Using KHangMan
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Chapter 2. Using KHangMan


KHangMan screenshot

Here you can see KHangMan as it is the first time you run it. Level is Animals, language is default (English here, the default is your current KDE language if the data exists), the theme is "Sea". Any changes in level, language or theme (background) are written in the configuration file and restored in your next game.

Please note how easy it is to change the level and the theme, just click on the combo boxes on the toolbar. Getting a new word and quitting the game are also easily done by clicking on the corresponding buttons on the toolbar.

General usage

A word is chosen and its letters are displayed as an underscore (_) symbol. You know how many letters there are in the word. You have to guess the word by trying one letter after another. You enter the letter in the text box and you either press the Enter key or click on the Guess button to see if the letter belongs or not to the word.

The word is picked at random and it is not the same as the previous word.

Important

All the words are nouns (there are no verbs or adjectives, etc.).

Usually, it is not important whether you type in lowercase or uppercase. The program converts all input into lowercase (except for German words beginning with an uppercase letter). The program does that automatically.

The current level and current language are displayed in the statusbar.

Each time you guess a letter that is not in the word, another part of the hangman is drawn. You have 10 tries to guess the word. After that, the correct answer is displayed.

There are 4 levels: easy, medium, hard and animals, plus levels for other topics in some languages. The program scans for all data files in all languages.

In the easy level, the words are quite simple and related to everyday life. It is suitable for children from 6 to 9. The animals level contains only names of animals so they are easier to find. Some of them are easy, others are more difficult. In the medium level, the words are longer and more difficult. It is suitable for ages 9+. The hard level is just that, hard, that is, the words are difficult to spell and not very well known. This level is challenging, even for adults.

After a word is guessed (or the hangman is completed), you are prompted for another word and you can either use the Y or N keys or the mouse to answer yes or no. If you say No, the game quits. If you say Yes, another word is ready to be guessed.

You type the letter you want to try in the text box (the mouse cursor is ready in the text box) and you hit the Enter key. If the letter belongs to the word, it takes its place, as many times as it appears in the word. If the letter does not belong to the word, it goes in the Misses field and a further part of the hangman is drawn on the right. You have ten tries and after that you lose and the correct word is displayed.

During the game, you can choose to start a new game by going in the Game menu and choosing New or clicking on the New icon on the toolbar. You can also change the level with the level button on the toolbar (this will bring you a new word for the new level).

Future improvement (in KDE 4) will allow you to create your own words file.

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