Treble Whammy is a game or pastime for one person.
The basic idea of Treble Whammy is very simple. There is an 8x8 main frame, with an 8x3 hopper above it, into which tiles of seven different types, are placed randomly, but with a constraint that they must not form lines of three of the same type horizontally or vertically.
You try to form lines of three or more tiles of the same type, in rows or columns of the main frame (not diagonally, and ignoring the tiles in the hopper), by swapping over two adjacent tiles. Any lines of 3 or more formed are removed from the frame. The tiles in the main frame and hopper above the gaps fall down to fill the columns. This will, of course, leave gaps at the top of some columns. Any gaps in either the main frame or the hopper are then filled randomly - but again with the constraint that no lines of three are immediately formed in the main frame or the hopper.
The falling tiles may, of course, result in further lines of three or more tiles. These, too, are removed, and further collapsing and replenishment takes place. The cycle consisting of removal of lines of three or more, collapsing to fill the gaps, and replenishment, continues until no further lines of three are formed, at which point the turn ends.
Points are scored for each tile removed. Bonus points can also be scored; these form a crucial part of playing the game. The objective is to maximize your score for the game, which ends when the number of turns allowed (100) has been reached, or when you cannot form any more lines of three by swapping adjacent tiles. You may also wish to maximize your score for a given turn.
Although the tiles in the hopper cannot be selected, swapped or removed, the ability to see the contents of the hopper should enable you optimize your scoring chances, since you can see some of the tiles that will fall down to replace the ones that are removed. This should enable you to see some of the potential for immediate bonuses due to the formation of further lines of three or more and also the opportunities for future swapping.
Taking a turn
Whenever the system is waiting for you to take a turn, the message bar between the hopper and the main frame will display Select first below. Simply press on the first of a pair of adjacent tiles in the main frame that you wish to swap. This tile will be highlighted, and the message will then change to Select adjacent. You should then press on the second tile, which will also be highlighted.
If the two tiles are adjacent, they are swapped over. If they're not adjacent, an error message will be displayed and you should start the turn again by pressing on the first of an adjacent pair.
Once swapped, the system checks whether at least one legitimate line of three has been formed. If it has not, the tiles are swapped back and you should start the turn again.
If at least one line of three has been formed, all the tiles in lines of three or more are highlighted, then removed, and then the collapsing and replenishment takes place. The message bar informs you of the score for this (see below). The cycle of checking for further lines of three, removal of these, collapsing and replenishment then takes place. At each step, the lines of three or more are shown highlighted and removed, so that you can see what is happening.
Once no more lines of three are formed, the turn ends and you're ready for the next turn (as shown by the Select first below message), unless you've had the allowed number of turns, as shown by the Turns over: End message in the message bar, or there are no adjacent pairs to swap, as shown by the No moves: End message in the message bar.
Scoring
After the tiles have been swapped:
- score 1 point for each tile that is removed;
- score 10 points bonus if both the tiles you selected and swapped are removed;
- score 4 points bonus for any line of four;
- score 5 points bonus for any line of five.
Scoring example 1
Selecting the two highlighted tiles on the left, results in the highlighting of the tiles as shown on the right, ready for removal.
The score for this is 3 - simply 1 point for each tile removed.
If the collapse and replenishment causes further lines of 3 or more to be formed, score as follows in each cycle:
- score 1 point for each tile that is removed;
- score 10 points bonus.
So, for example, if the initial selection and removal scores 11, and after the first collapse and replenishment a further line of 3 and a line of 4 are formed and removed, and this in turn results in another line of 3 being formed and removed, the score for the turn would be as follows:
- 11 initially
- 17 for the first follow-up cycle (7 for the seven tiles removed + 10 bonus for the cycle
- 13 for the second follow-up cycle (3 for the three tiles removed + 10 bonus for the cycle
The total for the turn is therefore 41.
The scores at each stage of a turn are displayed in the message bar. The scores are also added on to the score for the turn (yellow background - reset to zero before each turn) and for the game (green background).
Clues
If you are finding it difficult to spot where you could select a pair to swap, you can press the Clues button, but only before you have selected the first of a pair. This results in the highlighting of all tiles that form gaps in a line of three, but which could be swapped with an adjacent tile of the appropriate colour to form a line of three or more. The highlights are shown only briefly then switched off, after which you can select the first tile of a pair.
New Game
A new game, with a new layout, may be generated at any time by pressing on the New button.
Terms of use
This software may be used for personal purposes only. It may not be used for commercial purposes.
The software, code and script of this application may not be copied or be distributed to others.
The software, code and script may not be altered in any way.
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Version: 3.0 (20170327) Scale:
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