Xbombs

This is an X version of Minesweeper. You are given a large grid. Some of the squares contain mines. Your job is to flag all of the mines.

This game is started by typing xbombs at the Linux prompt in a command-line window. No man page is available.

Starting Xbombs brings up the playing field, which is a dark gray grid, and a Score window.

You uncover a square by clicking on it with the left mouse button. If you uncover a mine, you are blown up and the game is over!

It’s more likely, though, that you will either uncover a number or open up several light gray, blank squares (with no numbers or mines). The number tells you how many mines are found adjacent to that square, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. For example, a “1” means there is only one mine adjacent to that square. If you’ve already determined the location of one mine adjacent to a “1” square, then it’s safe to uncover all other squares next to the “1” square because they can’t possibly contain a mine! In this fashion, you try to deduce the location of the mines. If you happen to uncover a square that has no number (and therefore no mines next to it), the game will automatically uncover the entire numberless area and its border.

When you think you’ve located a mine, you “sweep” or mark it by clicking on it with the right mouse button (if you click the left button accidentally and there is indeed a mine there, the game is over). The right button toggles a flag marker on and off. Note that the game does not tell you whether you have correctly placed the flag.

You will soon discover that certain patterns of numbers let you place a mine without any doubt; other times, you have to make an educated guess.

Of course, sometimes you miscalculate and blow up. To restart the game, click with either mouse button in the Score window. If you complete the game successfully, your time will be recorded.

Xpaint

This is a color drawing-and-painting program. Start it from the Linux prompt in a command-line window by typing xpaint. A Tool menu will appear. Start a new canvas from the File menu. The Tool menu holds your drawing and painting implements (brushes, pencils, spray cans, and so on); the palette of colors and patterns is found underneath the canvas.

To see the man page, type man xpaint.

Xfractint

Xfractint is an easy way to get started with fractals. If you’re not sure what a fractal is, try this program! It’s almost certain that you’ve seen fractals before.

To see this game’s man page, type man xfractint.

To start this game, type xfractint in a command-line window.

This program has an excellent setup; you can immediately generate many different fractals without getting into their detailed specifications or mathematics.

When you start Xfractint, two windows appear: one that holds the fractal image (initially empty) and another in which you enter your commands. You can go into the Type selection and choose the type of fractal to generate, or you can click on Select video mode which starts drawing a fractal in the image window. The default fractal is one of the Mandelbrot types.

When the image has been fully generated (it can take some time), you can go to the command window, type t, and select another type of fractal from the large list of available choices. At this point, you shouldn’t have to change the defaults the program gives you. There are enough different types available.

To exit Xfractint, press the Esc key twice from the command window.

Character-based Games

There is a long history of games being written for the UNIX operating system. Many of these games were written before color, bitmapped windowing systems became common. All these games, except for Sasteroids, are character-based. This means that all graphics (if there are any!) are displayed on your screen using standard screen characters: A, *, |, x, and so on. In addition, all input is from the keyboard (again, Sasteroids is an ex-ception).

An advantage of character-based games is that they do not require a graphical or windowing environment to run. A monochrome display is fine. The character-based nature of some games, such as Hangman or Bog (Boggle), takes nothing away from the play; you don’t really wish for fancy color graphics when playing them. Other character-based games might strike you as interesting historical curiosities: They show you what their ingenious programmers could manage with such a simple display system, but clearly would be better served by color graphics.

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Tip:  
Two of the more interesting (and classic) character-based games, Rogue and Hack, do not come with the Linux distribution. These games use the screen to display the rooms and corridors of a dungeon. You (and, in Hack, your trusty dog) move around the dungeon, mapping out the corridors, entering the rooms (be careful when you explore dark, unlit rooms), picking up treasure and magical items—and, last but not least, fighting monsters (or running from them!). After you have fully explored the level you’re on, you can descend to a lower, more difficult level.

Every time you run Hack or Rogue, the dungeons are different. Every monster has different fighting skills, and some monsters have special talents. The magical items, which include rings, wands, scrolls, and potions, have a variety of effects. Some of the items you find, such as armor, might be enchanted or magically enhanced; but if you find a cursed item, you may have been better off not picking it up at all!

Both Rogue and Hack have their enthusiasts, but Hack is a later, more elaborate version which is generally preferred. If you come across either game on the Internet, pick it up and try it! There are also versions of Hack available for MS-DOS-based computers.

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