GAME MANUAL
Japanese Crossword v1.1

Contents

Description What's New System Requirements Registration Help     How To     Rules     Tips and Tricks     History of Japanese Crosswords

Description

The "Japanese Crossword" game is the electronic equivalent of the logical game with the same title, which is very popular now all over the world. The goal is to solve the puzzle and reveal the image encrypted with numbers using logical deduction.

What's New

In the new version of the game we have improved and upgraded the user interface. There are some new functions available to make the process of solving much more pleasant and comfortable. Some tutorial lessons were added to help the newcomers in dealing with the game principles, and the experienced users can also improve their level while learning them.

System Requirements

Windows Mobile 2002, 2003; 4.5 Mb free memory;

Registration

After you buy the game the usage limit of 10 days will be deactivated. To register the game just visit www.handyent.com/jc and click the "Buy" link. You'll get the registration key instantly after the purchase is made.

Help

How To:

1. How do I play the game "Japanese Crossword"? The rules of the game are very simple. You can learn about them in the section Rules. The section History will tell you when and how this game was created. The section Tips and Tricks describes some methods which will make solving crossword puzzles easier. 2. How do I use the assumption mode? It's very simple. For example, while solving a puzzle you may come to the point when you are not sure how to continue, but you have a few ideas. It could be quite risky to use them because they could be incorrect and spoil the whole crossword. You can always use the option "Undo", but it's very inconvenient. This is where the assumption mode comes in handy. Just enter the menu and select "assumption mode". It will save the current state of the crossword. Now you can check out all of your ideas and empty squares will be colored in light-yellow and shaded squares in dark-blue. Having found the correct way, enter the menu again and press "Apply" to confirm the changes. If an idea proved to be wrong, you can easily cancel it by pressing "Discard". 3. How do I use the prompt? The prompt will help you in the situations when you have run out of ideas. To use it, enter the menu and press "Use prompt", then press on the square in the game field which state you want to find out. However, remember, each time you use the prompt your current time will increase by 2 minutes. To cancel the prompt just tap anywhere on the information field. 4. How can I activate the measuring mode? The Measuring mode allows you to mark the blocks of any length you need. In this mode you act just like you draw the necessary block but the state of cells does not change, the block is just getting selected and nearby you see its length. To enter the Measuring mode, just press and hold any button on your Pocket PC. What is the use of this mode? It is just UNBELIEVABLE! You will not have to count the large blocks anymore. With a single move you just mark the needed block and paint it over. Here is a small example: The situation was already described in the Reception N1(see Tips and Tricks). But there you had to count the cells in your own mind. Using the Measuring mode you can easily mark the needed block. Now you can mark the cell you need. Following the Reception N1 make the similar changes from the other border... ...and paint over the common cells. Everything is that simple! 5. How do I pause the game? To pause the game just enter the menu. Time counter will stop. To continue the game, press "Back to game". 6. How do I continue solving the crossword I didn't finish earlier? If you suddenly need to leave during the game, do not worry, for it will not disappear. Each time you leave the game or enter the main menu during the game, your crossword is saved automatically. To return to the crossword enter the main menu, select the button "Game" and click on "Last Session". Then press "Start" and the crossword will appear on the screen. 7. How do I add a new crossword puzzle? To do that you need to copy a file of a crossword puzzle in the Crossword folder located in the game folder. (by default/Program Files/TrialAction/Japanese Crossword/Crosswords). You can find new crosswords at www.handyent.com/jc. 8. How do I import a crossword puzzle from an image file? To do that you need to have a file with a monochrome (black and white) image in bmp format. This file should be copied in the Images folder located in the Game folder. After you start the game, enter the menu->game, select "Load" and press "Import". You will see the list of files in the folder "Images". Select a file you want to import and press OK. You will see the list of crosswords. There will be your crossword with the same file name the image has. 9. How do I register the game? Just visit www.handyent.com/jc and press "Buy". You will receive your registration key within minutes instantly after the purchase. Having received it, start the game, enter Help->Registration section, enter the key number and press OK. After that you will return to the main menu and see that the word "Registration" is gone. If you received the error message, try to enter the key number again. If you were not able to register the game, please contact us at support@handyent.com.

Rules:

1. The purpose of this game is to solve the ciphered image. 2. The game cell can be in one of three states: painted over (black), empty (white) or unknown (background color). The solved image consists only of the painted over and empty cells. 3. At the left and above the game board the fields with digits (the information fields) are located. The digits means the number of cells continuously painted over in a row or a column. If there are many digits, it means that in the given row (column) exists as much groups continuously painted over as the digit says, and the distance between them may not be less than one empty cell. For example, the numbers 2, 3, 2 mean that in this line there are three groups consisting: first - of two, second - of three and third - of two cells that are painted over. The groups are divided by no less than one empty cell. The empty cells can also be on the edges of rows (different variants are possible). The additional features of this game allow you to use your time in an optimal way and will help you in difficult situations. Additional opportunities are listed below. Assumptions mode - turns on the assumptions mode (accessible in the game menu). In this mode you are also solving a puzzle, but your actions can be easily applied or cancelled. As soon as you turn on the assumptions mode, the computer stores the present game status. You continue to solve a crossword puzzle, but any moment you can return to a status which was before you turned the assumptions mode on. To do this, just choose the discard option in the game menu. Or, to apply all changes you have made, choose apply. Use prompt - opens any cell of a game field according to your desire (accessible in the game menu and in the game). There is a time penalty for this help - 2 minutes. Solution - completely solves a puzzle (accessible in the game menu). The decoding does not give an opportunity to save your result. White unknown - to make all unknown cells of a game field empty (accessible in the game menu). Instant drawing - the drawing of groups by dragging the digit from an information field to a game field (accessible during the game). To use this option simply drag-and-drop the necessary digit cell onto the game field cell. Undo/redo option - cancels or returns the action (accessible during the game).

Tips and Tricks:

Here is some advice which can be useful for solving the Japanese crossword puzzles in the "Japanese crossword" game: 1. It is best to begin solving from lines (rows or columns), where the greatest lengths of lines are, i.e. with the greatest digits in the information fields. 2. It is necessary to mark not only cells that are painted over, but also empty. Otherwise you will very quickly get confused. 3. If there is a line which does not contain any group (amount of cells continuously painted over), all cells should be marked as empty. 4. If the line contains only one group, with length equal to the length of a line, all cells should at once be marked as painted over. 5. If the sum of lengths of all groups plus number of groups and minus 1 equals to the length of a line, that line can be filled in only one way. I.e. the first group begins right from border of a game field, and the distance between each pair of groups is a single empty cell. 6. If all groups in the line are already marked but there are still some unknown cells, they should be marked as empty. 7. Sometimes it is convenient to use such function of the game as White unknown (accessible in the game menu), it can help to save time for opening a large amount of unknown cells. 8. If the length of a line is great, it is possible to take advantage of such function as Instant drawing (accessible in the process of the game). Two basic receptions which can be used at solving the Japanese crossword puzzles are given further. Reception N1. Crossing of regions. This reception should be applied when there are quite a long sequences in a line. The idea of reception is following. You draw in your mind the groups on a line first from one border with intervals in one cell and then from another border too with the same intervals. If one or several groups in both cases pass through identical cells, you can safely paint them over. This reception can also be used to define empty cells. If you have already marked some cells on a line, and you can unequivocally identify them with groups, it is also possible to paint these groups in mind up to their complete length in both directions. The cells you have not mentioned will be necessarily empty. Reception N2. An Identification of cells. If you want to unequivocally identify the painted over cell (or group of the painted over cells) to a certain group, it is necessary to go from opposite. Assume that this cell belongs to certain other group and try to arrange the other groups on a line arbitrary. If it is possible than this group can possess the painted over cell. After an unequivocal identification you can use the Reception N1. If two painted over cells belong to the same group but between them there are an unknown points, they can be painted over. If you can not unequivocally define which group possesses a cell, it is necessary use some logic and then to use the described receptions. For example, in the figure at the left a game situation is shown. The painted over cell can not belong to group with length of 1 since in this case other groups cannot be arranged at the line. But the painted over cell can belong both to group with length of 3 and group with length of 4. Proceeding from this we understand that this group is minimal length will be of 3 cells and so we can apply a part of Reception N1 and put one more cell, as shown in the figure on the right. Even one superfluous point can be very much of help to you while solving so this reception should not be neglected too. It is shown at the following two figures how using the described receptions we can put thirteen cells knowing only one. It is necessary to pay attention to a situation at the following figure: It is obvious that between the two empty cells any of the groups will not fit in. So these cells can be marked as empty and according to the described receptions we can paint over a line up to the following condition: Sometimes it is not enough to analyze just one line. Then it is necessary to analyze pairs of lines or even three lines. For example, look at the following figure: Let is think, why in the first line the first point and the last six are empty? If you find a completely precise explanation then you are ready to solve the large crossword puzzles. In this example the very simple situation is given. In the real practice there are more complex situations decision of which gives the great pleasure. In common, solving of the Japanese crossword puzzle is based on constant applying of the described receptions to all lines and columns. Of course, you can have your special and even better receptions.

History of Japanese Crosswords:

The history of using grids with the digits in the puzzles is great enough. In the beginning of the twentieth century it was used only as additional task to usual crossword just to paint over the "Superfluous" sections. In 1987 designer Non Ishida in Tokyo has won the competition for the best drawing composed from the lighted windows of skyscraper. It has given her an idea of creating a puzzle which also would be based on the aim to paint over the necessary sections in a grid to make a figure. In 1988 she has published the first three puzzles, which she has named "Painting of windows", in a magazine. Approximately at the same time Tetsuya Nishio irrespectively of Non Ishida has also published similar puzzles in the other magazine. In 1989 Non Ishida has shown the puzzle to James Dalgety. He has offered her the contract and soon, in 1990, the first Nonograms (this name was given to their child) have appeared on pages of the largest British edition The Telegraph. And in 1993 they were already printed in the largest Japanese newspaper Mainich. The first collection of puzzles was issued in England by Pan Books and the Japanese analogue of this book the same was also released. Later Nonograms became popular in USA, South Africa, Sweden and then all over the world. By 1995 four books of Nonograms were issued, but unfortunately in 1996 Non Ishida has stopped the partnership with The Telegraph, and Nonograms have turned into Griddlers. Now Japanese Crossword puzzles (as we name Gridlers) are popular all over the world, they can be seen in magazines, newspapers, as computer or pocket games.

Published and distributed by Handy Entertainment. www.handyent.com Copyright (c) 2004-2005 TrialAction. All rights reserved. www.trialaction.com