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S O L E A U S O F T W A R E
D*O*T*S*O v1.1
______________________
Program by William Soleau
Requires: EGA/VGA
Requires Files: Dotso.exe Dotso.ov1
Dotso.ov2 Dotso.ov3
Dotso1.jft Dotso2.jft
Dotso3.jft Dotso4.jft
* DOTSO DIRECTIONS *
The objective of Dotso is to create boxes by drawing four
sides of a box. Each player takes turns drawing a line either
horizontal or vertical on the game board. The player with the
most boxes created at the end of the game is the winner. Dotso
is played like the classic game Connect the Dots.
At the start of the game, the computer will generate a random
board with some lines already drawn on it. Each player will take
turns placing down one line (between dots). If a player can make
a box by adding its fourth side, then it will be colored in with
their tile marker. If you make a box, your turn continues until
the line you draw will not form a new box. The computer will
automatically fill any other boxes which can be created once you
have captured your first box for that turn.
* Color Tiles *
This Shareware version of Dotso pits you against the computer.
Your color will be yellow and the computer will play the red.
At the start of the game there may occasionally be gray tiles on
the game board. These tiles cannot be captured and will remain
on the board for the duration of the game.
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* Drawing Lines *
When play begins the computer will randomly select who will take
the first turn. The color of the border around the game grid will
turn to the color of the player who is about to play. In the upper
left hand corner of the game board there will be the yellow line
icon. Using your arrow keys move the line to the place you want to
draw a line. You can change toggle the line icon between horizontal
and vertical by pressing the <Spacebar>. A line cannot be drawn on
top of a line already on the game board. When you have found the
place where you want to draw a line, press the <Enter> key. If
a box was not created by that line, then the play will pass to the
opponent.
* Options *
At the bottom of the screen there are several keys which you can
use to change the features of the game.
<D>irections <O>ptions <N>ew Game <Q>uit
<D>irections : Game Instructions
<N>ew Game : Begins a new game. Can be
pressed at any time during
a game.
<Q>uit : Quits Dotso
By pressing the <O>ption Key, a special Option Menu will appear.
The Options are:
1 = Toggle Sound (On/Off)
2 = Change Opponent Level (Beg/Adv/Exp)
3 = Soleau Software (Information)
4 = Change Opponent (Computer/Human Reg.Ver.)
* Opponent Level *
There are three different levels of play for the computer opponent.
They are Beginner, Average and Expert. The default for the game is
set to Average strength. The Level Icon is located on the right
side of the game board. This will tell you at which strength the
computer is playing.
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* Strategy *
The game is easy to play but requires a lot of strategy and
observation to win. After the first few moves by each player,
the game board will soon have no more places to safely draw a
line without the opponent being able to create a box on their turn.
The trick is to limit the number of boxes your opponent will
create by choosing the right location on the game board to draw
your line. The game is over when all boxes have been colored
in. The computer will tabulate the scores and determine the
winner. All score totals are visible on the screen during the
game.
* Keys *
Arrow Keys : Moves Line Icon
Spacebar : Toggles between Horizontal & Vertical
Enter Key : Draws the line
* NOTE WINDOWS USERS *
Running Dotso under Windows may cause unexpected results
The game should be played by loading it directly from the
the Dos prompt.
* SOLEAU SOFTWARE / REGISTRATION *
This game is distributed as Shareware and may be passed along
to your friends or local BBS. A registration fee of $12.00 is
requested if you find this game is a worthy addition to your
game collection. The registration will greatly speed up the
loading and exiting of the game, and provide you with an
option for two human players to compete against each other.
By registering D*O*T*S*O, you will instantly become a Soleau
Software Member. All Soleau Software Members receive discounts
on our other Shareware Games through Special Bonus Offers sent
with their disk. They are also eligible for our Member Game Pack
of EIGHT of our most popular EGA/VGA games on a High Density
floppy for an additional $6.00!
Please take the time to read the DOTS_REG.DOC file which
describes how you can get information on our many other games,
the Member Game Pack Offer, and how to become a Soleau Software
Member. You can also get this information by pressing the
<R>egistration key at the end of the game.
We at Soleau Software thank you for your support and hope
you will continue to enjoy this as well as our many other
Shareware products.
Sincerely,
William Soleau
President
Soleau Software
163 Amsterdam Ave
Suite 213
New York, NY 10023
