SNAKE(6)                   OpenBSD Reference Manual                   SNAKE(6)

NAME
     snake, snscore - display chase game

SYNOPSIS
     snake [-w width] [-l length] [-s] [-t]
     snscore

DESCRIPTION
     snake is a display-based game.  The object of the game is to make as much
     money as possible without getting eaten by the snake.  The -l and -w op-
     tions allow you to specify the length and width of the field.  By default
     the entire screen (except for the last column) is used.  The -s option
     shows all scores.  The -t option makes the game assume you are on a slow
     terminal.

     You are represented on the screen by an I.  The snake is 6 squares long
     and is represented by s's with an S at the head.  The money is $, and an
     exit is #.  Your score is posted in the upper left hand corner.

     You can move around using the same conventions as vi(1): that is, the h,
     j, k, and l keys work, as do the arrow keys.  Other possibilities in-
     clude:

     sefc    These keys are like hjkl but form a directed pad around the d
             key.

     HJKL    These keys move you all the way in the indicated direction to the
             same row or column as the money.  This does not let you jump away
             from the snake, but rather saves you from having to type a key
             repeatedly.  The snake still gets all his turns.

     SEFC    Likewise for the upper case versions on the left.

     ATPB    These keys move you to the four edges of the screen.  Their posi-
             tion on the keyboard is mnemonic, e.g.  P is at the far right of
             the keyboard.

     x       This lets you quit the game at any time.

     p       Sometimes points in a direction you might want to go.

     w       Space warp to get out of tight squeezes, at a price.

     To earn money, move to the same square the money is on.  A new $ will ap-
     pear when you earn the current one.  As you get richer, the snake gets
     hungrier.  To leave the game, move to the exit (#).

     A record is kept of the personal best score of each player.  Scores are
     only counted if you leave at the exit.  Getting eaten by the snake is
     worth nothing.

     As in pinball, matching the last digit of your score to the number which
     appears after the game is worth a bonus.

     To see who wastes time playing snake, run snscore or snake -s.

FILES
     /var/games/snakerawscores  database of personal bests

BUGS
     When playing on a small screen, it's hard to tell when you hit the edge
     of the screen.

     The scoring function takes into account the size of the screen.  A per-
     fect function to do this equitably has not been devised.

OpenBSD 2.9                      May 31, 1993                                2
