fish Command

Purpose

Plays the go fish card game.

Syntax

fish

Description

The object of the go fish game is to accumulate books of four cards with the same face value. You and the program (your opponent) take turns asking for cards from one another's hand. If your opponent has one or more cards of the value requested, your opponent must hand them over. If not, your opponent prompts GO FISH!, and you draw a card from the pool of undealt cards. If you draw the card you asked for, you draw again. As books are made, they are laid down on the table. Play continues until there are no cards left. The player with the most books wins the game. The fish command tells you the winner and exits.

The fish command prompts with instructions? before play begins. To see the instructions, enter Y (yes).

Entering a p as your first move gives you the professional-level game. The default is an amateur-level game.

When playing go fish, you enter the card you want when your opponent prompts:

you ask me for: 

If you press only the Enter key when prompted, you receive information about the number of cards in your opponent's hand and in the pool.

The game displays:

• your current hand, including the books you have accumulated
• GO FISH! when either you or your opponent ask for a card the other does not have
• the card drawn after the GO FISH! prompt
• the card your opponent asks you for
• completed books (yours or your opponent's)
• the requested card when you or your opponent get another guess.

Examples

The following is a sample of a fish screen display:

your hand is: A 5 5 7 10 J Q
you ask me for: 5
I say "GO FISH!"
You draw A
I ask you for: 5
Made a book of 5's
I get another guess
I ask you for 6
You say "GO FISH!"
your hand is: A A 7 10 J Q
you ask me for:

To exit the game before play is completed, press the Interrupt (Ctrl-C) key sequence.

Files