Double-Six Dominoes FAQ

Help File

Scroll down or use the following quick links:

• How do I exit the game?
• How can I start a new game?
• How do I get help while running the game?
• How will the program teach me to play dominoes?
• How do I make the game more difficult?
• Does the game keep track of how many times I win or lose?
• OK, so how can I reset those counters?
• How can I tell if I am running the Registered version?
• How do I make the games last longer?
• How do I change the look of the dominoes?
• How can I host an Internet game?
• How do I join an Internet game?
• So, how can I find out the IP Address of an opponent?
• How can I see if my opponent is still there?
• Can I arrange the dominoes in my hand?
• What is the Bone Yard?
• How do I score points?
• How can I tell if I am winning?
• What if I can't play?  Can I 'pass' if I don't want to play?
• What happens if a dominoe goes off the screen?
• How do I change the color scheme?
• Does the computer cheat?

There are several ways to exit the game when the boss walks into your office.  You can press Alt-F4, click on the X in the upper right corner of the window, or you can select "Close" from the system menu.  To access the system menu, you can press Alt-Space or click on the dominoes icon located in the top left corner of the game window.

If you are playing an Internet game when you exit the software your opponent wins the game.

You can start a new game by pressing Alt-N, selecting "Start a New Game" from the system menu, or changing some settings on the Settings screen (F2).

If you are playing an Internet game when you start a new game your opponent wins the current game.

You can access the help screen by pressing F1 or selecting "Rules" from the system menu.  The rules screen looks like this.

By default the game starts in Beginner Mode.  When in beginner mode, hover your mouse over the dominoes in your hand for a few seconds and the computer will tell you if you can play that dominoe and how many points will be scored if you do play it.  After you select a dominoe by clicking on it, you can then hover over the dominoes in the play field to see how many points would be scored by playing the dominoe at that location.  When you find the best play, simply click on the destination dominoe and the computer will place your dominoe on the playing field for you.

As you begin to play faster you will no longer see these "hints".  Then, when you are ready, switch to Advanced Mode (see below) for a more challenging game.

This feature is not available during Internet games.

When first installed the game starts in Beginner Mode.  You may change the difficulty level by pressing F2 or selecting "Settings" from the system menu.

On the settings screen, select "Beginner" or "Advanced" mode and press the OK button to save your changes.  Please note that if you change your difficulty level it is necessary to restart your game (and the current game will be lost).  Your settings will be remembered the next time you run Double-Six Dominoes.

The computer plays its dominoes better when set to Advanced Mode.

Do not attempt to change settings while playing an Internet game.

It sure does!  You can view your stats on the Settings page.  Access the settings page by pressing F2 or select "Settings" from the system menu.

On the settings screen, under "Beginner" or "Advanced" mode you will see "Wins" and "Losses". Wins refers to the number of times that you have beat the computer.  Losses refers to the number of times that the computer has beaten you.

Scores are kept separately for Beginner and Advanced modes.

No problem.  You simply press the "Reset" button located at the lower left corner of the settings screen.  When you press OK to save settings your scores will be reset.  If you press the Cancel button, your scores will not be reset.

The indicator is located on the About Box.  From the main game screen, press Alt-A or select "About Double-Six Dominoes" from the system menu.  In the middle of the About Box in the shareware version it says "(Shareware)" and in the fully registered version it says "(Registered)".

The shareware version has the following limitations:

• Games limited to 150 points - You can not adjust game length.
• You can not change the look of the dominoes.
• Internet play is not supported.

In order for you to enjoy Internet play, both parties must purchase the fully registered version of Double-Six Dominoes.  For information about purchasing this program, please visit the Purchase Information page.

You may change the length of games by pressing F2 or selecting "Settings" from the system menu.

At the top of the settings screen, select the desired game length (150, 250, or 500 points) then press the OK button to save your changes.  Please note that if you change your game length it is necessary to restart your game (and the current game will be lost).  Your settings will be remembered the next time you run Double-Six Dominoes.

Internet games are strictly limited to 250 points.  Do not attempt to change settings while playing an Internet game.

You may change the look of the dominoes by pressing F2 or selecting "Settings" from the system menu.

In the middle of the settings screen, select the desired dominoe set then press the OK button to save your changes.  Your settings will be remembered the next time you run Double-Six Dominoes.

Note:  Do not attempt to change settings while playing an Internet game.

In order to host an Internet game, press F2 or select "Settings" from the system menu.  Near the bottom of the settings screen, click on the "Enable Host Mode" check box so that a check mark appears.  You may also change your name (default is "Human Player").  Then, select a port number (for example "66") and press OK to save your changes.  Your settings will be remembered the next time you run Double-Six Dominoes.

At this point you are ready to accept an Internet game.  The next step is to send your IP Address and Port number to your opponent.  You can do this using email or Windows Messagner.  Your IP Address is listed at the bottom of the settings screen.  This text is selectable so you can copy-and-paste it directly into your message.

When your opponent attempts to contact you (see below) you will see a dialog box appear on your screen asking you if you wish to accept an Internet game.  If you decline, you will return to your game in progress.  If you accept, a new Internet game will begin.

Note:  Do not attempt to change settings while playing an Internet game.

In order to join an Internet game, press F6 or select "Join" from the system menu.  In the dialog box that appears, enter the IP Address and Port of the computer that is hosting the Internet game.  You may also change your name (default is "Human Player").  Then, Press the "Propose a Game" button.  When you press the Propose a Game button, Double-Six Dominoes will attempt to make contact with your opponent.  Your opponent is then given the opportunity to accept or decline your invitation (see above).  If your opponent accepts, the game will begin.  If not, you will be notified and have the opportunity to contact someone else for a game.

Your settings will be remembered the next time you run Double-Six Dominoes.

Note:  Do not attempt to join an Internet game while playing an Internet game.

Good Question.  The best way is to convince your friends to purchase a copy so that you can play against them.  Since IP addresses change often (most people get a different one every time they log into the Internet), my friends and I use Windows Messanger to send our IP Address and Port information to each other.  You can also ask people at your favorite message board if they would like to play.

Your opponent can view their own IP address at the bottom of their Settings screen.

When you are playing against the computer, there is a picture of me at the top of the screen.  When you are playing against another human via the Internet, that picture turns into a picture of the world.  If it has been a while and you are not sure if your opponent is still playing, click on the picture of the world.  Your opponent will be prompted with a message and they will hear a beep.

At this point, if your opponent clicks on their own picture of the world (as a response) you will receive a message in return.

Yes.  To move a dominoe around in your hand, simply click on it to select it (you will see a black square around your selected dominoe) then click where you want to place it.  You can not place dominoes on top of each other.  You are limited to nice neat rows, but I think it is flexible enough that you can arrange your dominoes well enough to make it easy to find what you are looking for.

You can also double-click on a dominoe to "flip it over".  For example, you can change a [1|4] to a [4|1] by double-clicking on the dominoe.

To begin play, the dominoes are shuffled face down and each player takes seven dominoes.  The remaining dominoes are placed in the "Bone Yard."  The number of dominoes remaining in the Bone Yard can be seen in the upper right corner of the screen.

During a player's turn that player may draw a dominoe from the Bone Yard by pressing the Draw Button.  If the Bone Yard is empty and you do not have a legal play you must 'pass'.  Pass by pressing the Draw button when the Bone Yard is empty.  Please see the Rules page for more on this.

Even though you are free to draw as many dominoes as you wish, remember that if your opponent "goes out" (runs out of dominoes) your opponent will score 5 points for each dominoe left in your hand!

Points are scored when a player causes all exposed ends of the board to total a multiple of five.  For example, if a player starts with the double six and the opponent plays the six-three, the total of all ends of the board equal 15 and 15 points are scored.  Please see the Rules page for more on this.

Both players scores are listed in the lower right corner of the screen.  The number after the word "Me" refers to your opponent's score (whether it be the computer or another human via the Internet.)  The number after the word "You" refers to your score.  The player with the higher score is winning.

The scores are generally black in color.  When the score exceeds the Ending Score (set on the Settings screen) it turns Red to indicate to you that the game will end at the conclusion of the current round.

If you can play you must play.  The only exception to this is if you want to draw a dominoe from the Bone Yard.  The only way you can 'pass' without playing is if the Bone Yard is empty.  In this case, to pass simply press the "Draw" button.  If you can play, the system will remind you and not let you pass.

If you can not see the entire "snake" of dominoes you may use the four arrow buttons located at the lower right corner of the playfield.  To re-center your view press the + button located in the center of the arrow buttons.

Double-Six Dominoes uses the color scheme of your operating system.  To change the colors used in the game, change your desktop color scheme.  You can change your desktop color scheme by right-clicking on your desktop and choosing "Properties" from the menu that appears.

In a word: NO.  The program never looks into your hand when deciding what dominoe it wants to play.  The only time the computer looks into your hand is at the start of each round when determining who has the largest double.  It also looks when you press the Draw button to determine if you can "pass".  In neither of these cases is that information used in the strategy section of the program.