Connect-The-Dots: Instructions
3cDots™ Connect-The-Dots game brings an old classic to the digital age. Not only can you play existing games, you can create, save, and print your own designs.
Play Area
How To Play
To play one of the three 3cDots™ games, select (by clicking) either 1, 2, or 3. To play a game that you have designed, click Load, select, and begin playing.
You may clear the stage to begin a new game either by pressing Clear then clicking 1, 2, or 3 or simply clicking 1, 2, or 3.
Clearing a Game
To clear the stage of a game you have completed, press Clear.
New Design Area
Modes
There are four modes in the New design area: Add, Edit, Draw, and Erase. Add and Edit are specific to dots; Draw and Erase are specific to drawing and editing custom art.
Each mode has a respective mouse cursor or color: Add, has crosshairs; Edit, has a normal mouse cursor, but all dots and lines (if lines are activated) are green; Draw has crosshairs within a circle; and Erase has a bright red circle.
Lines
While designing your own connect-the-dots layout, you may find it helpful to see lines between the dots. Press either On or Off to activate/deactivate the lines.
Adding Dots
When you enter the New design area, you are automatically in Add mode, and can immediately begin adding dots to the stage.
To return to Add mode from any other mode (such as Edit or Erase), press the “Add” button.
Removing Dots
If you need to remove the last dot created, press the DELETE key. To delete a specific dot, click the Edit button, click the dot you would like to delete, and press the DELETE key.
Draw Art
To draw custom art to the stage, click Draw, move the mouse to where you’d like to draw, click the mouse, and begin drawing.
Erase Art
To begin erasing end of the last art created, and assuming you are already in Erase mode, press the DELETE key. To erase specific sections, click Erase and move the mouse to where you’d like to erase, click the mouse, and begin erasing.
Tracing External Images
You may find it helpful to use an existing image as the basis for a new connect-the-dots layout. To import an existing image, click on Browse and find the image you’d like to upload from the Browse window. Once you’ve selected an image, close the browse window and click Upload. The image (if upload isn’t interrupted for any reason) will then appear on the stage. You may now use the Draw tool to trace the image.
Adjusting Position of External Images
If an uploaded image isn’t positioned where you’d like it to be, enter Edit mode, click the image (it will appear red when selected), and drag it to a new position.
Adjusting Size of External Images
If an uploaded image isn’t sized correctly, you may adjust its size. To enlarge an image, press CTRL+PLUS SIGN. To shrink an image, press CTRL+MINUS SIGN.
Deleting External Images
Unless you remove the external image from the stage, it will be included when you save your design or print it. Enter Edit mode, click on the image, and press BACKSPACE.
Printing New Designs
To print a new design, press PRINT.
Saving New Designs
In the current version, Connect-The-Dots will save new designs to the directory it is in only. In other words, if you are playing the game online, when you save a design, it will be saved to the web server. Saving new designs requires ASP.net support, locally or on the server.
Clearing A Design
To clear the stage, press Clear.