Triv

Triv is the trivia game of short questions and short answers for the PalmPilot.

Triv Documentation

Triv is the trivia game of short questions and short answers for the PalmPilot. You can play the Trivia Pizza or Triv Grid board games or take a Quick Quiz by yourself or with 1 to 4 players or teams. Or match wits against another person or the computer in the Triv Tac Toe strategy game.

Triv brings trivia to a new level with the following features and more:

Portability - You already carry your PalmPilot with you, so you'll have Triv with you wherever you go. No need to connect to the web to play. You can play an entire Quick Quiz in the time it takes to boot up a PC and connect to an ISP by modem.

Modularity - Triv questions come in data modules with over 500 questions each. Load only the modules you want or load all of them if you have room on your PalmPilot.

Low cost - $15 for the application. Over 9400 questions included. No ads or commercials. All future enhancements to Triv are free to registered owners.

Expandability - As long as people like Triv, new data modules will continue to be created. These are free to all registered owners of Triv.

Update-ability - All Triv modules will be kept up to date to keep them accurate if any answers change. Most questions won't be affected, but records are meant to be broken... And if you disagree with an answer, email me (mailto:[email protected]) and I'll look it into it. If I change a question or answer the corrected module will be immediately made available to you and everyone else.

New Game Options

When Triv starts up, it will bring up the New Game Options form. On this screen, you can set the number of players (1 to 4), whether a timer is used (Off, 30, 60, or 120 seconds), the game variation to play (Trivia Pizza, Quick Quiz, Triv Grid, or Triv Tac Toe), and other options.

Click on the OK button to start a new game.

The Other Options button brings up the form described below under the Other Options menu item.

Clicking on the corresponding Options... buttons will display additional choices for each particular game type.

Trivia Pizza Options

For the Trivia Pizza board game, you can set the size of the pizza, which determines the length of the game. Large means that players can only score points on pie squares. Small means that players can score points on any square. In either case, only one point can be earned in each category.

You can also set whether the pizza has pepperoni on it or not. This is purely cosmetic and can be turned off if it gives you heartburn.

Quick Quiz Options

For Quick Quiz, you can set options for Horseshoes scoring (close numeric answers get partial credit), Difficulty Level (1 = easy, 2 = medium, 3 = hard, Any = any level), and Same Questions (a fair variant of the multi-player game in which each person is given the same exact questions).

Triv Grid Options

For Triv Grid, you can set the number of rounds to play. The first player goes first in round 1, the second player goes first in round 2, and so forth. The fairest games would give each player a chance to go first the same number of times. With 4 players, having only 1 round favors players 1 and 2; 2 rounds favors player 2 and penalizes player 4; and 3 rounds favors players 2 and 3. This can be used as a small handicap if desired.

Triv Tac Toe Options

For Triv Tac Toe, you can set either the number of rounds to play by selecting the Max Rounds button or the number of points needed to win by selecting the Points to Win button.

In single-player mode, you can set the Computer Level from 1 (about 25% accuracy) to 3 (75%) to set the strength of the computer. This does not affect the computer's strategy, which is the same reasonably intelligent one regardless of the level.

The Animation checkbox controls whether squares are flashed to show when they are won or lost.

Trivia Pizza Before Roll

The goal of Trivia Pizza is to earn a pie slice in each of the 6 categories. The playing board consists of 42 spaces of which every 7th square is a pie slice (marked with a thick black rectangle outline) of a different category. You can think of the playing board as being wrapped around the outside of a cylinder (like the money wheel in "The Price is Right").

The Trivia Pizza screen displays a pizza pie indicating which pie slices have been earned. Each slice is labelled with the first letter of the category name. The pie is always oriented so that the slices on the right correspond to your current location (highlighted in black in the middle) on the playing board on the right side of the screen. The numbers on the sides of the board show what needs to be rolled to reach those squares (you can click on either the arrows or the category name).

Trivia Pizza After Roll

Click on the Roll button (or the die itself) to roll the die. You will always have a choice of two squares to move to, and these will be indicated by double right arrows surrounding them on the board. Click on either of the indicated squares to move to that square.

Main Form Showing Alphabetic Keypad

This will bring up the Main screen with a trivia question on it. Enter your guess using the on-screen buttons (alphabetic or numeric keypad, multiple choice options, or True/False options), the built-in PalmPilot keyboard, or Graffiti. Click on the OK button or use the Graffiti RETURN stroke (top right to bottom left) to enter alphabetic or numeric answers. The correct answer will then be displayed.

Each player's turn continues until an incorrect answer is given. The game ends after one person gets all six pie slices and each player has had the same number of turns.

Main Form Showing Numeric Keypad and Timer

If you are playing Quick Quiz, you will be brought to the Main screen with a trivia question on it. Enter your guess using the on-screen buttons (alphabetic or numeric keypad, multiple choice options, or True/False options), the built-in PalmPilot keyboard, Graffiti, or hardware buttons (for multiple choice or True/False answers). Click on the OK button or use the Graffiti RETURN stroke to enter alphabetic or numeric answers. The correct answer will then be displayed.

The next player then gets a turn, and play alternates until the requested number of trivia questions have been given to each player.

In the Quick Quiz game, 10 points are earned for each correct answer.

For numeric answers, there is a scoring variation called Horseshoes (as in "horseshoes and hand grenades") where close answers earn partial credit. If the Horseshoes checkbox is marked on the New Game Options form, the following scoring is also in effect:

For questions that ask for answers that are years:

4 points for answers within 10 years of the correct answer or

1 point for answers within 25 years of the correct answer

For questions that ask for answers that aren't years:

If the correct answer is under 32:

4 points for answers within 1 of the correct answer or

1 point for answers within 3 of the correct answer

If the correct answer is 32 or over:

4 points for answers within 10% of the correct answer or

1 point for answers within 25% of the correct answer

Triv Grid

The goal of Triv Grid is to earn as many points as possible from a game board consisting of one question of each category/difficulty combination. For each correct answer, one point is earned for each level of difficulty. Since there are 6 categories and difficulty levels 1, 2, and 3, there are a total of 18 questions and 36 (6*(1+2+3)) possible points in each round.

Players take turns selecting a category and difficulty and then answering the corresponding question until all rounds have been played.

Triv Tac Toe

The goal of Triv Tac Toe is to get three squares in a row. The first player has the "X" markers, and the second player has the "O" markers. In turn, each player selects an unoccupied square and answers a trivia question (this part is skipped when the computer plays). If the answer is correct, the player wins the square and earns a point. If the answer is incorrect, the other player gets the square unless it would make Triv Tac Toe (3 in a row).

A round ends when either player gets Triv Tac Toe (earning a 5 point bonus) or the board is full. The game ends after a set number of rounds has been played or one player has reached the minimum number of points needed to win (depending on the option set in Triv Tac Toe Options above).

Answers to alphabetic questions consist of a single word with 1 to 10 capital letters, containing no numbers, spaces, or punctuation marks. Questions are phrased to indicate if a singular or plural answer is required, but in some cases either will be accepted. If the answer should be a person's name, use the last name (surname) by which they are usually known unless specifically asked to answer with the first, middle, or given name. Professional sports teams are referred to by nickname, while college teams are identified by college.

Answers to numeric questions consist of 1 to 5 digits, with no minus signs, decimals, commas, or other symbols.

Answers to multiple choice questions are a single, lower case letter 'a', 'b', 'c', or 'd' if you are using Graffiti. You can also click on the answer text to select it.

Answers to True/False questions are a single, lower case letter 't' (for true) or 'f' (for false) if you are using Graffiti.

Note that alphabetic and numeric answers require you to hit the OK button or enter a Graffiti RETURN stroke, while multiple choice and True/False answers are entered automatically.

Answer Form with Change Score Button

After you have entered your answer, the correct answer will be displayed, along with the number of points you earned and your current score. Press the OK button or use the Graffiti RETURN stroke (top right to bottom left) to continue. If you have enabled score changes on the Other Options screen, a Change Score button will appear. Pressing this button will give you full credit for your answer (after a confirmation dialog).

Triv has an optional timer that can be set on the New Game Options screen. The timer can set to Off, 30, 60, or 120 seconds. If the timer is being used, it will be displayed below the answer field.

The timer counts down by one second at a time by default. This can be changed to 2, 5, or 10 seconds on the Other Options screen. This may be less distracting to the user and will use up much less battery power due to a quirk in the way PalmOS handles 1-second timers.

The timer will continue to run even if the user switches applications or turns the PalmPilot off. This prevents users from getting extra time to answer.

When the game is over, the final scores of all players are displayed. For Quick Quiz with the difficulty level set to 3 or Any, there is also a High Score board. If any of the final scores makes the High Score list, it is displayed after the Game Over screen is dismissed. You can also bring up the High Score board at any time using the menu option below.

From the New Game Options screen, the following menu options are available:

Get Info - Displays information about Triv. Clicking on the "i" in the upper right hand corner of this window will bring up on-line help (an abbreviated version of the information in this file). The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/I".

Module Info... - Displays detailed information about the currently selected module. The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/M".

Select Module... - Displays a screen from which you can choose which Triv module to use (listed alphabetically). See the section below on Triv data modules. The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/S".

Delete Module... - Displays a screen from which you can delete a Triv module from your PalmPilot. The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/D".

Player Names... - Displays a screen on which you can set the names for up to four players or teams. The standard Edit menu is available on this form. The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/P".

High Scores... - Shows the top four scores for Quick Quiz (difficulty level 3 or Any only). Can be cleared by clicking on the Clear Scores button. The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/H".

Registration... - For unregistered copies of Triv, displays a screen on which you can enter your registration code after you have paid. This gives you access to all questions in all modules (unregistered copies of Triv can only see the first 30 questions in each module). See the section below on Registering Triv. The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/R".

Other Options Form

Other Options... - Displays a screen on which you can set the following options:

Font - Sets the font used to display trivia questions.

Lines - Sets whether lines are displayed in the trivia question field or not.

Sound - Sets whether sounds are played or not.

Count Down By - Sets the number of seconds per timer tick. It is highly recommended that this option be set to 2, 5, or 10 instead of 1 to conserve battery life.

Hardware Btns - Sets whether the hardware buttons can be used for multiple choice and True/False answers. For multiple choice answers, the Datebook, Address, To Do, and Memo hardware buttons can be used for the answers 'a', 'b', 'c', and 'd' respectively. For True/False answers, the left two buttons are "True", and the right two are "False".

Score Change - Sets whether the user can overrule scoring decisions. If set, when a user enters an incorrect answer, a "Change Score" button will appear on the Answer form. Clicking on this button instead of on the OK button will give full credit for the given answer after a quick confirmation.

The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/O".

From the Trivia Pizza and Main screens, the following menu options are available:

Get Info - see above

Module Info... - see above

Current Scores... - Shows the scores for all players in the current game. The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/C".

High Scores... - see above

Registration... - see above

Other Options... - see above

New Game Options... - Starts a new game after displaying the New Game Options screen.

New Game - Starts a new game using the same game options as the current game. The Graffiti shortcut for this option is "/N".

Each full Triv data module contains over 500 questions evenly split between 6 categories and 3 difficulty levels. These modules take up between 30Kb and 60Kb each. Specially themed mini-modules have fewer questions.

18 full modules and 2 mini-modules are currently bundled with Triv and are located in the "Apps" folder:

Addictive_Triv - Genus module with alphabetic answers

Alphabet_Soup - Genus module with alphabetic answers

Athletes_Feats - Sports module with alphabetic answers

Baseball - Sports module with alphabetic answers

Fact_or_Fiction - Genus module with true/false answers

Genuine_Genus - Genus module with alphabetic answers

Genus_Genius - Genus module with alphabetic answers

Multiple_Guess - Genus module with multiple choice answers

Multiple_Guess_2 - Genus module with multiple choice answers

Numb_and_Number - Genus module with numeric answers

NumBurst - Genus module with numeric answers

Scoreboard_Horde - Sports module with numeric answers

Sports_Shorts - Sports module with alphabetic answers

The_Entertainer - Entertainment module with alphabetic answers

The_Entertainer_2 - Entertainment module with alphabetic answers

The_Entertainer_3 - Entertainment module with alphabetic answers

Uncommon_Knowledge - Genus module with alphabetic answers

US_Presidents - Presidents mini-module with mixed answers (300+ questions)

World_Lore_One - Genus module with alphabetic answers

Xmas_Xtra - Christmas mini-module with mixed answers (100+ questions)

More modules are continually being developed. Some ideas for future modules:

Acronymophobia - Genus module featuring abbreviations, acronyms, and word play

Beantown - All about Boston and New England

TechnoTriv - Computer and technology questions

Vocabulary - Increase your word power as you play

World_Lore_Two - Genus module sequel

Other ideas are always welcome... If you have access to a Macintosh, you cannow create your own Triv data modules! Triv can be used for any kind of alphabetic, numeric, multiple choice, or true/false questions, not just trivia. Look for the free Triv Module Creator on http://www.rjen.com/Pilot/Triv.html. Triv users have already created 2 new trivia modules with over 600 questions.

Triv is $15 shareware. All upgrades and data modules are free! Simple economics will dictate how many upgrades and new modules there are, so please register and spread the word...

You can pay for Triv through Kagi Software (http://order.kagi.com/?L9G&S) through the web. If you have access to a Macintosh with an Internet connection, you can use the bundled Macintosh Register Triv application. A registration code will be automatically emailed to you within a couple of days.

You can also send checks to:

Kagi

1442-A Walnut Street #392-L9G-T

Berkeley, CA 94079-1405

A registration code will be emailed to you within a couple of days of receipt.

You can pay for Triv through PalmCentral(http://www.palmcentral.com/product.shtml?productId=4400) through theweb. Click on the Buy it icon. A registration code will be emailed to you in a week or sooner.

You can also pay for Triv through PalmGear (http://www2.viaweb.com/pilotgearsw/rjen.html). A registration code will be emailed to you in a week or sooner.

Once you have your registration code, go back into Triv and use the Registration menu option to bring up the Registration screen. Enter the code and click on the OK button. You should get a confirmation window, and then you will have access to all questions in all current and future modules. Thanks!

In the "Apps" folder, the file TrivDoc.prc is a Doc-formatted version of this file. This file can be installed on your PalmPilot for reference if you have a Doc reader installed. You can download a free Doc reader from Aportis (http://www.aportis.com/tryme/download/AportisDoc/aportisdocreader.html).

In the "Docs" folder the following files can also be found:

TrivDoc.html - Documentation for Triv readable in a web browser such as Netscape Communicator or Internet Explorer.

TrivDoc.txt - Documentation for Triv readable in any text editor.

Pricing.txt - A poem about Triv.

VERSION.txt - Release history for Triv.

Below is a partial list of the references used to create the questions for Triv:

Asimov, Isaac, "Facts & Trivia", 1979

Asimov, Isaac, "Words of Science", 1959

Benet, William Rose, "The Reader's Encyclopedia", 1965

Billboard Publications, "The Billboard Book of Number One Hits", 1985

Brunner, Borgna ed., "Time Almanac 1999", 1999

Collins, Bud and Hollander, Zander, "Bud Collins' Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis", 1994

Columbia University Press, "The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia", 1995

Connors, Martin and Craddock, James ed., "VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever", 1997

The Diagram Group, "The Rule Book", 1983

Ebert, Roger, "Roger Ebert's Four Star Movie Guide", 1988

Foss, Gwen, "The Book of Numbered Lists", 1998

Greenberg, Stan, "The Guinness Book of Olympic Facts & Feats", 1984

Grun, Bernard, "The Timetables of History", 1979

Guinness Media, Inc., "The Guinness Book of World Records", 1998

Hassan, John ed., "ESPN 1998 Information Please Almanac", 1997

Hirsch, E.D., Jr. et al., "The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy", 1993

Humet, Alexander et al., "Zero to Lazy Eight", 1993

Ingram, Jay, "The Science of Everyday Life", 1989

Johnson, Anne Janette, "Great Women in Sports", 1996

Knox, Bernard ed., "Classical Literature", 1993

Leokum, Arkady, "Tell Me Why", 1971

Marill, Alvin H. et al., "Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Television on Video", 1996

McWhirter, Norris and McWhirter, Ross, "Guinness Book of World Records", 1975

Mish, Frederick C. ed., "Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary", 1983

Paulos, John Allen, "Beyond Numeracy", 1991

Perry, Marvin ed., "A History of the World", 1988

Rowen, Beth ed., "The 1998 A&E Entertainment Almanac", 1997

Sackett, Susan, "Prime-Time Hits", 1993

Sterling Publications, "Family Fun & Games", 1992

Tuleja, Tad, "Curious Customs", 1987

Turkin, Hy and Thompson, S.C., "The Official Encyclopedia of Baseball", 1977

United States Olympic Committee, "Atlanta 1996", 1996

Wallechinsky, David and Wallace, Amy, "The Book of Lists - The 90's Edition", 1993

Wallechinsky, David et al., "The Book of Lists", 1978

"Webster's Dictionary of American Authors", 1995

Whitburn, Joel, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums", 1995

Whitburn, Joel, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", 1995

In addition, there were countless web resources, of which special mention must be made of IMDB (http://www.imdb.com) for its extraordinary movie and television information.

Triv Version 2.1.1, October 21, 1999

Triv is Copyright (C)1998-1999 by Robert Jen.

The latest copy of Triv, Triv data modules, and other PalmPilot and Macintosh software can be found at http://www.rjen.com (specifically http://www.rjen.com/Pilot/Triv.html). Questions, comments, and any other email can be sent to the author Robert Jen at mailto:[email protected]. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Related Downloads

Advantages of Triv How to Play Trivia Pizza Play Quick Quiz Play Quick Quiz Scoring Triv Grid Play Triv Tac Toe Play Answers Timer Game Over and High Scores Menu Options Triv Data Modules Pricing Paying for Triv Registering Once You Have Paid Other Documentation Bibliography Updates and Contact Information 1 -

Connect 4 2 -

Connect 4 3 -

Code Finder 4 -

CivCalc 5 -

CivAid 6 -

Athletes Feats 7 -

Ataxx 8 -

LipetzPix 9 -

Awele 10 -

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