43 lines
1.8 KiB
Groff
43 lines
1.8 KiB
Groff
.TH BATTLESHIPS 6 "Aug 23, 1989"
|
|
.SH NAME
|
|
bs \- battleships game
|
|
.SH SYNOPSIS
|
|
battle [ -b | -s ] [ -c ]
|
|
.SH DESCRIPTION
|
|
This program allows you to play the familiar Battleships game against the
|
|
computer on a 10x10 board. The interface is visual and largely
|
|
self-explanatory; you place your ships and pick your shots by moving the
|
|
cursor around the `sea' with the rogue/hack motion keys hjklyubn.
|
|
.PP
|
|
Note that when selecting a ship to place, you must type the capital letter
|
|
(these are, after all, capital ships). During ship placement, the `r' command
|
|
may be used to ignore the current position and randomly place your currently
|
|
selected ship. The `R' command will place all remaining ships randomly. The ^L
|
|
command (form feed, ASCII 12) will force a screen redraw).
|
|
.PP
|
|
The command-line arguments control game modes.
|
|
|
|
.nf
|
|
-b selects a `blitz' variant
|
|
-s selects a `salvo' variant
|
|
-c permits ships to be placed adjacently
|
|
.fi
|
|
|
|
The `blitz' variant allows a side to shoot for as long as it continues to
|
|
score hits.
|
|
.PP
|
|
The `salvo' game allows a player one shot per turn for each of his/her ships
|
|
still afloat. This puts a premium scoring hits early and knocking out some
|
|
ships and also makes much harder the situation where you face a superior force
|
|
with only your PT-boat.
|
|
.PP
|
|
Normally, ships must be separated by at least one square of open water. The
|
|
-c option disables this check and allows them to close-pack.
|
|
.PP
|
|
The algorithm the computer uses once it has found a ship to sink is provably
|
|
optimal. The dispersion criterion for the random-fire algorithm may not be.
|
|
.SH AUTHORS
|
|
Originally written by one Bruce Holloway in 1986. Salvo mode added by Chuck A.
|
|
DeGaul (cbosgd!cad). Visual user interface, `closepack' option, code rewrite
|
|
and manual page by Eric S. Raymond <esr@snark.thyrsus.com> August 1989.
|