Parchís4A

Parchís4A is an Android version of my old Parchís game for DOS and Linux.

How to access the menu

To access the menu on the Play and New game windows touch de three black dots menu icon or tap over the key menu if the phone has one. On small screens with the Show percentages option disabled do a long press over the dice button to access the menu.

Start a game

When Parchis4A starts it shows the New game screen (except if a game was previously saved). If you are in the middle of a game and you want to start a new one press Menu and touch the New game option.

You can start playing directly choosing one of the predefined games or choose the player combination that you want tapping over one of the buttons with colored question marks.

In the New game screen there are too six buttons you can assign the combination you want doing a long press over them. When defined a single touch start the game.

If you decided to choose all, start selecting between single or pairs game. Next, for each color, you can select if it is a Human or a robot or (only in single game) if it doesn't play. Every combination is possible. Next, for the robot players, you can select the level strength:

• Level 1, it plays random.
• Level 2, it likes secures and doesn't forgive if it can eat any pawn.
• Level 3, that takes into account the pawns that he can eat and those you can eat it.
• Level 4, it knows about special situations, like if it has pawns in home, etc.

If dummies are active, they wear a karate belt indicating his level: white for level 1, yellow for level 2, orange for level 3 and green for level 4.

Playing with Parchis4A

Always the yellow player begins (it can be changed) or if that color doesn't play the first color counter-clockwise.

If the player is a human, follow the bottom button advices, touch it to roll the dice, to pass or to move. If you can move two or more pawns, two buttons will be enabled, use the right one to choose the pawn or tap over the desired pawn, them touch the left one to move. You can activate an option in setting to move pawns with finger, but it is only recommended for big screens, because it can be error prone for small ones.

In pairs game, when you can eat a mate pawn yoy have the option to do a blockade instead. Pay atention to the cros icon that indicate the pawn destination. Press the right button or the selected pawn several times to notice the difference.

If the player is auto controlled, you don't have to do nothing, the text in the bottom button will inform you about the machine actions, but you don't need to touch it. During the machine turn you can put the game on pause, touching the small right button. Touch it again to continue.

You can rotate the board with your finger at any time to place colors as you want.

Replay

When the game is over the replay button appears, you can use it to review the game from the beginning. Tap in the replay button to pause or continue the replay. The replay mode exits when the end game is reached or touching the Back button.

Game speed

You will find in the Menu the Game speed option. Here you can select how fast run automatic players.

Selecting options

In the Menu too you have the Settings option. It goes to a screen where you can choose several options.

General options, changes apply immediately:

• enable or disable the sound.
• choose portrait, landscape or automatic mode.
• choose between four different boards.
• enable small dummies in the board corners.
• enable an option to show all playable pawns.
• enable show blockades, it shows a graphic barrier when two pawns form a blockade.
• enable show percentages, it shows the program name and the players progress percentage. On small screens you have a big board if you disable it. Only affect in portrait orientation.
• enable the Global stats, if you disable it the data already stored is not lost, you can show it enabling the option again.
• keep the screen on during the game.
• move pawns with finger, only recommended for big screens.

Game options, changes apply for the next game:

• choose who color starts the game.
• enable the Ultrafast ending option to stop the game when the first player wins.
• enable the Fast ending option to stop the game if only one player left.
• enable the Fast robot ending option to stop the game if all human players have finished and only robot players left.
• enable the Manual Dice option, so you can use your own dice instead the automatic one. Because the manual dice make harder to play, the program will ask for confirmation at each game start if it is enabled. You can use Manual dice if you don't trust the automatic one (but trust me, Parchis4A doesn't cheat) or to play with your Android in manual matches or in matches with other programs.

Game statistics

In the Menu you will found the Game statistics option. Select it and a window appears showing the dice percentage values and special moves.

Global statistics

Also in the Menu is the Global statistics option. It shows a list with the number of games played of each type. Tapping over an element it displays the percentages in which each player was first, second, third or fourth. Tapping again the information is hidden. Touching in a register for a while a context menu appears, with option to get up, get down or delete the selected register.

There are two buttons to expand all or shrink all.

Exiting Parchis4A

You have two options:

• Touch the Home button if you want to suspend the game, you will return to the last position when you enter the game again, but if you turn off the phone you lose the game.
• Touch the Back button to finish the game. If a game is started the program ask to save the game, if you do that, you will return to the saved game when you start the program again, even if you turn off the phone.