User's Manual

Game by:
Vladimír Pribylinec
Programmer:
Milan Kolka

Description of the program

The program is intended for playing Cubic Checkers game. The program environment is formed by main form windows with menu bar, bar with buttons and icons indicating state of a game and the chess-board. The user can choice one of three look of cubes. Basic state of the environment is shown at figure.

Using of the program is described bellow.

Replaying of saved game

Recorded games can by replayed. You can study games that you played or suplied sample games so as you can find your mistakes or learn from games of other players. If you are a novice in cubic checkers, we recomend you to replay sample games in files from demo1.xml to demo7.xml so as to understand the rules.

To replay the record, go to menu Game/Open game. If the game was completed, the program enters player mode and the buttons above the board activate. The left button starts continous replaying of the game, the middle one stops and the right one performs one move.

New game inicialization

Go to menu Game/New game to create new game.

The dialog is shown at figure.

Left part of the window is intended for data about the white player and the right part is for data of the black. Fill in names of both players and use the radio buttons to select the manner the players access to the game. There are five cases:

At least on player must be a human on this computer or both players are driven by the computer.

If the game is played over a nework, regardless if via a data server or www server, both players must set connection parameters before they start the game.

If the game options are selected and connection parameters are set (if needed), press button "Create new game" to start the game.

Game control

The game is started immediatly whe it is created.

The icons on ends of the toolbar above the board shows who has a move. The left icon indicates state of the white player and the right one shows state of the black player. A icon with symbol in normal, vertical, position indicates who has a move. Symbol of pawn is shown for player who has not move the rook yet. It is changed to rook after first move with a rook of the corresponding player.

The player, who has the move, points a mouse cursor on it, press left mouse button, holds it, drags the mouse to target square and release the button. If this move is valid, it is performed. If the cube cannot continue in the move, i. e. there is no opponet's cube that can be jumped over, the move is completed and the cube is switch to the pausing position. Othervise the player continues in the move in the same manner.

Moves performed by the computer or a player on a remote computer are marked with green arrow first and then executed.

Recording of games

Course and state of a game can be saved during the game or after the end into a file. To save the game, click on menu Game/Save the game.

If you save an unfinished game, you can continue in it later. Go to menu Game/Open game and open file with stored game. It will continue from the state where it was save. A game played via a network can be recoverd only if it was saved by both players.

If you open a finished game, the (record) player is activated (see section[sec:en-Přehrávání-uložených-partií]).

Game via WWW server

Game via WWW server is the smplest way of a network game. This manner can be used both in the stand alone application and in the demonstartion applet placed on web site http://www.cubiccheckers.com. The applet does not allow to save games.

The game must be created by one player on the www server. Each game has its unique number which is used by both application for communication with the server. Games can be protected with a password to prevent attacks of other persons.

To set up game via www server follow the steps bellow:

  1. Both player open dialog for creating of new game. The whute player chooses White-Human on this computer, Black-Human playing over WWW server. The black player chooses the inverse settings.
  2. Both players press button "WWW connection settings" (bellow radio buttons "Human playing over WWW server".
  3. One player, usually the white, optionally fills password in corresponding field and press button " Create game" to create new game on the server. The program obtains game number from the server. The player says the number and the password to his or her opponent.
  4. The other player fills game number and the password into corresponding fields.
  5. Both players press button "Connect" to initiate the communication.
  6. Press button "Create new game" to start the game.
States of unfinished games are stored on the server.

You can play vie the www server only if you are connected to the internet. If you are using firewall, it is necessary to allow the program to access the www server, where the sever parts of the application runs (www.cubiccheckers.com), using http. Only information about moves and game states are send.

Gama via Mirka communication system

Mirka is a system for data exchange and assynchronous communication. It is build on client-server architecture, therefore it requires a central server or a network of data servers. Data is organized in so-called noticeboards. The system is designed as multiuser system, users and groups of them have their own rights to access the noticeboards.

If the game is played via Mirka system, both programs (of both players) share one noticeboard. Both users must have rights I, O, R a W to access this noticeboard. The program for Cubic Checkers includes lite version of Mirka server. It is suit for purpose of the program. One player just starts server in his application and the other player just connects to it. You don't need to create and set the noticeboard. It is recomended to use the build-in server.

Follow the steps bellow to set game via Mirka protocol:

  1. If you want to use the build-in server (it is recomended) and you have not used it yet, it is necessary to set it up. For more information see section bellow.
  2. Both players invoke dialog for creation of new game.
  3. Depending on where the Mirka server runs, the players choice on of cases:
    1. The white player starts the server in his application. The white player selects he plays as " Human on this computer" and the black plays as "Human playing over net (server runs here)." The black player selects he plays as "Human on this computer" and the black plays as ".Human playing over net (connect to server)." Only the black player must log in to the server.
    2. The black player starts the server in his application. The white player selects he plays as " Human on this computer" and the black plays as "Human playing over net (connect to server)." The black player selects he plays as "Human on this computer" and the black plays as ".Human playing over net (server runs here)." Only the white player must log in to the server.
    3. External server is used. The white player selects he plays as "Human on this computer" and the black plays as "Human playing over net (connect to server)." The black player selects he plays as "Human on this computer" and the black plays as ".Human playing over net (connect to server)." Both pleyers must log in to the server.
  4. A player who does not start the built-in server, must log-in to the server. Press button "Client settings" in invoke the log-in dialog. If the built-in server is used, it is needed to fill in only server address (address of the opponent's computer), port number (if its different from the standard port 10235) a the password. Press button "Connect" to connect to the server. If a generic server is used, uncheck the button "Server is running in opponet's application." You must also fill in your user name, address of the noticeboard used for communication a and user name of your opponent. If the server is running on the same subnetwork (regardless if it is a stand alone server or the build-in lite server), you can press button " Find server" to look up it.
  5. Both player press button "Create a new game" to start the game.

This manner of communication can be used even if you are not connected to the internet. You need only local network. It can be, for example, formed only from two computers connected with cross udp cabel. If firewall is used, the client computer (or computer) must be allowed tohave access to the server. If a buit-in server is used, you must allow the program to act as server. The default port for mirka protocol is 10235.

Configuration of the built-in server

The dialog for configuration of the built-in server is invoked from menu Settings/Built-in server. This lite version of mirka server contains one noticeboard with address game and has two user, whose user name are black and white. Configuration of the server is very simple. You need only to set passwords of both users and port number the server listens on. If you leave port number empty, the default port number 10235 is used.

If the server runs in application of the white player, his or her oppenent logs in as user black. Othervise, the white opponent logs in as user white.

Remark that if you want to use the built-in server, you must configurate your fiewall in order to allow the program act as a server and communicated with client program of the opponent. At most one server can listen on the same port on the same computer. If other server is running on the same port, you must choose other port number.

Configuration of program environment

You can choose on of three designs of cubes and select language of the user interface. Both can be set in a dialog that is invoked from menu Setting/Environment.