FreeCell (Windows)

FreeCell is a card game ( solitaire ), which is included in Microsoft Windows.

Aim of the game

The aim of the game is to place all cards according to the rules so long to or store until they rest on one another in a predetermined order.

History

The game gained worldwide fame through Jim Horne, who got to know it from the PLATO system and implemented a version with color graphics for Windows. It was initially in Win32s as a test program, the Microsoft Entertainment Pack Volume 2 and later in Best Of Microsoft Entertainment Pack. This FreeCell remained relatively unknown until it was part of Windows 95 and has since been part of any subsequent version of Windows.

Today there are many more Freecell applications in modern operating systems, some of them as part of solitaire suites. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that the Microsoft version of the best-known is due to the spread among them. On Windows XP still missing the option to more than one Zugzurücknahme or other options for assistance. The Windows Vista version, however, contains game instructions and unlimited Zugzurücknahme. However, under Vista, the possibility of restarting a game, and the flashing of the window when the player only can perform a possible remaining train removed. However, games can be restarted if you have lost them.

Solutions

There are (see Faculty ) or about 2.00045 × 1063 possible playing cards distributions. However, some of them are playing the same as for the solution of a game is mainly the distinction between black and red cards is important. When a map, for example, is black, it can cross or spade (or 8 deck can be arranged as desired ).

The original Microsoft FreeCell game contains 32,000 different games, generated by a 15 -bit pseudo - random number generator. These games are known as " Microsoft 32000 ". Later versions of Microsoft Freecell include more games, of which the original 32,000 a subset are. All games of this Microsoft 32 000 have been resolved, except # 11982nd Many people and computer programs for solving Freecell games have so far been unable to find a solution, but without mathematical proof, the insolubility will be accepted. Another possibility would be the use of brute force method.

The original help text is also found in current versions: "It is assumed that each game is to win, although the evidence is still pending. " This was refuted as false statement in a strict sense. The games with the number -1 and -2 were added as a cuckoo in order to show that there are combinations of cards that can not be solved uniquely. Then the question arose as to whether all 32,000 games can be won.

In later versions of Windows FreeCell contains at least one million games.

Cheats

The ability to win every Microsoft FreeCell game has been added for software testers. It only exists in versions of Windows prior to Windows Vista. To this end, Ctrl-Shift -F10 must be permanently pressed during the game. When the dialog box appears, must be selected to win, ' Try again ' to lose, or 'Ignore' to cancel and return to continue playing the game as intended 'Cancel'. But this is not a correct proof of the solvability of every game, so there are here for said card combinations false solutions.

In Windows 7, no function is known to release a game automatically. Alleged options such as editing a. Mui file do not work.

Another option that works only in Windows Vista and Windows 7, with ' Game Select' select a game and -3 or -4 typing in the Spielauswahlbox. When the game loads, you just have to pull an ace on the target position, and the remaining cards are automatically follow.

The Internet FreeCell Project

As the notoriety of Freecell rose in the 1990s, it was still unclear which of the 32,000 games can be solved. To answer this question, Dave Ring started the Internet FreeCell Project, which is dedicated to the task of finding solutions for all known games by humans.

These ring divided the amount of 32,000 games in chains of 100 games. Unsolvable games have been forwarded to volunteers. In this respect, the project took advantage of the strength of the multi-processing in the form of human heads. The project ended in October 1995, and only 11,982 Game resisted any human attempt at a solution. However, this is still not reliable evidence that this combination of cards is in principle unsolvable.

Unresolved combinations

Under the current games are far eight as unresolved. They bear the numbers 11982, 146692, 186216, 455889, 495 505, 512 118, 517 776 and 781,948th This conclusion results from the evaluation of different authors of Free -Cell - solution programs. The programs of Danny A. Jones and Gary D. Campbell calculated all Freecell games up on the mentioned combinations. Also other programs have been able to find any solution for this initial situations.

Swell

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