0500
Equipment
This IBM PC version of Hearts requires an IBM PC/XT/AT/PSx with a
graphics adapter, 400k of free memory and DOS version 3.0 or
later. Hearts can be run from hard drive or floppy disk, with a
hard drive being highly recommended. A mouse is optional, as is a
sound card.
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Your display adapter
Hearts will run with most popular graphics adapters, including
Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA and Super VGA. It supports both color and
monochrome monitors. On start-up it examines your computer's
graphics capabilities and automatically chooses the best graphics
mode that your computer can support.
However you can explicitly tell this program to use a lesser
graphics mode. To do this add one of these command line options
to the command you type to start this program: HERCULES, CGA,
EGA, VGA.
You also can explicitly tell this program to use either color or
monochrome graphics by adding one of these options: COLOR, MONO.
Note: Alas, the COLOR option can't make your monochrome monitor
display in color! But in the unlikely case that the program
incorrectly determines that your color monitor is monochrome you
can overrule the program, and get color.
For more information, see the section of this document titled
"Command line arguments". There you'll find these and other
options explained in greater detail
User Interface - General
This program's user interface allows for fast and easy play, with
either keyboard or mouse. It works as follows:
1. You'll be using a small arrow-shaped 'cursor' to point to
items or actions on the screen.
2. You can move the cursor using your mouse, or by pressing
the left/right/up/down arrow keys on the right-hand side
of your keyboard.
3. When the cursor moves onto an item or action that can be
selected, the computer lights up a halo around the item.
4. Press the left mouse button, or press your keyboard's
ENTER key, to 'select' the item with the halo.
With this program you don't need to choose between 'keyboard
mode' and 'mouse mode'. Both the mouse and the keyboard are
always 'turned on', with the program ready to follow a command
from either.
Using your Mouse
Full operation of this program is possible using your mouse
alone. You needn't touch the keyboard except if you want to enter
your name at the beginning of a new game. This program follows
some very common, and simple, conventions for mouse use:
- Movement of the mouse on the table, is duplicated on your
computer screen by the movement of the cursor (a small white
arrow).
- The leftmost mouse button selects (or changes) the item the
cursor is positioned over.
- The rightmost mouse button causes you to exit from a screen.
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That's all you need to know - Hearts doesn't use any of the more
complicated mouse maneuvers, such as 'dragging' and 'double-
clicking'.
Note: To use your mouse appropriate mouse driver software must be
installed on your computer. Most computer users who have a mouse
have their AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file setup so that their
mouse driver software installs automatically when they turn on
their computer. If you routinely use your mouse with other
software this is probably the case with your computer too.
Otherwise, you'll find instructions for installing your mouse
driver software in the documentation that came with your mouse.
Using your keyboard
When running this program certain keys on your keyboard have a
consistent meaning no matter what screen you are in. These keys
are:
ESC Pressing the key marked ESC, called 'the escape key'
usually means, 'get me out of this screen'.
ENTER Pressing the ENTER key (usually an oblong dark colored
key marked with a crooked arrow pointing left) means
'select' or change the item the cursor is positioned
over.
ARROWS When you press any of the keys marked by arrows
(they're on the right hand side your keyboard) it
means 'move the cursor in the direction of the arrow'.
F1 You can press this key anytime for help.
crtl-C When a game is in progress pressing ctrl-C will cause
the program to clear your screen, save your game on
disk, and exit immediately to DOS.
For the sake of clarity, all operating instructions that follow
have the mouse users' instructions in the main text. Instructions
for the keyboard appear in brackets. For instance:
"Press the left mouse button [Key: ENTER]."
In this case, while a mouse user would press the left mouse
button, a keyboard user would press the keyboard key labeled
"ENTER".
Command line Options
When starting this program you can follow the program name with
one or more optional command line arguments (options). There are
about a dozen different recognized options. One of these causes
the program to give you a short report summarizing your
computer's capabilities. The other options give you control over
such things as sound, graphics board, monitor type and colors.
On most computers this program will correctly identify the
graphics and monitor - and these options are not necessary.
But if you find that you need to force a particular mode, the
section below describes how to do this with a command line
argument.
MONO Monochrome monitor attached to display. You can use
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this option to force a monochrome presentation even if
you do have a color monitor.
COLOR Color monitor attached to display. Unfortunately you
can't use this option to get color from your
monochrome monitor! But in the event that this program
mistakenly thinks your color monitor is monochrome,
you can use this option to 'wise it up'.
HERCULES Commands the program to use Hercules graphics (720*348
2 color).
HGC Same as HERCULES.
CGA Commands the program to use CGA graphics (320*200, 4
color) even if your computer is capable of much
better. With this mode's low resolution comes a
possible redeeming benefit: speed. If you are running
this program on a veteran 8088/8086/PC class machine
and finding EGA or VGA graphics a bit too sluggish,
consider choosing this option. You may find that
gaining speed at the cost of resolution is a happy
tradeoff.
EGA Commands the program to use EGA graphics (640*350 16
color) even if your computer is capable of much
better.
VGA Commands the program to VGA graphics (640*480 16
color) even though your computer is capable of Super
VGA.
NOVESA Commands the program to ignore your VESA driver. It
will instead try to identify the chip set on your
Super VGA display adapter and, if successful, talk
directly to the adapter.
EGA64K Commands this program run as if your system had IBM's
original 64k EGA graphics board without the piggyback
add-in. With this option, your display will be limited
to 4 colors. If your system has no EGA or VGA
capabilities, this option is ignored.
SILENT Commands the program to start up quietly, without
making sound or music.
SYSINFO Commands the program to size up your computer's
capabilities and give you a brief report. The report
includes such things as your computer's approximate
speed, DOS version, sound capabilities and amount of
free memory.
HELP Display a brief summary of all legal command line
options.
If conflicting options appearing on a command line, for instance
MONO and COLOR, the option closest to the end of the command line
takes precedence.
When you start this program it looks in the directory that
contains your "HEARTS.EXE' file for a file named "HEARTS.CLI".
You can create an ASCII file named "HEARTS.CLI" with any text
editor. Any command line options that appear on the first line of
your "HEARTS.CLI" file will be recognized by the program just as
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if you typed them on the command line.
Any option you type in on the command line will take precedence
over a conflicting option in the "HEARTS.CLI" file.
The Rules of Hearts
This section describes the standard rules or hearts for four
players - as faithfully re-created by this program.
The game of Hearts is played with a standard deck of 52 cards.
The dealer shuffles the deck, and deals out all the cards. Each
player receives 13 cards. The players, after examining their
hands, pick 3 of their cards and pass them to an opponent. After
the pass, the player the dealer's left must lead a card to begin
the hand. As play proceeds clockwise around the table, players
must play a card of the same suit as that led. A player who has
no cards of the suit that was led can play any card they wish.
After all four players have played a card, the player who played
the highest card of the suit led wins the trick. The winner of
the trick also wins the privilege of leading next trick. This is
repeated 12 times. At this point all cards will have been played,
and the hand is over. It's time to tally up the score.
In hearts certain cards are worth points against the player who
captures them in a trick. The queen of spades is worth 13 points.
All cards of the heart suit are worth one point each regardless
of rank. Remember, you want to avoid taking these cards in a
trick, because points count against you.
The game ends when, at the end of a hand, one or more players has
100 or more points. The player with the lowest score is the
winner of the game.
During play of a hand, a player whose turn it is to lead a card
may lead any card they wish. The only exception to this is that a
heart may not be led unless a point card has been played on some
previous trick. A player who holds nothing but point cards is
exempt from this rule.
At the beginning of the first hand all players pass 3 cards to
the opponent on their left. On the second hand all pass 3 cards
to the opponent on the right. On the third all pass 3 cards to
the opponent across the table. On the fourth hand there is no
pass. On the fifth hand, the cycle begins again with a pass to
the left.
Optional rules
This section describes optional variations to the standard rules
of hearts. Each of these options has a control on the Rules
screen. You can use this control to turn the option on and off.
A common variation of the rules of hearts, concerns what happens
if it's your turn to play and you cannot follow in the suit that
was led. In some circles you are required to play the queen of
spades if you have it.
If you want this rule to be in effect for your game, go into the
Rules screen and select it using the control labeled "Must Play
QS".
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Another common variation concerns who leads on the very first
trick. The standard rules call for the player to the left of the
dealer to lead a card. But in some circles the player holding the
2 of clubs must lead it.
If you want to require that the 2 of clubs be the first card led
on the first trick, go into the Rules screen and select this
option using the control labeled "2C must lead".
A standard game of hearts ends when, at the end of hand, one or
more players has 100(or more) points. However this program lets
you choose games of different lengths: 50, 100, 200, 500 points,
plus games with no limited. If you want a limit other than 100,
go into the Rules screen and choose your limit using the control
labeled "End of game".
The Main Playing screen
After you've selected a new or restarted game, and had a chance
to set up options & opponents, you go into the Main Playing
screen. All the real action happens here. Pictured on the top
portion of the screen is the playing table, with players
positioned around it. In the bottom portion of this screen is
your play menu. Here you see a display of the cards in your hand,
plus various icons and status information. The most important
piece of status information here is the large-sized 'prompt' text
at the top of this area. Here you'll see messages such as "Your
turn to Lead", or "Pass 3 cards now", messages that let you know
what's going on. There's also a smaller prompt message at the
bottom left hand side of the play menu. The message here changes
as the cursor moves from item to item - it tells you what happens
if you select the item. If you place the cursor on a card it
might say, "click now to play the KH". If you place the cursor on
the 'ODDS' icon, this message would change to "Click now for odds
information". Finally two boxes on the far right hand side of the
play menu show whose deal it is, and how many hands you've
played.
Passing cards
When it's time for players to pass 3 cards, the play menu will
activate with a large prompt message reading: "Select 3 cards to
pass". Pictured beneath this message are the cards that were
dealt to you. To select a card for passing, move the cursor onto
it, then press the left mouse button[Key: ENTER]. The card will
darken, to show that it is selected. You can deselect the card in
the same way if you change your mind. The pass is completed when
you've selected 3 cards.
On completion of the pass, a window appears that shows you the 3
cards you passed and the 3 cards that you received. Your
resulting hand is displayed in the menu area at the bottom of
this screen. To begin play of the hand, select the "Continue"
icon.
Anytime during this passing process you can select one of the
options represented by the icons on the right side of the play
menu. These icons are:
DOCS View on-line document
HELP Get help on operating this screen
TUTOR Get advice on what cards to pass.
ODDS Go to the Odds screens, where you can view odds and
statistics for the hand in progress
RULES Go to the Rules screen, where you'll be able to view
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and change house rules and program controls
QUIT Stop this game. The program will ask if you want to
save to resume later.
Playing a card
When it's your turn to play a card, the play menu will activate
with a large prompt message reading "Your play. Select a card".
Pictured beneath this message are the cards that you hold in your
hand. To play a card move the cursor onto it, then press the left
mouse button [Key: ENTER]. You may notice that one or more of
your cards are darkened. Darkened cards are cards it would be
against the rules to play. The program won't let you play cards
that are darkened.
Before you play a card you may want to select one of the options
represented by the icons on the right side of the play menu.
These icons are:
DOCS View on-line document
HELP Get help on operating this screen
TUTOR Get advice on what card to play.
ODDS Go to the Odds screens, where you can view odds and
statistics for the hand in progress
RULES Go to the Rules screen, where you'll be able to view
and change house rules and program controls
QUIT Stop this game. The program will ask if you want to
save to resume later.
End of Hand
At the end of each hand, the program displays scoring
information. The arithmetic next to each player's portrait shows:
the player's points on this hand being added to their points
before this hand, giving their grand total. To begin the next
hand, select the "Continue" icon.
The Title screen
The Title screen is simple to operate - no controls to select or
parameters to change here. The only thing to do is to look at the
program title, copyright notice, scrolling credits, for as long
(or short) a time as you wish. Then exit the Title screen by
pressing either mouse button, or any key on your keyboard.
The Players Screen
On this screen you select the opponents you want to play against
in the game you are about to begin. You'll need to select exactly
three. The top half of the screen contains portraits of the six
computer opponents you have to select from: Jeffrey, Lindsay,
Michael, Ellen, David & Julia. When you enter this screen you'll
see three of these players already selected - selection being
indicated by a check mark that appears on the player's portrait.
You can accept the selection of these players by exiting this
screen. Or you may want to change the selections.
To do this move the cursor onto a player you want to select. A
halo will appear around that player's portrait and a short
biography of that player will appear in the text window on the
bottom of the screen. Press the left mouse button [Key: ENTER] to
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select the player. A check mark will appear on the portrait to
indicate the selection. To UN-select an opponent, use the same
procedure - move the cursor onto the portrait, press left mouse
button (or ENTER key), watch the check mark disappear. When
you've selected the three opponents you want, exit the Players
screen by selecting the "DONE" icon [Key: ESC].
Exactly 3 opponents must be selected for you to exit this screen.
If you try to exit with either more or less than three opponents
selected the program will display a warning message and keep you
in the screen.
While in this screen you may select any of the icons displayed
across the middle of the screen:
DOCS View on-line document
HELP Get help on operating this screen
SAVE Make the player selections shown the new 'default'
selections
LOAD Set player selection to previously saved 'default'
DONE Exit this screen - return to the Options Screen
The Rules screen
The Rules screen contains controls that let you select 'House
Rules' and program modes. To get a detailed explanation of any
control on this screen, move the highlight onto that control
using the arrow keys or the mouse. A halo will light up around
the control and its explanation will appear in the window at the
bottom of the screen. To change the control, press the left mouse
button[Key: ENTER]. You'll see the change reflected in the
control itself, and perhaps even in the explanation window.
This program allows you to change any control at any time. You
can do this even in the middle of a hand, when changing a rule
could have great effect on the hand in progress. While real live
human opponents might strongly object to rule changes in the
middle of a hand, this program is good-natured in this respect.
While in this screen you may select any of the icons displayed
across the middle of the screen:
DOCS View on-line document
HELP Get help on operating this screen
SAVE Make the selections shown the new 'default'
selections
LOAD Set selection to previously saved 'default'
DONE Exit this screen - return to previous screen
You can exit from the Rules screen at any time by pressing the
ESC key.
The sections that follow explain various controls from this
screen.
Sound Board
With this control you tell the program what hardware device you
want music and sound to be played on. Possible selections
include: AdLib, Sound Blaster, Sound Master, Speech Thing, Voice
Master, & PC Speaker.
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When you select Music Digitized Audio
this option plays on plays on
--------------- ------------ ---------------
AdLib AdLib PC Speaker
Sound Blaster Sound Blaster Sound Blaster
Sound Master Sound Master Sound Master
Speech Thing PC Speaker Speech Thing
Voice Master PC Speaker Voice Master
PC Speaker PC Speaker PC Speaker
If your system has an AdLib or Sound Blaster compatible board you
probably won't need to use this control. This program detects the
presence of these boards quite well.
Music
With this control you tell the program if you want it to play
music. There are four possible selections:
Full - Play both theme music and background music
Theme - Play theme music during title screen only
Background - Play background music only after title screen
None - Don't play music
Sounds
With this control you tell the program if you want it to play
digitized voices and sound effects. There are four possible
selections:
Full - Play both Digitized voices and sound effects
Effects - Play only sound effects
Voice - Play digitized voices only
None - Don't play voices or sound effects
Your Portrait
With this control you tell the program which portrait you want to
represent you on the main playing screen. You may select either a
male or female silhouette.
Play Speed
With this control you tell the program how fast the computer
players are to play their cards. Possible values for this control
are numbers from 1 through 10. The higher the number you select
the faster the computer players will play. At first, you'll
probably want to set the value in the middle of selections, say
from 4 through 7. Then, as you become more familiar with this
program, you may want to increase this value several notches.
Note: The setting of this control does not affect the quality of
the computer player's decisions.
On older computers such as the original 4.77 Mhz PC the computer
players may take half a second or more to decide what card to
play regardless of a high speed setting of 7 or higher.
Auto Advice
With this control you tell the program if you want to display
playing advice on screen whenever it's your turn to make a play.
There are two possible selections for this control: 'Yes' and
'No'. If you select 'Yes' the program will display its
recommended play in a box on the main play screen labeled
"Advice" whenever it's your turn to make a play. If you select
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'No' the "Advice" box will not automatically appear - though
you'll still be able get advice, when you need it, by selecting
the "Advice" icon.
Between Tricks
With this control you tell the program how long of a delay you
want from the end of one trick to the start of the next. Possible
selections range from 1 through 5 seconds, with an additional
selection entitled "prompt". If you select a value from 1 to 5
seconds that will be the length of time you have to study the
cards played on a trick. When the selected time limit expires, a
new trick automatically begins. You might prefer the "Prompt"
option instead of a fixed time limit. If you choose "Prompt", the
computer will display an icon labeled "Continue" after each
trick, and will not begin the next trick until you've selected
it. In this way you can have total control over the flow of the
game, and ensure proper time to see and study each play.
Back design
With this control you tell the program which design to use for
the backs of the cards you see being dealt before each hand.
There are two possible selections here: 'Standard' & 'Alternate'.
As you might guess the 'Standard' design looks like a typical
generic deck of playing cards. The 'alternate' design, which
incorporates the Villa Crespo Logo, is in the style of a 'bridge'
deck.
2C must lead
With this control you tell the program if you want a house rule
requiring that the player holding the 2 of clubs lead it as the
first card in the first trick of each new hand. There are only
two possible selections here: 'Yes' and 'No'. Select 'Yes' and
the player holding the 2 of clubs will be the first leader in the
hand - he must lead it as the first card. Select 'No' and the
player to the dealer's left gets the privilege of leading the
first card of the hand. In this case the card to be lead is at
the player's option. The only restriction here is that it must
not be a heart.
Must Play QS
With this control you tell the program if you want a house rule
requiring that a player who cannot follow the suit led play the
queen of spades. There are only two possible selections: 'Yes'
and 'No'. Select 'Yes' and the player holding the queen of spades
must play that queen if he cannot follow another players lead
with the suit that was led. Select 'No' and decisions about which
card to play when a player cannot follow suit, are at the
player's sole discretion.
End Game
With this control you tell the program at what point total the
game is to end and a winner is to be declared. There are five
possible selections for this control '50', '100', '200', '500',
and 'no limit'. If one of the point totals is selected the game
ends when a hand ends and one or more players equals or exceeds
the selected point total. If 'no limit' is selected, the game
will continue regardless of point total.
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The Odds screens
When you select the "Odds" icon the program sends you to a series
of Odds screens. These screens contain information that might
help you make your playing decisions. You can go from screen to
screen by selecting the "Next" and "Prev" icons in the bottom
left corner of these screens. To exit these screens select the
"DONE" icon, or press the right mouse button or keyboard ESC key.
Several of the odds screens contain computer estimates. These
estimates are based solely on information that you are rightfully
entitled to know, and NOT on the contents of your opponent's
hands. These estimates are often very good. But, as they are
based on incomplete information, they are subject to being wrong
once in a while.
The First Odds Screen - No estimates here! Only 100% true and
accurate information on what cards have been played and passed.
The top half this screen recaps all cards played in this hand, by
whom and in what order. There are 13 columns in this display, one
for each trick. When read from top to bottom, each column shows
the order in which the cards were played. On the bottom half of
the screen, there is a box showing which cards have been played
without respect to who played them or when. This display is
arranged by suit and rank, so that it's easy to determine, for
instance, "how many spades remain unplayed, and which ones are
they". Finally, the box on the bottom right portion of the screen
shows you which cards you passed and which cards you received at
the beginning of the hand.
Second Odds screen - This screen contains computer estimates. The
graphs on the top half of the screen depict the computer's
estimate of the chance that each of your opponents is void(has no
cards) in each of the four suits. The graphs on the bottom half
of the screen show its estimate of the chance that each opponent
has the queen of spades in his/her hand. All Graphs on this
screen depict chance as a percentage from 0%(impossible) to
100%(a sure thing).
Third Odds screen - Another screen containing computer estimates.
The graph on the top half of the screen shows the computer's
estimate of the danger of your holding in each suit. This danger
is expressed as a value from 0(safe) to 100(big trouble).
The lower graph shows the computer's estimate of the chance that
you could shoot the moon this hand. This chance is depicted as a
percentage from 0%(impossible) to 100%(a sure thing).
The Ad Screen
This screen most likely contains an advertisement for some other
software that you might enjoy. Its content may vary, depending on
what version of this program you have. To find out for sure
what's on this screen in your version, you'll have to look at it!
To exit this screen, press any keyboard key or mouse button.
The Options screen
After choosing of a new game, the program sends you to the
options screen. Here you have a chance to review on-line
documentation and change the 'house rules' and program controls,
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before the game begins.
The icons displayed across the center of the screen represent
various options available now. Select an option by clicking on
its icon. When you are ready to begin, click on 'PLAY" icon to
the far right [Key: ESC]. Icons displayed on this screen include:
DOCS View on-line document
HELP Get help on operating this screen
THEM Select your opponents for this game
RULES View and change house rules and program controls
PLAY Begin the game
On line Docs
When you select the 'DOCS' icon, you go to the On-line help
Index. This index lists all major sections of the on-line
document. To view the text for a subject, move the cursor onto
the small square button to the left of the desired subject name.
Then 'select' it by pressing the left mouse button [Key: ENTER].
The index will disappear. It is replaced by a large window
containing the document text for the subject then you selected. A
label on bottom right of this large window tells you what portion
of the document you're looking at: subject & page number.
At the bottom of the screen is the small choice menu you'll use
to control the text. On this menu you can choose to view the next
page by selecting "NEXT" [Key: PgDn] or the previous page by
selecting "PREV" [Key: PgUp]. You can, at any time, go back to
the index by selecting "DOCS" [Key: F10], or exit On-line Docs
entirely by selecting "DONE" [Key: ESC].
Running from Floppy
For optimum performance we recommend that you run this program
from a hard hard disk. However this program can be run from
floppy disk, even on a computer with only one disk drive. If the
capacity of your diskette if 720k or greater, create a diskette
with these four files: HEARTS.EXE, HEARTS.DAT, HEARTS.DOC &
HEARTS.IDX. To run the program from drive A, insert the diskette,
then at the DOS prompt type "A:HEARTS". The procedure is the same
for drive B, except you type "B:HEARTS". Leave the diskette in
the drive for the entire time you are running hearts. The program
may need access to its data from time to time.
If your diskette is a 360k capacity, the procedure is slightly
more complicated. This is because a single diskette won't hold
all the needed files. So you'll need to create 2 diskettes. The
first diskette should contain only one file: 'HEARTS.EXE'. We'll
call this first diskette your 'program' diskette. The second
diskette that you'll need should contain these three files:
'HEARTS.DAT', 'HEARTS.DOC' & 'HEARTS.IDX'. We'll call this second
diskette your 'data' diskette. To run the program from drive A,
insert the 'program' diskette, then at the DOS prompt type
"A:HEARTS". The procedure is the same for drive B, except you
type "B:HEARTS". When the program begins running it will tell you
to remove the 'program' diskette, and replace it with the 'data'
diskette. Do this, then press the ENTER key. Leave the 'data'
diskette in the drive for the entire time you are running hearts.
The program may need access to its data from time to time.
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Error Messages
This section lists examples of various error messages that this
program may display. Each example is followed by a brief
explanation of the message. The characters 'xxxx', where they
appear in the example messages below, would be replaced by an
actual relevant parameter in the actual error message.
Couldn't find VGA, EGA, CGA or Hercules graphics adapter.
In order to run this program requires a VGA, EGA, CGA or Hercules
display adapter. But the program could not find such a board in
your computer. If you get this message, it's probably because
your computer has an original IBM MDA board - a board that
displays text only. There is no cure for this message - short of
upgrading the graphics board in your computer.
Not enough memory for this program to run - Sorry.
The program cannot find enough conventional memory in your
computer to allow it to run. It requires a total of about 400k of
free conventional memory. One way to find out how much free
conventional memory you have is to run the CHKDSK program that is
part of DOS. The last line of its report lists the number of
(memory) bytes free. If the number shown is a lot lower than
400000, it may be time to upgrade your computer. Otherwise, check
your DOS manual for tips on how to increase the amount of
conventional memory available. There you may find a way to get
the extra few thousand bytes you need.
???Illegal option: 'xxxx' in HEARTS.CLI file.
The program found a file called 'HEARTS.CLI', but it contained an
option that it could not recognize. Along with this message the
program will display a list the options it does recognize. You'll
need to modify your HEARTS.CLI file so that it contains legal
recognized options only.
?'xxxx' file corrupt
The program read data from a file, but the data was not in the
format the program was expecting. Most likely cause: the data
file was created by different version or revision of this
program.
?Error writing 'xxxx' file
The program tried to write data to the disk, but was not
successful. The most likely reasons for this error is that you
are using a write protected diskette. It also could be that your
diskette or hard drive is full.
Cannot find 'xxxx' data in 'HEARTS.DAT'
The program needed to read a particular piece of data, could not
find it in the HEARTS.DAT file. Most likely cause: The HEARTS.DAT
file is not the one that belongs to the version of hearts you are
running. It's from an earlier or later version.
On-line documentation is DISABLED
You are running from hard disk and the program could not find the
2 files it needs 'HEARTS.DOC' & HEARTS.IDX' for on-line
documentation. The program will continue to run, but with its
on-line document feature disabled. To fix this, exit the program
and find the two files it needs. Copy them into the same
drive/directory as the 'HEARTS.EXE' file.
- 14 -
Troubleshoooting Q & A
Q. How do I start up the program quietly, so that I won't get
sound & music?
A. Include the argument: "quiet" on the command line when you
start up this program. For example "HEART QUIET" instead of
just "HEARTS". If you want to turn sound on later, you can
do this in the controls menu.
Q. I have a sound board in my computer. Why don't I hear sound
when I run the program?
A. Enter the control screen and make sure that the "Sound
Board" control if set appropriately for your sound board.
Also make sure to set the "Music" and "Sound" controls to
give you the sounds you want.
Q. When I run from hard disk the music sounds fine. Why, when I
run from floppy disk, does the music occasionally stop, only
to start up again in a few seconds?
A. This is normal. The program needs to turn off the music
before accessing floppy disk.
Q. My sound volume is too low(or loud). How do I adjust it?
A. There are no volume adjustment functions built into this
program - it outputs sound at a constant volume. To adjust
the volume you'll need to use the volume control on your
sound board and/or external amplifier. If there is no volume
control, or if adjusting doesn't fully solve the problem,
check the documentation that came with your sound board.
Most AdLib & Sound Blaster compatible sound boards come with
utility programs that allow you to make volume adjustments.
If you're using your PC's speaker for sound there is nothing
to be done.
Q. The program seems to be working, but the digitized voices
are very low and slooooww on my 8088/8086 based PC. What can
I do?
A. Aside from upgrading to a faster computer, there's no cure
for this. A classic 4.77 Mhz PC just doesn't have the
'horsepower' to meet the demands placed on it by the
digitized sounds in this program.
Q. When I start up the program I don't see the title screen.
Instead I see thin stripes running up and down the screen.
A. It may be that your memory manager software is extending
conventional DOS memory into the graphics memory area. To
try to confirm this, check if:
- The characters "A000" appear somewhere in your
"CONFIG.SYS" file
- The "CHKDSK" program reports more than 640,000 free
memory.
If either or both of these are the case, it's all but
confirmed. To fix this you'll have to refer to your memory
manager's documentation.
Q. My computer has Super VGA capabilities(VGA w/512k), but the
program doesn't work unless I specify a lesser video mode
with a command line option.
A. Install the VESA driver(software) that came with your video
board. This will allow the program to recognize and use your
computer's Super VGA capabilities even if it's totally
unfamiliar with your graphic board's chip set. The
possibility of video adapter incompatibility will be
- 15 -
virtually eliminated.
Q. I have a CGA graphics adapter with color monitor. Why is it
that sometimes when I run this program I only get monochrome
graphics?
A. Most likely the software you ran before running Hearts left
your video board in one of it's monochrome modes. With a CGA
graphics adapter, this program assumes that your monitor
matches the video mode you are in when you first enter the
program. To insure that you get a color display on your
color monitor, include the argument "COLOR" on the command
line you use to start this program. As an alternative you
can enter the DOS command "MODE CO80" before running this
program.
Q. I don't have a mouse, but I do have a joystick. Can I use
the joystick?
A. No. This program does not support joystick.
Q. Why is this program ignoring my mouse?
A. Make sure that the mouse is connected properly to the back
of your computer. It's not uncommon for a few light tugs on
the mouse cord to cause it to come partially unplugged. If
your mouse still doesn't work type "HEARTS SYSINFO" at the
DOS prompt. If the report says that no mouse driver was
detected, you'll need to refer to the documentation that
came with your mouse. There you'll find instructions on
installing your mouse driver software.
Q. When I try to run this program it tells me "Not enough
memory". What can I do?
A. You need to increase the amount of conventional memory
available to the program. Some things that you can try are:
- Run this program directly from the command line rather
than from a batch job or menu shell.
- Remove TSR programs (see DOS manual)
- Reduce the number of FILES & BUFFERS (see DOS manual)
- If you have DOS 5.0 or higher, load DOS into high memory
(see DOS manual)
Q. The program is running, but very slowly on my 8088/8086
based PC. What can I do?
A. Turning off sound and music can help. Also, if you are using
EGA or VGA graphics, try running the program with CGA
graphics. Lower resolution brings with it faster drawing
speeds - you might find it to be a good tradeoff. To do this
include the argument "CGA" on the command line you use to
start this program. For instance type: "HEARTS CGA" instead
of just "HEARTS".
Q. Would the computer give me bad advice in order to help
itself to win the game?
A. No! The computer advises always advises the play that it
would make if it had your cards. Keep in mind that the
computer is not perfect, so it may give you bad advice every
once in a while. But the advice always reflects the
computer's honest opinion of the play that would be in your
best interests.
Q. How often, and under what conditions do the computer players
'cheat' by peeking at my hand or the hands of the other
computer players?
A. None of the computer players cheat under any conditions. The
game is on the 'fair and square' at all times.
- 16 -
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Limited Warranty & Support . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Your display adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
User Interface - General . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Using your Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Using your keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Command line Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Rules of Hearts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Optional rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The Main Playing screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Passing cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Playing a card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
End of Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Title screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Players Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Rules screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Sound Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Your Portrait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Play Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Auto Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Between Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Back design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2C must lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Must Play QS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
End Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Odds screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Ad Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Options screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
On line Docs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Running from Floppy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Troubleshoooting Q & A . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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