Game Goals
Fill the 9x9 gameboard with numbered coins, according to the universal rules of Sudoku. There are 81 coins, each marked with a number between 1 and 9. In order to avoid penalties, each row, column, and delineated 3x3 area can only contain one of each number.
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Game Rules
The game begins with twelve coins already on the board, all in valid placements. Drop new coins in from the top of the board to make them land in the lowest empty square.
Placing coins:
Find the playable coin at the top of the game board and the next-available coins on the upper left. To aid you in finding a valid placement, look for the glowing coins with the same number as the playable coin.
If you want to delay using the playable coin right away, right-click to swap it with the next available coin. Left-click to drop coins into the game board. (Note: you cannot drop coins into a column that is already full!)
When you drop a coin into a square, the game will immediately check to see if the coin has been played in a valid position according to standard Sudoku rules. If so, the coin stays on the board and counts toward your final score.
Jolly Rogers and Ghost Jolly Rogers:
If a coin has not been played in a valid position (i.e., if the number played was already present in the same row, column, or 3x3 area) then the coin will turn into a black Jolly Roger icon. This results in a scoring penalty and should be avoided!
In addition to checking the validity of each coin as it is placed, the game also checks all empty squares to see if any of them have reached a state in which no number can be legally played. For example, if an empty square has the numbers 1, 3, 5, and 6 lined up beneath it and the numbers 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9 in the same row, then there is no number remaining which can be validly placed there.
When this situation occurs, the afflicted square will be marked with a warning symbol in the shape of a red "Ghost" Jolly Roger. Be aware that Ghost Jolly Rogers are merely a warning, as the empty square still requires a coin in order to fill the column and finish the game.
Wild Gems:
Each time you successfully complete a row, column, or 3x3 area with no mistakes, you will receive a bonus in the form of a blue Wild Gem that appears beneath the game board. Protect yourself from invalid plays by replacing Jolly Rogers with Wild Gems. This uses up the gem, but protects you from the scoring penalty that Jolly Rogers impose.
It's possible to possess more than one Wild Gem and to earn multiple Wild Gems with a single play, providing you complete multiple regions simultaneously. If you have any unused Wild Gems left over at the end of your game, you'll receive a scoring bonus for each one. You can earn as many as twenty-seven Gems over the course of a game, providing you play perfectly!
Please note that if you complete a row, column, or 3x3 area that has a Gem in it, you will not be rewarded with a new one. Wild Gems are only awarded for rows, columns, and 3x3 areas composed entirely of coins, with no Jolly Rogers or gems present.
Wild Gems are a great way to avoid receiving a scoring penalty when you fill in a square marked with a Ghost Jolly Roger. If you have a Gem in your possession, just drop a coin that you don't want into the required square to apply your Gem automatically. Earn lots of gems early on in order to protect yourself from the difficulties that accumulate toward the end of the game!
Time Limit:
You only have five minutes to complete the game. If time runs out before you fill in the whole board, all remaining empty squares will be filled in with Jolly Rogers. Don't play too slowly or you'll learn the hard way!
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Game Controls
- Use the mouse to move the playable coin horizontally on top of the game board.
- Left-click to drop the playable coin onto the board.
- Coins cannot be dropped into full columns.
- Right-click to swap the playable coin with the next available coin.
- You don't need to do anything to activate a Wild Gem. If you have one, it will be applied automatically the next time you make a mistake!
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Game Scoring
Get points for completing a row, column, or 3x3 area. The amount awarded is equal to 100 points, times a multiplier. The multiplier depends on what is completed:
- Row - The multiplier depends on the row number. The bottom row has a multiplier of 1x and the multiplier increases by one in each higher row to a maximum of 9x for the top row.
- Column - All columns award a 5x multiplier.
- 3x3 Area - The bottom three areas have a 2x multiplier; the middle three, 5x; the top three, 10x.
Jolly Rogers reduce your score, with a penalty of 10% for each Jolly Roger present in the completed row, column, or 3x3 area. Completing the top row with four Jolly Rogers, for example, would result in 100 points, times the 9x multiplier, minus 40% for the Jolly Rogers, for a total of 540 points.
Gems do not adversely affect your score. For scoring purposes, they count as if they were correctly-placed coins.
You'll know when you're scoring points by the loot that drops into your treasure chest at the left side of the screen. The more you score the more booty you'll see in your chest. Fill 'er up, Captain!
Additional points are awarded at the end of the game:
- A Time Bonus of 1 point is awarded for each tenth of a second remaining at the end of your game. (If you don't finish the game before time runs out, you'll receive a time bonus of zero.)
- A Gem Bonus of 75 points is awarded for every unused Wild Gem. (Note that this bonus amount is less costly than a mistake, so don't fret if your gems are automatically used to save you from Jolly Rogers during the game!)
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Game Strategy
- Fill in the board from the bottom up. If you fill individual columns too quickly, you'll limit your placement options and cause trouble later on.
- If possible, acquire a Wild Gem before filling in a space marked with a Ghost Jolly Roger to avoid a scoring penalty.
- When a row or 3x3 area has only two or three squares left, think carefully about how you fill them to avoid creating Ghost Jolly Rogers in the remaining squares.
- You will only receive nine of each numbered coin. (This includes coins already on the board when the game begins.) When filling in Ghost Jolly Rogers, try to use a number missing from that row to avoid using up numbers that you'll need later.
- Don't let the timer run out with squares still empty. In a pinch, click like crazy to fill them up before the end. You may get a few lucky placements and save yourself from Jolly Rogers in the process. It's also important to use up your gems if the timer is running out to save you from costly Jolly Rogers.
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