ASTRAWARE | palm os products

Text Twist Information

Current released version: 1.12 - 26th April, 2002
Current release expires: never
Feedback to: Howard Tomlinson (howard@astraware.com)
Game Info: http://palm.astraware.com/texttwist/
Recent update headlines: Updates to support new devices and keyboard entry!

Copyright (c) 2001,2002 Astraware Ltd, 2000,2001,2002 GameHouse.
All rights reserved.

Introduction

Text Twist! is a great word game created by GameHouse, where you are given a scrambled six letter word, and you have to see how many three, four, five or six letter words you can make in a limited time! If you manage to get one (or more) six letter words by the end of the level, you get to play again!

You score points by getting words - longer words give you more points, and finishing all of the possible words in a level gives you bonus points.

If you get stuck, and need inspiration, you can Twist to shuffle the letters, and maybe it'll give you a clue!

Text Twist is easy to play, and incredibly absorbing! You'll find yourself playing whenever you've got a spare couple of minutes! Even if you never thought you were good at word games - you'll find yourself enjoying Text Twist!

Text Twist Features

- Smart Graphics
- Selected word list of nearly 10,000 words!
- 'Twist' feature to help to give you hints to get words
- Easy to play - tap based system
- Colour and Greyscale Versions
- Subtle Sounds, which can be selected individually
- Option to 'Beam a Demo' to your friends!
- High Score board included
- Internet High Score chart - compare your score with others!
- Enter letters using a keyboard if available!

How To Install

Use an extractor program such as WinZip on the PC or Stuffit Expander on the Mac to get at the Text Twist files. Install the game by double-clicking the prc file.

Use the HotSync button as usual to install the game onto your handheld.

Now run Text Twist and tap the screen to play the game!

If you've got any queries about Text Twist or the registration process, first check out our frequently asked questions page on our website (you must be connected to the internet to access this). If this doesn't help, get in touch with us at support@astraware.com. If you've got any questions (or suggestions, we love those) about the game itself, please get in touch with us at the email address at the top of this page.

How To Play Text Twist!

Object

Form words from the letters provided. Find at least one word that uses all the letters to continue to playing. Find all of the words for bonus points.

How to Play

Click on the balls to form a word, then tap the ENTER button.If the word is in the dictionary for the game, it will show up on the left-hand side of the game. Use the TWIST button when you get stuck to help you see other words.

Hints

Text Twist includes an extra button 'Last Word' which can really help to speed up entering similar words! If you think of a word and enter it - maybe it has a plural, in which case tap 'Last Word', add on the S and hit enter! Much faster than spelling out the whole word, and you'll probably need to use tricks like this to get all of the words entered in time!

About the Words

The word list used by GameHouse was collected from public domain word lists and supplemental lists created by the GameHouse staff. The lists were combined and filtered in various automatic ways, including removing words with more than 6 letters or less than 3 letters, removing any words that could not be formed from one of the included 6 letter words, and adding conjugated and plural forms of the words. The resulting list is now periodically reviewed and edited manually by the GameHouse staff for improved accuracy. The resulting word list is entirely unique to GameHouse, Inc.

Excluded From the List:

Archaic words (thou), foreign forms of currency, proper names, obscenities, slang, 1 or 2 letter words, words with foreign characters, hyphenated words, foreign words (ie. siesta), plural forms of color (grays, azules), and words we don't like.

Included in the List:

Common American words, including plurals and conjegated forms. This can include alternate spellings (buses or busses), and words we like. Words under 6 characters may be less common but appear in at least 50% of American dictionaries.

All words were selected and reviewed by the GameHouse staff. If you feel a common word has been omitted, or if a word is on the list that should not be, contact texttwist@gamehouse.com.

Hidden Features

There are just a couple of hidden features in this game you may find useful:

- You can use a portable keyboard to type the letters in, and use enter to confirm the word, '?' to shuffle, SPACE to enter the last word, and Ellipsis (...) if you have it on your keyboard to clear the word.
- Write a graffiti '0' (zero) and the game will jump down to the last 5 seconds of play. You would use this option when you've got every word you can, and there are still a couple left, but you just want to end the level and see what they are, and continue with the next level if you've got a six.

Registering

If you downloaded the game straight from the internet, from Astraware's web pages, or from one of the popular Palm download sites, then your copy is in 'Demo' form. Demo means that you can play 10 games for free, and then decide whether to register it or not. After these games are up, the program will display a short message before each game.

In Demo form, you can play 10 games of Text Twist for free, as you decide whether you like it or not. After these games are up, the program will display a short message asking you to register or purchase a full version from a shop!

If you beam a demo to someone else, and they also like the game, then they can register it either by purchasing a copy from a local store, or by purchasing online.

Registering Online:

For those that like the speed and convenience of buying of the internet, when you register for the game, you'll get a key which will unlock the game and remain valid for future 1.x upgrades. Go to the web page at http://palm.astraware.com/texttwist/
for more details.

You'll need to know your HotSync ID which you can find by running Text Twist, and going into the menu, and selecting the 'register' option. Your HotSync ID (or username) will be filled in for you below.
When you register, Astraware will generate a key based on your ID, which will normally be sent out by email within 48 hours of you registering. When you receive your key, go to the same register option, and enter the key into the space provided.

Submit your High Scores!

Registered users of the game are entitled to submit their high scores to our Internet High Score table.

Just visit the Text Twist web pages at http://palm.astraware.com/texttwist/ and select the link to view high scores.

To submit your own score, you need to go to the menu in the game, and select 'export high score'. This will provide you with a code which you can then type into our site:

http://www.astraware.com/palm/texttwist/high/

You can only submit high scores once you've beaten the scores built into the game!

(Astraware reserves the right to remove this board or facility without any notice, or to remove individual names if necessary)

Astraware Products

You can find out about Astraware and the product range we have for the Palm-powered platform by visiting our website at www.astraware.com/.
Here are our top products at time of writing:

Astraware Palm Packs
It's A Blast! Shooting Pack | Let out your tension with some target practice with Astraware's collection of great screen-tapping games!
Palm Games Pack 2001 | 4 games for under $25 - save over 25%
PopCap Games Pack | PopCap Games are sweeping the web, and now Astraware brings the top games to the Palm
Astraware Palm Games
Alchemy | Turn lead into gold in Astraware's addictive PopCap puzzle game!
Astro Defence | Defend your city from the asteroid threat!
Atomica | Make Molecules in Dr. Atomica's Laboratory in Astraware's addictive PopCap puzzle game!
Bang! Bang! | Backyard blasting fun
Bejeweled | Bejeweled is a Palm version of the incredibly popular and addictive online game by PopCap
Big Money! | Coin collecting fun in another Pop Cap classic!
Biplane Ace | Dogfight against rival fighter pilots
Bounce Out | Brain bending ball matching action
Bzzz! for Palm | Fly-catching action for the Palm
Collapse! | Tap matching blocks in this simple but frantic GameHouse game.
Eye of Horus | Unleash your magical powers with this Astraware puzzle game.
Galaxy Ranger | Be a Galaxy Ranger, Save the Universe!
Gem Drop | Gem dropping, jewel matching fun
Mad Gab | ...It's not what you SAY, it's what you HEAR!
Mahjongg | Relax your mind with the most authentic Mahjongg solitaire game for Palm-powered handhelds
Mars Needs Cows | The challenging PopCap puzzle game of animal abduction!
Mummy Maze | Escape the maze and outsmart the mummy in this great PopCap game!
Nisqually | Make lines of blocks to clear the screen and complete the level
Noah's Ark | Save pairs of animals from the rising water in this great PopCap game!
Police Range | Police Range is a fast game of reactions, dexterity, accuracy and good judgment!
Round Up | Marble Moving Madness
Seven Seas | Ship Ahoy! Blast pirates with a broadside and navigate through dangerous waters, in this PopCap puzzle game
TacTic | A twist on the classic Tic-Tac-Toe game pits you against the brain
Text Twist | Juggle letters to make as many words as you can in a limited time!
Zap!2000 | Arcade gaming on the Palm has never looked so good!
Zap!2016 | The essential showcase for your 16-bit color Palm
Astraware Palm Applications
e.Guide | Your essential TV episode guide for Palm
Timetable | Know whats when with Timetable!
Timetable Plus | The essential tool for teachers and students, with assignment tracker
Timetable Pro | The essential tool for teachers and students

Release Revision History!

Release 1.12 : 26th April, 2002

- Fix for multiple-twist bug when using a keyboard.

Release 1.11 : 15th April, 2002

- Update with fix for problems with early (pre OS 3.5) machines

Release 1.10 : 12th April, 2002

- Added support for new machines (m125, m130, m515, Treo 180, Clie T415, T615, NR70/V)
- Support for entering letters via an external or built-in keyboard!
- Updated graphics routines - speed increases under some circumstances
- Updated disctionary to match the new GameHouse word set

Release 1.05 : 5th March, 2002

- Fix for a bug which prevented leaving the game and returning
- Support for keyboard added! Now you can enter the letters by keyboard!

Release 1.02 : 20th February, 2002

- Revised with new library routines to have better support for latest devices.
- Fixed bug that sometimes caused a puzzle without a six letter word to be displayed

Release 1.0 : 2nd December, 2001

- First Public Release

Feedback

If you've got suggestions about how to improve Astraware Text Twist - or with reports of any problems you've had, then please contact us!

Text Twist enquiries/feedback: texttwist@astraware.com
Registration problems: registrations@astraware.com
General Astraware enquiries: feedback@astraware.com

Contributors

Palm Game Programming: Howard Tomlinson
Original Game Design: Garr Godfrey
Game Graphics: Ben Exworthy, David Oakley.

Thanks also to the help of our dedicated beta testers during November 2001!

Legal

Astraware Ltd takes no responsibility for any adverse effect that this software could cause to your machine or the data on it: backup important data before using Text Twist. Text Twist is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties. Text Twist is licensed, not sold.

You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble this software.
Astraware’s and its suppliers’ entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be, at Astraware’s option, either (a) return of the price paid, if any, or (b) replacement of the product that does not meet the warranty and which is returned to Astraware with a copy of your receipt. This warranty is void if failure of the product has resulted from accident, abuse, or misapplication. Any replacement software product will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. These remedies are not available without proof of purchase from an authorized source.

Written permission must be obtained before distribution of this game, either in demo form or full form, through any online or offline methods.

Copyright (c) 2001,2002 Astraware Ltd, 2000,2001,2002 GameHouse..

Astraware and the planet logo are trademarks of Astraware Limited. All rights reserved.