
	Pented, a Pente server


INTRODUCTION

This is a port of William Schubert's X11 Pente game brain to my
GameFrame framework.  It offers a Pente game server for the Pente client
that I have done.  The Pente client has an additional undo feature,
which isn't support by this Pente server.

GameFrame is a library that offers a framework for turn based, networked
two player games using BSD sockets.


OPTIONS

The only command line argument the server understands, is the playing level:
	pented -l <level>

Level 1 is complete idiot, level 3 is good for quick games and levels 4
and 5 use recursive board evaluation for harder opposition.  The default
3 should be fast enough for even the lowliest of machines.


PENTE RULES

Players position a stone at the time.  In addition to more popular
Gomoku game, opponent's stones can also be removed from the board.  This
can be accomplished by positioning one's own stones to both ends of the
opponent's pair (only pairs can be removed).  Game is won by the first
player who gets five-in-a-row (five pieces either in horizontal,
vertical or diagonal row) or removes five pairs from the opponent.

The game is made more even with the restriction that the starter needs
to place his second stone three positions off the first one.


	- Eero

