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XCell 4.0A card game

Written by Robin van Ommeren.

• Version 4.0A.
• 4 June 1997.
• Public domain.
• Windows 95 /NT.

xcell40a.zip (654,918 bytes)

A card game inspired by Microsoft's FreeCell but with many more features.

Release Notes for version 4.0a

Xcell is a free game and Xcell 4.0A is a public Beta release, if you like the game or not, please distribute it everywhere! Thanx

Delivery

xcell.exe	Executable
splash.bmp	Splash bitmap, this file can be modified but should be a valid bitmap!
xback.bmp	Background bitmap, this file can be modified but should be a valid bitmap!
bad.wav	Game sound, this file can be modified
bop.wav	Game sound, this file can be modified
click.wav	Game sound, this file can be modified
fire.wav	Game sound, this file can be modified
hsw_button.wav	Game sound, this file can be modified
hsw_next.wav	Game sound, this file can be modified
move.wav	Game sound, this file can be modified
select.wav	Game sound, this file can be modified
release40A.txt	Release notes

Feedback

You can send any comments to either of the following e-mail adresses:

robin.van.ommeren@pi.net
ren-hoek@dds.nl

The latest developments and news can be checked at:

http://huizen.dds.nl/~ren-hoek

What is new in Xcell 4.0A

• A game is saved together with its history and time
• Background midi player
• Multiple card movement
• Totally new Hall of Fame
• Option Window
• Replay of played games in Hall of Fame
• Background midi player
• CD player
• GameSolver solving a game
• GameWizard showing cards that can be moved
• Time wil stop if window is minized
• Time is stopped when switching to Hall of Fame or Option window
• Game information is displayed in status window
• Greatly improved drawing speed
• Updates of status window at all times
• and more

Unfinished stuff in Xcell4.0A

The highscore file is not compatible with any prior releases of Xcell. From now on the highscore file will be compatible. Make sure you enter a unique name or callsign (e-mail) in the Hall of Fame, otherwise your highscores may be merged with another person's highscores if you exchange highscore files.

If you exchange a highscore file, make sure you compress it first. It should be brought down by 90% in size.

Customization of the toolbar is not finished, the following features may not achieve the desired effect:

• Using SHIFT and the mouse allows you to move buttons on the toolbar
• Left mouse double click brings up the customize toolbar dialog.

The GameSolver is very stupid. This will be improved in future versions. It is wise to only use the gamesolver when you think you are really stuck in a game. Apply the following strategy:

• Save the game
• Invoke the gamesolver and see if you are REALLY stuck.
• Restore your saved game if you are not REALLY stuck

Note: The gamesolver button on the toolbar starts and stops the gamesolver.

Exchanging highscores through the internet is not implemented yet. This will be somewhere in July, since my development computer is not hooked up on the interenet at the moment. Workaround: Send each other the highscore file "xcell.hgh", and use the merge button on the high score window to merge the recieved highscore file with your high score file.

There is no installation program included in the delivery. This will quickly change. I may have it finished for Xcell 4.0B

The option window is far from finished, new options will be added with every Beta version.

There is no help file. Eventually I will make one...no use in documenting features that may still be subject to change since I make no money with this game...

"Most scores" and "Least scores" in the Hall of Fame are not implemented. Also "Slowest game" and "Most moves" will be removed and "Average moves" and "Average time" may be added.

The CD player is stil subject to improvements.

The sound effects are slowing down the game.

The high score file can get large.

What will be in Xcell 4.0B or C or D...

All reported bugs in 4.0A will be fixed

• Compress the high score file
• Smarter GameSolver
• Finish customization of toolbar
• Exchanging high score over the internet
• Build Xcell server to gather highscores on the internet
• Improve CD player
• Help file
• New startup window (AVI)
• Installation program
• Configurable sound effects
• More Options in option window
• Dynamically change the background of the game window

Xcell 4.0B is scheduled for somewhere in August (first I have to graduate...)

Short help file

A help file will be available eventually. You can find the game rules in the help file of Freecell, which is shipped with Windows 95 and Windows NT. The controls are different and explained in the following FAQ. I will update this FAQ with all the questions I recieve through e-mail.

Q. How do I move multiple cards?

A. Use the left mouse button to drag the topmost card of the chain in the column to the bottom card of the destination column.

Q. When should I use the right mouse button?

A. If the right mouse button is clicked on a card, the card will first be moved to its homecell if posiible and then to an empty column if available and then to an empty Xcell if available.

Q. When should I use the left mouse button double click?

A. The behavior of the double click is the same as using the right mouse button.

Installation guide

As mentioned before, there is no installation program yet. Just extract all the files from the zip file in a new clean directory and you are done.

Source Code

The source code for version 1.0 of this game is distributed with the WEL library shipped with ISE Eiffel and Visual Eiffel.

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