tianxiaozhang1 / freecell

Classic game

FreeCell

Welcome to my FreeCell exercise.

FreeCell has become a timeless classic, especially after being included in every Windows version since 1995. It's often played by many, making it the 7th most popular program on Windows -- more popular than Word and Excel. [1] Credit for the earliest version (known as Eight Off) goes to C. L. Baker, published in Scientific American in June 1968; this version had the cards arranged by suit rather than by alternate colours. Paul Alfille, while studying medicine at the University of Illinois, changed Baker's Game to the current version a decade later.

Rules

Playing is simple. The game begins with a full deck of 52 playing cards randomly assigned into 8 cascades. Above those, there are four open/"free" cells on the left and four (initially) empty foundations on the right. The player shall arrange the cards into the four foundations corresponding to the four suits, in order of rank. Only a sequence of cards with alternating colours and downwardly continuous ranks can be moved among the cascades. Victory is declared upon completion.

This version doesn't include the "Microsoft 32,000" catalogue (hence each game is just random). An addition is the option of auto-completion (called auto stack in the game) instead of always having it.

Requirements

Python 3

https://www.python.org/downloads

Pygame

https://www.pygame.org/wiki/GettingStarted

Gameplay

See a better move? You can undo all the way back to the beginning:

Auto stack is only there when you want it:

Feeling stuck? No worries -- just restart:

Watch the game progress:

And a little nostalgia when you win:

Have fun playing!

[1] Dear, Brian (2017). "27. Leaving the Nest". The Friendly Orange Glow. New York: Pantheon Books. pp. 501–503. ISBN 9781101871560.