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XTROJKA(6) DragonFly Games Manual XTROJKA(6)
NAME
xtrojka - a game of skill.
USAGE
xtrojka [-scores] [-help] [-debug] [X11 options]
OPTIONS
-scores
Display high-scores.
-help Show a short help text.
-debug Show a bunch of debug messages.
X options
Specifies the display on which xtrojka will be run. See X(1) for
further details.
DESCRIPTION
xtrojka is the X version of an old game called Trojka. It finally packs
the thrills of Tetris and the combinations of Columns into one (I hope)
attractive game.
The name Trojka is derived from the Russian word "Trojka", which means
"three", or "triple". The aim of this game is to control and to place
the falling blocks, so that at least three blocks horizontally or
diagonally, or both, have matching patterns or colors. This sequence is
then removed, and the above blocks will collapse. The latter sequence
is repeated as long as there are matching patterns after each
collapsion. A sequence of three immediate collapsions results in a
socalled "Trojka", which is rewarded with bonus points. If you reach
the top of the screen, the game is finished.
xtrojka is menu-controlled, so here comes a short description of the
menu's.
TROJKA Menu
New game start a new game. Your old game must be finished.
Abort game finish a game by selecting this menu option.
Wizard When this option is checked, you play in a socalled
wizard mode. This means that combinations of blocks
appear at the bottom of the screen. Only real Trojka
wizards know how to cope with this. If you played in
wizard mode, an asterisk will appear in the highscore
list.
Slick With this option you can choose between slick shadowed
blocks, or unicolored blocks.
Quit Well, this item quits the program.
SPEED Menu
With this menu you can select your favorite game speed. Beware, the
speed will slowly increase, the longer you play. Once playing, you
cannot switch back to a slower speed.
PREFERENCES
The speed and preferences are automatically stored in your homedir
under the name .xtrojka.prefs.bin. This is a binary file, it cannot be
edited.
KEYS
The falling blocks are controlled using the arrows, but of course you
can also use the keys of the alltime favorite Vi-editor:
Left arrow,h left
Right arrow,l right
Insert, Down arrow ,j,<SPACE>
drop
Up arrow, k increase speed
FILES
/wrkdirs/games/xtrojka/stage/usr/local/share/xtrojka/xtrojka.scores
The xtrojka highscore file
.xtrojka.prefs.bin
The file in your homedir where the preferences are
stored. This is a binary file which you cannot edit. The
preferences have to be set from the menu.
HISTORY
In 1989 the very first version was written for MS-Dog. In 1990 the
game was ported to PRIMOS, running on the local Prime system at the
Eindhoven Polytechnic. In 1991 versions were written for Windows and
the Commodore Amiga. In 1992 the Unix terminal-version became
available The Apple Macintosh version was released in 1993. In 1994
the X-version 1.0 was written and released in 1995 after minor
bugfixes. An OS/2 version was written in 1996. See also the README
file for a more complete version history of the X-version.
AUTHORS
The MS-DOS, UNIX, Macintosh and this version as well as the whole game-
concept is copyrighted by Maarten Los. Prime version (c) Jac Goudsmit,
Joran Jessurun, Richard Moeskops and me. Amiga version (c) Joran
Jessurun and Richard Moeskops. MS Windows version (c) Jac Goudsmit.
OS/2 version (c) Edwin Groothuis
Send all comments and bug-reports to:
maarten@djoe.iaf.nl
BUGS
The preferences are stored in a very Unix-unlike way, a not editable
binary file. The locking system of the multiuser scorefile watcher is
poor. The sound is also poor. In fact, there isn't any sound at all.
Some strings are compiled-in, especially the ones shown when the game
isn't initialized for X yet. This prevents setting them all from a the
application resource file.
DISCLAIMER
All brandnames listed are trademarks of their respective owners. See
also the Copyright notice that comes with the source code.
1 Mar 1996 XTROJKA(6)