Contents

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Contents lists all Cals Brain Strain help topics.

For Help on Help, Press F1

Playing the Game

Introduction

How To Play

How to Move a Card

Tips and Strategies

Won Games

Commands

The Toolbar

Menu Options

Legal Stuff

How To Register

Legal Issues

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments


Introduction

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Solitaires differ widely in the opportunities they afford for the exercise of skill.  Some are purely mechanical, while others torture the mind.  Cals Brain Strain is a variation of Calculation Solitaire.

Calculation stands at the top of the list of games that give opportunity for skill.

So says the worlds leading authority on cards & gambling, John Scarne, in his classic work Scarnes Encyclopedia of Card Games.  With sufficient skill, patience, and foresight an experienced player will win 4 to 5 times more often than a beginner.  Some players of this game actually believe that two games out of three can be won with proper application and patience.

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 •	How To Play

 •	Contents


How To Play

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Foundations.  The Ace, Two, Three, and Four that appear in a column on the right side of the play table constitute the foundations.  The foundations are to be built up in arithmetical series as follows, regardless of suit:

A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K   (interval = 1)

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, Q, A, 3, 5, 7, 9, J, K   (interval = 2)

3, 6, 9, Q, 2, 5, 8, J, A, 4, 7, 10, K   (interval = 3)

4, 8, Q, 3, 7, J, 2, 6, 10, A, 5, 9, K   (interval = 4)

To assist you, the next card value needed in the sequence appears to the left of each foundation.  More comprehensive assistance can be obtained by clicking on a foundation

Wastepiles.  The four piles that appear in a row at the top of the play table constitute the wastepiles.

Play.  Turn up cards from the stock one at a time by clicking on the face down deck of cards.  Place the dealt card either on a foundation or on any one of the four wastepiles.  Only the last card placed on each wastepile is available.  It can be moved to either a foundation or to an empty wastepile.  Cards may be moved to foundations at any time.  Once placed on a foundation they may not be moved.

The game is won when all four foundations have been built up to kings.  If no legal moves remain the program will notify you.

There are no re-deals in Cals Brain Strain .

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 •	How To Move a Card

 •	Menu Options

 •	Tips & Strategies

 •	Contents


Menu Options

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Game

New Game

Select Game

Replay Game

Exit

Options

Undo Last Move

Redo Next Move

Auto Move

Peek

Help, I am Stuck - mode

Preferences

Delete Won Games

View

Toolbar

Move List

Score History

Refresh

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 •	Contents


Tips and Strategies

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The correct handling of the kings is of paramount importance.  As a general rule, one wastepile should be dedicated to the kings.  To cover any other card with a king can be dangerous, since it can only be removed when a foundation is completed or a wastepile is emptied.  But when two or three kings have been laid in wastepiles, it may be advisable to use all four wastepiles for lower cards and hope that the remaining kings do not show up too soon.

The policy for the remaining cards is to try to build them in descending sequences on the wastepiles, corresponding to the foundation sequences.

As a general rule, avoid placing more than one card of a particular rank on each wastepile, although this may sometimes need to be disregarded in order to maintain a sequence.

The ability to move an available wastepile card to an empty wastepile is not a valid move in traditional Calculation Solitaire but has been added by Dartcy Productions in this computerized variation as an aid to winning.   Make liberal use of this feature!

Use the Undo Last Move and Redo Next Move features to step back a few moves and try alternate solutions.  The Move List feature is extremely powerful and convenient.  Use this to go back to an exact point in the game where, in retrospect, you might have played the cards differently than you did.

It goes without saying that the Peek feature will get you out of many jams.  However, we will not go so far as to sanction this as a legitimate strategy.  While were on the topic of cheating...the Help, I am Stuck feature will get you out of every possible problem.  Use this feature to free up those cards that you need which are buried beneath other wastepile cards.

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 •	Undo Last Move

 •	Redo Next Move

 •	Move List

 •	How To Play

 •	Contents


How To Register

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Cals Brain Strain is shareware which means that if you wish to keep this game you need to register it.  To register your copy send the paltry sum of $10.00 U.S. dollars to:

DARTCY Productions

P.O Box 714

Carmel, NY, 10512

USA

You will find a registration form called REGISTER.TXT in the same directory as Cals Brain Strain Solitaire, which can be viewed and printed from any text editor.  This form can be easily accessed from within Cals Brain Strain by selecting the Show Registration Form option from the Registration Info menu.  Please send the completed form along with the registration fee.

Registering will provide you with free upgrades to any future upgrades of Cals Brain Strain as well as to unlimited free technical support.  Most importantly, registering will give you that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you know you've listened to your conscience and done the right thing.

If you prefer, you can register the game on Compuserve by entering the GO SWREG command and following the menus.  The ID# is 11248.

A workman is worthy of his hire -- This is a quote from the Bible which means that a person should be justly compensated for their labors.

If you like the game but do not think that it is worth the $10.00 then send whatever you feel is a fair price.

Thanks for your support!

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 •	Contents


Legal Issues

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CALS BRAIN STRAIN

THE AUTHOR, ART ARAYA, DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCT.  SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, THE PURCHASER ASSUMES THE RISK OF PAYING THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION AND ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.  IN NO EVENT WILL THE AUTHOR, ART ARAYA, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER ( INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION AND THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THIS PRODUCT EVEN IF THE AUTHOR, ART ARAYA, HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Use of this product for any period of time constitutes your acceptance of this agreement and subjects you to its contents.

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 •	Contents

 •	How To Register


New Game

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Select this option to start a new game with a deck randomly chosen by the program.  The new games number will appear on the caption bar in case you wish to replay it at a later time or pass it on to a friend.

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 •	The Toolbar

 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Select Game

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Select this option to start a new game with a deck of your choosing.  If you find a game that is particularly enjoyable or particularly difficult that you wish to come back to or share with your friends, use this option.  There are 32,000 possible games!

Not all the games are winnable.  This is in contrast to some of the new computerized solitaire games in which all games are winnable.  When playing any card game you have to play the cards as they happen to fall.  Some decks are more difficult than others, and other decks, despite the most skilled of play are not winnable.  We at Dartcy Productions decided not to remove the Lady Luck aspect of card games.

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 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Replay Game

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Select this option to replay the same deck of cards.  When you select the Replay Game option the game is counted as a new game thereby decreasing your winning percentage.  Therefore you may wish to use the Move List or the Undo feature to go back to the beginning of the game instead.

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 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Exit

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Self Explanatory.

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 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Undo Last Move

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Undoes the last move.  This is an unlimited depth undo in that you can undo all the way back to the beginning of the game if you wish.  You can stop Undoing at any point and begin playing the game from there.  Or you can advance forward through the moves you have already made, using the Redo Next Move feature.  This is a very useful option when you are trying to solve a difficult game.  If you will be undoing many moves you may want to consider using the Move List.

Five ways to undo the last move:

1	Select Undo from the Options menu.

2	Single-click the right mouse button anywhere on the play table and select Undo from the popup menu.

3	Press the Delete key on the keyboard

4	Click the appropriate toolbar button

5	Use the Move List

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 •	Redo Next Move

 •	Move List

 •	The Toolbar

 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Move List

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The Move List is an extremely powerful and convenient feature not seen in any of the famous computerized solitaire games.  Use it to go backward or forward to any point in the current game by selecting the desired move from the move list.

The notation used in the Move List:

# -

Move Number

Card -

Cards are notated with two characters.  The first character represents the card value and the second is the first letter of the suit.  So the Ace of Clubs would be notated as AC.

From & To -

UP - the upcard (the card just dealt)

W1, W2, W3, W4 - The four wastepiles

F1, F2, F3, F4  - The four foundations

Related Topics

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 •	Undo Last Move

 •	Redo Next Move

 •	The Toolbar

 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Score History

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Show

Your won/lost history is kept for you, and your winning percentage calculated for you.  The fastest time is also recorded.  Use this option to view the score history.

Clear

Reset the score history statistics.

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 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Preferences

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Card Back.

Choose from 6 different card back designs.  The designs are displayed against the same background color as the play table so you can see in advance how the table color and card back design will look together.

If you desire, you can specify any bitmap to be used as a card back design.  The card back dimensions

are 96 pixels high by 71 pixels wide.  Bitmaps not matching these dimensions will be resized to fit.  To specify a custom card back, select the Custom button.

Table Color

Allows you to change the background color for the play table.  If a  game is currently in progress it will need to be restarted in order for you to be able to change the table color.

Show Dartcy Screen at Startup

To have our beautiful logo not be shown at startup, remove the check mark.

Show Tips at Startup

The Tips form that appears at startup is a very effective way to learn the program, one fact at a time.  To show the Tips form at startup place a check mark before the Show Tips at Startup option.  To have the form not be shown remove the check mark.

Enable Sounds

The game contains sound effects in many areas.  These can be turned off by removing the check mark in front of this option.

Configure Right Mouse Button

In prior versions of Cals Brain Strain the right mouse button was not configurable but always served to Undo the last move.  In this version you, the user, can determine the behavior of a right mouse click.

Three choices are available:

Undo

Auto Move

Pop-up Menu

Animate Card Move

Selecting this option will animate the movement of a card from its original pile to its new pile.  The animation will occur when a card is moved by the AutoMove feature, and also when a card is moved by double-clicking on it.  No sound will play while the card is moving.  When this feature is turned off the behavior of AutoMove and a double-click will be as follows:

AutoMove - The card will flash before being moved, a swoosh sound will play, and then the card will appear at its destination.

Double-Click - The swoosh sound will play and then the card will appear at its destination pile.

Adjust Animation Speed

The default speed settings for the animation may, or may not, be optimal for the speed of your computer.  This feature allows you to find the optimal animation speed.  Five default settings have been provided for you; Snail, Tortoise, Homo Sapien, Hare, & Cheetah.  You should be able to find a setting from among these which is good for your computer.  If you want to create your own settings, select the Custom option.  The two values that determine the animation speed are Pixel Per Move and Delay.  Pixel per Move is the number of pixels to move towards the destination on each move.  Delay is how long (in milliseconds) to delay between moves.  You can try out the various settings with the test button.

Save Settings on Exit

Allows all of your preference options to be saved when you exit the program.  Next time the game is played it will display with all your preferences as you last left them  To use this feature place a check mark before the Save Settings on Exit option.  Remove the check mark to disable this feature.

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 •	Menu Options

 •	The Toolbar

 •	Contents


Acknowledgments

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I would like to express my most heartfelt appreciation to the following people, to whom I am most deeply indebted.

John Scarne for introducing me to Calculation Solitaire.

Neil J. Reubenking who wrote a portion of the About Box code.

The Cobb Group for some insightful helpfile tips.

Stephen Murphy for his well designed QCARD.DLL.

Daniel Appleman for answering many Windows API questions.

Dan Bystrom for his DBPush.VBX which I use for the toolbar buttons.  (dan.bystrom@adb-partner.se)

The Testers:

   Elizabeth Duryea

   Mike Goetchius

   Heather Browning

   Lori Lee

   Cary Archiere

   My son Joshua

Graphics:

Darcy Araya - daWife - A special thanks to you honey for your patience and support.  I Love You!

Programming:

Art Araya - Me!

Universe Creator and Sustainer:

Jesus -

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  (Colossians 1:16)

To all of you who have registered your copy of Cals Brain Strain I say -Thank You!

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 •	Contents


Redo Next Move

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Steps forward to the next move in the games history , or in other words, replays any moves you have undone.  This is an unlimited redo in that you can redo all the way forward to the current point in the game if you wish.  You will use Redo to advance forward in a game after having used either Undo Last Move or the Move List to go back to some earlier point in the game.

Five ways to redo the next move:

1.	Select Redo from the Options menu.

2.	Single-click the right mouse button anywhere on the play table and select Redo from the popup menu.

3.	Press the Shft+Delete keys on the keyboard simultaneously

4.	Use the Move List

5.	Click the appropriate toolbar button

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 •	Undo Last Move

 •	Move List

 •	The Toolbar

 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


How to Move a Card

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The mechanics of moving a card.  To accommodate the great diversity of our users preferences, we have made it possible to position the cards in various different ways.  Some users prefer to use the keyboard, others prefer the mouse.  Some users prefer dragging a card to a location and others want the convenience of dbl-clicking on a card only.  Although it increased our programming burden we attempted to accommodate all of these preferences.  If you have played computerized solitaire before then you probably wont need to read this next section, just move the cards as you have in the other games.

The Mouse:

To deal the next card from the deck:

1.	Position the cursor over the deck of face down cards and click it with the left mouse button.

To move a card:

1.	Drag the card to the desired location.  If the location dragged to is not a legal move then the card will return to the pile it came from. OR

2.	If  you wish to place it on a foundation then dbl-click on it with the left mouse button.  It will then go to the first foundation from the top where it can legally be moved to.  Hold down the SHFT key while dbl-clicking to send it to the second matching foundation, CTRL for the third, and ALT for the fourth.  If there is no legal foundation for it to go to then nothing will happen when you dbl-click on it.

For example, suppose the second, and third foundations both needed a queen as the next card and that the dealt card happens to be a queen.  To send the queen to the second foundation just dbl-click on it because it is the first foundation from the top where the queen can legally be moved to.  If you wish to send the queen to the third foundation then hold the SHFT key while dbl-clicking on the queen.  SHFT is used because the third foundation is the second foundation from the top where the queen can legally be moved to.

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 •	How To Play

 •	Contents


Building

Playing cards in a legal sequence is referred to as building.


The Stock

The remainder of the deck is referred to as the stock.  It is represented on the play table by the face down card.  The number of cards remaining in the stock appears to the right of it.


Available Cards

Cards that may be played onto a foundation pile or an empty wastepile are available.  The last card played on each wastepile, as well as the dealt card, are the available cards.  Released Cards are also available.


Released Cards

Cards that have become playable, by virtue of the fact that they have become exposed by having other cards removed, are known as released cards.  This term only applies to wastepile cards since these are the only piles where cards can be moved elsewhere.


Won Games

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All won games and their solutions are automatically saved to your hard disk in the same directory from which Cals Brain Strain is run, in a subdirectory called WonGames.  If you win the same game more than once each solution will be saved to the same file.  The filename is the number of the game preceded by the letters GAM.  The files are relatively small, most will be only about 1K to 2K in size.  They are text files so they can be viewed in most word processors as well as Notepad, and Write either of which come with all versions of Windows.

The winning time is the first item listed in the file, followed by the games complete move history.  The same notation is used as in the Move List.  Share the solutions with your friends, or send them along to us at Dartcy Productions so that when some frustrated player writes us, we can provide some assistance.  Feel free to delete them if you so desire.  An easy way to delete all saved won games is to select Delete Won Games from the Options menu.

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 •	Contents


Peek

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Use this option to see all the cards remaining in the stock.  Yes, this is cheating - solitaire rules strictly prohibit peeking.  Regardless of the prohibition, many solitaire players choose to peek so we are allowing individuals to make their own decision on this issue.

Related Topics

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 •	The Toolbar

 •	Menu Options

 •	Tips and Strategies

 •	Contents


Delete Won Games

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Use this option to delete all Won Games from your hard disk.

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 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Auto Move

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This is an option where the game will automatically play available cards to foundation piles if such a legal move(s) exists.

Warning!  Cals Brain Strain is a game of strategy - the auto move feature will always make legally correct moves but the moves may not necessarily be strategically wise ones.  For instance, there may be two foundations where a card can be moved to.  The game will not attempt to determine which is the better of the two foundations.  Another problematic scenario is one where there are two different wastepile cards which could both legally be played to one foundation.  Here again, the game will arbitrarily select one of the two cards.

Four ways to Auto Move:

1	Select Auto Move from the Options menu.

2	Single-click the right mouse button anywhere on the play table and select Auto Move from the popup menu.

3	Click the appropriate toolbar button

4	Press CTRL + A on the keyboard

Related Topics

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 •	The Toolbar

 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Pop-up Menu

A menu which contains the most commonly used menu options.  This menu appears on screen at the location of the right mouse click.


The Toolbar

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Click on the Toolbar button which you would like more information for.

The Toolbar can be hidden from view, if so desired.  To show the toolbar place a check mark before the Toolbar menu option.  To hide the toolbar remove the check mark.

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 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Refresh

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If for some reason the cards, play table, etc... do not display themselves properly, use this option.  It will refresh the display.

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 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents


Help, I am Stuck - mode

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This mode will get you out of any pickle.  What this mode allows you to do is to move any waste pile card to any other waste pile.  Try not to use this too often though or the game will not be any fun.

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 •	Menu Options

 •	Contents