



       ====================================================================
                             EUCHRE V2.0 DOCUMENTATION
       ====================================================================
                                By Richard Gardner

    THE OPENING AND START SCREENS

    The  opening screen is just a random placement  of cards.  Press any key or
    press a mouse button to move to the start screen.  After a few minutes, the
    start screen will appear whether a key was pressed or not.

    The  start screen has instructions on how  to get to the pull-down menus to
    set  desired options.  The pull-down main menu is displayed when either the
    Alt  key is pressed  or the mouse  cursor is moved  to the very  top of the
    screen.   The menu choice may then be selected by either picking the button
    with  the  mouse or  pressing  the key  of  the highlighted  letter  or the
    highlighted  letter in combination with the Alt  key.  When a menu is first
    popped up, if no selections are made in that menu, the right and left arrow
    keys may be used to switch menus.  If no key is pressed for 45 seconds, the
    program  will  go into  demo mode  and start  playing on  its own  with the
    current options.  If the program switches to Demo mode, go into the Options
    menu  and  select  start  new  game.    Demo  mode  will  be  switched  off
    automatically.

    Please  note that if at sometime during  the game the game seems to freeze,
    either  move the mouse  to the top  of the screen  or press any  key.  This
    should either pop up the pull-down menus or let the game continue.

                             ========================
                               PULL-DOWN MAIN MENUS
                             ========================
    The  Main Menu has 7 choices:  Help, Colors, Partner, Sound, Modes, Options
    and Quit Game.  The options of each are discussed below.  When in any menu,
    pressing the ESCape key will return to the main screen or continue with the
    game  if in progress.  The main menu can be cancelled by hitting the ESCape
    key or clicking the mouse anywhere not on a button choice.

    *** HELP ***
    This  brings up  the Help  Menu where information  about the  Menus and the
    Rules may be viewed.

    *** COLORS ***
    This  menu  has  the  option  of changing  the  color  of  the  Border, the
    Background, the Text, the Spot that appears on the turned card to show what
    suit has been called and who called it, the color of the "In the Barn" text
    when  a team has nine points and the color combinations of the backs of the
    Cards.
    After  Picking one of the options, a  color sub-menu appears.  Either arrow
    up  or down to choose the new color or pick it with the mouse.  The Default
    option  returns  the color  to the  internal pre-set  color. Note  that the
    Default  color is not the color set in the saved configuration files.  Also
    note  that black can  not be chosen for  the spot.   This would prevent the
    clubs  or spades  suit icon from  being seen.   Also note that  if the same
    color is chosen for the text and background, the option not currently being
    chosen  will automatically  switch to the  next color.   This prevents text
    from not being seen.  The Random color selection for the backs of the cards
    picks a different color each time you start the game.











    *** SOUND ***
    This  menu lets you choose whether the sound  is on or off.  The default is
    to have the sound on.

    *** PARTNER ***
    This  menu changes the demeanor of you partner and of the suggestions given
    to  you by the help option.  This menu  is split into two parts.  The first
    (upper)  part  controls how  your  partner calls  trump.   The  second part
    controls how your partner plays.
    The  first menu controls how  aggressive your partner call  trump.  The "Go
    For  It!"  partner will  call trump  on just  about anything  (for example:
    right  bower and suit ace)  where  the "No-Way No-How" partner will need at
    least  3 high trump  to call it.   Your two computer  opponents play at the
    aggressive level at all times.
    The  second part  of the  menu controls how  your partner  plays during the
    hand.   Since there are many different "ways" of playing euchre, this helps
    tailor  your partner  to play  like you do.   If  the Play  Trump option is
    enabled,  your partner will  lead trump early  if he called  trump.  If not
    enabled, your partner tends to lead suit and rely on trumping in to get his
    tricks.   The two computer opponents play as  if this option were off.  The
    defaults are aggressive trump calling and not to lead trump early.

    *** MODES ***
    The  first part of this  menu gives a choice of  three main modes:  Normal,
    Demo and Learn Modes and the second part of the menu lets you customize for
    different rule options.
      NORMAL MODE...
    is  for normal play.   You play the cards  yourself and playing suggestions
    are made by the program by moving the selected card.  This is the default.
      DEMO MODE...
    is  to have the computer play itself...you make  no choices at all.  At the
    opening  screen and after a game has  been played, the game reverts to this
    mode if no key is pressed for about 45 seconds.
      LEARN MODE...
    is available to provide tutoring to help learn the game of euchre.  When in
    this  mode  and  you  ask  for  a  suggestion  during  card  play,  a brief
    description  will pop  up explaining  why the choice  was made.   This will
    enable  someone  to  learn some  of  the ins  and  outs of  Euchre.   These
    explanations are by no means hard and fast rules because every player has a
    different  way of playing  the game, but they  will give a  good guide to a
    beginner and a different point of view for an experienced player.
      MODE FEATURES AND RULE OPTIONS
    Under  the three main  modes are other  choices.  These  are toggle buttons
    that work with all of the main modes.
      PAUSE MODE...
    pauses  after every trick  so you can study  or catch up  on the cards that
    were  played.  In Pause Mode the word "Paused" appears at the bottom of the
    screen.  Just press a key or mouse button to continue. The default is off.
      AUTO MODE...
    when  enabled, the game plays the card for you if there is only one card in
    your hand in the suit that was led.  If disabled, this card will have to be
    manually  played by you.   The default is to have  Auto mode enabled.  Note
    that the last card in each hand is always played for you regardless of this
    setting.










    *** MODES *** (Continued)

      CANADIAN mode...
    is for a version of euchre played in Canada and maybe elsewhere.  When this
    mode  is enabled, if the partner of the dealer orders trump up, the partner
    of the dealer must go alone.  Therefore, the turned card will not be played
    in  that hand.   If you  order trump into  your partner's hand  (who is the
    dealer),  you must go alone.  You are  still asked if you want to go alone,
    but  you must answer  yes or press  escape to not  call trump at  all.  The
    default is off.
      END IT...
    mode  is for experienced players who don't like to play useless tricks.  As
    soon as the winner of a hand can be determined, the hand ends and all cards
    are  "thrown in".   "Lay-down" hands  are not  detected.  If  the hand ends
    early  by a  player having the  right and/or  left, the cards  will flash a
    different  color and a sound will alert the end of the hand.  If the random
    color  choice  is selected  for  the backs  of  the cards,  the  cards will
    probably not be the same after they flash.  The default is off.
      TRUMP * ...
    is  a sub-menu that sets  the rule for calling trump.   Under this menu are
    three  options:  None Required, Just Dealer None Required and All Required.
    Under the None Required options, a player is not required to have any trump
    in  their hand  to call  that suit  trump.   Under the  Just Dealer option,
    everyone  but the dealer  is required to  have trump in  their hand to call
    trump.   This is going on the idea  that the turned card is an extension to
    the  dealer's hand  and therefore he  already has  trump in his  hand if he
    would like to call trump.  Under the All Required option, every player must
    have  trump  already in  their hand  to call  trump.   This is  the default
    setting.   NOTE:   The left  bower is  not considered trump  until trump is
    called.  Therefore, if the All Required option is set and you have the jack
    of  spades in hand  and no clubs and  your partner dealt  and turned up the
    jack of clubs...you can not order clubs as trump.
      MUST CALL...
    is  for the dealer.  If  no one else has called  trump either on the turned
    card or the second time around and it makes it back to the dealer...he must
    call  trump if this option is set even though he might not have a very good
    hand  to call anything.  The  only exception to this is  if he has no other
    suit  but the  turned card  and for some  reason passed  on it.   With this
    option  off, if  the dealer doesn't  want to  call trump, the  deal is just
    passed on.  The default is off.


























    *** OPTIONS ***
    This menu gives choices for controlling the game parameters.
      SAVE CURRENT SETTINGS...
    saves the current game options to the file euchre.cfg in the same directory
    where  the games is.  These settings  will be automatically loaded the next
    time  the game is  loaded.  The  settings that are  saved include all color
    combinations,  type of  partner, sound setting,  current play  mode and the
    delay time.
      RESET ALL SETTINGS...
    will  reset all options to  the built-in defaults.   See each menu item for
    the default value.  This does not save the settings to file, it just resets
    them for the current playing session.
      INCREASE OR DECREASE DELAY...
    allow  the delay between card  playing to be changed  to your liking.  Each
    button press will increase or decrease the delay by 0.02 seconds.  To see a
    definite  change, a button  may have to be  selected a few  times in a row.
    Once  you get close to  the speed you like, one  button press can adjust it
    slightly  to get the exact speed you like.  Be sure to use the Save Current
    settings once you find the speed you like.
      START NEW GAME...
    will  start a new game.   Use this if the game  has gone into Demo Mode and
    you  would like to start a  new game where you make  the choices.  This may
    also be used to start over if you feel you've been dealt some bad hands and
    are losing.  You will be asked to verify that you want to start a new game.
    If  the game has  gone into Demo Mode  and you select to  start a new game,
    Demo Mode will be turned off and the game will go back to Normal Mode where
    you make the playing choices.

    *** QUIT GAME ***
    This  menu is for quitting  the game.  "Cancel"  and "No" are basically the
    same  thing.  These will take you back to continue the game.  Hit the "Yes"
    button to actually quit the game.


































                      =======================================
                                 GENERAL FEATURES
                      =======================================
     *  One file contains  the executable and  the data.   Less clutter on your
    hard drive.  (The configuration file [euchre.cfg] is optional and available
    in the Registered Version only, so I don't count it.)

     *  Trump called and who called it are  available at a glance.  The spot on
    the  turned card will show an icon of  what is trump and the position of it
    in  the  spot corresponds  to the  player who  called trump.   After  a few
    minutes  of playing, this will be much quicker and easier to recognize what
    is trump than to have it written in text.

     * Cards are flushed from the table toward the player who won each trick.

     * Original text font is much easier to read than standard VGA text.

     * Automatic score keeping with actual cards.

     *  Special sound effect each time the  right bower is played.  Other sound
    effects  for getting euchred, getting  all the tricks in  a hand, and going
    for and making a loner.

     *  HELP  At most any prompt, by  hitting the right mouse button, or the F1
    key  or the letter  'H', will get you  help.  The  computer will signal its
    suggestion  by either momentarily  pressing the button  it would choose, or
    moving  the  card that  it  would play  or discard.    Online help  is also
    available to view the rules of euchre and to review the menu choices.

     *  Many different rule options  to tailor the game  to a particular set of
    rules that vary from region to region.

                      =======================================
                        FEATURES (Registered Version Only)
                      =======================================
     * The ability to save favorite options into a configuration file including
    colors,  partner  demeanor, sound  setting  and general  game  speed. These
    options are automatically loaded each time the game is started.

     * LEARN MODE   During card play if ask for help, an brief description will
    pop  up explaining  the reason  behind the suggestion.   This  will allow a
    beginner  to learn the game of euchre and will provide a different point of
    view for an experienced player

     *  The "boss" key.  During play, hit the Left-Ctrl key and a "C:\>" prompt
    will appear.  Hit the escape key to exit quietly or any other key to resume
    the game.

                      =======================================
                             POSSIBLE FUTURE FEATURES
                      =======================================
     *  Statistics.   Keep track of  wins, losses, euchres,  etc. for different
    players.   This could  let you know  if you might  need to be  more or less
    aggressive in your trump calling.

     *  Sound Blaster support.   I am starting to  investigate this option more
    and  more, but since I don't do this for  a living and it seems to be a lot
    of work, it might be a while.

     * Any other suggestions will be given consideration.






                              ======================
                                  RULES OF EUCHRE
                              ======================
    There are a variety of rules used for the game of euchre.  The main idea is
    the same in all, but some of the details are quite different.

    Euchre  is a trump card game for four players in two partnerships, using 24
    of  the highest  cards of  a standard 52-card  deck, with  ace ranked high.
    Each  player is dealt five cards face down; the next card is turned face up
    and  is called the  turned card, and  the players, in  turn starting at the
    dealer's  left, accept or reject the turned  card's suit as trump.  See the
    TRUMP  * Menu and  the CANADIAN option  under MODES for  different rules on
    being  able to order  trump.  Once  a player accepts,  the dealer takes the
    turned card and replaces it with one from his hand.

    If  no one accepts, the players, in turn, have an opportunity to call trump
    in  a suit other than the  turned card's suit.  If  no one calls trump, the
    deal  is passed to the left.   See the MUST CALL  option under MODES for an
    exception to this rule.

    When  trump is determined, the jack of that suit becomes the highest trump,
    called  the right bower, and the jack  of the same-colored suit becomes the
    second-highest  trump, called  the left bower.   For example,  if hearts is
    called  trump, the jack of  hearts becomes the highest  trump.  The jack of
    diamonds  is then the second highest trump.  The trump then follow in order
    from ace to nine of hearts.

    A  redeal may  be granted to  a player  who has all  nines and  tens and no
    trump.   If this  occurs, the same player  deals the cards  again.  If this
    occurs to a computer player, they show their hand and ask for a redeal.  If
    this  happens to you,  you are asked  if you would  like a redeal.   If you
    answer  yes, a  redeal occurs.   If  you answer  no, the  hand continues as
    normal.

    The  player who orders trump  may also go alone.   This is where the player
    challenges  his  opponents  on his  own  without  his partner's  help.   If
    successful  in getting  all five tricks  when going alone,  the team scores
    four  points, otherwise the scoring is the same as in normal play.  See the
    CANADIAN  option  under  MODES for  requiring  the  caller to  go  alone if
    ordering trump into dealer's hand and the dealer is the caller's partner.

    The  person to  the dealer's left  begins play  by leading a  card, and the
    other  players follow suit, if  possible.  The trick  is won by the highest
    card of the suit led or by a trump card played from a hand with no cards in
    the  suit led.   If more than one  player lacks cards in  the suit led, the
    trick  is won  by the highest  trump card played.   Unless a  trump is led,
    however,  a  player void  in  the suit  has the  option  of trumping  or of
    discarding  any card from another suit.  The winner of each trick leads the
    next.

    To  win a hand, the team of partners  who names the trump suit must collect
    at  least  three  of  the  five  tricks  in  the  play  of  one  hand.   If
    unsuccessful,  they are  euchred and the  opposing team  scores two points.
    When one side wins all five tricks, it scores a march, worth two points.  A
    game  is played to a total  of ten points.  The  term "In the Barn" is used
    when  a team has nine points and therefore only needs one more point to win
    the game.









    COMMON TERMS

      Alone or Loner:  When the person calling trump plays without his partner.
    If this person gets all five tricks of the hand, he get four points.

      Euchred:   When the trump-calling team fails to get at least three of the
    five tricks of a hand.  The opposing team gets two points for this.

      In  the Barn:  When a team has nine  points.  (I guess if both teams have
    nine points...you could call the game a real "barn burner")

      March:  When the trump-calling team gets all five tricks of a hand.  This
    team gets two points for this.

      The  Left or Left Bower:  The jack of  the same color suit as trump.  For
    example, if diamonds are trump, the jack of hearts is the left bower.  This
    is the second highest trump.

      Order  Trump:  This usually refers to  accepting the turned card as trump
    as  opposed to Calling Trump which is  naming a trump suit after the turned
    card has been rejected as trump.

      Redeal:   When a person has  all nines and tens and  no trump may ask for
    the  hand to be dealt  over.  Trump must  first be determined before asking
    for a redeal to make certain the hand contains no trump.

      The  Right or Right Bower:  The jack of trump.  This is the highest trump
    card.

      Trump:   The suit which outranks all  other suits for the duration of the
    hand.  The nine of trump is higher than an ace of any other suit.

      Turned  Card:  The card that is turned  up by the dealer that will either
    be accepted or rejected as trump.

