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 pat-
terns after each collapsion. A sequence of three immedi-
ate 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 descrip-
tion 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 com-
binations 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
/var/lib/games/xtrojka.scores
The xtrojka highscore file
.xtrojka.prefs.bin
The file in your homedir where the prefer-
ences 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 ver-
sions 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 mul-
tiuser 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.