Tommy's cryptoquips (c) copyright 1992 by tommy's toys
P. O. Box 11261, denver, co 80211 usa. All rights reserved.
Catalog #tm-139-1a
Instructions:
Do you like solving cryptograms for laughs? This neat toy is a tool for
Solving cryptoquips from the newspapers or other sources, and for composing
Your own. Hundreds of cryptoquips are provided free with this toy.
The basic idea:
The crypto algorithm used is a simple one-to-one letter mapping. Some letters
May be mapped to themselves, but most aren't. To "solve" the cryptogram, you
Just have to figure out the mappings for all the letters used in the cryptoquip.
One mapping is always given free as a help, e.g., a equals o.
To solve the cryptoquip:
Use the left/right arrow keys on the numeric key pad to select a letter from
A to z on the guess map, then type your guess (a to z). The computer will
Substitute your guess into the cryptoquip automatically and display it.
The display screen:
The top of the screen shows the cryptoquip, and above it, your current guess
For the true quip after substituting letters.
Below this is a 2-line letter display, the bottom line is the letters a-z,
The top line is your current guesses for the mapping for the corresponding
Letter below. Note that letters that don't appear in the original
Cryptoquip are left blank because they aren't used. A letter not used in a
Guess yet is highlighted on the bottom line; on the top line, a letter
Revealed for you by the computer during team play is also shown highlighted.
The arrow cursor is shown flashing.
Solo game (1 player):
In the solo game you play against the clock, trying for the minimum time on
10 puzzles. You can give up on a puzzle (by hitting function key f9) but you
Get zero points! If you don't give up, your score is based on the number of
Seconds you took, maximum is 1000. If you can't get it right in 2000 seconds
(approx 30 minutes) you get a score of zero. At any time you can hit the esc
Key causing the computer to reveal one letter mapping for you at the cost of
Halving your score. High scores are automatically kept by the computer on
Disk on the file tomcrypt.scr, which you can erase if you want to clear the
High scores.
Team game (2-6 players):
In the team game, you guess the cryptoquip competitively. Teams play in
Rotation, the first team up being chosen randomly by the computer. The
Program helps by revealing one letter mapping before starting the guess-clock.
You have 30 seconds to get the right answer or the next team is up. If you
Guess the entire cryptoquip you win! Your team scores 1000 play dollars if
The computer only revealed one letter, 950 dollars if it revealed two letters,
Down to a minimum of 100 play dollars. If you want to give up before the 30
Seconds is over and let the next team play, just hit function key f9.
A new round is always started by the next team in rotation, not the team
Winning the previous round. The first team to win 3 rounds wins the game and
Gets to play a bonus round! (note: function key f8 pops-up a cumulative
Scores display.)
Bonus round (team game):
The winner of the game goes on to a bonus round for big prizes. You get 120
Seconds to solve another cryptoquip with 5 mappings given to you for free.
Good luck! If you get it right, you get $25,000 (play money, don't write us
Asking for a check - ha ha!).
Clearing and starting over:
If you have made so many changes you are lost, you can start the puzzle over
By hitting function key f4.
Demo mode: function key f2 toggles the demo mode. In demo mode, the computer
Runs through the cryptoquips but doesn't answer them. Note: to keep you from
Raising the score by menuing the questions, the game is restarted every time
F2 is pressed.
Sound effects toggle: function key f1 toggles the sound effects on and off.
To quit: hit function key f7 then "y".
To change the screen border color (color monitors only): hit function key f10.
For mono monitors only: f10 changes the pseudo-color of the puzzle entries.
To display these instructions: hit function key f5.
Cryptoquip data files:
Tommy's cryptoquips operates on up to 100 modular data files, which means
That any one or more of them can be present and the program will pick and
Choose puzzles at its whim from those that are; the current data file
Number (0..99) in use is shown in the lower right hand corner of the screen
While playing.
All cryptoquip data files have the names "cryptdat.n", where n=0... The program
Keeps auxiliary files "cryptaux.n" to record which questions have been used so
Far; the size of each cryptaux.n file is 10+2*m, where m=maximum number of
Puzzles allowed per cryptdat.n file; currently m=3000 (if there are any more
Puzzles than that in a file, they are ignored).
Dos paths:
The program first assumes that the cryptdat.n files are on the default dos
Path (the one you get with the path command). If it can't find any files
There, it asks you for another path. You can then enter, for example,
D:\crypt\ or c:\. Upon exiting, the program stores the cryptaux files on
That path, not the default path; that way, the data and its usage reside on
The same path, so, for example, you can have one cryptdat.3 file on one
Subdirectory and another cryptdat.3 on another subdirectory, with no conflict.
The high score file, however, is held on the default dos path, since it
Doesn't matter where the data came from when we are talking about high scores.
File parameter display:
At the bottom left of the game screen there are some numbers displayed. Here
Is what they mean:
1. Number of quips in current data file (the one listed on the bottom
right of the screen) that have not been used up. Initially, when there's
no aux file for that data file and the program hasn't scanned through
the file yet to count the number of quips, this number if 3000 (the
maximum file capacity m); when the program has reached end-of-file on
that data file, it finally knows the true number of quips in the file
and adjusts accordingly -- hence the second time it starts through this
file the number of 'unused' quips may jump down considerably.
2. The number of the last quip used: a demo mode question is not used so
it doesn't count.
3. The current quip being examined by the program: watch it skip
through to what it wants.
4. The next quip it plans to go to (it hops through the data file in
random size hops so if you delete the aux file and run the program
again, the quips will come out in a different order).
Command line parameters:
s start up with sound effects off
m force mono display mode
c force color display mode
* skip the startup show
Example: >tomcrypt ms
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Did you like this toy?
Don't forget to try our gobs of other neat low-priced toys and games for the
Ibm pc and compatibles. We are waiting to send you our 5.25 inch (360kb) or
3.5 inch (720kb) demo disk, containing an electronic catalog and other
Goodies, for only $2 to any u.s. Address, $3 outside u.s. (u.s. Dollars only).
As an inducement to register this toy:
We will send you instructions on how to put your own cryptoquips into a data
File for use by your friends!
P.s. Help tommy!
Don't forget to report any bugs or defects in the program or data at once:
We often send free toys and games to bug hunters, so hurry and get yours!
Just list the info. In a postcard or letter and include your name and
Address. Send to tommy's bug hunt c/o tommy's toys.
Enjoy!
Tommy's toys, p.o. Box 11261, denver, co 80211 usa.
