Fushido
François Pessaux (A.K.A "Didou")
Jan 2006 - V0.9
Fushido is a game developed for the Nintendo DS™. The author provides the software as it is and may not be responsible in any case in any direct or indirect damage due to the use of this software.
It seems that Fushido is inspired of the original
game called Ishido. Hence the basic aim is to make lines and/or
columns with pieces that will be proposed. Once a line or a column is full, it disappears, leaving the cells it covered "marked". The cells'
background then looks golden like 
instead of
the initial 
. Depending on the game mode, the
next level is reached once enough cells or lines are "marked".
Well, but you cannot place pieces arbitrarily. Each piece must be placed next to at least 1 previously placed one (at its up, left, down or right). Furthermore, 2 adjacent shapes must have the same colour or the same shape (i.e. icon inside the ball).
One special kind of piece is "universal", that is it can be placed next to any coloured or shaped neighbour(s).
If the proposed piece cannot be placed, you are allowed to throw it to get a fresh one (except if you do not have anymore right to throw one).
That's all...
The top right button of the lower screen allows to hide / show pieces on the board. This is useful when pieces are on cells and partially hide whether they are already marked. Hence, using this feature, you can temporarily hide pieces in order to see which cells have not yet been covered and lead you attention to make lines or columns with them.
The bottom right button of the lower screen allows to throw the current proposed piece (if you have not already thrown too many).
Regular pieces are combine 1 colour and 1 shape among the following.
Colours : 
Shapes : 
Depending on the mode and the level, a limited number of colours and shapes are available.
The "universal" piece looks like: 
This mode tries to map onto the original Ishido gameplay. To reach the next level, all the cells of the board have to be "marked". This means that you must have done enough lines to cover the whole board, i.e. at least once each cell (not all the cells at once, of course). Each new level reached increases alternatively the number of available colours or shapes. At the first level, 3 colours and 3 shapes are available. Then, at:
level 2, you have 4 colours and 3 shapes,
level 3 you have 4 colours and 4 shapes,
level 4 you have 5 colours and 4 shapes,
... and soon until you get the 9 colours and 9 shapes available (in this case, next levels remain with this amount of shapes and colours).
The maximum number of pieces that can thrown is 4. Each time you throw 1, you have 1 less allowed to be thrown. You recover the right to throw again 4 pieces each time you complete a line or a column.
During the game, the "Aim" in the top screen displays the number of cells remaining to cover to reach the next level.
In this mode, the aim is not no mark all the cells of the board. Instead you will have to make a certain number of lines or columns to reach the next level. Every 3 levels, you have to make 1 more line. Each packet of 3 levels is compound of 3 constraint stages.
During the first one, you have no constraint on the pieces that make the lines or columns.
During the second stage, lines or columns will be counted if they are compound of pieces of the same colour (inside one line or column, not for all the lines or columns).
During the third stage, lines or columns will be counted if they are compound of pieces of the same shape (inside one line or column, not for all the lines or columns).
Hence the levels follow the pattern:
level 1: 1 line or column with no constraint,
level 2: 1 line or column with pieces of the same colour,
level 3: 1 line or column with pieces of the same shape,
level 4: 2 lines or columns with no constraint,
level 5: 2 lines or columns with pieces of the same colour (inside one line or column, not for all the lines or columns),
level 6: 2 lines or columns with pieces of the same shape (inside one line or column, not for all the lines or columns),
level 7: 3 lines or columns with no constraint,
And so on... until you have to make 9 lines and 8 columns (the whole board in fact). Once reached this level, the aim will remain the same !
The current constraint get indicated on the top screen in the bottom left with the following icons:
No constraint.
Constraint is on colour.
: Constraint is on shape.
Lines or columns that do not respect the current constraint are however destroyed and bring score, but they are not counted to reach the next level. Hence, it is sometimes useful to make such lines in order to cleanup a bit the board and make room !
The colours and shapes remain fixed for the whole game:
8 shapes,
5 colours.
The maximum number of pieces that can thrown is 4. Each time you throw 1, you have 1 less allowed to be thrown. You recover the right to throw 1 more piece (limited to the maximum of 4, of course) each time you have placed 4 pieces on the board.
During the game, the "Aim" in the top screen displays the number of lines or columns remaining before reaching the next level. Be aware that lines or columns that have been covered several times are only counted once. This means that to reach the next level, you have to covers the required number of different lines or columns.
Fushido automatically determines the end of the game. This arises when 2 conditions are satisfied:
The proposed shape cannot be placed on the board (because there is no room left or no free cell where the piece would satisfy the basic placement constrains),
and you cannot throw anymore pieces (because you currently have exhausted you quota).
Conversely, as long as Fushido does not end the game, this means that either you can place the proposed piece, or you still are allowed to throw the current proposed piece.
Once the game ends the ending screen appears on the bottom screen. Just tap the screen to continue. If you got a highscore, then you will automatically be sent to the highscores screen. Then, just tap the screen to continue and go back to the start menu.
Highscores can be reset by simultaneously pressing the buttons L / R / A / Pad left while in the highscores screen. Beware that no confirmation will be asked.
Pressing the START button while playing pops the option menu in the bottom screen.
Tapping the screen, you may select between 3 options:
Continue : to resume the current game (this is the default action also triggered by pressing any physical DS's button).
Abandon : to explicitly give-up the game. Don't worry, your score will be checked against the current highscores and if you made a better score, it will be reported in the highscores !
Hibernate : to save the complete state of the current game in order to shutdown you console and continue the game later. Once done, the console turns it screens off and you can turn it off. When you will turn it on again, the game will automatically be loaded and the game will continue. Be aware of that once the hibernation-save is loaded, it is destroyed. This means that you cannot start again several times from the same hibernation-point. However, you can select this option menu to hibernate again. Hence, it is impossible to cheat, loading again and again the same save until you find the good solution to reach the next level :))
Scoring method is the same in both game modes.
Each new line or column destroyed is worth a 200 bonus points.
Each line or column destroyed that has already be destroyed is worth a 100 points bonus.
If you destroy 1 line and 1 column at the same time (whatever if they have already be destroyed) brings an extra bonus of 75 points.
Each laid down piece scoring increases with the number of neighbours around this piece:
1 neighbour: 20 points,
2 neighbours 80 points,
3 neighbours 160 points,
4 neighbours 320 points.
For any information, suggestions, flames I can be reached by email at :
francois_pessauxHATyahoo.fr
address in which, of course, you will straight replace "HAT" by the character "@" (it's just to prevent automated mail addresses scanners from registering me one more time, I still receive enough spam !)
You can also consult my WEB page at: http://francois.pessaux.neuf.fr/ (my main page).