Solitaire
I used to
play on-line poker, but that involved interacting with basement dwelling
assholes and scam artists who ganged up to beat you out of your hard-earned
fake cash. Also, every time I got a
winning hand I momentarily lost my internet connection…very frustrating.
Anyway.
I play
computer solitaire to kill time while I watch TV. Don’t judge, I’m shallow and I don’t care.
What I find
interesting about the game I play is they offer several levels of play. Easy, medium, hard, expert, master, grand-master
and random.
All the
games except random are always solvable.
Easy can be
solved by an idiot.
Medium is a
little trickier, an idiot might not always win.
Hard sometimes
makes you think a little, an idiot might not be able to solve many of them.
Expert is
pretty hard, I often have to undo moves and backtrack making different
decisions in order to solve. Occasionally, expert defeats me, but not often.
Master can
be solved but generally there are several decisions where it takes a lucky
guess to solve or to know where to undo and try a different tact. Master kicks my ass 25% of the time.
I don’t even
attempt grand-master, I’m not that smart. Random is frustrating because it is random and
some are easy, some are just not solvable.
Anyway.
What
interests me is every game, regardless of the level is different. They are not just random which I assume would
be relatively easy to program.
Programming
a card algorithm that meets a specific level of difficulty and yet is always
different, must be pretty complicated.
It must take
a really smart person to write such a program.
It seems to
me like a waste of such intelligence and time to create something that wastes
time and intelligence of anyone who uses the program.
All that
brainpower could be used so much more productively.
If climate
change destroys us all, I am blaming it on Solitaire.
"..I often have to undo moves and backtrack.."I always thought that was against the rules. When I learned the easy solitaire, with a pack of cards, it was against the rules to redo any moves, and I never learned any of the other levels, or what my mother called two-handed solitaire (which we call Patience BTW). I played online for a while on my first computer, now if I'm in the mood I get out the pack of cards and clear a space on the table. I rarely win.
ReplyDeleteHard to undo with a deck of cards, the computer has an "undo" button so you can go back and make a different play...it is solitaire, so you can't really cheat unless your opponent complains, and I never lodge a complaint.
DeleteI have my games I play too. Solitaire is a fun game and the expert is about all I want to try. I like the easy and medium ones the best.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
I used to play a long time ago on my computer, and was thrilled when I won and got that cascade feature. Pretty sure I was on the easiest setting. For a while, I was playing checkers where you could compete online against random opponents. I stopped when I realized that it was probably some 8-year-old beating me. Now I stick to CD games like Hoyle Casino, or Hoyle Board Games. Those animated opponents get pretty mouthy.
ReplyDeleteI've been playing computer dominoes lately!!
ReplyDeleteI have a very old version of Windows--Seven to be exact so random is my only choice but I found if I click on the jack of diamonds during the shuffle, I can win most every time.
ReplyDeleteSame thing with those who write computer viruses. If you are that smart, why in the world aren’t you working to end world hunger, climate change, and etc., or looking for cures for diseases?
ReplyDelete"It seems to me like a waste of such intelligence and time to create something that wastes time and intelligence of anyone who uses the program."
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic line, and true, unfortunately. True.
Thanks Harry, I never know if something I saw is profound or just stupid...actually I know it is usually the latter.
DeleteI haven't played solitaire in years. I don't think I have it on my computer, but I could be wrong. I do play Words with Friends a little. I'm not very good, but I have convinced myself that it builds my vocabulary which is a good thing for writers :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know how to play Solitaire...
ReplyDelete