131 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
131 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
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# mcfreecell
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`mcfreecell` is a terminal-native FreeCell game with a systems-theme twist.
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It has two flavors:
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- a modern curses build with Linux-themed suits and richer terminal rendering
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- a legacy branch aimed at very old Python and curses environments, including Python 1.5.2-era machines
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The project started as a novelty FreeCell prototype and grew into a playable, keyboard-driven curses card game with legal multi-card moves, visual stack selection, and lightweight move hints.
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## Features
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- FreeCell rules with 8 tableau columns, 4 free cells, and 4 foundations
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- legal multi-card tableau moves with proper FreeCell move-capacity limits
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- keyboard-driven play in a curses interface
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- visual stack selection mode
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- lightweight `?` hint system for suggesting a good next move
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- responsive layout for wider terminals
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- legacy branch compatible with old machines and older Python/curses behavior
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## Controls
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- `Arrow keys` / `h j k l` - move cursor
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- `v` - enter or exit tableau selection mode
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- `y` - pick up selected card or stack
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- `p` - drop held card or stack
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- `Enter` / `Space` - alternate pick up / drop
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- `?` - show a suggested move
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- `f` - quick move selected card to a free cell
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- `d` - quick move selected card to foundation
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- `Esc` - cancel selection or restore held cards
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- `q` - quit
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## Branches
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### Main branch
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The main branch targets modern Python 3 and modern terminals.
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This version includes:
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- Linux distro themed suits
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- modern curses layout and highlighting
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- Nerd Font-oriented suit glyphs
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- richer visual presentation
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Current main-branch suits:
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- Debian
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- Gentoo
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- Arch
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- Slackware
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These are split into two alternating-color groups for FreeCell rules:
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- red group: Debian, Gentoo
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- black group: Arch, Slackware
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The main branch uses special glyphs for suit rendering. If your terminal or font does not display them well, Nerd Fonts can be downloaded for free at `https://www.nerdfonts.com/font-downloads`.
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### `leg-py1.5.2` branch
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The `leg-py1.5.2` branch is a backport for very old systems.
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This version is written in a Python-1.5.2-friendly style and avoids relying on modern Python features or modern terminal niceties.
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This branch includes:
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- ASCII-only suit tags
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- compatibility fallbacks for weak or incomplete curses implementations
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- visible ASCII cursor and hint markers for monochrome terminals
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Legacy-branch suits:
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- Debian (`Deb`)
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- Red Hat (`RHt`)
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- Solaris (`Sol`)
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- HP-UX (`HPx`)
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These are split into the two FreeCell color groups as:
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- red group: Debian, Red Hat
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- black-equivalent group: Solaris, HP-UX
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On legacy terminals, the non-red group may render as blue, cyan, or plain monochrome depending on curses support.
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## Running
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### Modern branch
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Run with Python 3:
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```sh
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python3 linux-freecell.py
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```
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### Legacy branch
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On the legacy branch, run with whatever Python interpreter is available on the target machine:
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```sh
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python linux-freecell.py
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```
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For very old systems, terminal and curses support may vary. The legacy branch tries to fall back gracefully when color, standout attributes, or newer curses APIs are missing.
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## Suit Theme Notes
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`mcfreecell` is not trying to be a generic casino card game. The suit sets are themed around operating systems and Unix history.
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The modern branch leans into playful terminal-native Linux theming.
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The legacy branch uses a more period-appropriate late-1990s / early-2000s mix of Linux and proprietary Unix systems to better fit older hardware and software environments.
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## License
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This project is released under the GNU General Public License, version 2 only.
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See `LICENSE` for the full license text.
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## Status
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This is a small personal curses game project, but it is playable and actively being shaped into both:
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- a fun modern terminal FreeCell
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- a practical legacy-machine FreeCell
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## Possible Future Work
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- packaged releases for modern and legacy branches
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