/*********************************************************************/ Tic-Tac-Toe 68k Version 1.0 by John David Ratliff jdratlif@cs.indiana.edu http://www.technoplaza.net Last Updated: July 4, 2001 /*********************************************************************/ 1.0 Basic Information Tic-Tac-Toe is one of the most classic games in existence. I'm sure you've played at least once in your life. Every calc has a Tic-Tac-Toe clone, and this is mine. There is nothing too special about the game, though it does support AI or 2 player mode on the same calc or using the link. I think the graphics are nicer than most clones too, even if they are black and white. How do you play? Simple. The game is played with 2 people, and 2 sides: the X side and the O side. Although I don't think there are any official rules, in this version, X always goes first. You play on a board shaped like a pound sign (#), but bigger. The idea is to get 3 of your pieces aligned in a row before your opponent can. To do that, you place a piece on the board, and then your opponent does the same thing. There are 9 spots on the board, and you cannot move to any spot that is already occupied. You win by aligning three of your pieces in a row. You lose if your opponent accomplishes that. The game is a stalemate if all the squares are taken, but no one achieves a "tic-tac-toe". 2.0 Game Play Information To play the game, transfer the program to your calculator. Use the ttt.89z file for the TI-89 and ttt.9xz for the TI-92+. From the HOME screen, enter ttt() and press ENTER. The game will start and bring up the intro screen. The game defaults to On-Calc mode at start, meaning both player's are using the same calculator. To switch modes, press the F1 key. The modes are On-Calc, vs. Computer (you play against the computer AI), and Link Play (either X or O, based on the side you are going to play). We will discuss the other modes later. If you have changed modes during the program, the mode you selected last will be the mode the game defaults to the next time the intro screen is displayed. When the game starts, the board will be blank, and an inverted piece will be displayed acting as a selector. (i.e. the piece will be white surrounded by black, instead of a black piece on white background). You can move this selector along the board using the arrow keys. When you have found the place you wish to play at, press ENTER. You piece will be displayed, and the selector will change to that of the opposing side. The other side plays in the same fashion. When a player has won, a banner will replace the logo atop the screen saying who won (either X or O). If there are no moves left, a stalemate banner will be displayed. Press any key to exit the game and return to the intro screen. 3.0 Link Play Information To play using the Link, make sure the link cable is secure in the two calculator's link ports before starting the program. You must have the program on both calculator's before you begin. Start the program on both calculators. Select Link Play mode. One side must be X and one side must be O. If you do not select different sides, the link will abort saying it had an error. This will take 20 seconds approximately, but you can abort instantly by using the ON key. When you have selected the options correctly, the game will start on both calculators, and the game will proceed like a 2 player on-calc version. All the moves one side makes will be displayed on the other calc, just as if they were playing with the same calc. If at any time, the link stops responding (the cable gets pulled out or some other error), and one calc seems to lock up, press the ON key and it will abort the link and quit the game. You will lose the game if this happens. 4.0 Computer AI Information This game has a 1-player mode using a somewhat nice AI. To play against the computer, select vs. Computer mode from the intro screen. The computer always play's O, so you always go first. Make your move like you would in any other mode. When you are finished, the computer will play (but it does not use the selector). You will see the computer's new move and control will be returned to you. The computer plays in a defensive style, and does not move randomly. If you are about to win, the AI will try to stop you. Otherwise, it analyzes a position where it will attempt to win via tic-tac-toe. When it is no longer possible to win, the computer plays the first open move on the board. There is a statistical advantage to going first, so it is rare that the computer will win, unless you just aren't paying attention. It doesn't make mistakes, but sometimes, there isn't any way to win. This is the big problem of playing a defensive opponent. The majority of games will most likely end in stalemate, though it is not difficult to beat the AI if you note a very simple trapping pattern for defensive players. 5.0 Revision History Version 1.0 - July 4, 2001 - Initial Public Release - Added support for 2 player on-calc play - Added support for link-play - Added AI support - Added full source comments 6.0 Possible Future Updates - Add support for 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe - Improve AI support to think beyond a single move - Add support for AI to play either side If you have suggestions on how to improve this game, please contact me. 7.0 Contact Information You can contact me via email, or through my web-based feedback form. Web Feedback: http://www.technoplaza.net/index.cgi?p=feedback E-Mail: jdratlif@cs.indiana.edu 8.0 Updates and Revisions The latest version of the program will most likely be either on my website, http://www.technoplaza.net, or on ticalc at http://www.ticalc.org. 9.0 Copyright Information This program is copyright (C) 2001 John David Ratliff. The program is freely redistributable under the terms of the GNU General Public License. For the full terms of the GNU GPL, visit http://www.technoplaza.net/index.cgi?p=license, or visit http://www.gnu.org and search for the GPL. Basically, you may not restrict distribution of this program in any way. You can change it, but you have to make those changes available to the public. You may have the source code, but if you distribute it, you must release the source also.