Help Index
Networdz for Windows

Playing the game

Rules of the game

Options

Dictionary


Playing the game

Description

Screen Layout

Starting the game

Playing words

Passing

Drawing new tiles

Ending the game

Network / Internet play

Play by E-mail

Different Language versions


Description

This is a board game for one to four players, where the players take turns making words on the board, like a crossword puzzle. The game is played with a board of squares the size of tiles

There are also several tiles with a letter on the front and a score [image] [image] [image] , and a rack for each player. At the beginning of the game, all tiles are in the pool. Each player draws tiles from the pool and put them in their rack. The players take turns placing their tiles on the board to form words (either horizontally or vertically), counting the score for the word, and then drawing new tiles from the pool. When the game is over, the player with the highest total score is the winner.

To see a demonstration of the game, select Players from the Options Menu. Choose two or more COMPUTER players, and all the other players NONE. Click the OK button. Then Select New Game from the Game Menu.


Screen layout


A blank tile has no letter or score displayed. It is a "wildcard", that is, it can be used to represent any letter (although the blank is worth no points). If you play a blank tile [image] , you will be asked what letter the blank represents. Then the tile will display the letter you selected in gray [image] . (If you play more than one blank, make sure you enter the letters in the order that the blanks appeared on the rack).


The tile pool is an area that holds all unused tiles, face down. When new tiles are drawn, they are removed from the pool. The number of tiles that are left in the pool is displayed in the lower right portion of the screen. You will not see the pool, unless you select Draw tiles (under the Preferences).


Each player has a rack where they hold all of their unplayed tiles. Play tiles from the rack onto the board, and draw new tiles from the pool. The number of tiles left in each players rack is displayed below their name.


Starting the game

To play the game, set the Players, and the Rules. Then select New Game from the Game menu. If Draw tiles (under the Preferences option) is selected, you will be asked to draw a tile to see who starts. Each Player draws a tile, and the player with the lowest tile (blanks are lowest) starts. If Draw Tiles is not selected, the starting player is selected automatically.


Playing words

The instructions box will display whose turn it is, and what they are doing: playing a word, drawing tiles, or discarding tiles. The instructions box will also direct you to play when it is your turn. Any hints that you get will be displayed in the instruction box, as well as errors made by players on other computers, and messages from players on other computers.

Each player tries to score the most points when playing a word. Drag each tile you want to play to the square on the board. If you make a mistake you can drag your tile from one square to another, or drag your tile back to the rack, or you can double click on one of your tiles to put it back in the rack. You can press the <escape> key or click the right mouse button to put all your tiles back on the rack. You can drag your tiles from one place on the rack to another (this may help you see words to play more easily). When you are finished, hit the DONE button or press the <enter> key. Your word will be checked, and either a message will show (if there is a mistake), or your word is accepted, and your score is added up.


Passing

If you cannot play a word on the board, or don't want to, you can pass your turn. Click on the PASS button. If there are any tiles left in the pool, you will be asked to discard your tiles. You can discard as many tiles as you want, or none. To discard a tile, drag the tile from your rack to the discard pile [image] , or double click on the tile you want to discard. You can discard tiles until there are not enough tiles left in the pool, or you have discarded all your tiles. When you have discarded all the tiles you want, hit the DONE button. If Draw Tiles (under the Preferences option) is selected, you will draw new tiles for the tiles you discarded; otherwise, the tiles you discarded will be replaced automatically. Then all your discarded tiles will be returned to the pool. If the Exchange four of a kind Rule is selected, and you have four or more of the same letter in your rack, you can discard all of your tiles to get new tiles, and keep you turn.


Drawing new tiles

After the you play a word, or discard tiles after passing, your rack must be re-filled with tiles (until the pool is out of tiles). If Draw Tiles (under the Preferences option) is selected, you will be shown the pool, and asked to draw new tiles. To draw a tile, drag it from the pool to your rack, or double click on the tile you want to draw. When you have filled your rack, or the pool is out of tiles, the game will continue. If Draw Tiles is not selected, your tiles will be drawn automatically. If the next player is a PERSON, a message box will appear for that person. The player' rack will be hidden, so that you can switch places at the keyboard.


Ending the game

The game ends when the pool is empty, and all players pass, or one player has played all his/her tiles.


Network / Internet play

Networdz can be played by two to four players over a network/LAN (TCP/IP protocol) or over the Internet. This discussion applies to both. Note - there is no "Server" for Networdz (Networdz is "peer to peer"). This means that anyone on a PC can play anyone else on a PC, at any time.

To play over the Internet, one computer must connect in Local/Dial mode (the HOST), and all the other computers must connect in Answer mode.

REMOTE players:

To play as a REMOTE player, select Communicate (under the Options menu), and select Answer mode. Then hit the CONNECT button. The instructions box should display "Waiting for Connection". Then hit the OK button to close the Communicate box. Now just wait until the HOST connects.

The Host:

The HOST must select REMOTE for each player on the Internet (there can be more than one PERSON player, or COMPUTER player at the HOST). For each REMOTE player, the IP name or IP address must be entered. The HOST chooses the rules, starts and stops the game, and every player uses the HOST computers dictionary. The HOST should wait until all the REMOTE players are connected and "Waiting for Connection". If the HOST loads a saved game, and the saved game has REMOTE players, all the players must be connected first, in the correct positions. So if the game was saved with a REMOTE player as Player 3, Player 3 must be connected as a REMOTE player and no others may be connected. (The IP addresses do not have to match the original IP addresses).

Players at your computer will have the name and word list displayed in black, and players at other computers will have the name and word list displayed in blue when not connected, and in red when they are connected. Players can use the Chat Option to send messages to each other. When any player quits, the game is stopped.

Possible problems include:

Dynamic IP addresses Most computers have a fixed IP address. However, many dial-up accounts have what is called a dynamic IP address, which means that every time they dial up and connect to the Internet, they get a different IP address. If a REMOTE player has a dynamic IP address, that player needs to tell the HOST their IP address after connecting. The IP address will be shown in the Communicate box. To tell the HOST the IP name or address, try sending E-mail, or use a second phone line, or use IRC - Internet Relay Chat (try channel #scrabbleparlor).

Configuration Files All players must have identical [Tiles] and  [Board] sections in the Configuration file, if they are not using the default configuration.

Delay time The Internet is not instantaneous, it can be slow, and is getting slower as more people use it. So if you play over the Internet, and traffic on the Internet is high, you may have to wait a long time. Be patient. The response time may seem slow, and if you are using Tournament Rules or Timed games, the players clocks may be different by several seconds.

Expense If you pay for your service by the hour, you will be billed for the entire time that you are playing.

Firewalls If you play from work, and your company has a Security "Firewall" on their network, you may not be able to play over the Internet. Ask your Network Administrator. (WARNING - your company may not appreciate you playing games at work).

Internet Protocol Port  A conflict with the Internet Protocol Port is possible - Every program on the Internet (ftp, WWW, E-mail, ...) has its own Internet Protocol Port. If another program uses the same Protocol Port as Networdz, there will be a problem. To change the Internet Protocol Port that Networdz uses, Add the following line to the NETWORDZ.INI file under the section titled

[Remote]

Internet Protocol Port=99

You can use any number that is not used by another Internet Program, but all players must use the same Port number.


Every computer connected to the Internet has a unique number called the IP address (sort of like a persons phone number). No other computer on the Internet has this number. The number consists of four parts, seperated by a period. For example, 113.27.205.19 . Many computers also have an IP name, such as abc.xyz.com. This is NOT the same as an E-mail address. The IP name and IP address are shown in the Communicate dialog box after connecting to the Internet. You may be able to use the IP name instead of the IP address. A program called DNS  will automatically convert the IP name into the IP address.


Play by E-mail

Networdz can by played by E-mail. To play a game by E-mail, select the players, and select PERSON for each player and enter the names (for example "Able", "Baker", and "Charlie"). Then select New game, and a message box will appear, for example, "Baker starts". Hit enter, and then select "Save game". Enter a file name (for example "OURGAME.NWD"). Then exit the game, and send E-mail to Baker, and attach the file "OURGAME.NWD". Baker will start Networdz, and select "Load Game", and select the file "OURGAME.NWD". Then he will take his turn. When he is finished, a message box will say "Charlie's turn". Baker will save the game, and exit Networdz. Then he will send E-mail to Charlie and attach the file "OURGAME.NWD". Continue playing in this manner until the game is complete.


Different Language Versions

Networdz can be played in several different language versions, including French, German, Spanish, and Russian. To play a language version, you must have both the Configuration file, for example DUTCH.CFG, and the Dictionary file, for example DUTCH.DCT. You must also install the selected font, if necessary. All tiles, squares, menus, and messages will appear in DUTCH, or whatever language you choose. The Keyboard must be set up for that language if you want to add or delete any words from the dictionary.


Rules of The game

Forming Words

Scoring

Optional Rules

Tournament Rules


Forming words

A player forms a word on the board by placing tiles from his/her rack onto squares on the board. The tiles must be placed on consecutive squares either going from left to right

or from top to bottom

The tiles must form a valid word. The word will be checked in the Dictionary file. A blank tile can be used as any letter. Also, any tiles placed next to a tile already on the board will be checked to see if a valid word is formed. The starting player will have an empty board, but must place one tile on the center square. After that, at least one tile must be placed next to a tile already on the board

The following are possible errors:

XXX is not in the dictionary

the word was not found in the dictionary

Your tiles are not in a line

the tiles must all be placed either in the same row or column

Tiles are not connected

at least one tile must touch a tile already on the board

Word must cover center square

on the first turn, one tile must be placed on the center square

Only one word allowed

more than one word played - tiles not on consecutive squares

No tiles played

no tiles were played


Scoring

After you play your word, if there are no errors, your score will be added up. Each new word that you form has the score calculated, and then all the words scores are totaled. The word will show in your wordlist on the left, along with the score on the right. If there are other words formed by crossed letters, the other word(s) and score will show after the first word in the word list, with a + in front. If you get a "bingo" where all the tiles in the rack are played, you will also see a line with ++ instead of the word, and a score of 50. If you pass, or make an error while playing Tournament Rules, you will see a line with - instead of the word, and a score of 0.

Each tile is worth the score displayed in the lower right corner (blanks are zero points). If you placed a tile on a square with "2X LETTER POINTS" [image] or "3X LETTER POINTS" [image] bonus or "4X LETTER POINTS" [image] bonus, that score is doubled or tripled or quadrupled. If the tile was already on the board from another turn, that score does not change. The scores for all tiles in the word are totaled. If you placed a tile on a square with "2X WORD POINTS" [image] or "3X WORD POINTS" [image] or "4X WORD POINTS" [image] bonus, the word score is then doubled or tripled or quadrupled. If the tile was already on the board from another turn, the word score is not changed. The word scores on all the words you formed are totaled - you can use  the bonuses for each word. If you play all the tiles in your rack (assuming the rack was full) you have a "bingo" and get a bonus of 50 points. If you pass you get no points. You cannot play tiles on the "blocked squares" that are all black [image] At the end of the game, the scores of all tiles left in your rack are subtracted from your score. If a player played all his/her tiles, the total scores of all other players tiles are added to that players score. The player with the highest score wins. In the case of a tie, the player with the most points, before counting the unplayed tiles, wins.


Optional Rules

Allow Hints

Allows a player to get hints from the computer (see Hint).

Show Racks

Show all tiles in each players rack face up (letters showing) during their turn. Otherwise a player will see his/her own rack at all times.

Trade Blanks

Allows a player to trade a tile for a blank on the board. You may take any blank tile that has been played, by dragging one of your tiles from the rack (with the same letter as the blank) on top of the blank tile.

Exchange 4 of a kind

Allows a player to discard a rack with four of the same letter, and keep his/her turn. There must be at least seven tiles left in the pool, and all seven tiles in the rack must be discarded.

Timed

Specify a time limit for each turn (in minutes). Each player has a set number of minutes to take a turn. After that the player loses a turn


Tournament Rules

Tournament Rules (selected in the rules menu) are based on the official tournament rules. None of the Optional rules are allowed. In addition:

a player cannot exchange tiles if there are less than seven tiles left in the pool.

the game is over when all players get a score of zero in three consecutive turns

In the American version, at the end of the game, if one player plays out all his/her tiles, that players score is increased by double the total of all the other players tiles, instead of the other players score being decreased.

each player is alloted 25 minutes to make all plays. When a player goes over 25 minutes, that players score is deducted by 10 points, and is deducted by another 10 points for each additional minute.

a player loses his/her turn if an invalid play is made (see Forming Words).


Options

Preferences

Players

Communicate

Rules

Hint

Chat

Register

Configuration


Preferences

This option will show a dialog box so that you can choose these optional preferences:

Draw Tiles

Players will draw starting tiles, and draw tiles for the rack after their turn. Otherwise, tiles will be drawn automatically.

Easy to Read

Tile letters and points will be enlarged.

Sound

Sound effects will be played through the computers sound system, otherwise there will be no sounds.

Animation

Select whether the COMPUTER and REMOTE players moves will be animated and at what speed.


Players

This option will show a dialog box so that you can choose up to four players. Each of the four positions has a choice of:

NONE	no player at this position

COMPUTER	the computer plays

PERSON	the computer asks you to play

REMOTE	a player on another computer

If the player is a COMPUTER, you will also set the skill level of the COMPUTER by the scroll bar labeled "dumb       smart". The closer the scroll bar is set to "smart" the harder the computer will play. If the player is a PERSON, you will have to enter the name. If the player is REMOTE you will have to enter the IP (internet) name or address, or pull one from the drop down list. You can enter a comment after the IP name / address separated by a space.


Communicate

To play over the Internet or a network, all players must be connected to the internet / network to play. One player is the HOST, and plays in LOCAL / DIAL mode. All other players must play in ANSWER mode. In LOCAL / DIAL mode, either hit the CONNECT button, or chose New Game, and all REMOTE players will be connected. In ANSWER mode, enter your name, and hit the CONNECT button. When connected to the network / internet, the IP name and IP address will be displayed, along with the Winsock version.


WINSOCK is the name of the program that connects a Windows program to the Internet. There are several versions of WINSOCK, including SPRY/Internet in a box, Trumpet, Netmanage Chameleon, and Microsoft.


Rules

This option will show a dialog box so that you can choose these optional rules:

Allow Hints

Show Racks

Tournament Rules

Trade Blanks

Exchange 4 of a kind

Timed


Hint

Use this option to get a hint if you are stuck.  Any tiles on the board will be placed back on the rack, and the computer will think, and then show a possible play in the instructions box. (Hints are not allowed in Internet play).


Chat

Use this option to send messages to players at other computers. Just type your message, and hit enter or click OK. Your message will show up in all the other players chat boxes and instructions boxes.


Register

Use this option to enter your registration code. The nag screens will no longer appear.


Configuration

Select an optional configuration file. This file is used for different language versions (FRENCH.CFG, GERMAN.CFG, SPANISH.CFG), or it can be used to change the number of blanks, the number of tiles in a rack, the points for a letter, the colors, ... Copy the file "SAMPLE.CFG", and make the changes that you want. Then start the game, and select the new .CFG file under this option. If you want to play a different language version, you must also have the corresponding Dictionary file (e.g. SWEDISH.CFG and SWEDISH.DCT).


Dictionary

Add dictionary word

Delete dictionary word

Import dictionary

Export dictionary

Dictionary File


Add dictionary word

Add a word to the game dictionary (words must be 2 - 12 letters). (You cannot add words to the dictionary in Internet play).


Delete dictionary word

Delete a word from the game dictionary. (You cannot add words to the dictionary in Internet play).


Import dictionary

Use this option to re-create the dictionary from a standard text file of words, in the format used by Export Dictionary. All words in the text file will be placed in the new dictionary, and they will be the only words in the dictionary.

The text file must have only one word per line, no blank lines, no spaces or punctuation marks, words must be 2 - 12 letters, and the words must be in alphabetical order. The words must be in ASCII sequence, so special characters, such as Å (ascii 197) and Ñ (ascii 209), will be after all other characters. Also, double letters, such as the Spanish CH and LL, go before all other characters.


Export dictionary

Use this option to copy the dictionary out to a standard text file, in the format used by Import Dictionary.


Dictionary File

Use this option to select the dictionary file used to check words during the game. If you want to create your own dictionary with different letters (in another language, for example), read the file DICTNARY.FMT.