Pontes GameZone, a casino simulator for Android

[Manu]

Finally, I finished Pontes GameZone, version 1.0.
Pontes GameZone is a virtual casino with many cards and dice games.
It contains Blackjack, Five Cards Draw Poker, Cards War, Who is Greater and other board games.
There is also a bar area where you can order products like coffee, juice, beer and tea. Spending money at the bar area, the player has bonus at winnings.
There are many options like: speech during the game, many sounds, play on shake, keep screen awake, statistics and many others.
You have a virtual wallet containing your money - $1000 (at beginning or after a reset of the game to defaults).
Setting a nickname, the messages are friendlier in some places during the play.
It is possible to view how many hands were played, how many dollars were spent at bar visiting android.pontes.ro.

The game is also totally accessible for blind users using Talkback.

To install the package, the address in Google Play Store is:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... esgamezone

[Manu]

For those who are interested, I've just created a Connect Four game for Android.
The game is included now in the Pontes GameZone package.

It can be played against a partner on the same phone, or against dealer AI.
For sighted people the cells in the grid are black, the discs are red and green.
For blind users the cell is labelled with A1 at the bottom left corner and G6 at the up right corner.
When a cell is occupied, the labels are the player's nickname and dealer or partner.

There are 4 difficulty levels: easy, medium, hard and almost impossible.
For AI I used minimax algorithm, the dealer knows to play very well in a hard or almost impossible game, I myself cannot win.

For more details visit:
www.android.pontes.ro/pontesgamezone/
On this page there is also a link for the game in Play Store.
Alternatively, to find it easier in the Google Play Store, you can write "gamezone" without space in the search edit.

[Manu]

A new version of Pontes GameZone, 1.2.1, was released today.
This version has now a pawn shop where personal goods can be sold or taken back paying 20% more. The player can sell watch, phone, laptop, bracelet, motorcycle or car. There are different sounds for each object when it is sold or taken back.
There is also now a bathroom with double-u, sink and hands drier. This bathroom is needed after drinking a lot at bar area.
Pontes GameZone has now a goal: winning more than one million dollars, the casino goes bankrupt; this performance can be post on the Pontes Android site, in the GameZone page, with a chosen name.
I added also ambience sounds in bar area and in pawn shop. During games, the user can now listen to background midi music played randomly. The background sounds can be disabled, or adjusted in volume.

Of course, new games will be added.

For those who haven't the package already installed, the address in Google Play is:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... esgamezone
To search it in Google Play, GameZone is written in one word.

For more details, the Pontes Android web address is android.pontes.ro
On that web site it is a zone for Pontes GameZone where there are statistics, manual and other interesting things.

[Manu]

Pontes GameZone for Android OS was updated to version 1.3.5.
In this version I added a Slot Machine and a Scopa Cards game.
The interface of main windows was changed, many thins were polished.
English, Italian and Romanian localized versions are available.

About the two games added:

Help for Pontes Slot Machine
Pontes Slot Machine is a simple game where the player can insert one, two or three coins into machine.
Pull the Handle after inserting coins and three cylinders will spin for a short while.
These cylinders have each six faces where the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 are drawn.
In order to win money, after spinning the faces shown to player must be one of the next combinations:

• If number 1 is on the left cylinder the win is 2x.
• For 1 on the left and the middle cylinders, the win is 4x.
• Having 1 on all three cylinders, the win is 8x.
• For three faces of 2, the win is 14x.
• For three faces of 3, the win is 30x.
• Having three faces of 5, the win is 40x.
• The Jackpot is earned when three faces of 7 will be shown, this meaning a win of 400x.

The player can shake the device in order to insert coins or to pull the handle of the machine.


Help for Pontes Scopa
La scopa come from Italy and Spain, and is traditionally played with Italian or Spanish cards. In Spain, it is called Escoba, and is also well known in North Africa where it has many other names.
In the Pontes GameZone variant, normal cards have been used for sake of simplicity.

Game rules
Pontes Scopa can be played against the dealer. We play with a 52 cards deck where figures are removed. We therefore have 40 cards going from ace to 10.
At the beginning of the game, the dealer puts 4 cards visible on the table, then deal 3 cards to each player.
When nobody hasn't cards anymore in his hand, the dealer again deal 3 cards to each player, until the deck is empty.
Since the deck contains initially 36 cards, there are 6 distributions of 3 cards when playing with 2 players.
One play one after each other, the player starting the game. At your turn, choose a card to play, then:

• If a card having the same value is already on the table, or if you can make a sum of cards totalizing the one you are playing, then you can take these cards. The cards you take can no longer be used but contribute to the scoring (see below).
• If there is neither a card with the same value, nor a sum of cards totalizing your card on the table, then simply put your card visible on the table.

Note: In this game, the value of ace is always only 1 and is therefore the weakest card.
Scoring
When all cards have been played, one proceed to the scoring:

• The player who collected the most cards wins a point
• The player who collected most diamonds get a point
• The one who collected most 7 get a point
• The one who collected the 7 of diamond get a point

The central card of the game is of course the 7 of diamond. In addition to be worth 1 point alone, it also contributes to win points in all other categories. The secondary objective of the game is to collect a maximum of cards, especially diamonds.
If there is a draw between two players for a category, for example two players own each two 7, then no point is given for that category.
When one play on a real table, a scopa game is generally played until someone reach 11, 16 or 21 points. Additionally, the winner is only declared if he wins by at least two points against his opponents. The game keeps going as long as he wins by only a single point or if the game is draw.

Scopa
If a player can collect all remaining cards on the table during his turn, he makes what is called a scopa and immediately wins a bonus point. The next player has of course no choice but putting a new card on the table, since there is none to collect.

Options and variants
Escoba
In this variant, the card you are playing together with one or more cards of the table must sum up to 15 unstead of being simply equal in order to collect the later. For example, by playing a 6, you can collect a 9, or a 4 and a 5.
Other rules don't change. This variant allow for slightly better strategies than classic game.

Scopone
IN this variant, no card is put on the table at the beginning of the game, and 10 cards are dealt to each player at a time.
Some players estimate that this version offer better strategy than classical game.
Note that scopone and escoba variants can be combined.

Shaking the device a new game is started or, if it is already started, the cards on the table and in player's hand are announced.

The full manual and the link for Google Play Store entry can be found clicking next link:
Pontes GameZone on the android.pontes.ro website