TweetFollow Us on Twitter

May 01 Programmers Challenge

Volume Number: 17 (2001)
Issue Number: 05
Column Tag: Programmer's Challenge

by Bob Boonstra, Westford, MA

Basic Klondike

I'll admit it. I got into programming in an unusual way. Predating the web by a few (!) years, I didn't start with HTML or Perl. Nor, unlike some of my colleagues, did I start with a PC with toggle switches where the keyboard input should have been and with LED output instead of a video port. No, I actually started by reverse engineering machine code programs, and then discovering assembly language, and only later high level languages like FORTRAN and COBOL.

But somehow, through all that, I missed BASIC as a language, only discovering it much later, and never developing much of an attraction for it. But BASIC hasn't gone away, it is still alive and kicking as a modern object-oriented development environment. This month we're going to have some fun with BASIC, courtesy of the folks at REAL Software.

We've been using CodeWarrior for the Challenge for some time now, starting with C, expanding to C++, and allowing Pascal even though Metrowerks (or should I say Motorola) has deprecated that language. We've accepted Java solutions, although with some restrictions. But we've never even considered BASIC - after all, BASIC is a beginner's language, not used by serious programmers, right? Well, maybe not.

It turns out that there are real applications being written in BASIC. I discovered one, MacDynDNS, when I was forced to change DSL providers to one that didn't grant static IP addresses. So, when I was contacted by the folks at REAL Software about holding a REALbasic Challenge, I decided to experiment with their environment.

We're not in the business of endorsing products, but a little experimentation demonstrates that REALbasic is pretty cool. It converts BASIC into a fully object oriented language, and the environment does a surprising amount of the work required to create an application for you. They provide a nice tutorial that helps you quickly start using the environment. And they offer a free 30-day demo (see http://www.realbasic.com which we're going to take advantage of with this month's Challenge.

The prototype for the code you should write is ..., well, there isn't one. Your task is to build a REALbasic application that lets me play the card game Klondike. Klondike is a solitaire card game, the object of which is to build up all 52 cards onto four foundation piles in ascending order, by suit, from the Ace to the King. As a reference implementation for what constitutes legal play, I'm using the shareware game by Mike Casteel available at www.casteel.org. The requirements? You need to display a graphical representation of the game - the cards in the tableau, the four foundation piles, the deck, and the top three cards revealed from the deck. You need to support playing cards and stacks of cards by dragging them from one pile to another. You should highlight the destination when a card is dragged to a position where it can legally be played and, of course, allow only legal moves to be made. You need to provide multiple levels of Undo and Redo. You should provide menu items to start a new game, to replay the previous game, to save the game state, and to resume playing a previously saved game. Your application should be user friendly, warning the user, for example, when s/he is about to quit an unfinished game. You should provide preference controls that allow me to turn over one card at a time instead of the usual three and control whether scoring is displayed.

How will I score this Challenge? This Challenge will be a departure from our usual reliance on execution time and program size. Apart from the requirement that the solution be "correct", the winner will be chosen based on features, usability, and elegance. As options, you might automatically detect when the game has been won. You can optionally play music. You can add attractive features that you think might gain my favor. The Challenge prize will be divided between the overall winner(s) and the best scoring entry from a contestant that has not won the Challenge recently.

And I'd appreciate hearing from you on what you think of this experiment in language and in scoring. If it proves to be popular, perhaps we'll try some more experiments like this one.

Three Months Ago Winner

Eight people entered the February Trilite Challenge, a two-player game resembling Tic-Tac-Toe, but with the restriction that each player can occupy at most three positions on the board. Congratulations to Jonny Taylor for taking first place, narrowly beating out the entry from Challenge points leader Ernst Munter. Both Jonny and Ernst realized that the player making the first move has a guaranteed win, and each won all of their games when playing first. Jonny, however, lost only to Ernst while playing second, while Ernst's entry earned a draw against a third player after 40000 moves in addition to losing to Jonny. Congratulations also to Cortis Clark, for submitting the best placing entry by someone who has not previously won a Challenge.

Of the eight entries, one crashed during play, so I eliminated that one from the tournament. I then ran a tournament with the remaining seven entries, with each playing the other entries twice, once playing first and once playing second. All of the games took between 8 moves and 18 moves to determine a winner, excepting those against contestant Randy Boring, who excelled in staving off defeat. Randy's entry forced ties with three contestants, including Ernst, using a brute-force approach that also took top honors for using the most execution time.

Jonny's code is sparsely commented and tough to read. The first time it is called, his entry calculates a number of tables of winning positions that are then used on all subsequent calls. The code uses a data structure that allocates 4 bits for each piece on the board for each player. It uses the remaining bits of a long word to encode which player is to move next and 3 bits of information about how far the position is from a forced win. There is space in the data structure for a visit count, apparently intended for use by unimplemented logic to prune the search algorithm. Jonny stretched the rules a bit by using some assembly code intrinsics, but performance turned out not be a discriminator, and I decided to let this indiscretion slide.

Since the play against Randy Boring's entry proved to be decisive, it is worthwhile to examine his games against the top two entries. In the board positions below, the positions occupied by one player are labeled "O" and those of the other player "X", with lower case letters used to indicate the position that will disappear next. The draw between Randy (O) and Ernst (X) looped around a sequence of eight positions:

 1:O—  2:O-O  3:OXO  4: oXO  5 oXO  6:-Xo  7:-xo  8: Ox-
   XXO    XXo    xXo     xX-    -x-    -xO    X-O     X-O
   -ox    —x    —-     -O-    -OX    -OX    -OX     -oX

The game between Randy (O) and Jonny (X) took 30 moves, and is provided below. Note that the decisive move was made by "X" in move 28, where he occupied a position that formed a line with his opponent's piece that was about to disappear.

 1:O—  2:O—  3:O-O  4: OXO  5:oXO  6:oXO  7:-Xo  8: -xo
   —-    -X-    -X-     -X-    -X-    -x-    Ox-     O-X
   —-    —-    —-     —-    -O-    XO-    XO-     XO-

 9:Ox- 10:O-X 11:O-X 12: O-X 13:o-X 14:o-x 15:-Ox 16: XO-
   O-X    O-X    o-X     oXx    -Xx    -X-    -X-     -x-
   Xo-    xo-    x-O     —O    O-O    OXO    OXo     OXo

17:XO- 18:XO- 19:XoO 20: xoO 21:x-O 22:—O 23:—o 24: X-o
   Ox-    O-X    O-X     O-X    oOX    oOx    -Ox     -O-
   oX-    ox-    -x-     X—    X—    XX-    XXO     xXO

25:XO- 26:XOX 27:XOX 28: xOX 29:xoX 30:-ox 
   -o-    -o-    O—     O-X    OOX    OOX  
   xXO    -xO    -xo     —o    —-    —X    

The table below lists, for each of the solutions submitted, total execution time, the number of wins and ties achieved, and the total number of points earned (100 for each win, 50 for each tie, minus 1 point for each millisecond of execution time). It also lists the code size, data size, and programming language for each entry. As usual, the number in parentheses after the entrant's name is the total number of Challenge points earned in all Challenges prior to this one.

Name Points Time(µsecs) Wins Ties
Jonny Taylor(36) 10969 0.39 11 0
Ernst Munter(711) 10350 2.00 10 1
Rob Shearer(55) 5497 0.56 5 1
Cortis Clark 3000 0.74 3 0
Willeke Rieken(132) 3000 1.81 3 0
Joseph Strout(10) 1454 182.37 1 1
Randy Boring(135) -9037 16588.42 6 3
C. W. Crash 0.00 0 0

Name Code Data Lang
Jonny Taylor 28308 691 C++
Ernst Munter 4908 422 C++
Rob Shearer 1148 976K C++
Cortis Clark 1236 88 C++
Willeke Rieken 1444 378 C
Joseph Strout 956 123 C++
Randy Boring 10008 130 C++
C.W. 1240 1740 C

Top Contestants ...

Listed here are the Top Contestants for the Programmer's Challenge, including everyone who has accumulated 20 or more points during the past two years. I've changed the format a bit this month. The numbers below include points awarded over the 24 most recent contests, including points earned by this month's entrants, the number of wins over the past 24 months, and the total number of career Challenge points.

Rank Name Points(24 mo)
1. Munter, Ernst 291
2. Rieken, Willeke 87
3. Saxton, Tom 76
4. Maurer, Sebastian 68
5. Taylor, Jonathan 56
6. Shearer, Rob 55
7. Boring, Randy 52
8. Wihlborg, Claes 29
Rank Name Wins(24 mo) Total Points
1. Munter, Ernst 11 721
2. Rieken, Willeke 3 134
3. Saxton, Tom 2 185
4. Maurer, Sebastian 2 108
5. Taylor, Jonathan 2 56
6. Shearer, Rob 1 62
7. Boring, Randy 1 135
8. Wihlborg, Claes 1 29

...and the Top Contestants Looking for a Recent Win

In order to give some recognition to other participants in the Challenge, we also list the high scores for contestants who have accumulated points without taking first place in a Challenge during the past two years. Listed here are all of those contestants who have accumulated 6 or more points during the past two years.

Rank Name Points
9. Downs, Andrew 12
10. Jones, Dennis 12
11. Day, Mark 10
12. Duga, Brady 10
13. Fazekas, Miklos 10
14. Flowers, Sue 10
15. Sadetsky, Gregory 10
16. Selengut, Jared 10
17. Strout, Joe 10
18. Hala, Ladislav 7
19. Miller, Mike 7
20. Nicolle, Ludovic 7
21. Schotsman, Jan 7
22. Widyatama, Yudhi 7
23. Heithcock, JG 6
There are three ways to earn points: (1) scoring in the top 5 of any Challenge, (2) being the first person to find a bug in a published winning solution or, (3) being the first person to suggest a Challenge that I use. The points you can win are:
1st place 20 points
2nd place 10 points
3rd place 7 points
4th place 4 points
5th place 2 points
finding bug 2 points
suggesting Challenge 2 points

Here is Jonny's winning Trilite solution: Trilite.cp
Copyright © 2001
Jonny Taylor

#include "Trilite.h"

Ptr            gMemory = 0L;
unsigned short   *gWhiteToMove1, *gWhiteToMove2, *gWhiteToMove3, 
                              *gWhiteToMove4;

#define ASSERT(CONDITION)       //assert(CONDITION)

#define X_MASK      0xCCCCCC
#define Y_MASK      0x333333
#define XY_MASK      X_MASK + Y_MASK

#define BLACKMUSTWIN 0x01

#define WTMFLAGMASK  0xE0
#define WTM5FLAGMASK 0xF0
#define WTM4FLAGMASK 0x00F8
#define WTM3FLAGMASK 0x00FC
#define WTM2FLAGMASK 0x00FE
#define WTM1FLAGMASK 0x00FF

#define BLACK3POS   20
#define BLACK2POS   16
#define BLACK1POS   12
#define WHITE3POS    8
#define WHITE2POS  4
#define WHITE1POS    0

/* These two flags are used to indicate positions where one or both colours have a line WHITEHASLINE 
is also used when both players have a line. If either flag is reached when tracing positions backwards,
that route should be ignored, since you could never  play onwards from a winning position. BLACKHASLINE 
is flagged differently so it can be identified as a move that black should always make (if he can) when
playing a game.  These values will never be encountered in other situations, as long as the Visit count
is limited to a maximum value of 30 */

#define BLACKHASLINE 0xFF
#define WHITEHASLINE 0xFD

/* Black-3 is the most recently-placed one, Black-1 the oldest. When we take back a  move,  we remove 
the most recent (3), 2 becomes 3, 1 becomes 2 and 1 (oldest) us up 
for grabs */

#define BLACK3MASK   0xF00000
#define BLACK2MASK   0x0F0000
#define BLACK1MASK   0x00F000
#define BLACKMASK   0xFFF000
#define WHITE3MASK   0x000F00
#define WHITE2MASK   0x0000F0
#define WHITE1MASK   0x00000F
#define WHITEMASK   0x000FFF

#define SwapColours(POS)      (((POS)>>12) + (((POS)<<12)and0xFFF000))
#define UndoBlacksMove(POS)   (((POS) and WHITEMASK) +    \
                                                   (((POS)<<4)and(BLACK3MASK+BLACK2MASK)))
#define WrappingUndoWhitesMove(POS)            \
      (((POS) and BLACKMASK) | (((POS)<<4)and(WHITE3MASK+WHITE2MASK)) \
                  | (((POS)>>8)andWHITE1MASK))

#define AdvanceWhiteToMove(POS)             \
      (((POS) and BLACKMASK) + (((POS)>>4)and(WHITE1MASK + WHITE2MASK)))
#define AdvanceBlackToMove(POS)             \
      (((POS) and WHITEMASK) + (((POS)>>4)and(BLACK1MASK + BLACK2MASK)))

#define SetWhiteToMoveFlag(FLAG) whiteToMoveData|=(0x80>>(FLAG))
#define SetWhiteToMoveFlag16(FLAG)             \
      whiteToMoveData16 |= (0x80>>(FLAG))

#define SetWhiteToMoveMinDistance(VAL) ASSERT((VAL)<8); \
                     whiteToMoveData and= 0xF1;             \
                              whiteToMoveData |= ((VAL)<<1)

#define SetWhiteToMoveMinDistance16(VAL) ASSERT((VAL)<8); \
                                 whiteToMoveData16 and= 0xFF;            \
                                 whiteToMoveData16 |= ((VAL)<<8)

#define GetWhiteToMoveMinDistance               \
            ((whiteToMoveData and 0x0E)>>1)
#define GetWhiteToMoveMinDistance16               \
            (whiteToMoveData16 >> 8)

#define SetWhiteToMoveMaxDistance(VAL) ASSERT((VAL)<16); ,\
                              whiteToMoveData and= 0x0F;   \
                              whiteToMoveData |= ((VAL)<<4)
                              
#define GetWhiteToMoveMaxDistance               \
            ((whiteToMoveData and 0xF0)>>4)

#define SetWhiteToMoveVisitCount(VAL) ASSERT((VAL)<16);   \
                              whiteToMoveData and= 0x0F;            \
            if ((VAL)>=16);whiteToMoveData |= ((15)<<4);   \
                              else                        whiteToMoveData |= ((VAL)<<4)

#define GetWhiteToMoveVisitCount            \
         ((whiteToMoveData and 0xF0)>>4)

static inline unsigned long Minimize(unsigned long gamePos);
static unsigned long InitWhiteLosses(unsigned char *whiteToMove, 
      unsigned long *list1);
static inline unsigned long MakeFreeSpaceMask(
         unsigned long gamePos);
static inline unsigned long MakeFreeSpaceMask5(
         unsigned long gamePos);
static inline unsigned long MakeFreeSpaceMask4(
         unsigned long gamePos);
static inline unsigned long MakeFreeSpaceMask3(
         unsigned long gamePos);
static inline unsigned long MakeFreeSpaceMask2(
         unsigned long gamePos);
static inline unsigned long MakeFreeSpaceMask1(
         unsigned long gamePos);
static inline unsigned long GetMoveFromMask(unsigned long andmask);
static inline unsigned long EncodePos(unsigned long pos);
static inline unsigned long Encode5Pos(unsigned long pos);

//x3: 0,1 or 2(=5)      (2 bits)   13-14      }   could be combined into 4 bits if necessary
//x2: max 8            (3 bits)   10-12      }   
//x1: max 7            (3 bits)   7-9
//y3}   max 6*5 = 30   (5 bits)   2-6
//y2}
//y1: max 4            (2 bits)   0-1
//highest value is 0b101 1111 1111 1111

#define GetWTM(pos)         whiteToMove[EncodePos(pos)]
#define SetWTM(pos,val)      whiteToMove[EncodePos(pos)] = (val)
#define GetWTM5(pos)      whiteToMove5[Encode5Pos((pos)<<4)>>2]
#define SetWTM5(pos,val)   \
         whiteToMove5[Encode5Pos((pos)<<4)>>2] = (val)

MakePosition
static unsigned long MakePosition(long x[6],long y[6])
{
   long ii;
   unsigned long position = 0;
   
   for (ii = 0; ii < 6; ii++)
   {
      position+=((x[ii]<<2)<<(4*ii));
   }
   for (ii = 0; ii < 6; ii++)
   {
      position+=((y[ii])<<(4*ii));
   }
   return(position);
}

EncodePos
static inline unsigned long EncodePos(unsigned long pos)
{
   unsigned long temp,temp2,y3Val,y2Val;
   unsigned long black3,black2,black1,white3,white2,white1;
   unsigned long result = (posand0xF00000) >> (20 - 13);
   if (pos and 0x400000)            //x3 position is 5
      result -= (3 << 13);      //convert 0x5... to 0x2...
   ASSERT(result <= 0x4000);
   ASSERT((result and 0x6000) == result);
   
   black3 = (posandBLACK3MASK)>>BLACK3POS;
   black2 = (posandBLACK2MASK)>>BLACK2POS;
   //encode x2 - if x2 > x3 then decrease value by 1
   temp = black3 - black2;
   temp2 = (pos and BLACK2MASK) - ((temp and 0x80000000)>>15);
   temp2 -= (pos and 0xC0000)>>2;      //as pos 3 and 7 are invalid

   ASSERT((temp2 >> (16 - 10)) <= 0x1C00);
   ASSERT(((temp2 >> (16 - 10)) and 0x1C00) == 
                              (temp2 >> (16 - 10)));
   result |= (temp2 >> (16 - 10));
   
   //encode x1 - if x1 > x3 decrease value by 1, same for > x2.
   black1 = (pos and BLACK1MASK)>>BLACK1POS;
   temp = black3 - black1;
   temp2 = (pos and BLACK1MASK) - ((temp and 0x80000000)>>19);
   temp = black2 - black1;
   temp2 -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>19);
   temp2 -= (pos and 0xC000)>>2;      //as pos 3 and 7 are invalid

   ASSERT((temp2 >> (12 - 7)) <= 0x380);
   ASSERT(((temp2 >> (12 - 7)) and 0x380) == (temp2 >> (12 - 7)));
   result |= (temp2 >> (12 - 7));
   
   //encode y3 - if y3 > x3 decrease value by 1, same for > x2 and > x1.
   white3 = (pos and WHITE3MASK)>>WHITE3POS;
   temp = black3 - white3;
   y3Val = (pos and WHITE3MASK) - ((temp and 0x80000000)>>23);
   temp = black2 - white3;
   y3Val -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>23);
   temp = black1 - white3;
   y3Val -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>23);
   y3Val -= (pos and 0xC00)>>2;      //as pos 3 and 7 are invalid

   //encode y2 - if y3 > x3 decrease value by 1, same for > x2, >x1 and > y3.
   white2 = (pos and WHITE2MASK)>>WHITE2POS;
   temp = black3 - white2;
   y2Val = (pos and WHITE2MASK) - ((temp and 0x80000000)>>27);
   temp = black2 - white2;
   y2Val -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>27);
   temp = black1 - white2;
   y2Val -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>27);
   temp = white3 - white2;
   y2Val -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>27);
   y2Val -= (pos and 0xC0)>>2;      //as pos 3 and 7 are invalid
   y2Val = y2Val << 4;      //to bring into line with y3

   temp = (y3Val * 5 + y2Val) >> (8 - 2);
   ASSERT(temp <= 0x7C);
   ASSERT((temp and 0x7C) == temp);
   result |= temp;
   
   //encode y1 - if y3 > x3 decrease value by 1, same for > x2, >x1 and > y3.
   white1 = (pos and WHITE1MASK)>>WHITE1POS;
   temp = black3 - white1;
   temp2 = (pos and WHITE1MASK) - ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
   temp = black2 - white1;
   temp2 -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
   temp = black1 - white1;
   temp2 -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
   temp = white3 - white1;
   temp2 -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
   temp = white2 - white1;
   temp2 -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
   temp2 -= (pos and 0xC)>>2;      //as pos 3 and 7 are invalid
   
   ASSERT(temp2 <= 0x3);
   result |= temp2;

   ASSERT(result < 0x4700);   
                           //highest position involves b3 in centre and b2 on an edge, so
                           //value is 0b10 001 101 xxxxx xx or 0x46FF
   return(result);
}

/*
 * See online code listing for Encode5Pos
 */

Minimize
/*******************************************************************
Minimize()
The aim of this function is to find a new value for gamePos that is totally equivalent
(a reflection or rotation of the current one), but which has a smaller value.

We first calculate whether we can minimize it by reflecting the board across its horizontal and/or 
vertical lines of symmetry (x=1 and y=1). We then try reflecting it on a diagonal (x=y). With the 8 
possible combinations of these reflections, we can switch froms every symmetry of the board to every 
other. 

The function uses a rather confusing algorithm in order to minimize conditional branches to improve 
on pipelining.
********************************************************************/

static unsigned long Minimize(unsigned long gamePos)
{
   unsigned long xBitfield, yBitfield;
   unsigned long xCountFromLeft, yCountFromTop;
   unsigned long swapped;
   
   /* By XOR-ing every x bit-pair with 0b01, we have a 1 in an even bit-position
   (counting from MSB, first is zero) if x should be counted from the right, and
   a 1 in an odd bit-position and a 0 in an even bit-position if x should be counted
   from the right. If neither are 1, it does not matter for this x coordinate which
   side we start counting from. */
   xBitfield = gamePos and X_MASK;
   xBitfield ^= 0x444444;         //one in every x field
   /* Now we count the leading zeros on the resultant bit-field.
   If there is an odd number of leading zeros, we should count from the left.
   If there is an even number, we should count from the right. */
   xCountFromLeft = __cntlzw(xBitfield) and 0x01;
   
   /* Do a similar thing for y */
   yBitfield = gamePos and Y_MASK;
   yBitfield ^= 0x111111;         //one in every y field
   yCountFromTop = __cntlzw(yBitfield) and 0x01;
   
   /* If the x fields are to be counted from the right, or the y fields from the
   bottom, we need to subtract the initial value from 2. Two's complement arithmetic
   for each 2-bit field that is to be swapped gives 2+(!value)+1 or 0b11+(0b11^value).
   This always gives a carry-over bit, so to cancel out the overflow we subtract
   0b100 so: 0b11+(0b11^value)-0b100. */
   if (xCountFromLeft == 0 andand yCountFromTop == 0)
   {
      /* need to subtract every field from 2 */
      gamePos = XY_MASK + (XY_MASK ^ gamePos) - 0x1555554;
   }
   else if (xCountFromLeft == 0)
   {
      gamePos = X_MASK + (X_MASK ^ gamePos) - 0x1111110;
   }
   else if (yCountFromTop == 0)
   {
      gamePos = Y_MASK + (Y_MASK ^ gamePos) - 0x444444;
   }
   
   /* It may be that we can make the gamePos value smaller by swapping the x and y
   coordinates. This is equivalent to reflecting the board in the line y=x. The
   quickest way of knowing if we should do this is jsut to try it and see */
   swapped = ((gamePos << 2) and 0xCCCCCC) + 
                        ((gamePos >> 2) and 0x333333);
   if (swapped <= gamePos)
   {
      gamePos = swapped;
   }
   return (gamePos);
}

InitWhiteLosses
static unsigned long InitWhiteLosses(unsigned char *whiteToMove, unsigned long *list1)
{
   /* first is most significant */
   long winningLineX[9][3]={   {0,1,2}, {0,2,1}, {1,0,2},
                        {0,0,0}, {0,0,0}, {0,0,0},
                        {0,1,2}, {0,2,1}, {1,0,2} };
   long winningLineY[9][3]={   {0,1,2}, {0,2,1}, {1,0,2},
                        {0,1,2}, {0,2,1}, {1,0,2},
                        {1,1,1}, {1,1,1}, {1,1,1} };
   long full[3][3];
   long skip;
   long i,ii,jj,xIncr,yIncr;
   long list1Pos = 0;
   unsigned long pos1,pos2,pos3;
   long whiteHasLine;
   unsigned long pos,minimizedPos;

   for (i=0;i<0x4700;i+=32)      //0x01 and 0x02 are valid
      __dcbz(whiteToMove,i);
   
DoneInit:
   for (i=0;i<9;i++)
   {      
      long x[6]={0,0,0,0,0,0};
      long y[6]={0,0,0,0,0,0};
      x[0]=0;x[1]=0;x[2]=0;x[3]=0;x[4]=0;x[5]=0;
      y[0]=0;y[1]=0;y[2]=0;y[3]=0;y[4]=0;y[5]=0;

      x[5]=winningLineX[i][0];
      x[4]=winningLineX[i][1];
      x[3]=winningLineX[i][2];
      y[5]=winningLineY[i][0];
      y[4]=winningLineY[i][1];
      y[3]=winningLineY[i][2];
      
      while(1)
      {
         while(1)
         {
            for(ii=0;ii<3;ii++)
               for(jj=0;jj<3;jj++)
                  full[ii][jj]=0;
            for (ii = 0; ii < 6; ii++)
            {
               full[x[ii]][y[ii]]++;
            }
            skip = false;
            for(ii=0;ii<3;ii++)
               for(jj=0;jj<3;jj++)
                  if (full[ii][jj]>1)
                     skip = true;
            
            if(!skip)
            {
               pos=MakePosition(x,y);
               minimizedPos=Minimize(pos);
               
               if (minimizedPos == pos)
               {
                  pos1 = ((pos and WHITE1MASK)>>WHITE1POS);
                  pos2 = ((pos and WHITE2MASK)>>WHITE2POS);
                  pos3 = ((pos and WHITE3MASK)>>WHITE3POS);
                  whiteHasLine = false;
                  if ((pos1 and 0x3) == (pos2 and 0x03) andand
                     (pos1 and 0x3) == (pos3 and 0x03))
                     whiteHasLine = true;
                  if ((pos1 and 0xC) == (pos2 and 0x0C) andand
                     (pos1 and 0xC) == (pos3 and 0x0C))
                     whiteHasLine = true;
                  if ((pos1 and 0x3) == ((pos1 and 0x0C)>>2) andand
                     (pos2 and 0x3) == ((pos2 and 0x0C)>>2) andand
                     (pos3 and 0x3) == ((pos3 and 0x0C)>>2))
                     whiteHasLine = true;
                     
                  if (whiteHasLine)
                  {
               ASSERT(GetWTM(pos)==0 || GetWTM(pos)==WHITEHASLINE);
                     SetWTM(pos,WHITEHASLINE);
//                     whiteToMove[pos] = WHITEHASLINE;
                  }
                  else
                  {
            ASSERT(GetWTM(pos)==0 || GetWTM(pos)==BLACKHASLINE);
                     pos1 = Minimize(SwapColours(pos));
            ASSERT(GetWTM(pos1)==0 || GetWTM(pos1)==WHITEHASLINE);
                     SetWTM(pos1,WHITEHASLINE);
//                     whiteToMove[pos1] = WHITEHASLINE;
                     
                     list1[list1Pos++] = pos;
                     SetWTM(pos,BLACKHASLINE);
//                     whiteToMove[pos] = BLACKHASLINE;
                  }
               }            
            }
            
            xIncr = 0;
            while(++(x[xIncr]) == 3)
            {
               x[xIncr]=0;
               xIncr++;
               if(xIncr == 3)
                  break;
            }
            if (xIncr == 3) break;
         }
         yIncr = 0;
         while(++(y[yIncr]) == 3)
         {
            y[yIncr]=0;
            yIncr++;
            if(yIncr == 3)
               break;
         }
         if (yIncr == 3) break;
      }
   }
   return(list1Pos);
}

/*
 * See online code listing for InitWhiteLosses5
 */


MakeFreeSpaceMask
static inline unsigned long MakeFreeSpaceMask(unsigned long gamePos)
{
   unsigned long mask = 0xEEE00000;
   
   mask ^= ((unsigned long)1<<31)>>
                        ((gamePosandBLACK3MASK)>>BLACK3POS);
   mask ^= ((unsigned long)1<<31)>> 
                         ((gamePosandBLACK2MASK)>>BLACK2POS);
   mask ^= ((unsigned long)1<<31)>> 
                         ((gamePosandBLACK1MASK)>>BLACK1POS);
   mask ^= ((unsigned long)1<<31)>> 
                         ((gamePosandWHITE3MASK)>>WHITE3POS);
   mask ^= ((unsigned long)1<<31)>> 
                         ((gamePosandWHITE2MASK)>>WHITE2POS);
   mask ^= ((unsigned long)1<<31)>> 
                         ((gamePosandWHITE1MASK)>>WHITE1POS);
   
   return(mask);
}

/*
 * See online code listing for MakeFreeSpaceMaskX, X==1..5
 */

GetMoveFromMask
static inline unsigned long GetMoveFromMask(unsigned long andmask)
{
   unsigned long freePos = __cntlzw(mask);
   (mask) ^= ((unsigned long)(1<<31)>>freePos);
   return(freePos);
}

GenerateWhiteToMoveData
static unsigned long GenerateWhiteToMoveData(unsigned char *whiteToMove, unsigned long *fullList, 
unsigned long fullListLen)
{
   unsigned long distanceFromWin = 0;
   unsigned long fullListPos = 0;
   unsigned long depthMax = fullListLen;
      //depthMax is the first list member belonging to the current depth

   while(fullListPos < depthMax)
   {
      unsigned long ii;
      unsigned long gamePos = fullList[fullListPos++];
      unsigned long mask1 = MakeFreeSpaceMask(gamePos);
         //mask1 is a mask of the free spaces that black could have just moved from
      
      //remove black's most recent move
      gamePos = (gamePos and WHITEMASK) | 
                        ((gamePos << 4) and (BLACK3MASK | BLACK2MASK));

      //do for the 3 places the most recent black move could have come from
      for (ii=0;ii<3;ii++)
      {
         unsigned long whiteToMoveData, mask2, oldWhitePos, jj, 
                     partEncodedLastRoundPos;
         
         //get a position from the mask
         unsigned long blackPiece1 = GetMoveFromMask(mask1);
         //get position as it was before black moved
         unsigned long prevGamePos = gamePos | 
                        (blackPiece1 << BLACK1POS);
         
         //get the data for black on the position with black about to move
         //to do this, swap the colours, minimize, and read from the whiteToMove data
         unsigned long tempGamePos = ((prevGamePos>>12) + 
                        ((prevGamePos<<12)and0xFFF000));
         
         tempGamePos = Minimize(tempGamePos);
   whiteToMoveData = GetWTM(tempGamePos);//whiteToMove[tempGamePos];
         if ((whiteToMoveData and BLACKMUSTWIN) andand
            (GetWhiteToMoveMinDistance < distanceFromWin))
         {
            /* Look if the position is one white can force a win from before black has
            a chance of forcing a win. If it is, give up on that position */
            continue;
         }
         
         /* convert a position of the form 321CBA to 321BAC. This lets us minimize 
            the position as it will be when we take back white's last move, and still know 
            where   that move we are taking back was from - even though the position 
            code may have been changed by minimization */
         prevGamePos = (prevGamePos and BLACKMASK) | 
                        ((prevGamePos<<4) and (WHITE3MASK+WHITE2MASK))
                                 | ((prevGamePos>>8) and WHITE1MASK);
         prevGamePos = Minimize(prevGamePos);
         mask2 = MakeFreeSpaceMask(prevGamePos);
         oldWhitePos = (prevGamePos and 0xF);
         prevGamePos and= (~WHITE1MASK);

         /*encode as much of prevGamePos as we can at this stage. We will encode the 
            last 2 bits (white1), and only that, in the inner loop */         
   partEncodedLastRoundPos = (EncodePos(prevGamePos) and 0xFFFC);

         //undo whites last move to each of the 3 places it could have come from
         for (jj=0;jj<3;jj++)
         {
            unsigned long mask3, possibleMove, encLastRoundPos;
            unsigned long whitePiece = GetMoveFromMask(mask2);
            unsigned long lastRoundPos = prevGamePos | 
                              (whitePiece << WHITE1POS);
            
            //whiteToMoveData = 
            //      GetWTM(lastRoundPos);//whiteToMove[lastRoundPos];
            {
               unsigned long temp = ((lastRoundPos and 0xF00000)>>20) - 
                                                            whitePiece;
               unsigned long temp2 = whitePiece - 
                                                ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
            temp = ((lastRoundPos and 0xF0000)>>16) - whitePiece;
            temp2 -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
            temp = ((lastRoundPos and 0xF000)>>12) - whitePiece;
            temp2 -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
            temp = ((lastRoundPos and 0xF00)>>8) - whitePiece;
            temp2 -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
            temp = ((lastRoundPos and 0xF0)>>4) - whitePiece;
            temp2 -= ((temp and 0x80000000)>>31);
            temp2 -= (lastRoundPos and 0xC)>>2;   //as pos 3 and 7 are invalid
               
               ASSERT(temp2 <= 0x3);
               encLastRoundPos = partEncodedLastRoundPos | temp2;
            }
            //encLastRoundPos = EncodePos(lastRoundPos);
            whiteToMoveData = whiteToMove[encLastRoundPos];

            if (whiteToMoveData == BLACKHASLINE ||
               whiteToMoveData == WHITEHASLINE)
               continue;
                     /*don't bother to track back to positions where a
                              player has a line (someone has already won) */
            if (whiteToMoveData and WTMFLAGMASK == 0)
            {
               //record the minimum number of rounds until black makes a line
               SetWhiteToMoveMinDistance(distanceFromWin);
            }
            if (whiteToMoveData and BLACKMUSTWIN)
            {
            //don't do anything more for this position if we already know it is a winner
               continue;
            }
            
            /* Get the new free-space mask and work out which one is the one we juse 
               took back white's move from (oldWhitePos) */
            mask3 = MakeFreeSpaceMask(lastRoundPos);
            possibleMove = GetMoveFromMask(mask3);
            if (possibleMove == oldWhitePos)
               SetWhiteToMoveFlag(0);
            possibleMove = GetMoveFromMask(mask3);
            if (possibleMove == oldWhitePos)
               SetWhiteToMoveFlag(1);
            possibleMove = GetMoveFromMask(mask3);
            if (possibleMove == oldWhitePos)
               SetWhiteToMoveFlag(2);
            
            if (whiteToMoveData >= WTMFLAGMASK)
            {
               fullList[fullListLen++]=lastRoundPos;
               whiteToMoveData++;
               SetWhiteToMoveMaxDistance(distanceFromWin);
            }
//            whiteToMove[lastRoundPos] = whiteToMoveData;
            //SetWTM(lastRoundPos,whiteToMoveData);
            ASSERT((whiteToMoveData and 0xFF00) == 0);
            whiteToMove[encLastRoundPos] = whiteToMoveData;

         }
      }
      if (fullListPos < depthMax)
         continue;

      depthMax = fullListLen;
      
      /* Increase distanceFromWin. We must limit it to 7 to fit in a space of
      3 bits for min-distance. It would not be the end of the world if there
      was a cap on this value; and as it happens there are no definite winning
      setups with a minimum distance of >7. */
      if (distanceFromWin < 7)
         distanceFromWin++;
   }
   
   return(fullListLen);
}

/*
 * See online code listing for GenerateWhiteToMoveXData, X==1..5
 */

BestMove6Pieces
//static unsigned long GetBestMove(unsigned long gamePos, 
//   unsigned char *whiteToMove)
static unsigned long BestMove6Pieces(
      unsigned long gamePos, unsigned char *whiteToMove)
{
   unsigned long blackPiece3,whitePiece3;
   unsigned long nextGamePos,gp2,colourSwappedPosition;
   unsigned long whiteToMoveData,minDistance;
   unsigned long mask1,mask2;
   long score,bestScore;
   long bestMove;
   long ii,jj;
   
   bestScore = -10000;
   mask1 = MakeFreeSpaceMask(gamePos);
   gamePos = AdvanceBlackToMove(gamePos);      
   for (ii = 0; ii < 3; ii++)
   {
      score = 0;
      blackPiece3 = GetMoveFromMask(mask1);
      nextGamePos = (gamePos and (~BLACK3MASK)) | 
                                    (blackPiece3 << BLACK3POS);
      
      whiteToMoveData = GetWTM(Minimize(nextGamePos));
      if (whiteToMoveData == BLACKHASLINE)
         //can win instantly by making a line
      {
         //printf("%ld wins outright!\n",blackPiece3);
         return (blackPiece3);
      }
      minDistance = GetWhiteToMoveMinDistance;
      
      if (whiteToMoveData and 0x1)         
               //can win in the future starting with this move
      {
         /* Highest score goes to smallest distance we are sure to win in (max-distance)
          */
         //printf("%ld wins in %ld-%ld 
         //rounds\n",blackPiece3,GetWhiteToMoveMinDistance,
         //            GetWhiteToMoveMaxDistance);
         score = 10000-GetWhiteToMoveMaxDistance;
      }
      else                           //look at possibilities for white's next move
      {
         mask2 = MakeFreeSpaceMask(nextGamePos);
         nextGamePos = AdvanceWhiteToMove(nextGamePos);
         for (jj = 0; jj < 3; jj++)
         {
            whitePiece3 = GetMoveFromMask(mask2);
            gp2 = (nextGamePos and (~WHITE3MASK)) | 
                           (whitePiece3 << WHITE3POS);
            /* gp2 is now one of 3 possible black-to-move positions arising from
            the current immediate black moves. */
            colourSwappedPosition = SwapColours(gp2);
      whiteToMoveData = GetWTM(Minimize(colourSwappedPosition));
            if (whiteToMoveData and 1)
            {
               /* The worst situation is that one of the positions is a black-loses
               position with a small min-distance (i.e. one that the opponent is
               very likely to see). */
               if (whiteToMoveData == BLACKHASLINE)
                  score = -101;
               else if (score != -101)
                  score = -100 + GetWhiteToMoveMinDistance;
            }
         }
         if (score == 0)
         {
            /* **** add support for not visiting the same location over and over ****/
            /* if we have not yet scored for anything, the best bet is a black move for 
               which some of the subsequent moves white could make are fatal, with a 
               large min-distance.
               This represents moves that white could easily not notice are fatal, and play 
               by mistake */
            score = minDistance;
         }
      }
      if (score > bestScore)
      {
         bestMove = blackPiece3;
         bestScore = score;
      }
   }
   return(bestMove);
}

/*
 * See online code listing for BestMoveXPieces, X==0..5
 */

unsigned long gCurrentGamePosition, gCurrentRound;


PlayTrilite
BoardPosition PlayTrilite(
   const Board triliteBoard,    /* current state of the Board */
   BoardPosition opponentPreviousPlay,                                          
   /* the BoardPosition your opponent last played */
   int playerNumber,         /* 1 if you are player 1, 2 if you are player 2 */
   Boolean newGame         /* true the first time you are calledfor a new game */
)
{
   unsigned long *list1, *list2, *list3, *list4, *list5, 
                                 *fullList;
   unsigned long list1Len,list2Len,fullListLen;
   unsigned long list3Len,list4Len,list5Len;
   unsigned long ii;

   unsigned char *whiteToMove,*whiteToMove5;
   unsigned short *whiteToMove4, *whiteToMove3, *whiteToMove2, 
                                    *whiteToMove1;
   BoardPosition resultBoardPosition;
   unsigned long bestMove, myOpponentPreviousPlay;
   
   if (gMemory == 0L)            //see if data needs to be generated
   {
      whiteToMove4 = (unsigned short*)NewPtr(0x51B0 * 2);
      whiteToMove3 = (unsigned short*)NewPtr(1310*2);
      whiteToMove2 = (unsigned short*)NewPtr(90*2);
      whiteToMove1 = (unsigned short*)NewPtr(8*2);
      gWhiteToMove4 = whiteToMove4;
      gWhiteToMove3 = whiteToMove3;
      gWhiteToMove2 = whiteToMove2;
      gWhiteToMove1 = whiteToMove1;
      gMemory = NewPtr(70000);
   
      if (gMemory == 0L)            //out of memory (shouldn't happen!)
      {
         DebugStr("\pOut of memory!");
         resultBoardPosition=kNoPosition;
         return(resultBoardPosition);
      }
      //init temporary storage (lists of winning positions)
      list3 = (unsigned long*)NewPtr(4*100);
      list2 = (unsigned long*)NewPtr(4*100);
      list4 = (unsigned long*)NewPtr(4*100);
      list5 = (unsigned long*)NewPtr(4*100);
   whiteToMove = (unsigned char*)(((long)gMemory and 0xFFFFFFE0) + 
                                          32);      //block size 0x4700
   whiteToMove5 = (unsigned char*)((char*)whiteToMove + 0x4700);
            //block size 0x11C0
      fullList = (unsigned long*)((char*)whiteToMove5 + 0x11C0); 
            //block size 0x2000
      list1 = (unsigned long*)((char*)fullList + 0x2000);   
            //block size 0x0800
   /* full has 2026/~7200 winners
      5-piece calcs read from full to list1 (419/1800 winners)
      3-piece calcs read from list1 to list2 (16/60 winners)
      1-piece calcs read from list2 to list5
      4-piece calcs read from full to list3 (58/360 winners)
      2-piece calcs read from list3 to list4   */
            //clear arrays
      for (ii=0;ii<(0x51B0/2);ii++)
         ((unsigned long*)whiteToMove4)[ii] = 0;
      for (ii=0;ii<(1310/2);ii++)
         ((unsigned long*)whiteToMove3)[ii] = 0;
      for (ii=0;ii<(90/2);ii++)
         ((unsigned long*)whiteToMove2)[ii] = 0;
      for (ii=0;ii<(8/2);ii++)
         ((unsigned long*)whiteToMove1)[ii] = 0;
      
   fullListLen = InitWhiteLosses(whiteToMove, fullList);
   fullListLen = GenerateWhiteToMoveData(whiteToMove, fullList, 
                                             fullListLen);
list1Len = InitWhiteLosses5(whiteToMove5, list1);
list1Len = GenerateWhiteToMove5Data(whiteToMove, whiteToMove5,
                                 fullList, fullListLen,
                                 list1, list1Len);
list3Len = GenerateWhiteToMove4Data(whiteToMove, whiteToMove4,
                                 fullList, fullListLen, list3);
      list2Len = GenerateWhiteToMove3Data(whiteToMove5, 
                                 whiteToMove3,
                                 list1, list1Len, list2);
      list4Len = GenerateWhiteToMove2Data(whiteToMove4, 
                              whiteToMove2,
                              list3, list3Len, list4);
      list5Len = GenerateWhiteToMove1Data(whiteToMove3, 
                              whiteToMove1,
                              list2, list2Len, list5);
   }
   else
   {
      //init local variables from globals
      whiteToMove4 = gWhiteToMove4;
      whiteToMove3 = gWhiteToMove3;
      whiteToMove2 = gWhiteToMove2;
      whiteToMove1 = gWhiteToMove1;

   whiteToMove = (unsigned char*)(((long)gMemory and 0xFFFFFFE0) + 
                  32);      //block size 0x4700
   whiteToMove5 = (unsigned char*)((char*)whiteToMove + 0x4700);
                        //block size 0x11C0
      fullList = (unsigned long*)((char*)whiteToMove5 + 0x11C0); 
                        //block size 0x2000
      list1 = (unsigned long*)((char*)fullList + 0x2000);
                        //block size 0x0800
   }

   //opponentPreviousPlay must be converted to the internal representation, where 0, 4 
   // and 8 are the values of the pieces in the left-hand column of the board
   if(opponentPreviousPlay >= kBottomLeft)
myOpponentPreviousPlay = (unsigned long)opponentPreviousPlay + 
                                                               2;
   else if(opponentPreviousPlay >= kCenterLeft)
myOpponentPreviousPlay = (unsigned long)opponentPreviousPlay + 
                                                               1;
   else
   myOpponentPreviousPlay = (unsigned long)opponentPreviousPlay;

   if (newGame)
   {
      if (playerNumber == 1)
      {
         gCurrentRound = 1;
      }
      else if (playerNumber == 2)
      {
         gCurrentRound = 2;
      }
   }
   else
   {
      gCurrentRound += 2;
   }
   
   switch(gCurrentRound)
   {
      case 1:
         gCurrentGamePosition = 0;
         bestMove = BestMove0Pieces(whiteToMove2, whiteToMove1);
         gCurrentGamePosition = bestMove;
         break;

      case 2:
         gCurrentGamePosition = myOpponentPreviousPlay;
         bestMove = BestMove1Piece(gCurrentGamePosition, 
                                    whiteToMove3, whiteToMove2);
         gCurrentGamePosition = (gCurrentGamePosition << 4) | 
                                                      bestMove;   //1 to 1A
         break;

      case 3:
         gCurrentGamePosition = (gCurrentGamePosition << 4) | 
                                                   myOpponentPreviousPlay;
         bestMove = BestMove2Pieces(gCurrentGamePosition, 
                                             whiteToMove4, whiteToMove3);
         gCurrentGamePosition = gCurrentGamePosition | 
                                          (bestMove << 8);   //1A to 21A
         break;

      case 4:
         gCurrentGamePosition = gCurrentGamePosition | 
                                          (myOpponentPreviousPlay << 8);
         bestMove = BestMove3Pieces(gCurrentGamePosition, 
                                             whiteToMove5, whiteToMove4);
         gCurrentGamePosition = ((gCurrentGamePosition << 4) and 
                                                      0xFF00) |
                           (gCurrentGamePosition and 0xF) |
                           (bestMove << 4);      //21A to 21BA
         break;

      case 5:
         gCurrentGamePosition = 
                           ((gCurrentGamePosition << 4) and 0xFF00) |
                           (gCurrentGamePosition and 0xF) |
                           (myOpponentPreviousPlay << 4);
         bestMove = BestMove4Pieces(gCurrentGamePosition, 
                                                whiteToMove, whiteToMove5);
         gCurrentGamePosition = gCurrentGamePosition | 
                              (bestMove << 16);      //21BA to 321BA
         break;

      case 6:
         gCurrentGamePosition = gCurrentGamePosition | 
                              (myOpponentPreviousPlay << 16);
         bestMove = BestMove5Pieces(gCurrentGamePosition, 
                                       whiteToMove);
         gCurrentGamePosition = ((gCurrentGamePosition << 4) and 
                              0xFFF000) |
                           (gCurrentGamePosition and 0xFF) |
                           (bestMove << 8)      //321BA to 321CBA
         break;

      case 7:
         gCurrentGamePosition = 
                        ((gCurrentGamePosition << 4) and 0xFFF000) |
                  (gCurrentGamePosition and 0xFF) |
                           (myOpponentPreviousPlay << 8);
         bestMove = BestMove6Pieces(gCurrentGamePosition, 
                                                whiteToMove);
         gCurrentGamePosition = 
                              AdvanceBlackToMove(gCurrentGamePosition);
         gCurrentGamePosition |= (bestMove << BLACK3POS);
         break;

      default:      // gCurrentRound > 6
         if (playerNumber == 1)
         {
            gCurrentGamePosition = 
                              AdvanceWhiteToMove(gCurrentGamePosition);
            gCurrentGamePosition |= (myOpponentPreviousPlay << 
                                                            WHITE3POS);
            bestMove = BestMove6Pieces(gCurrentGamePosition, 
                                                   whiteToMove);
            gCurrentGamePosition =
                            AdvanceBlackToMove(gCurrentGamePosition);
            gCurrentGamePosition |= (bestMove << BLACK3POS);
         }
         else
         {
            gCurrentGamePosition = 
                           AdvanceBlackToMove(gCurrentGamePosition);
            gCurrentGamePosition |= (myOpponentPreviousPlay << 
                                                            BLACK3POS);
            bestMove = 
                  BestMove6Pieces(SwapColours(gCurrentGamePosition), 
                     whiteToMove);
            gCurrentGamePosition = 
                              AdvanceWhiteToMove(gCurrentGamePosition);
            gCurrentGamePosition |= (bestMove << WHITE3POS);
         }
         break;

   }
   //convert bestMove to external representation
   resultBoardPosition = 
               (BoardPosition)(bestMove - (bestMove / 4));
   return(resultBoardPosition);
}
 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Xcode 15.0.1 - Integrated development en...
Xcode includes everything developers need to create great applications for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Xcode provides developers a unified workflow for user interface design, coding, testing... Read more
Google Chrome 120.0.6099.62 - Modern and...
Google Chrome is a Web browser by Google, created to be a modern platform for Web pages and applications. It utilizes very fast loading of Web pages and has a V8 engine, which is a custom built... Read more
Dropbox 188.4.6302 - Cloud backup and sy...
Dropbox is a file hosting service that provides cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud, and client software. It is a modern workspace that allows you to get to all of your files, manage... Read more
djay Pro 5.0 - Transform your Mac into a...
djay Pro provides a complete toolkit for performing DJs. Its unique modern interface is built around a sophisticated integration with iTunes and Spotify, giving you instant access to millions of... Read more
Things 3.19.4 - Elegant personal task ma...
Things is a task management solution that helps to organize your tasks in an elegant and intuitive way. Things combines powerful features with simplicity through the use of tags and its intelligent... Read more
Sublime Text 4169 - Sophisticated text e...
Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, markup, and prose. You'll love the slick user interface, extraordinary features, and amazing performance. Features Goto Anything. Use Goto... Read more
Typinator 9.1 - Speedy and reliable text...
Typinator turbo-charges your typing productivity. Type a little. Typinator does the rest. We've all faced projects that require repetitive typing tasks. With Typinator, you can store commonly used... Read more
ESET Cyber Security 6.11.414.0 - Basic i...
ESET Cyber Security provides powerful protection against phishing, viruses, worms, and spyware. Offering similar functionality to ESET NOD32 Antivirus for Windows, ESET Cyber Security for Mac allows... Read more
Opera 105.0.4970.29 - High-performance W...
Opera is a fast and secure browser trusted by millions of users. With the intuitive interface, Speed Dial and visual bookmarks for organizing favorite sites, news feature with fresh, relevant content... Read more
Quicken 7.4.1 - Complete personal financ...
Quicken makes managing your money easier than ever. Whether paying bills, upgrading from Windows, enjoying more reliable downloads, or getting expert product help, Quicken's new and improved features... Read more

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

‘Refind Self: The Personality Test Game’...
The last two months have been so busy that I’ve not been able to make time to play many games until recently. There are still new games coming out even as we head closer to the holidays, but I finally managed to play Playism and Lizardry’s recent... | Read more »
Experience the glory of the Northern Lig...
Dinosaur Polo Club, one of the best developer names out there, have recently announced the final update of 2023 for Mini Motorways. Instead of embracing Christmas, this event is instead inspired by one of the most beautiful natural phenomena, the... | Read more »
‘Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition...
After a bit of a delay, Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition () is now available on Apple Arcade worldwide. When Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition hit early access on PC and consoles including Nintendo Switch, I always assumed it would... | Read more »
‘Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat’ Releases...
It feels like we’ve been covering Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat (), the mobile entry in the superb Devil May Cry series, for as long as we were waiting for Devil May Cry 5. After trailers revealing gameplay, characters, controller support, betas,... | Read more »
‘Marvel Snap’ Dons Its Finest in the New...
It’s been quite a year for the card battler Marvel Snap (Free), which is still one of my favorite mobile games. There have been a bunch of interestingly-themed seasons, sometimes connected to the MCU and sometimes just doing their own thing. Plenty... | Read more »
SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘A Highland Song’...
Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for December 5th, 2023. It’s a bit of a short one today since I was busy with a variety of other things, but there are several new releases for us to summarize. There are some really... | Read more »
‘Metal Slug ACA NEOGEO’ Review – Another...
Well, here we go again. The latest addition to SNK and Hamster’s mobile Arcade Archives line is none other than Metal Slug ACA NEOGEO ($3.99), a second take on a game we got a mobile version of a decade back from Dotemu. That was a fine version for... | Read more »
‘Sonic Dream Team’ Apple Arcade Review –...
What an unusual day we have arrived upon today. Now, Sonic the Hedgehog games aren’t a new thing for iOS gaming. The original Sonic the Hedgehog appeared on the classic iPod, so the Blue Blur got in the doors as fast as you would expect him to. The... | Read more »
PvP Basketball Game ‘NBA Infinite’ Annou...
Level Infinite and Lightspeed Studios just announced a new real-time PvP basketball game for mobile in the form of NBA Infinite (). NBA Infinite includes solo modes as well, collecting and upgrading current NBA players, managing teams, and more. It... | Read more »
New ‘Dysmantle’ iOS Update Adds Co-Op Mo...
We recently had a major update hit mobile for the open world survival and crafting adventure game Dysmantle ($4.99) from 10tons Ltd. Dysmantle was one of our favorite games of 2022, and with all of its paid DLC and updates, it is even better. | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Apple’s 14-inch M3 MacBook Pros are on Holida...
Best Buy is offering a $150-$200 discount on Space Gray or Silver 14″ M3 MacBook Pros on their online store with prices available starting at $1449 ($1399 for premium My Best Buy members). Prices... Read more
Holiday Sale: 128GB iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Plus, o...
Boost Infinite, part of MVNO Boost Mobile using AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks, is offering the 128GB iPhone 15 Pro, 128GB iPhone 15 Plus, or 128GB & 256GB iPhone 15 for $60 per month including... Read more
Clearance 12.9-inch iPad Pros with M1 CPUs av...
Apple has Certified Refurbished, previous-generation, 12″ M1 iPad Pros available in their online store in a variety of configurations. Models start at $889 and range up to $350 off Apple’s original... Read more
Mac Studios with M2 Max and M2 Ultra CPUs on...
B&H Photo has standard-configuration Mac Studios with Apple’s M2 Max & Ultra CPUs in stock today and on Holiday sale for $200 off MSRP. Their prices are the lowest available for these models... Read more
B&H is offering a $150 discount on 13-inc...
B&H Photo has 13″ MacBook Airs with M2 CPUs and 256GB of storage in stock today and on Holiday sale for $150 off Apple’s MSRP, only $949. Free 1-2 day delivery is available to most US addresses.... Read more
Apple is clearing out last year’s M1-powered...
Apple has Certified Refurbished 11″ M1 iPad Pros available starting at $639 and ranging up to $310 off Apple’s original MSRP. Each iPad Pro comes with Apple’s standard one-year warranty, features a... Read more
Save $50 on these HomePods available today at...
Apple has Certified Refurbished White and Midnight HomePods available for $249, Certified Refurbished. That’s $50 off MSRP and the lowest price currently available for a full-size Apple HomePod this... Read more
New 16-inch M3 Pro MacBook Pros are on sale f...
Holiday MacBook deals are live at B&H Photo. Apple 16″ MacBook Pros with M3 Pro CPUs are in stock and on sale for $200-$250 off MSRP. Their prices are among the lowest currently available for... Read more
Christmas Deal Alert! Apple AirPods Pro with...
Walmart has Apple’s 2023 AirPods Pro with USB-C in stock and on sale for $189.99 on their online store as part of their Holiday sale. Their price is $60 off MSRP, and it’s currently the lowest price... Read more
Apple has Certified Refurbished iPhone 12 Pro...
Apple has unlocked Certified Refurbished iPhone 12 Pro models in stock starting at $589 and ranging up to $350 off original MSRP. Apple includes a standard one-year warranty and new outer shell with... Read more

Jobs Board

Omnichannel Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mal...
Omnichannel Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Operations Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mall...
Operations Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Cashier - *Apple* Blossom Mall - JCPenney (...
Cashier - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Blossom Mall Read more
Mobile Platform Engineer ( *Apple* /AirWatch)...
…systems, installing and maintaining certificates, navigating multiple network segments and Apple /IOS devices, Mobile Device Management systems such as AirWatch, and Read more
Omnichannel Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mal...
Omnichannel Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.