Goodsol Solitaire Blog

New Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows v22.0 with 1060 Games

A new version of Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is now available!

Version 22.0 is available for download from Goodsol.com/download.html

Version 22.0 contains 10 new games:

The 10 New Games

Cloud Cell- a variation of Josephine with a cell that was created with the Wizard.

Echo - a Spider type game created with the Wizard.

Fan Nine - a Fan type game with 9 piles created with the Wizard.

Fhantom - another Fan type game created with the Wizard.

Ground Spider- a variation of Grounds for Divorce and Spider created with the Wizard.

Hercules - a two deck variation of Gargantua created with the Wizard.

Jumbo FreeCell- a two deck version of FreeCell created with the Wizard.

Number Eleven - an eleven pile version of Number Ten created with the Wizard.

Ten by Three - a FreeCell variation with ten tableau piles and three cells.

Winter Squash - a variation of Pumpkin created with the Wizard.

Version 22.0 is available for download from Goodsol.com/download.html

Version 22.0 contains 10 new games:

The 10 New Games

Cloud Cell- a variation of Josephine with a cell that was created with the Wizard.

Echo - a Spider type game created with the Wizard.

Fan Nine - a Fan type game with 9 piles created with the Wizard.

Fhantom - another Fan type game created with the Wizard.

Ground Spider- a variation of Grounds for Divorce and Spider created with the Wizard.

Hercules - a two deck variation of Gargantua created with the Wizard.

Jumbo FreeCell- a two deck version of FreeCell created with the Wizard.

Number Eleven - an eleven pile version of Number Ten created with the Wizard.

Ten by Three - a FreeCell variation with ten tableau piles and three cells.

Winter Squash - a variation of Pumpkin created with the Wizard.

Smokey Caturday

He did what?! #Caturday #CatsOfTwitter pic.twitter.com/TN22XPe0Sm

— Thomas Warfield (@goodsolitaire) November 12, 2022

Friday CatBlogging - Smokey and Bandit

A good day to just sit. #cats #CatsofTwitter pic.twitter.com/8PFbM45cRH

— Thomas Warfield (@goodsolitaire) November 11, 2022

More Smokey

It's hard to get a picture of our new kitten Smokey since she won't stay still very long.  But here's one that even shows her white spot.  She is 2.5 months in this picture.

Meet Smokey

We have acquired a new kitten!  We were not intending to have a new kitten, but a new kitten had us.

The short version of the story is that a Siamese cat has been coming into our yard regularly for months.  One day, she brought a kitten with her. It was clear that she had these kittens very nearby.  Six days later, the kitten came into our yard and I grabbed it.  I estimate that it was about 3 weeks old at the time.

For the first week or so we had to bottle feed the kitten, but then she transitioned to wet food.  The kitten is black except for a white spot under her chin.  We named her Smokey.  It's hard to get pictures of her because she won't stay still, but here are a few:

 

 

There is more to the story.  Our big question was, are there any more kittens?  It turns out the answer is yes, there is apparently one more kitten.   So far, we have been unable to capture the other kitten (or the mother, who we would not want to capture until we got all the kittens).  The mother is still coming into our yard, so the story isn't over yet.  

But for now, Smokey is an extremely friendly and active kitten, although she is all claws and teeth.  More to come.

Details about Pretty Good Solitaire Mini v1.1's Development

My programmer for Pretty Good Solitaire Mini has done a long blog post about all the trials and issues involved in the v1.1 update:https://t.co/RL5op7t9zk#gamedev #indiedev
short version: Apple sucks for indie developers

— Thomas Warfield (@goodsolitaire) January 13, 2022

New Pretty Good Solitaire Mini for iPhone v1.1 with 800 Games

A new version of Pretty Good Solitaire Mini for iPhone is now available.  Version 1.1 contains 80 new games, bringing the total number of games to 800.  These are the same 800 games that are in the iPad version and the Mac version.

Pretty Good Solitaire Mini is on the AppStore on an iPhone, or see https://www.goodsol.com/iphone .

 

New Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows v21.0 with 1050 Games

After a long delay, a new version of Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is now available!

Version 21.0 is available for download from Goodsol.com/download.html

Version 21.0 contains 10 new games:

The 10 New Games

Buffett - a very difficult variation of Minerva.

Camel Spider - a Spider type game with a tableau like Thieves of Egypt.

Gray Tabby - a one deck version of Lady Jane.

Klonfield - a Klondike and Canfield mixture similar to Cerulean..

Magnus - a three deck version of Carlton.

Seven by Two - a FreeCell variation with seven tableau piles and two cells.

Six by Three - a FreeCell variation with six tableau piles and three cells.

Sixty Knights - a variation of the Forty Thieves game Rank and File.

Ten by Four - a FreeCell variation with ten tableau piles and four cells.

Triskaide - a FreeCell variation with 13 tableau piles and one cell.

New Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad v1.7 with 800 Games

A new version of Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad is now available!

Version 1.7 adds 50 new games, bringing the total number of games to 800. The new games are exactly the same games that were added to the Mac Edition recently, see the most recent newsletter for the list

If you have purchased the iPad version, you can go to the AppStore to update it.

For more information and links to the game on the AppStore, see https://www.goodsol.com/ipad

Goodsol Newsletter #398 - Cruel Solitaire

Goodsol Newsletter #398 Cruel Solitaire This newsletter looks at the game Cruel. Also, new versions of Pretty Good Solitaire for both Mac and Windows are coming soon. The Mac game is in testing and the Windows game will soon be in testing. Note for Australian users: It seems we can not ship CDs to Australia right now. Therefore, if you buy any of our games, the CD option will show a price of zero. This is because we were unable to find a way to get the option deleted entirely for Australia. It just means that if you are in Australia and select the CD option while ordering, the shipping fee will not be added to the order and no CD will be shipped, since we can't send one there. You can of course still order the game and download it, since downloading is still allowed in Australia. This will continue until such time that we are able to ship to Australia again (and who knows when that will be). - - Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows - Goodsol.com/download Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is currently at version 20.1 with 1040 games and Daily Quests. If you haven't downloaded the new version yet, give it a try! Download Now!   Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition - Goodsol.com/mac Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition is currently at version 3.56 with 750 games. If you have the full version installed, just go to the Internet menu, select Download Latest Version to update.   Our iPad Games - Goodsol.com/iPad Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad recently updated to version 1.61 with 750 games.   Pretty Good Solitaire Mini - Goodsol.com/iPhone Pretty Good Solitaire for iPhone is currently at version 1.0 with 720 games.   Pretty Good MahJongg - Goodsol.com/pgmj Our companion game to Pretty Good Solitaire is Pretty Good MahJongg, solitaire with MahJongg tiles. Pretty Good MahJongg for Windows and Mac currently have 410 games and layouts.   Lost Codes - Lost Code Lookup If you lost your registration code or you need it to install on a new computer, request your code again from our site at: https://www.goodsol.com/regusers.html.   Featured Game - Cruel Cruel is an entertaining 1 deck game with twelve piles in the tableau. Four cards are dealt to each pile at the beginning of the game and the four aces are placed as bases for the foundations. Only the top card of each tableau pile is visible or available for play. The twelve piles are built down by suit. The object is to move all the cards to the foundations. To do this, you have to build on the twelve piles to free up cards for the foundations. When you get stuck, you can redeal to the twelve piles. You can redeal as many times as you like, but there's a catch. Cruel's redeal is not a reshuffling of the cards. All the cards in the twelve piles are picked up and redealt essentially in order, so that if you do not make any changes to the twelve piles between redeals, the order of the cards will not change. This is what makes the game cruel. Just when you think you are making progress and are going to win, you run out of moves and do a redeal and the cards come out with no moves to made. When that happens, you are out of luck. An average player can win Cruel about 20% of the time. A good player can win 50% or more, however. The key is to take steps to avoid a loss by having a redeal come up with no possible moves. Remember that you don't have to play a card to the foundations even if you can. Sometimes you may want to hold cards back from the foundations, so that you can make moves in the tableau and avoid getting caught with no moves to make in the tableau, which loses the game. Cruel is one of the 1040 games in Pretty Good Solitaire (for Windows), one of the 750 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition and Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad, and one of the 720 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mini for iPhone. For more featured games, see the Solitaire Guide. -- Contact Us - Goodsol.com/contact.html Lost Code - Goodsol.com/regusers.html -- Thomas Warfield - Software Designer - [email protected] Anne Warfield - Order Fulfillment - [email protected] ©2021 Goodsol Development Inc. PO Box 9155, Springfield IL  62791 Pretty Good Solitaire, Pretty Good MahJongg, and more.  Visit us at Goodsol.com. List Archive:  View past newsletters.

New Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition v3.6 with 800 Games

A new version of Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition is now available!

This new version adds 50 new games, bringing the total to 800. Among the 50 new games are Agnes Four, Agnes Two, Corona Rush, Indian Thirteen, Pumpkin, Quadruple FreeCell, Triple Australian, Triple Golf, and many more.

The trial version can be downloaded from Goodsol.com/mac

If you have previously ordered, you can download the new version by going to the Internet menu at the top of the screen, select "Download Latest Version". If you purchased from the Mac App Store, this version will be updated in the store soon.

Goodsol Newsletter #397 - La Belle Lucie Solitaire

Goodsol Newsletter #397 La Belle Lucie Solitaire This newsletter looks at the classic game La Belle Lucie and its close variant, Three Shuffles and a Draw. I'm back to working on the next Windows update of Pretty Good Solitaire. I was further along when everything happened than I remembered, so it is moving along well. - - Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows - Goodsol.com/download Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is currently at version 20.1 with 1040 games and Daily Quests. If you haven't downloaded the new version yet, give it a try! Download Now!   Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition - Goodsol.com/mac Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition is currently at version 3.56 with 750 games. If you have the full version installed, just go to the Internet menu, select Download Latest Version to update.   Our iPad Games - Goodsol.com/iPad Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad recently updated to version 1.61 with 750 games.   Pretty Good Solitaire Mini - Goodsol.com/iPhone Pretty Good Solitaire for iPhone is currently at version 1.0 with 720 games.   Pretty Good MahJongg - Goodsol.com/pgmj Our companion game to Pretty Good Solitaire is Pretty Good MahJongg, solitaire with MahJongg tiles. Pretty Good MahJongg for Windows and Mac currently have 410 games and layouts.   Lost Codes - Lost Code Lookup If you lost your registration code or you need it to install on a new computer, request your code again from our site at: https://www.goodsol.com/regusers.html.   Featured Game - La Belle Lucie La Belle Lucie is an old, classic game of solitaire. It is also known under many other names, including Fair Lucy and Midnight Oil. It is the most popular of the fan type games, where cards are dealt out in small groups of usually three cards. At the start of La Belle Lucie, the single deck of cards is dealt out in 17 packets (or fans) of three cards each (except for the last fan, which will have only one card). These fans constitute the tableau. The top card of each fan is available and all the cards are face up so that they can be seen. As Aces become available, they are moved to the four foundation piles, which are built up in suit from the Aces to Kings. The game is won when all the cards are moved here. Within the tableau, cards are built in descending sequence by suit. No card may be played to an empty fan. You must be very careful not to block yourself when moving cards about the fans. It is very easy to block play by moving a card onto a fan where a lower card of the same suit is already buried. When all available moves have been played, all the cards in the fans are taken up, shuffled, and then redealt again in fans of three cards. There are two such shuffles allowed, resulting in three deals in all. Some sources allow a grace during the last deal. This grace permits one buried card in one fan to be moved to the top of its fan during the last deal. This variant is often called "Three Shuffles and a Draw" rather than La Belle Lucie. The two main 20th century solitaire book sources disagree about whether this draw is allowed in La Belle Lucie. Albert H. Morehead & Geoffrey Mott-Smith allow the draw (on the last deal only) in their 1949 book "The Complete Book of Solitaire & Patience Games". David Parlett does not allow a draw at all in his comprehensive "The Penguin Book of Patience." This disagreement in the rules in La Belle Lucie goes way back. William B. Dick, in his 1883 solitaire book, allowed the draw. Mary Whitmore Jones did also in her solitaire book from the 1890s. But Lady Cadogan in her "Illustrated Book of Patience" from 1870 does not. So the best solution is probably to just consider the draw another (very similar) game. Without the draw, an average player can win La Belle Lucie about 40% of the time, but there is wide latitude for skill, and actual scores can be much better (or worse) than this. Using the draw, an average player can win about 60% of the time. La Belle Lucie is one of the 1040 games in Pretty Good Solitaire (for Windows), one of the 750 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition and Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad, and one of the 720 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mini for iPhone. For more featured games, see the Solitaire Guide. -- Contact Us - Goodsol.com/contact.html Lost Code - Goodsol.com/regusers.html -- Thomas Warfield - Software Designer - [email protected] Anne Warfield - Order Fulfillment - [email protected] ©2021 Goodsol Development Inc. PO Box 9155, Springfield IL  62791 Pretty Good Solitaire, Pretty Good MahJongg, and more.  Visit us at Goodsol.com. List Archive:  View past newsletters.

Goodsol Newsletter #396 - Fifteen Puzzle Solitaire

Goodsol Newsletter #396 Fifteen Puzzle Solitaire This newsletter looks at a classic game that I invented called Fifteen Puzzle. I have started tweeting again - you can follow me on Twitter @goodsolitaire. - - Pretty Good MahJongg - Goodsol.com/pgmj Our companion game to Pretty Good Solitaire is Pretty Good MahJongg, solitaire with MahJongg tiles. Pretty Good MahJongg for Windows and Mac currently have 410 games and layouts.   Lost Codes - Lost Code Lookup If you lost your registration code or you need it to install on a new computer, request your code again from our site at: https://www.goodsol.com/regusers.html.   Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows - Goodsol.com/download Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is currently at version 20.1 with 1040 games and Daily Quests. If you haven't downloaded the new version yet, give it a try! Download Now!   Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition - Goodsol.com/mac Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition is currently at version 3.56 with 750 games. If you have the full version installed, just go to the Internet menu, select Download Latest Version to update.   Our iPad Games - Goodsol.com/iPad Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad recently updated to version 1.61 with 750 games.   Pretty Good Solitaire Mini - Goodsol.com/iPhone Pretty Good Solitaire for iPhone is currently at version 1.0 with 720 games.   Featured Game - Fifteen Puzzle Fifteen Puzzle is a one deck game that is rather different from the usual solitaire game. I created the game back in late 1996 for Pretty Good Solitaire. The game is based on a small plastic game consisting of numbers of 1 to 15 that slid around a 4x4 square. The numbers would be all jumbled up and the object was to put them in order. Fifteen Puzzle is solitaire card game on the same concept, with cards of the same rank sliding around 15 piles. It begins by dealing four cards each to 13 tableau piles. All of the cards are face up, making Fifteen Puzzle an open game. There are two additional tableau piles that start the game empty. Cards may be played on other cards of the same rank. For example, Jacks can be played on Jacks. But there is a limit of only four cards in any one tableau pile. The object is to get all four cards on each rank into the same piles, so that you have 13 piles of four cards of the same rank. When you do that, the game is won. Like most open games, Fifteen Puzzle is a challenging game. It can be won most of the time, although it is not known if all games are winnable. An average player wins 70% of the time, but good players can win nearly every time. I also created a number of other games using these rank piles, mixed with standard play, such as Klondike Puzzle, Yukon Puzzle, and Interchange Puzzle. Fifteen Puzzle is one of the 1040 games in Pretty Good Solitaire (for Windows), one of the 750 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition and Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad, and one of the 720 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mini for iPhone. For more featured games, see the Solitaire Guide. -- Contact Us - Goodsol.com/contact.html Lost Code - Goodsol.com/regusers.html -- Thomas Warfield - Software Designer - [email protected] Anne Warfield - Order Fulfillment - [email protected] ©2021 Goodsol Development Inc. PO Box 9155, Springfield IL  62791 Pretty Good Solitaire, Pretty Good MahJongg, and more.  Visit us at Goodsol.com. List Archive:  View past newsletters.

Goodsol Newsletter #395 - Aces Up Solitaire

Goodsol Newsletter #395 Aces Up Solitaire In this newsletter we have the first new version of game in awhile, Goodsol Solitaire 101. We will also be updating our other small games, Most Popular Solitaire and FreeCell Plus, and of course both the Windows and Mac Pretty Good Solitaire will also be updating as well. Everything was delayed a few months because of health events, but these new versions are starting to come out now. - - Goodsol Solitaire 101 New Version - Goodsol.com/101 A new version of Goodsol Solitaire 101 is now available for both Windows and Mac. Goodsol Solitaire 101 is a collection of 101 of the most classic solitaire games. It is smaller than Pretty Good Solitaire, intended for those who just want the most played games. The new Windows version is version 2.4 and contains bug fixes and improvements for Windows 10 (and the upcoming Windows 11). The new Mac version is version 3.2 and contains bug fixes and improvements for macOS, including the latest Big Sur. Both versions can be downloaded from Goodsol.com/101 or from within a previous version of the game by going to the internet menu, select "Download Latest Version". The iPad version of Goodsol Solitaire 101 will be updating soon.   Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows - Goodsol.com/download Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is currently at version 20.1 with 1040 games and Daily Quests. If you haven't downloaded the new version yet, give it a try! Download Now!   Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition - Goodsol.com/mac Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition is currently at version 3.56 with 750 games. If you have the full version installed, just go to the Internet menu, select Download Latest Version to update.   Our iPad Games - Goodsol.com/iPad Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad recently updated to version 1.61 with 750 games.   Pretty Good Solitaire Mini - Goodsol.com/iPhone Pretty Good Solitaire for iPhone is currently at version 1.0 with 720 games.   Pretty Good MahJongg - Goodsol.com/pgmj Our companion game to Pretty Good Solitaire is Pretty Good MahJongg, solitaire with MahJongg tiles. Pretty Good MahJongg for Windows and Mac are currently have 410 games and layouts.   Lost Codes - Lost Code Lookup If you lost your registration code or you need it to install on a new computer, request your code again from our site at: https://www.goodsol.com/regusers.html.   Featured Game - Aces Up Aces Up is a simple but fun and popular solitaire game. At the start of the game, four cards are dealt in a row. Any card that is of lower rank and the same suit of another top card can be removed from play. Aces are considered to be of the highest rank. For example, if among the first four cards dealt there are a Two of Hearts and a Nine of Hearts, the Two of Hearts can simply be removed from play as it is of the same suit as the Nine of Hearts but is of lower rank. When all possible cards are removed, deal four more cards on top of the four piles. If one of the four piles should become empty, you can move any top card from any of the other piles into the empty space to create more possible plays. The object is to remove all of the cards except for the Aces. Aces Up is an easy game to play, but it is not easy to win. As you can see from the Aces Up statistics, the average player wins only about 4% of the time. A good player can increase this rate. The primary area of choices in Aces Up is deciding what card to play into an empty space. It is best to try to find a card that will allow you to remove many other cards. Note that the only way to get at cards beneath an Ace is to move the Ace to an empty pile. Aces Up is one of the 1040 games in Pretty Good Solitaire (for Windows), one of the 750 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition and Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad, and one of the 720 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mini for iPhone. For more featured games, see the Solitaire Guide. -- Contact Us - Goodsol.com/contact.html Lost Code - Goodsol.com/regusers.html -- Thomas Warfield - Software Designer - [email protected] Anne Warfield - Order Fulfillment - [email protected] ©2021 Goodsol Development Inc. PO Box 9155, Springfield IL  62791 Pretty Good Solitaire, Pretty Good MahJongg, and more.  Visit us at Goodsol.com. List Archive:  View past newsletters.

Goodsol Newsletter #394 - Family Plot Solitaire

Goodsol Newsletter #394 Family Plot Solitaire I hope everyone is doing well in these troubled times, especially down in Australia where from what I have heard things are really difficult. I am recovering from my open heart surgery very well. In this newsletter we continue the reruns of classic games with an original game from Pretty Good Solitaire, Family Plot. It is an easier variation of the very difficult game The Plot. - - Pretty Good MahJongg - Goodsol.com/pgmj Our companion game to Pretty Good Solitaire is Pretty Good MahJongg, solitaire with MahJongg tiles. Pretty Good MahJongg for Windows and Mac are currently have 410 games and layouts.   Lost Codes - Lost Code Lookup If you lost your registration code or you need it to install on a new computer, request your code again from our site at: https://www.goodsol.com/regusers.html.   Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows - Goodsol.com/download Pretty Good Solitaire for Windows is currently at version 20.1 with 1040 games and Daily Quests. If you haven't downloaded the new version yet, give it a try! Download Now!   Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition - Goodsol.com/mac Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition is currently at version 3.56 with 750 games. If you have the full version installed, just go to the Internet menu, select Download Latest Version to update.   Our iPad Games - Goodsol.com/iPad Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad recently updated to version 1.61 with 750 games.   Pretty Good Solitaire Mini - Goodsol.com/iPhone Pretty Good Solitaire for iPhone is currently at version 1.0 with 720 games.   Featured Game - Family Plot Family Plot is a two deck game, a variation of the game The Plot. The Plot is an extremely difficult game, Family Plot has easier rules that make it possible to win a reasonable percentage of the time. At the start of the game, one card each is dealt to 12 tableau piles. 13 cards are dealt to a reserve pile. One card is dealt to the first foundation pile to be the foundation base card. The remainder of the cards form a stock. The object of the game is to move all the cards to the eight foundation piles. At first, though, you can only build on the first foundation pile. You have to build all 13 cards up in suit on the first foundation pile before you can play any cards to the other seven piles. In the tableau, building is down by suit, wrapping from Ace to King if necessary. However, until the first foundation pile is completed, any card that is of the same rank as the first card dealt to the first foundation (the foundation base card) is a dead card - it cannot be played on nor can it be played on another card. For example, in game #1, the first card dealt to the first foundation is a Four of Hearts. In the tableau, you cannot build on any Four or build a Four on any Five until the first foundation pile is completed. Cards from the reserve may be played on any non-empty tableau pile or to the foundations. Play consists of dealing through the stock one card at a time. There is one redeal. At the beginning of the game, it is important to complete the first foundation pile as quickly as possible. Therefore it is best to try to get as many cards of the same suit as the first foundation card in the tableau as you can. In game #1, build as many Hearts as possible in the tableau. Since there are two times through the deck, ignore cards of other suits unless they can be played on other cards in the deck. Reserve spaces for Hearts. Also, try to always keep at least one space in the tableau. Spaces can be used to build at the top of a sequence. For example, if the top card of a pile is the Jack of Diamonds, if the Queen of Diamonds comes up, play it to an empty space then move the pile with the Jack of Diamonds to it. You can only do this as long as you keep a space available. Once the first foundation pile is complete, you can then start playing to build the cards of the other suits. An average player wins Family Plot 50% of the time. Good players can win nearly every time. Family Plot is one of the 1040 games in Pretty Good Solitaire (for Windows), one of the 750 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mac Edition and Pretty Good Solitaire for iPad, and one of the 720 games in Pretty Good Solitaire Mini for iPhone. For more featured games, see the Solitaire Guide. -- Contact Us - Goodsol.com/contact.html Lost Code - Goodsol.com/regusers.html -- Thomas Warfield - Software Designer - [email protected] Anne Warfield - Order Fulfillment - [email protected] ©2021 Goodsol Development Inc. PO Box 9155, Springfield IL  62791 Pretty Good Solitaire, Pretty Good MahJongg, and more.  Visit us at Goodsol.com. List Archive:  View past newsletters.