









                    Instructions for Clue - The Computer Program





                                    Introduction




            These instructions assume basic knowledge of the board game Clue.

       If you  are unfamiliar with the rules of Clue please acquaint yourself

       with them.


            The purpose  of this program is to allow a small number of humans

       to play a game of Clue, while having the feel of a game with up to six

       players.   The computer  takes over  the details of dealing the cards,

       rolling the die, and seeing who should reply to a suggestion.


                                       Start




            To begin a game of Clue, just type CLUE at the DOS prompt.  After

       the title  pages, the  computer will ask for the number of human play-

       ers.  Between one and six humans may play, so just enter the appropri-

       ate number.   In  any numeric  input, the valid range of your input is

       placed in parenthesis after the prompt.


            You may then enter the number of players you wish the computer to

       play.   If there  are less than three human players, the computer must

       take enough players to make three.  (The original instructions of Clue

       require at  least three  players.)  The number of players the computer



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       is prepared  to take is in parentheses after the prompt.  If there are

       any computer players, you must then enter their skill factor.  A skill

       factor of  zero gives you extremely easy opponents, while a skill fac-

       tor of  ten gives  you very  skilled opponents.  Any number in between

       zero and ten will give you a mix of good and bad players.


            Each player  should then  pick a token from the menu, and enter a

       password.  The password should be entered in secret to preserve infor-

       mation about  your cards and notes from other human players.  If there

       is only one human player, passwords are not required.


            To use  any of  the menus  with the keyboard, just use the up and

       down arrow  keys to  position the  highlight on  the entry  you  wish.

       (Moving the  mouse up or down will also move the highlight.)  When the

       highlight is  on the  entry you  wish, pressing RETURN or either mouse

       button will select it.  When it is appropriate (e.g. when you are mak-

       ing a  suggestion), you  may cancel  a menu by pressing the ESC key or

       both mouse buttons.


            Menus may be placed by the players in an optimal position.  To do

       this, press  the M  key (there  is no  mouse equivalent), and the menu

       will become  transparent.   You may  the use  the cursor pad (with the

       Home key  representing up  and left,  etc.) or  the mouse to move this

       transparent area  around on the screen.  When you have the menu in the

       desired position  press the  RETURN key or a mouse button.  If you de-

       cide you  don't want  to move the menu after all, press the ESC key or

       both mouse buttons.









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                                     The Board




            The board  is represented on the screen by a grid which indicates

       the different  squares for  movement.  Large brown (on an amber screen

       at least)  areas represent  rooms, which  may be  entered through  the

       doors (represented  by triangles  at certain  positions).  Solid white

       areas represent squares where you are not allowed.  The small pyramids

       in the open area represent player tokens.


                                  Playing the Game




            A human  player can control the game, during his turn, with three

       menus.   Each menu  is split into three sections: primary commands for

       that menu,  commands to  switch menus, and a command to explicitly end

       your turn.   Only  the primary  commands will  vary from menu to menu.

       You may  view your  notes (and  cards) from  the menu by selecting the

       Notes command  (in the  second section).  You may also view your notes

       at any  time (after  entering your  password if necessary) by pressing

       the N key.


                                The Information Menu




            The Information Menu contains primary commands which allow you to

       view the latest suggestions (Suggestions), view all of the suggestions

       since the  beginning of  the game (All Suggestions), and determine the

       position of any player (Positions).  Suggestions will be displayed ten

       at a time on the screen.  You may change the ten you are looking at by

       using the small menu which accompanies the suggestions.  An unintended



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       but useful  feature is  that if  you start  with Suggestions, and then

       want to see all of the suggestions, choose Next and then Previous from

       the suggestions  menu.  You will now be able to see all of the sugges-

       tions just  as if you'd started with All Suggestions.  (This will work

       only after there are more than ten suggestions.)


            If you  want to know the position of some token, select the Posi-

       tions command  from the  Information Menu.   You will then be prompted

       for the  token whose  position you wish to know.  If the token is in a

       room, a  message will appear telling you which room, otherwise the to-

       ken will  be highlighted.   Press  any key  (except N, since that will

       bring up  your notes)  or a  mouse button,  and you will return to the

       prompt.  Pressing ESC or both mouse buttons at this prompt will return

       you to the information menu.


                                  The Actions Menu




            The Actions  Menu allows you to move your token (Move), make sug-

       gestions (Suggest),  or make  an accusation (Accuse).  When you choose

       the Move  option your roll will appear in the center of the board.  If

       you are  in a  corridor your token will be highlighted.  You must then

       show the computer each step of your move, either by using the four ar-

       row keys,  or by  pointing to  each square with the mouse.  (The mouse

       cursor will  be a  small hand.)  Remember that you can view your notes

       by pressing  N.  If you are in a room when you choose the Move option,

       there are several possibilities.  If you have not made a suggestion in

       that room,  you do  not need  to leave,  and the computer will confirm

       that you do want to leave.  If you are in one of the corner rooms, you

       may use  a secret  passage to  go to the diagonally opposite room; the



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       computer will  ask if you wish this.  Both of these possibilities will

       be checked  before your  roll is  determined.   If you intend to use a

       door to  leave a  room, your roll will be displayed, and you must tell

       the computer  which door.  A mark (a small 'x') will appear outside of

       one of  the doors.  Pressing RETURN means that you wish to exit on the

       square the  mark is  in.   To move the mark to another door, press any

       key except  N (which will still display your notes), until the mark is

       outside of  the door  you wish.   If  you have a mouse installed, just

       point to  the square  outside of the door you wish to use, and press a

       button.


            The Suggest  option allows you to make a suggestion if you are in

       a room.   The  computer will remind you which room you are in, and ask

       you to  name a  player and  a weapon for the suggestion.  The computer

       will then determine which, if any, player should disprove your sugges-

       tion.   If it's  one of  the computer's players, you will be shown the

       card automatically.   If  another human player holds the card, he must

       be called  to the  screen to  determine which card to show you.  (This

       will happen  even if  he has  only one  of the cards you suggested, so

       that no one will know how many of the cards he has.)  At times a human

       player may be called to the screen to show one of the computer's play-

       ers a  card.   You may stop making a suggestion at any time before en-

       tering the weapon by pressing the ESC key, or both mouse buttons.


            You may  use the Accuse option only once in a game.  The computer

       will first  confirm that you really do want to make an accusation.  If

       you do, you must enter a player, weapon, and scene for the murder.  If

       you are correct, you'll have won the game.  If you're wrong you cannot

       win the  game, but  you must  still be available to show people cards.

       You may  stop making  an accusation  at any  time before  entering the


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       scene for  the murder  by pressing the ESC key, or pressing both mouse

       buttons.


                                  The Options Menu




            The Options  Menu includes  three choices: Print, File, and Quit.

       Print and  File are  vestigial from  version 1.0  of Clue,  and are no

       longer active.  You may still use Quit to end the game prematurely.


                                    The Note Pad




            Your note pad is available at any time after you enter your pass-

       word (any  time at  all if there is only one human player).  It may be

       obtained either  by pressing N, or by choosing the Notes option from a

       menu.   Your cards  will have the name of your token (Green, Scarlett,

       etc.) beside them.  Other entries will have whatever you put by them.


            There is  a small  sub-menu which  goes along with your note pad.

       It contains  only two options: Change and Done.  If you wish to make a

       change to  your note pad choose the first, when you're done looking at

       your notes choose the second.  When you're making changes to your note

       pad, the  highlight will  appear in your notes.  Select the item which

       you wish  to change.  If that item already has a mark (name of a token

       other than your own) by it, that mark will be removed.  If there is no

       mark, you  will be prompted for the name of the player who you believe

       holds the  card.   If you change your mind about changing a card press

       the ESC key or both mouse buttons.







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                                       Finish




            When the  game is  over you  may examine any players cards.  When

       you are  done looking  over each  other's cards,  you may play another

       game without restarting the program.  However, you will have to re-en-

       ter all information about passwords, and player numbers.















































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