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FreeCell (Windows)
Encyclopedia
FreeCell, as included in Microsoft Windows
, is a computer implementation of the card game
FreeCell
.
The first computer version of the game is believed to have been created by Paul Alfille in 1978 for the PLATO system. Microsoft developer Jim Horne, who learned the game from the PLATO system, implemented a version with color graphics for Windows
. It was first included with Win32s
as an application that enabled the testing of the 32-bit
thunking layer to ensure that it was installed properly. It was later included in Microsoft Entertainment Pack
Volume 2 and later the Best Of Microsoft Entertainment Pack. However, FreeCell remained relatively obscure until it was released as part of Windows 95
. In Windows XP
, FreeCell was extended to support a total of 1 million card deals.
, the versions for Windows were limited in their player assistance features, such as retraction of moves. The Windows Vista
FreeCell implementation contains basic hints and unlimited move retraction, and the option to restart the game. Some features have been removed, such as the flashing screen to warn the player of one move remaining.
In versions prior to Windows Vista, if the user pushes the combination of Ctrl+Shift+F10 at any time during the game, the user will be presented with a tool used by the developers during testing.
In the Windows Vista and Windows 7 versions, if the user hits 'Select Game' and types -3 or -4 in the dialog box, then, when the game loads, drags an ace to the suit home pile, the other cards will automatically follow onto the suit home pile, winning the game.
random number seed. These games are known as the "Microsoft 32,000". Later versions of Microsoft FreeCell include more games, some over one million, of which the original 32,000 are always a subset. All hands in the Microsoft 32,000 have been beaten except for game #11982.
A statement in the original Help file remains through modern Microsoft versions: "It is believed (although not proven) that every game is winnable." However, since hands numbered "-1" and "-2" were included as "Easter Eggs" and were already known at the time to be unsolvable, Microsoft already knew that the above statement was not true.
to quickly converge on the answer. The project ran from August 1994 to April 1995, and only one game defied every human player's attempt: #11,982.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, is a computer implementation of the card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
FreeCell
FreeCell
FreeCell is a solitaire-based card game played with a 52-card standard deck. It is fundamentally different from most solitaire games in that nearly all deals can be solved...
.
History
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It was first included with Win32s
Win32s
Win32s is a 32-bit application runtime environment for the Microsoft Windows 3.1 and 3.11 operating systems. It allowed some 32-bit applications to run on the 16-bit operating system using call thunks.- Concept and Characteristics :...
as an application that enabled the testing of the 32-bit
32-bit
The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
thunking layer to ensure that it was installed properly. It was later included in Microsoft Entertainment Pack
Microsoft Entertainment Pack
The original Microsoft Windows Entertainment Pack is a collection of simply-designed 16-bit computer games for Windows. These games were somewhat unusual for the time, in that they would not run under MS-DOS. Many of the games were later released in the Best of Windows Entertainment Pack...
Volume 2 and later the Best Of Microsoft Entertainment Pack. However, FreeCell remained relatively obscure until it was released as part of Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
. In Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
, FreeCell was extended to support a total of 1 million card deals.
Variations
Today, there are FreeCell implementations for nearly every modern operating system as it is one of the few games pre-installed with every copy of Windows. Prior to Windows VistaWindows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
, the versions for Windows were limited in their player assistance features, such as retraction of moves. The Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
FreeCell implementation contains basic hints and unlimited move retraction, and the option to restart the game. Some features have been removed, such as the flashing screen to warn the player of one move remaining.
Easter eggs
In the earliest versions, games numbered -1 and -2 were included as a kind of easter egg to demonstrate that there were some possible card combinations that clearly could not be won. Following that, the cards are arranged in order of value, such as King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9 and 8 in the first four piles, and the remaining numbers in the other.In versions prior to Windows Vista, if the user pushes the combination of Ctrl+Shift+F10 at any time during the game, the user will be presented with a tool used by the developers during testing.
In the Windows Vista and Windows 7 versions, if the user hits 'Select Game' and types -3 or -4 in the dialog box, then, when the game loads, drags an ace to the suit home pile, the other cards will automatically follow onto the suit home pile, winning the game.
Solving
The original Microsoft FreeCell package includes 32,000 games, generated by a 15-bitBit
A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
random number seed. These games are known as the "Microsoft 32,000". Later versions of Microsoft FreeCell include more games, some over one million, of which the original 32,000 are always a subset. All hands in the Microsoft 32,000 have been beaten except for game #11982.
A statement in the original Help file remains through modern Microsoft versions: "It is believed (although not proven) that every game is winnable." However, since hands numbered "-1" and "-2" were included as "Easter Eggs" and were already known at the time to be unsolvable, Microsoft already knew that the above statement was not true.
The Internet FreeCell Project
When Microsoft FreeCell became very popular during the 1990s it was not clear which of the 32,000 deals in the program were solvable. To clarify the situation, Dave Ring started the Internet FreeCell Project and took on the challenge of trying to solve all the deals using human solvers. Ring assigned 100 consecutive games chunks across volunteering human solvers and collected the games that they reported to be unsolvable, and assigned them to other people. This project used the power of crowdsourcingCrowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community through an open call....
to quickly converge on the answer. The project ran from August 1994 to April 1995, and only one game defied every human player's attempt: #11,982.