FinnPack version 1.0
====================

Author: Andreas Finne
        afinne@saunalahti.fi
        andreas@calc.org

Introduction
------------
FinnPack is a collection of two of my games. The first one is Dots, a
game that's played on paper in almost every school, but now you can
play it on your calc. The other one is the Towers of Hanoi, the
classic puzzle where you have to move the different-sized discs from
one peg to the other.

Summary of design
-----------------
The application FinnPack is run from the  APPS  menu on the
calculator. It uses no direct access to I/O ports; instead it uses
proper entry points. APD (Automatic Power Down) is enabled to maintain
low battery power.
When the application is started, you are presented with the title
screen where you can choose which one of the two included games you
want to run. The selected game is inverted. The selection is changed
with [LEFT] and [RIGHT], and confirmed with [ENTER]. To exit from the
title screen you press [CLEAR] or [2nd][QUIT]. In almost every
situation in the application, you can use [2nd][QUIT] to return to the
homescreen. The usage of the two included games can be found further
down in this document. 


DOTS
----

Introduction
------------
In Dots you have a screen filled with dots. Take turns with your
opponent connecting adjacent dots. Your opponent can be the calculator
or another person. The object of the game is to complete the fourth
side of as many squares as possible. After a square is completed the
same player must continue connecting dots until a square is not
completed. The game is over when all of the squares have been
completed. The winner is the player who has completed the most
squares. 

Usage
-----
The menu interface should be intuitive. The selected menu item is
inverted and you navigate the menus by using the arrow keys and
[ENTER].

On the Main Screen you see the current settings for the game (Game
mode and Board size). These settings can be changed in the Options
Screen. The menu items are  START ,  OPTIONS ,  HELP , and  QUIT .
START  begins a new game with the current settings.  OPTIONS  enters
the Options Screen where you can change the settings for the game.
HELP  enters the online help.  QUIT  exits Dots and returns to the
title screen of FinnPack.

On the Options Screen you can change the current settings of the game.
The menu item  Game mode  indicates whether you play against another
person, or against the calculator. The setting is changed using
[LEFT]/[RIGHT] or [ENTER]. Height and Width indicates the size of the
field of dots inside the game. Again, the value is changed using
[LEFT]/[RIGHT] or [ENTER]. Finally, you return to the Main Screen by
pressing [ENTER] when the  Main menu  item is selected.

Dots also features online help. The online help can be accessed from
both the Main Screen and from inside the game. The online help is
designed to look like ordinary computer programs with a scrolling bar
on the right side of the screen. You scroll the text by using [UP] and
[DOWN]. The help text includes instructions on the object of the game
and also a guide to the keys used throughout the game. 

In the game screen you see a field of dots and a marker (a small
square). The marker is moved by using the arrow keys. Draw mode is
entered by using the softkey marked  Pen , i.e. [Y=]. The other
softkeys in the game screen are  Quit  [ZOOM], which returns to the
Main Screen after confirmation, and  Help  [GRAPH], which enters the
help screen. On the right there s a part which shows the current score
for each player, whose turn it is, and whether draw mode is active or
not. When the entire field is filled, a line in the middle of the
screen comes up with the result (Player 1 wins / Player 2 wins / You
win / The calc wins). By pressing [ENTER] you are returned to the Main
Screen. 


TOWERS OF HANOI
---------------

Introduction
------------
Standard mode:
The object of the game is to move all the pieces from one pin to
another. The problem is that you can only move one piece at a time,
and you are only allowed to put a smaller piece on a larger one, never
a larger one onto a smaller one. When all the pieces have been moved
to another pin, the puzzle is completed. The minimum number of moves
needed to finish the puzzle can be calculated using the formula 2^n -
1, where n is the number of pieces. 

Puzzle mode:
The difference from normal mode is that your calculator has tried to
solve the puzzle, but it has given up. Your task is to complete the
puzzle for it. 

Usage
-----
The menu interface should be intuitive. The selected menu item is
inverted and you navigate the menus by using the arrow keys and
[ENTER]. 

On the Main Screen you see the current settings for the game (Game
mode and Number of blocks). These settings can be changed in the
Options Screen. The menu items are  START ,  OPTIONS ,  TOP SCORES ,
HELP , and  QUIT .  START  begins a new game with the current
settings.  OPTIONS  enters the Options Screen where you can change the
settings for the game.  TOP SCORES  enters the score list of the
application, where the least numbers of moves for the different modes
are listed.  HELP  enters the online help.  QUIT  exits Towers of
Hanoi and returns to the title screen of FinnPack. 

On the Options Screen you can change the current settings of the game.
The menu item  Game mode  indicates whether you play the traditional
way, or in puzzle mode. In puzzle mode the blocks are randomly put out
on the pins. This should make the game more interesting and demanding.
The setting is changed using [LEFT]/[RIGHT] or [ENTER]. The number of
blocks item indicates how many blocks that are used in the game. The
number can be between 3 and 8. Again, the value is changed using
[LEFT]/[RIGHT] or [ENTER]. Finally, you return to the Main Screen by
pressing [ENTER] when the  Main menu  item is selected. 

The Towers of Hanoi also features online help. The online help can be
accessed from both the Main Screen and from inside the game. The
online help is designed to look like ordinary computer programs with a
scrolling bar on the right side of the screen. You scroll the text by
using [UP] and [DOWN]. The help text includes instructions on the
object of the game and also a guide to the keys used throughout the
game. 

In the game screen you see three pins and a number of blocks on one or
more of the pins. Where the blocks are located is depending on which
game mode that is currently selected. In normal mode, all blocks are
on the leftmost pin, and in puzzle mode they are spread between the
three pins. You move blocks according to the rules of the Towers of
Hanoi. The rules are available in the online help. You move a block by
first selecting the pin to move a block from, and then you select the
pin that the block should be moved to. The three pins are responding
to the softkeys marked  Left ,  Mid , and  Right  ([Y=], [ZOOM], and
[GRAPH] accordingly). The other softkeys in the game screen are  Quit
[TRACE], which returns to the Main Screen after confirmation, and
Help  [WINDOW], which enters the help screen. At the top of the screen
the number of moves is written. When all of the blocks have been moved
to the middle or the right pin, a line in the middle of the screen
comes up saying  Well Done! . Then, after a key is pressed, and if you
have a new top score, a window comes up where you can enter your
initials for the score list. You enter them by using the regular
letters. You can also use [DEL] to delete a character. After your
initials are written, you are brought to the Top Scores Screen by
pressing [ENTER]. If you didn t get a top score, you are returned to
the Main Screen. 

(c)2003 Andreas Finne
afinne@saunalahti.fi
