gridlock — collection of grid-based board games
Synopsis
GridlockDescription
This manual page documents briefly the Gridlock command.Gridlock is a collection of several grid-based strategy games. The games include Ataxx, Reversi, Gomoku, Connect Four, Breakthrough, Glass Bead, Hexapawn, Quad Wrangle, Cats and Dogs and Moray Eels.
After launching the application, the game window will appear. Select the game you want to play from the "Game" popup menu in the upper right. Some games have different starting configurations (board size, grid layout, etc); when one of those games are selected a "Configurations" popup menu will appear from which you can select a configuration.
The bottom right displays the color and status of the two players. Each player's color is shown by a circle; the player whose turn it is has a filled circle. For games in which players have a score (Ataxx, Eeversi, Glass Bead), the scores are shown next to the player labels. Popup windows underneath each player's label allow you to specify whether each player is human or computer-controlled, and the difficulty of computer players. (Note that "Hard" computer opponents may take a long time to make their moves).
The rest of the window contains the game board. To make a move, click on the cell where you wish to place a piece. Ataxx and Breakthrough require that you move from one cell to another; to do this first click on the cell you wish to move from, then click on the cell you wish to move to. For all games, cells that are legal moves will become highlighted when you move the mouse over them. If you are unable to make a move, you can pass by clicking the "Pass" button on the right. The "Restart" button will restart the game, requiring confirmation if a game is in progress.
You can play these games over the network. It is possible to save and load games.