Straight Score v1.1
by Josh Grant
2002.07.08
Straight Score helps you keep score
when playing virtually any 2-player game, with additional features for the game
of Straight Pool.
DISCLAIMER
Straight Score v1.1 --
Copyright © 2001-2002 -- All Rights Reserved.
License Agreement: This
software is freeware. You may freely
distribute the software via any means including but not limited to
Infrared port, a web site or a CD-ROM. You can make your
customers pay for distribution costs, but NOT
for the software itself. You MUST always
include this file together with Straight Score v1.1, the only
exception being when you "beam" it via the Infrared
port.
NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES:
This product and any related documentation is
provided "as is" without warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied. The entire risk
arising out of use or performance of this product and
information remains with you.
In no event shall the author of this software be liable for any damages
whatsoever (including, without limitation, system crashes, loss of data,
damages for loss of business profits, business interruption,
loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss)
arising out of the use or of inability to use this product.
1.
Introduction
2.
Features
3. Description of Menus and
Screens
4.
Installation
5.
Version History
6.
Future Enhancements
1.
Introduction
Straight Score can be used to keep score when playing any 2-player game, but
it was developed with the game of Straight Pool in mind. For those of you who enjoy pool games (8-ball, 9-ball, snooker, etc.) but are not familiar with
Straight Pool, read on...
Straight Pool, or 14.1 Continuous Pool, is the only billiard game in which a
player's inning may span multiple racks. When there is only one object ball
remaining on the table, the other 14 balls are racked and play continues. Some consider it to be the
"purest" billiard game which can be played on a standard (7', 8', or
9') pool table, and it can certainly help you improve your skills in other pool
games as well. For complete rules to the game, see the Billiards
Congress of America web site.
2.
Features
- Match scoring: Play games of up to 999 points, in matches of up to
99 games.
- Handicapping: Give points and/or games to you or to your opponent, to balance the
odds.
- One-hand operation: Once a match is underway, scoring can be
performed using the hard buttons.
- Game-specific rules: When the game type is set to "Straight Pool", consecutive fouls
are counted, resulting in scores of -1, -1, and -16. There is also an
additional help screen for racking the balls.
- Generic mode: When the game type is set to "Other", the game-specific rules are
turned off. All scoring is done manually.
- Large display: Extra-large fonts make it easy to see the score.
3.
Description of Menus and Screens
- Action menu
- New Match: Start a new match. Set the number of games, points, and
handicapping.
- Options menu
- Preferences: Displays a dialog box allowing
preferences to be set.
- Rack Help: Displayed only when Game Type is set to Straight
Pool. Displays a wizard which indicates how to re-rack the
balls, depending on where the cue ball and the 15th ball came to
rest in the last shot.
- About... : Pops up the About dialog box.
- Scoring screen

- New: Same as the Action / New Match menu option
- Foul: Displayed only when Game Type is set to Straight
Pool. Ends the current run, deducting one point. If this is the
third consecutive foul for the current player, an additional fifteen
points are deducted.
- -1: Displayed only when Game Type is set to Other.
Deducts one point from the current player's run, but allows the run to
continue. This button disappears when a match is over.
- +1: Adds one point to the current player's run, and allows
the run to continue. This button disappears when a match is over.
- +10: Displayed only when Use Hard Buttons preference
is turned off. Adds ten points to the current player's run, and
allows the run to continue. This button disappears when a match is
over.
- OK: Applies the score in the Run box to the currently
selected player, then switches the active player. This button
disappears when a match is over. (When playing Straight Pool,
it is important to hit OK even if no points were scored. This ensures
that the number of consecutive fouls is counted properly)
- Self / Opp'nt: Set the current player to yourself or your
opponent, respectively.
One of these buttons will be displayed in reverse text to indicate the
current player. Since the OK button switches players for you,
only press these buttons at the start of a match, or if a run is
already in progress when you notice that the wrong player is selected.
- Run box: Displays the points accumulated in the current
player's inning.
- Game column: Displays the points for player Self, the
target number of points per game, and the points for player
Opponent,
for the current game. Points accumulated in the Run box are not
included in these totals. When playing Straight Pool, small X
characters will be displayed to indicate the number of consecutive
fouls for each player.
- Set column: Displays the number of games won by player
Self,
the target number of games, and the number of games won by player
Opponent.
- New Match screen

- Game Type: Determines which, if any, custom rules are applied
to the Scoring Screen. Choices are:
- Straight Pool: Displays a Foul button in place of
the -1 button. Subtracts one or sixteen points from the
current player's score when a foul occurs, depending on the number
of consecutive fouls. Displays small X characters to
indicate the number of consecutive fouls.
- Other: No custom rules are applied. Choose this when
playing any game not explicitly listed above.
- Number of Games: Set the target number of games to play. This
is a "race to" number, not a "best of" number
(e.g. a race to 3 is the same as a best of 5). This number must be
greater than 0 and less than 100.
- Points per Game: Set the target number of points required to
win a game. This number must be greater than 0 and less than 1000.
- Handicapped: Check this box to enable handicapping, to level
the odds when you and your opponent cannot compete fairly in a
straight-up match. See below for details.
- Give Self/Opponent ... games: At the start of the match, one
player (the one displayed in reverse text) will start with the
specified number of games already credited. This number must be
less than the Number of Games specified above.
- Give Self/Opponent ... pts / game: At the start of each
game in the match, one player (the one displayed in reverse text)
will start with the specified number of points already credited.
This number must be less than the Points per Game specified
above.
- OK: Starts a new match, using the settings as displayed.
- Cancel: Discards any changed settings, returning to the
current match in progress (if any)
- Preferences screen

-
Rack Help screen

4.
Installation
Straight Score requires Palm OS 3.0 or higher, and 22k of free memory on the
device.
Windows
- Unzip the StraightScore11.zip file using the free winzip, pkunzip,
infozip or other such utility. (If you have Windows 98, ME, 2000, or
XP, simply double-click StraightScore11.zip)
- Double-click on Straight Score.prc and select your Palm user name
from the list.
- Click Done and synchronize your Palm.
Mac
- Unstuff the StraightScore11.sit file using your Stuffit compression
utility.
- Open Hotsync Manager and select Install from the Hotsync
menu.
- Locate the Straight Score.prc file using the Add to List
button. Select Open, then Add File.
- Synchronize your Palm.
5.
Version History
- Version 1.1
- Straight Score is now freeware!
- Added Rack Help screen
- Added support for hard buttons
- Added soft +10 button
- Version 1.0
6.
Future Enhancements
See the members.shaw.ca/onepocket
web site for news and enhancements. Please send
me
feedback so I can incorporate your ideas.
When submitting bug reports, don't forget to include hardware and
software (Palm OS, hacks, etc...) descriptions.