Solitare card games for the Lynx

[+karri]

Though if you could find a card set that is a bit easier to identify when they are smaller, that would be nice.

 

This set was created by semicolo in this thread. Without these cards I could not even do solitare. I would love to have another set also. Any artists around?

 

Maybe you could try a version where the enlarged cards go back to normal as soon as the player moves away from that card. I have no idea if this would be better or worse. No way to know until it's tried, I guess.

 

Good idea. I will try it. The biggest problem is lack of RAM. Reading all the card images from cart takes a few seconds. That is why a full refresh is so slow. I have speeded it up by keeping as many recent cards in memory as possible.

 

Someone mentioned not liking the automatic placement of cards. I don't necessarily have a problem with it, but I did notice on Klondike, it doesn't always do it. I had the ace and 2 of clubs placed, and when I flipped over the next card as a 3 of clubs, it did not automatically place it. Was this on purpose or a glitch? (I just read your explanation form an earlier post, and for clarification, in my above scenario, there was NOT a red 4 open. So, the only play for the 3 of clubs was to be played on the 2 of clubs. So, shouldn't it have automatically been placed there?)

 

It will not play 3 of Clubs until Ace of Hearts and Ace of Diamonds is played. Because you may still need 3 of Clubs to play a red two.

 

One glitch: when I flip a new card over, then select it, then try to place it anywhere, it will disappear from the pile where I just placed it, and will pop up back on the discard pile. If I move the "cursor" around before I pick it, it will be fine. It's only when I pick it immediately after flipping it.

 

This is a bug. I will try to fix it.

 

PS - I helped Lynxman with his English version of the FlashCard manual, and I offer the same services to you, if you need it. At the very least, I can proofread your pre-release version and offer any assistance if necessary.

 

Thanks! Actually it would be nice to get help in writing a manual that would contain the rules for Klondike, Freecell and Spider. And of course a chapter dedicated to the Lynx 20 years anniversary. Any writers around?

 

--

Karri

[Atari Smeghead]

Thanks! Actually it would be nice to get help in writing a manual that would contain the rules for Klondike, Freecell and Spider. And of course a chapter dedicated to the Lynx 20 years anniversary. Any writers around?

 

--

Karri

Thanks for the reply. Glad I can help!

 

Yes, there is a writer here. I'm a published author of fiction, and am nearing completion of my first full-length novel.

 

I would think the easiest way to do the rules for these games would be to copy what's already out there, and do a small bit of rewriting to avoid plagiarism. In this case, I really don't think plagiarism would be much of an issue anyway, seeings how the rules are the rules. Not much creative freedom is expected here.

As for the Lynx 20th anniversary, I could probably whip something up for that, assuming someone else hasn't already done so. It would be a basic history lesson (with some personal thoughts/anecdotes), so again, that is probably already done. But let me see what I can come up with.

 

Cheers,

Smeg

[+karri]

Thanks! Actually it would be nice to get help in writing a manual that would contain the rules for Klondike, Freecell and Spider. And of course a chapter dedicated to the Lynx 20 years anniversary. Any writers around?

 

--

Karri

Thanks for the reply. Glad I can help!

 

Yes, there is a writer here. I'm a published author of fiction, and am nearing completion of my first full-length novel.

 

I would think the easiest way to do the rules for these games would be to copy what's already out there, and do a small bit of rewriting to avoid plagiarism. In this case, I really don't think plagiarism would be much of an issue anyway, seeings how the rules are the rules. Not much creative freedom is expected here.

As for the Lynx 20th anniversary, I could probably whip something up for that, assuming someone else hasn't already done so. It would be a basic history lesson (with some personal thoughts/anecdotes), so again, that is probably already done. But let me see what I can come up with.

 

Cheers,

Smeg

 

Wonderful. Thanks!

I believe a pdf-booklet would be perfect.

I wonder if we could use the Lynx coin graphics that is shown in another thread?

 

The current user interface will also have these special buttons:

 

Opt 1 - restart current game (when you are stuck)

Pause - pause the music and timer

Opt 2 - 1st press stop the tune, 2nd press start next tune

 

Restart - exit game

Flip - flip screen

 

B - deal next card in Klondike

B - show partly hidden card in Freecell and Spider

A - select cards to move and drop cards

 

There will not be any option screens.

I may code in an erase all highscores by pressing Opt1 + Opt2 on the hall of fame page.

And no hidden easter eggs - sorry. No time for it.

 

The main menu is (navigate with left/right):

 

Credits - Jukebox - Game selection - Hall of Fame

 

Inside a submenu you navigate with up/down.

B - toggle playlist items on/off

A - buy a new tune in Jukebox

A - start a game in Game selection

 

--

Karri

[Tom-Lynx]

Karri,

 

Somebody else in this thread mentioned the music of "The Entertainer" is too high, and I agree. The high pitches get pretty painful to the ear.

 

I hate criticizing though.... although I'm not a programmer I am, however, a musician and own 14 MIDI keyboards. Would you be interested in getting a MIDI recording of The Entertainer and some other songs like Maple Leaf Rag played from the original music? Or would it be too many notes and chords for the Lynx to handle?

 

Regards.

[+karri]

I hate criticizing though.... although I'm not a programmer I am, however, a musician and own 14 MIDI keyboards. Would you be interested in getting a MIDI recording of The Entertainer and some other songs like Maple Leaf Rag played from the original music? Or would it be too many notes and chords for the Lynx to handle?

 

This sounds like too many notes.

 

The actual problem is that I can only play 4 notes at a time. If you play Maple Leaf rag your left hand hits 2 low notes, jumps an octave and hits 4 notes. We are already up to 6 voices and the right hand is still idle.

 

I believe that things have to be very simple. You know the intro to Beatles Michelle? That kind of two-note traveling sequence works well.

 

The best thing would be to receive single note sequences played on an arranger.

--

Karri

[+karri]

I downloaded "All of me" from wikifonia.org. By creating 4 single staffs I could create 4 instruments to the Lynx.

 

Here is a pdf file that tells me what I am looking for.

allofme.pdf

 

The same info is also here in a MusicXML file that you could import to a score program for editing.

allofme.zip

 

If you could write the missing 3 voices for a nice arrangement then we might have some cool music for the game.

 

--

Regards,

 

Karri

[+karri]

First version of spider. Some things may work, others not.

 

solitare_2009_07_23.zip

 

 

--

Karri

[Atari Smeghead]

Karri,

 

Okay, I was just about to ask you if you planned on doing Spider with only eight piles. Though it's crowded, it seems to work all right.

 

Things I noticed on initial playing:

 

There is no need for the open area on top. In fact, you can remove the deck completely, giving you more room on the playfield. (I realize you want an area showing how many draws are left, and an area to put the completed stacks, but you might want to think about the best way to do that one. You really need more play area. Once the King-Ace stack is complete, It's really hard to find the top of the stack. I basically had to go past the top of the screen, count three clicks, and hope I had it. Maybe have a numeric tally on the top?)

 

The cursor moves too quickly. It can be hard to pinpoint the card you want.

 

Also, I have a complete stack King-Ace, but I can't figure out how to clear it out. I tried placing it in one of the open areas on the top, but that didn't work. I think you should have it automatically clear out.

 

That's my initial reaction.

 

Cheers,

Smeg

[Atari Smeghead]

Wonderful. Thanks!

I believe a pdf-booklet would be perfect.

I wonder if we could use the Lynx coin graphics that is shown in another thread?

 

Karri

Karri,

 

I have the initial instruction set completed for Klondike and Freecell, and am currently working on Spider. Do you want me to post publicly here, or would you rather do this via email? If so, please IM me and we can exchange email addresses.

 

I'm not sure who "owns the rights" to the Lynx coin graphic. I'll leave you to look into that. For my part, I'm going to work on text only - getting the instructions and the Lynx 20th anniversary stuff written as well as I can.

 

Cheers,

Smeg

[IronWorks]

Good idea. I will try it. The biggest problem is lack of RAM. Reading all the card images from cart takes a few seconds. That is why a full refresh is so slow. I have speeded it up by keeping as many recent cards in memory as possible.

 

One idea for reducing the ram used for the card images. Would be to remove the numbers from the images and store half the image data.

Then use the sprite engine to mirror each card displayed. The cards Ace to 10 could be mirrored horizantally and Jack,Queen and King vertically.

You could then then put the numbers back on after.

[+karri]

Good idea. I will try it. The biggest problem is lack of RAM. Reading all the card images from cart takes a few seconds. That is why a full refresh is so slow. I have speeded it up by keeping as many recent cards in memory as possible.

 

One idea for reducing the ram used for the card images. Would be to remove the numbers from the images and store half the image data.

Then use the sprite engine to mirror each card displayed. The cards Ace to 10 could be mirrored horizantally and Jack,Queen and King vertically.

You could then then put the numbers back on after.

 

That would have worked. If I need more space I might do it. But just now it looks as I have enough RAM for doing everything the easy way.

 

--

Karri

[+karri]

I have the initial instruction set completed for Klondike and Freecell, and am currently working on Spider. Do you want me to post publicly here, or would you rather do this via email? If so, please IM me and we can exchange email addresses.

 

We could start by doing it privately so that we do not clutter up this thread.

 

--

Karri

[+karri]

Okay, I was just about to ask you if you planned on doing Spider with only eight piles. Though it's crowded, it seems to work all right.

 

I have to admit that the Lynx screen may be a bit too small for this game.

 

Should I use the same size cards as on Klondike and let the play columns be partly on each other?

 

Or should I make very small cards that fit the screen?

 

Or superlarge cards?

 

Any industrial designers or usability engineers who care to share their advice to make Spider playable?

 

--

Karri

[+karri]

Now I fixed the visibility issue in large spider columns and added a rule to allow any drops on the target piles (for testing only). I will make an automatic function to remove completed sets later.

 

solitaire_2009_07_24.zip

 

This version has the LARGE cards for Spider.

--

Karri

[+karri]

Klondike was broken. Here is a fixed one.

solitaire_2009_07_24.zip

[+karri]

I found out a completely new way to get rid of clutter on screen. The idea is to render the complete table in screen buffer 1 with small cards. Screen buffer 0 is always the view-buffer. Now the screen will flicker but gameplay is much faster.

 

solitaire_2009_07_27.zip

 

There is a bit of clutter (stripes moving pixels). This is due to the fact that the top memory is shared between suzy and the cpu. I will fix this later.

--

Karri

[doctorclu]

I found out a completely new way to get rid of clutter on screen. The idea is to render the complete table in screen buffer 1 with small cards. Screen buffer 0 is always the view-buffer. Now the screen will flicker but gameplay is much faster.

 

solitaire_2009_07_27.zip

 

There is a bit of clutter (stripes moving pixels). This is due to the fact that the top memory is shared between suzy and the cpu. I will fix this later.

--

Karri

 

Awesome, is this the game that was going to be in the Lynx high score club?

[+atari2600land]

I beat Klondike draw 1. Seeing all those cards move into place was pretty cool. I took a picture in Handy (I don't have a flash card), and notice the garbage lines below. Do you have a way to remove them?

[EricDeLee]

Pretty cool thus far.

I will check it out a bit more and give you some thoughts.

 

[EricDeLee]

Couple of this... first off... where is the sound? I didn't notice any. Perhaps I did something wrong when I loaded it to my flashcard... (just got it yesterday, so I am getting used to it)

 

Title screen seems to hiccup a little when it goes to the menu of selectable games. It doesn't in Handy... but does on actual hardware

 

 

For those of us that are RED/GREEN color blind... the cards are a bit hard to see (how many are in a stack)

Perhaps a change of background colors? Or perhaps there can be an option to change the card back style. Most of the computer version allow you to customize and change a style. It could be a locked extra or something.

 

While Playing klondike I came across something. When I selected a card from the draw pile, and even when I didn't have a place to put it, the next card was an Ace. So it automatically put it in the top pile, and I was still holding onto the card from the draw pile that I could not even use. So I put it back in the draw pile. But I think that was a cheating move! LOL

 

There is garbage at the bottom of the screen like mentioned before.

 

But... thus far I like this! I would love this to be released!

 

Also it was mentioned above about using the 20 year coin thing. It was suggested to me as well for EOTB... so that would be a good idea! There are suppliers all over the world that use those cases that were used for Lynxopoly and the Flash Cart. I researched that a bit today... but it could drive the cost $1-2 each game.

[+karri]

I found out a completely new way to get rid of clutter on screen. The idea is to render the complete table in screen buffer 1 with small cards. Screen buffer 0 is always the view-buffer. Now the screen will flicker but gameplay is much faster.

 

solitaire_2009_07_27.zip

 

There is a bit of clutter (stripes moving pixels). This is due to the fact that the top memory is shared between suzy and the cpu. I will fix this later.

--

Karri

 

Awesome, is this the game that was going to be in the Lynx high score club?

 

When it is ready, yes. But it is only about 60% complete now. There is no way to finish spider yet. Ant the rules are still buggy.

 

--

Karri

[+karri]

I beat Klondike draw 1. Seeing all those cards move into place was pretty cool. I took a picture in Handy (I don't have a flash card), and notice the garbage lines below. Do you have a way to remove them?

 

The stripes are thy Lynx high register banks Suzy, Mikey, vector space. I need to re-compile the graphics drivers to get rid of them. But that will happen next week.

 

--

Karri

[+karri]

Couple of this... first off... where is the sound? I didn't notice any. Perhaps I did something wrong when I loaded it to my flashcard... (just got it yesterday, so I am getting used to it)

 

It uses the EEPROM on the cart for the playlist. If the playlist is empty you have no sound.

 

Title screen seems to hiccup a little when it goes to the menu of selectable games. It doesn't in Handy... but does on actual hardware

 

I have to look into this.

 

For those of us that are RED/GREEN color blind... the cards are a bit hard to see (how many are in a stack)

Perhaps a change of background colors? Or perhaps there can be an option to change the card back style.

 

There are four different backs that semicolo designed. Perhaps I could add an options screen on tha main page for choosing colors and cards.

 

While Playing klondike I came across something. When I selected a card from the draw pile, and even when I didn't have a place to put it, the next card was an Ace. So it automatically put it in the top pile, and I was still holding onto the card from the draw pile that I could not even use. So I put it back in the draw pile. But I think that was a cheating move! LOL

 

Nice find! Thanks!

 

Also it was mentioned above about using the 20 year coin thing. It was suggested to me as well for EOTB... so that would be a good idea! There are suppliers all over the world that use those cases that were used for Lynxopoly and the Flash Cart. I researched that a bit today... but it could drive the cost $1-2 each game.

 

I already got permission to use the coin graphics in the game. You will be awarded with a coin if you beat the hi-score in the game. Coins can be used to purchase new tunes.

 

There is probably not time for a real hardware cart release by 1st of September. Perhaps a hw cart plus a real coin could be released later when the cart binary is out. This would be a sweet collectors item. Perhaps Lynxman or Songbird could do it? The cart binary will be released as freeware anyway (together with the complete sources as I have used GPL'd stuff to make this).

--

Karri

Edited July 29, 2009 by karri

[+karri]

Please test this release for game rules also.

solitaire_2009_07_29.zip

 

Known problems:

- spider allows you to deal a new spread even if a column is empty

- spider may crash after a set is removed

- the background has old cards that are not properly refreshed

 

But the rules are now enforced on all games.

 

In klondike you can also take back cards from the target piles (easy settings).

In klondike deal 3 you cannot take back cards from the target piles (hard settings).

 

The graphics stripes at the bottom are now fixed. This may also crash the game on the real hardware. I am not sure...

--

Karri

Edited July 29, 2009 by karri

[+karri]

I was thinking a little about the colors to use. As green/red stuff poses problems for color blind people I changed the background to blue. Would this be ok?

 

Actually I like this second card deck best. The others with the LYNX text and Fuji get completely covered during play and do not work well.

 

--

Karri

Edited July 29, 2009 by karri