FeutalFeudal 1.6

Thanks for choosing FutileFeudal.

This is a text-based RPG based upon the classic Hamurabi game. You are a feudal lord who has been entrusted with some of the king's grain, land, and peasants. Your goal is to increase all of these resources by managing them, allocating certain amounts of grain for food and seed, and planting some of your land.

How to play the game:

I've tried to make this as intuitive as possible, but just in case you can't read my mind, here’s how it goes:

• After the introduction screen you will be shown a report describing the state of your feudal lands. Your advisors will note the following statistics:
  • Year: The year of your rule.
  • People Died: How many people starved because you didn't allocate enough grain for food.
  • Children Born: This is a random number based upon population, acreage owned, and the effect of the rats (see below).
  • Population: This number includes the number of people born less the number of people starved.
  • Total Acres: duh.
  • Harvest per Acre: Your total yield per acre that you planted.
  • Rats Ate: You have a random chance of up to half of your stored grain being eaten by the rats.
  • Stored Bushels: The total amount of grain you have to start with for the year, less the amount allocated for last year and eaten by the rats. Every year you will receive this report from your advisors.
  • Score: A number to rate how you are doing.
• After viewing the report, you need to allocate your grain to food and seed. You will also need to set aside some land to plant. To change the numbers, press on the digit of the number you want to change and press either the "+" or "-" button to the right. This will increment or decrement that particular digit by one. You can also use the hard-scroll buttons on your handheld to increment or decrement the selected digit.
• You also have the option to buy or sell land. Choose which you want to do, on the left, and then set the amount of land you want on the right as above. HINT: your purchasing or selling of land is calculated before your grain is spent.
• You can always review the latest Annual Report by pressing the "Report" button.
• Once you have made your decision for allocating your resources, press the "Make it so." button to place that order. If there is any problem in making that order, your advisors will warn you and allow you to reconsider your order.
• After your order is complete, you will receive another Annual Report. After your first year as Lord your advisors will remind you about the previous year's statistics for comparison. Your advisor will point out some important losses from the year before.
• The game will end if you run out of money or kill off too many peasants. Otherwise the game will go on until the end of your forty year reign.

If you paid for the program, you will also have these features available to you:

• The game in progress is automatically saved when you exit, so you can continue it later.
• The game keeps track of your 5 highest scores.
• You have a "Retire" on the main screen, to quit while you are ahead or start-over.

1.6

• Got rid of the annoying flicker on the main screen.
• Changed interface so only one digit from any resources is selected at any time. You can now increment/decrement a digit by using the hard scroll buttons on your handheld.
• Formatted larger numbers so they are easier to read (based upon the preferences set by the handheld).
• You will face no tragedies until after the 5th year. You will not have a plague until at least the 10th year.
• A plague cannot end the game for you.
• The annual report highlights any statistics that have dropped from the previous year.
• Now able to reset the high scores (REQUIRES REGISTRATION).
• Set the field focus (insertion point) on all fields.
• Seeded the random numbers at the beginning of each game.

1.5

• You have a 40 year reign, after which the game ends.
• Game ends if you don't have enough resources to continue through the next turn.
• There is a new formula to calculate the amount of grain you harvest.
• Your population might die from a plague if the rats get out of hand.
• A hailstorm might cut your harvest in half.
• Removed many of the warnings telling you that you have not allocated enough resources- now the computer will work with what you have (for your good or bad).
• You can view the high scores while playing the game (REQUIRES REGISTRATION).
• Really fixed the > 32k problem.
• Made some internal program changes.

1.0

• Fixed error that lead to early firing if grain > 32k (changed to a larger variable).
• Add and Subtracts from adjacent numbers in each number entry.
• Easier start.
• Added a "Score."
• Game ends if starve more than half of your population.
• Added a "High Scores" screen (REQUIRES REGISTRATION).
• Return to game in progress after exiting (REQUIRES REGISTRATION).
• "Retire" button (REQUIRES REGISTRATION).

0.9

• First release

My programming philosophy:

• Keep it small. In the original PalmOS handhelds, an inherit limitation was their small memory. This is understandable because handhelds were never meant to replace your PC, just supplement it's use. Since then they have much more memory and even faster processors. Still, I endeavor to keep my program small so you can have more space on your handheld for more important things.
• Keep it simple. Handheld computers are supposed to make your life easier, and this program is designed to follow that philosophy by not complicating the program with too many bells and whistles that only a few people would use. Although some have made some suggestions of how to tailor the program for their profession, I have choose to keep the program as broad as possible so more people could use it. Consequently, this also keeps the program small.
• Keep it stable. The truth is, Palm-style handhelds never turn their power off! If a program, however, causes the handheld to crash, you might just have to restart it - which could mean that you would loose all the information stored on it. Also, because of they way handhelds work, a program could potentially damage the information stored in other programs. This is why I have tested this program extensively before releasing it. Besides, I use it myself, and I don't want anything like this to happen to my handheld!
• Keep it inexpensive. Some websites that distribute PalmOS software are suggesting that most palm programs are underpriced. They argue that customers would, on average, pay much more for a program than they usually cost. Writing programs for handheld computers is a hobby of mine. Because I don't live off the money from the program, I can offer it for less.

If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or complaints, please contact me at dizzysoft@email.com