xref: /dragonfly/games/bs/bs.6 (revision cfd1aba3)
1.\" $FreeBSD: src/games/bs/bs.6,v 1.1.1.1.12.1 2001/07/22 11:32:10 dd Exp $
2.Dd August 23, 1989
3.Dt BS 6
4.Os
5.Sh NAME
6.Nm bs
7.Nd battleships game
8.Sh SYNOPSIS
9.Nm
10.Op Fl bsc
11.Sh DESCRIPTION
12This program allows you to play the familiar Battleships game against the
13computer on a 10x10 board.
14The interface is visual and largely self-explanatory;
15you place your ships and pick your shots by moving the
16cursor around the
17.Sq sea
18with the
19.Xr rogue 6
20/
21.Xr hack 6
22motion keys
23.Dq hjklyubn .
24.Pp
25Note that when selecting a ship to place, you must type the capital letter
26(these are, after all, capital ships).
27During ship placement, the `r' command may be used to ignore the current
28position and randomly place your currently selected ship.
29The `R' command will place all remaining ships randomly.
30The \&^L command (form feed, ASCII 12) will force a screen redraw).
31.Pp
32The command-line arguments control game modes.
33.Bl -tag -width ".Fl b"
34.It Fl b
35selects a
36.Dq blitz
37variant
38.It Fl s
39selects a
40.Dq salvo
41variant
42.It Fl c
43permits ships to be placed adjacently
44.El
45.Pp
46The
47.Dq blitz
48variant allows a side to shoot for as long as it continues to score hits.
49.Pp
50The
51.Dq salvo
52game allows a player one shot per turn for each of his/her ships still afloat.
53This puts a premium scoring hits early and knocking out some
54ships and also makes much harder the situation where you face a superior force
55with only your PT-boat.
56.Pp
57Normally, ships must be separated by at least one square of open water.
58The
59.Fl c
60option disables this check and allows them to close-pack.
61.Pp
62The algorithm the computer uses once it has found a ship to sink is provably
63optimal.
64The dispersion criterion for the random-fire algorithm may not be.
65.Sh AUTHORS
66.An -nosplit
67Originally written by one
68.An Bruce Holloway
69in 1986.
70Salvo mode added by
71.An Chuck A. DeGaul Aq cbosgd!cad .
72Visual user interface,
73.Sq closepack
74option, code rewrite and manual page by
75.An Eric S. Raymond Aq Mt esr@snark.thyrsus.com ,
76August 1989.
77