Iagno Documentation

[Eric Baudais <drake x8b4e541f dhcp okstate edu>]

Ian-

I have finished the manual for Iagno.  It is attached to this message and
is also on the web at:

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Port/1474/iagno-index.html

Eric Baudais
<!DOCTYPE Article PUBLIC "-//GNOME//DTD DocBook PNG Variant V1.0//EN"[]>

<article id="iagno-index">

<artheader>
 <authorgroup>
  <author>
   <firstname>Eric</firstname>
   <surname>Baudais</surname>
   
   <affiliation>
    <address>
     <email>baudais@okstate.edu</email>
    </address>
   </affiliation>
  </author>
 </authorgroup>
 
 <copyright>
  <year>2000</year>
  <holder>Eric Baudais</holder>
 </copyright>

 <revhistory>
  <revision>
   <revnumber>0.1</revnumber>
   <date>4 February 2000</date>
   <authorinitials>eb</authorinitials>
   <revremark>
   First draft completed.
   </revremark>
  </revision>
 </revhistory>
 <title>Iagno Users Guide</title>
</artheader>

<sect1 id="intro">
 <title>Introduction</title>
 <sect2 id="what">
  <title>What is Iagno?</title>
  
  <para>
  Iagno is a computer version of the game Reversi, more 
  popularly called Othello.  Iagno is a two player 
  strategy game similar to Go.  The board is 8 by 8 with 
  chips that are black on one side and white on the other 
  side.  The object of Iagno is to flip as many of your 
  opponent's chips to your color as possible without 
  your opponent flipping your chips.  This is done 
  by trapping your opponent's chips between two chips of 
  your own color.
  </para>
 </sect2>

 <sect2 id="why">
  <title>Why is Othello called Iagno? 
  <para>
  You're probably wondering why is this computer game called 
  Iagno instead of Othello or even gnothello.  The answer  
  is simple; the author named it that way and it's his 
  application.  Instead of leaving it at that, I'll tell 
  you a long and complicated lie about the origin of the 
  name Iagno.
  </para>
  <para>
  On a stormy night, like those depicted so much in England, 
  a lonely programmer was sitting in front of his computer 
  screen.  Ian had finished his masterpiece in gaming.  It 
  was a fully interactive game of Othello and he decided
  to play a pun with the name and called it gnothello for 
  the game was written using Gnome.  
  </para>
  <para>
  Later his buddies came over and like all programmers he 
  showed off his masterpiece.  They all laugh in his face 
  and tell Ian that his game is worthless and a pitiful 
  attempt to be a true hacker.  After Ian kicks them out 
  he decides to rename his program Iago for the evil which 
  has manifested itself due to his game.  Yet it still 
  doesn't sound right.  All Gnome programs have some part 
  of Gnome in it Ian thought.  After much thought he decides 
  on the name we have come to cherish, Iagno.
  </para>
 </sect2>
</sect1>

<sect1 id="playing">
 <title>Playing Othello</title>
 <para>
 The board starts with four chips arranged in a box on the 
 middle of the board. The chips have the same color at each corner. 
 </para>
 
 <figure id="start-shot">
  <title>Starting Position</title>
  <screenshot>
   <screeninfo>Screenshot of the starting position.</screeninfo>
   <Graphic Format="png" Fileref="START.png" srccredit="Author">
   </graphic>
  </screenshot>
 </figure>

 <para>
 Black goes first and places a chip on the board such that it 
 traps white's chips between two of black's chips. When black places 
 a chip on the board all of white's chips, between any two of black's 
 chips and in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row, are flipped over 
 and become black.
 </para>

 <figure id="first-shot">
  <title>First Move</title>
  <screenshot>
   <screeninfo>Screenshot of the first move.</screeninfo>
   <Graphic Format="png" Fileref="FIRST.png" srccredit="Author">
   </graphic>
  </screenshot>
 </figure>

 <para>
 When there is chip trapped between two chips, of an identical color 
 in the same row, the player only captures the chips up to the first 
 chip of the player's color. The player can only take chips that are 
 a direct result of the placing a chip on the board. Once a chip is 
 placed on the board the player cannot remove it and place the chip 
 somewhere else. If a player cannot move they forfeit their turn.  
 The game ends when it is no longer possible for either player to move.

 <figure id="block-shot">
  <title>Black cannot take the white chip because there is a black chip 
  "blocking" the row.</title>
  <screenshot>
   <screeninfo>Screenshot of black blocking.</screeninfo>
   <Graphic Format="png" Fileref="BLOCK.png" srccredit="Author">
   </graphic>
  </screenshot>
 </figure>

</sect1>

<sect1 id="settings">
 <title>Game Settings</title>

 <sect2 id="player">
  <title>Choosing A Color</title>
 
  <para>
  When you start Iagno the human player is black and the computer player 
  is white with the first level of difficulty. You can change either the 
  color the you play or the level of difficulty in the <guimenu>Settings 
  </guimenu> menu. Go to <guisubmenu>Preferences</guisubmenu> and in the 
  <guimenuitem>Players</guimenuitem> tab pick the color you want to be and 
  the difficulty of the computer player.
  </para>
 </sect2>

 <sect2 id="quick-moves">
  <title>Quick Moves Option</title>

  <para>
  This option is in the <guimenu>Settings</guimenu> menu. Then go to the 
  <guisubmenu>Preferences</guisubmenu> submenu in the <guimenuitem>Players
  </guimenuitem> tab and it is initially off. When enabled this option 
  makes the computer player place its chips faster. 
  </para>

  <note>
   <title>Note:</title>
   <para>
   Enabling this option does not force the computer player to move and does 
   not reduce the level of difficulty.
   </para>
  </note>

  <figure id="player-shot">
   <title>The Preferences menu with the Player tab highlighted.</title>
   <screenshot>
    <screeninfo>Screenshot of the player settings.</screeninfo>
    <Graphic Format="png" Fileref="PLAYER.png" srccredit="Author">
    </graphic>
   </screenshot>
  </figure>

 </sect2>

</sect1>

<sect1 id="animations">
 <title>Animations</title>

 <para>
 All the animation option are in the 
 <menuchoice>
  <guimenu>Settings</guimenu>
  <guisubmenu>Preferences </guisubmenu>
 </menuchoice>
 menus with the <guimenuitem>Animations</guimenuitem> tab highlighted.
 </para>

 <sect2 id="animation-amount">
  <title>Amount of Animation</title>

  <para>
  This option controls the amount of animation present when each chip is 
  flipped using radial buttons.  Selecting the option none will cause 
  the chips to change color instanteously.  Selecting the option partial 
  will cause the animation to flip the chips slowly.  Selecting the 
  complete option will cause the chips to flip slowly and smoothly.
  </para>

 </sect2>

 <sect2 id="stagger-flips">
  <title>Stagger Flips</title>
  
  <para>
  This option will make the chip flip halfway and then back to its 
  original color if the chip is captured twice.
  </para>

  <tip>
   <title>Tip:</title>
   <para>
   This option works best when the quick moves option is also selected.  
   If the quick moves option is not selected this option will have no 
   visible effect on flipping the chips.
   </para>
  </tip>

 </sect2>

 <sect2 id="grid">
  <title>Show Grid</title>

  <para>
  This option will display a grid on top of the playing surface.  The 
  grid is useful to display because it shows the player exactly where 
  they are placing each chip.
  </para>

  <tip>
   <title>Tip:</title>
   <para>
   This option should be enabled for beginning players to see the gameplay 
   more clearly.
   </para>
  </tip>

 </sect2>

 <sect2 id="flip-final">
  <title>Flip Final Results</title>

  <para>
  This option moves all the black chips to the top of the board and all the 
  white chips to the bottom of the board at the end of the game.  This allows 
  you to see visually the outcome of the game.
  </para>

  <important>
   <title>Important:</title>
   <para>
   This option does not affect the outcome of the game in any way.
   </para>
  </important>

 </sect2>

 <sect2 id="tile-set">
  <title>Tile Set</title>
  <para>
  This option lets you choose the type of board and chips which are displayed.  
  If you want to make your own tile sets use the classic tile set as a template 
  and change the texture and colors for different effects.  When you make a new 
  tile set that works with Iagno send to it Ian Peters <email>itp@gnu.org</email> 
  and he will include into the next distribution.
  </para>

  <important>
   <title>Important:</title>
   <para>
   There are three tile sets which look the same.  Please do not report this as 
   a bug or you will be promptly ignored.
   </para>
  </important>

  <figure id="animation-shot">
   <title>The Preferences menu with the Animation tab highlighted.</title>
   <screenshot>
    <screeninfo>Screenshot of the animation settings.</screeninfo>
    <Graphic Format="png" Fileref="ANIMATION.png" srccredit="Author">
    </graphic>
   </screenshot>
  </figure>

 </sect2>

</sect1>

<sect1 id="bugs">
 <title>Known Bugs and Limitations</title>

 <itemizedlist mark="opencircle">
  <listitem>
   <para>
   The computer player for Iagno is easy to beat.  Ian, the author, is working on a 
   better computer player for version 2.
   </para>
  </listitem>
  <listitem>
   <para>
   Three of the seven tile sets look the same.  If anyone has made some more tile sets 
   send them on to Ian <email>itp@gnu.org</email> and they will be included in version 
   2.
   </para>
  </listitem>
 </itemizedlist>

</sect1>

<sect1 id="credits">
 <title>Special Credits</title>

 <itemizedlist mark="opencircle">
  <listitem>
   <para>
   &copy;1998 Iagno is written by Ian Peter and licensed under the 
   <ulink type="http" url="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU Public License</ulink> 
   (GPL).
   </para>
  </listitem>
  <listitem>
   <para>
    Licensed by Anjar Company <trademark>Othello&reg;</trademark> is a registered trademark 
    for a game and equiptment.
    </para>
  </listitem>
 </itemizedlist>

</sect1>

</article>