# The &bovo; Handbook

## Introduction

### Gametype:

Board, Arcade

### Number of possible players:

Two

&bovo; is a Gomoku (from Japanese 五目並べlit. "five points") like game for two players, where the opponents alternate in placing their respective pictogram on the game board. The aim of this game is to connect five of your own pieces in an unbroken row vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

### Note:

Also known as: Connect Five, Five in a row, X and O, Noughts and Crosses

## How to play

&bovo; main screen

### Objective:

Connect five of your own pieces in an unbroken row vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

The first time &bovo; is started it is launched in demo mode where two AI players battle each other. You can always start a new game using the New button on the toolbar, the Game New menu entry on the menubar or using the default shortcut &Ctrl;N.

### Note:

Because the first player always has an advantage over the second player, &bovo; will alternate the players, switching them every new game.

If you are the first player - start the game by placing your pictogram anywhere on the playing field. If you are the second player wait until the first player places the pictogram and then do the same yourself. You can place your mark into any square on the field, unless it’s already occupied by another game piece (regardless of whether it’s your pictogram or that of your opponent’s).

You have to place your pieces in a way that prevents your opponent from connecting five marks in an unbroken row vertically, horizontally or diagonally. In the same time you have to connect five of your own pieces in an unbroken row vertically, horizontally or diagonally. Whoever succeeds in doing so first – wins the round.

## Game Rules, Strategies and Tips

### Game Rules

- Players take turn to place their respective marks on the playing board.

- A player cannot move their already placed mark or put their mark upon an already placed mark.

- Players cannot forfeit their turns.

- Player who reaches five marks connected in a straight line (be it vertical, horizontal or diagonal) wins the game.

### Game Tips

- When &bovo; is started the first time, it needs resizing. Resize the game window to desired size, and &bovo; will scale up the playing board.

- The first time &bovo; is started it is launched in demo mode, where two AI players battle each other.

- When &bovo; is exited prior to game over, the active game is auto saved. If &bovo; detects an auto saved game at startup, it is restored. If not, &bovo; launches a demo mode.

- You can always start a new game with the New button in the toolbar, the Game New menu entry in the menubar or with the default shortcut &Ctrl;N.

- If a new game is started when a game is already active, it is counted as a loss.

- Changing the difficulty can be done with the Difficulty drop down box in the right end of the status bar, or from the Settings Difficulty menu in the menubar.

- The effect of changing difficulty takes place immediately.

- You can switch the theme of &bovo; from the Settings Theme menu in the menubar. The theme is then switched immediately.

- Animation can be switched on or off as you like from the Settings Animation menu in the menubar.

- If you just realized you made a very bad move, you have the possibility to undo your last move from the toolbar, the menubar or with the default undo keyboard shortcut &Ctrl;Z.

  You can keep on undoing moves until you reaches the beginning of the game.

- If you don't know what move to make, you can get a hint from the computer player with the Hint button. The game piece suggested by the &bovo; AI then flashes for a brief period of time.

- When a game is over, the Replay action is enabled, which starts a replay of the last game.

## Interface Overview

### Menu Items

&Ctrl;N Game New

- Starts a new game.

Game Replay

- Replay the last game.

&Ctrl;Q Game Quit

- Selecting this item will end your current game, and exit &bovo;.

&Ctrl;Z Move Undo

- Undo the last move you made.

H Move Hint

- Display a hint for the next move. The game piece suggested by the &bovo; AI then flashes for a brief period of time.

Settings Theme

- Choose one of the themes Scribble, High Contrast, Spacy or Gomoku for the game.

Settings Animation

- Switch the animation on or off.

Settings Difficulty

- Choose the game difficulty from various levels from Ridiculously Easy up to Impossible.

Additionally &bovo; has the common &kde; Settings and Help menu items, for more information read the sections about the Settings Menu and Help Menu of the &kde; Fundamentals.

## Frequently asked questions

I want to change the way this game looks. Can I?

Yes. To change &bovo;'s visual theme you can use the Settings Theme option on the menubar.

Can I use the keyboard to play this game?

No. The game of &bovo; cannot be played using keyboard.

I have to quit the game now, but I am not finished yet. Can I save my progress?

No. There is no Save feature in &bovo; but &bovo; restores the latest unfinished game on startup.

Where are the highscores?

&bovo; does not have this feature.

## Credits and License

&bovo;

Program copyright 2002, 2007 &Aron.Bostrom; &Aron.Bostrom.mail;

Documentation copyright 2007 &Aron.Bostrom; &Aron.Bostrom.mail;

&underFDL; &underGPL;
&documentation.index;