JigPlay
JigPlay Icon
Version 0.5
Oct 2010
François Pessaux

Table of contents

What is it ?

Jigplay is a simple jigsaw game allowing to create and play custom jigsaws from JPG or PNG image files.

Not surprisingly, jigsaws are the well-known game in which a picture is scattered into multiple parts randomly spreat on a board and that you must connect in order to recover the original picture.

Status of JigPlay

JigPlay is free software, provided with no charge ... and no warranties ;)
This means that you do not have anything to pay to use it.
This also means that I won't be responsible in any case of whatever happens if you use it. I also have no obligation to change, fix, upgrade or whatever JigPlay. This program is gracefully provided to who wants and need it, in any case I remain the author, with the right to do whatever I want with it and its source code.

Once it will reach a stable state, sources will be released to provide support and example for people wishing to develop on the machine. Source code liense doesn't follow a particular licence, instead here are the rules to apply when using this source code. The source code can be freely distributed, it can be used as inspiration but if you intend to extend JigPlay reusing entire parts of the source code, then you will have to make your program also free as well as its source code. In other words, you can borrow some parts but if you borrow all, then make your software and its code as free as JigPlay.

How to play ?

JigPlay is completely finger-driven, providing modal dialogs for actions other than pieces movements. Pieces are selected by clicking on them on the play-field with a finger then dragging them holding the finger down while moving it.
Scrolling around the play-field is done the same way but touching the screen at a location without piece.
Important note: Currently, in order to "activate" the scrolling mode, the screen must be touched on a blank area once to switch from piece dragging to scrolling. Then, pressing and dragging the screen on a blank area really scrolls. This is currently a technical issue I didn't get rid of... Hence, the process looks like, tapping a first time on a blank area of the play-field, then tapping and holding down while dragging to move around the play-field.

Running Game Screenshot

Starting a new game

To start a new game from the introduction screen, select the "New Game" button. A dialog then pops allowing to specify the picture file to use and the number of pieces it must be scattered in and optionnally a scale factor to apply to the image.

New Game Settings Dialog

Selecting the image to map on the jigsaw is simply done via the "Select Image" button. Supported image formats are JPG and PNG.

Pictures are not limited in size. However, if the selected image is larger than the screen, the play-field will scroll in order to access the whole image. Note that the size of the play-field is always larger than the image in order to leave room enough to move pieces around and leave the central part of the play-field available for the image reconstruction. It is however possible to resize an image to make it fitting a desired dimension. To do so, check the "Resize Picture" button and move the slider to select the desired width and height for the image. Image can only be shrunk, not enlarged, by a factor ranging between 0.2 and 1 time the original size (i.e. between 20% to 100% of the image size).

The number of pieces can be selected among a popup displaying the suggested dimensions. These dimensions are computed to that, according to the image size (possibly scaled) pieces are pretty square and not smaller that a certain dimension (currently 30 pixels). Enforcing quasi-square pieces makes a better visual rendering of them. Modifying the size of the picture (either by scaling it or changing the picture) will result in different suggested resolution because the need to get square pieces divides the image width and height differently. When a suggested dimension is selected, the average piece size is displayed as information.

Saving a game

This is currently not supported on iPhone. Sorry, this will come later ;).

Loading a saved game

This is currently not supported on iPhone. Sorry, this will come later ;).

Leaving the current game

It is possible to quit the current jigsaw selecting the "Actions" button in the upper part of the game window, then the "Quit Game" entry.
Important note: In the current version, no confirmation is asked and the game is not yet saved. Hence, leaving the current game sends back to the introduction screen without any way to resume it.
Future versions of JigPlay will overcome these limitations ;).

Arranging pieces

Initially, pieces are sprout randomly on the play-field. The "Actions" button in the upper part of the game window display several entries, among those "Arrange Pieces on Borders" sends the pieces all around the corners of the play-field, hence leaving its central area free for image reconstruction.

     Pices after Arrangement

Changing the background color

Depending on the picture background or most represented color tones, the background of the play-field can be changed to contrast better with the pieces by selecting the "Action button", then the item "Change Background Color". A window pops-up allowing to select the color to use for painting the play-field background. Simply select a color by dragging your finger on the colors and selecting the "OK" button.

Change Background Dialog   

Showing the ghost image in background on the play-field

A handy help while solving the jigsaw is getting the image to rebuild displayed semi-transparently in the background of the play-field. By selecting the "Actions" button, then the menu item "Toggle Picture Hint", it is possible to show / display this ghost image centered in the middle of the play-field. It is then possible to place pieces above this model, begin helped by the background. This entry is a toggle, i.e. invoking it several times makes the hint displayed then hidden, then displayed again and so on.

     Play-field with Image Hint in Background

Showing the border pieces

Usually people prefer to start assembling the borders of the jigsaw. Using the menu item "Game > Toggle Borders Hint" it is possible to fade all pieces but those forming the borders. Hence, these latter get more visible and easier to locate. Invoking this menu again restores the others pieces visibility.

Ideas for the future...

Currently JigPlay is at an early development stage. More features are planned, among which:

History

TODO

How to reach me ?

For any suggestion, comment, bug report, feel free ton contact me by email at:
francois_pessaux<HAT>yahoo.fr   (replace <HAT> by @)
and / or consult my Web page at:
http://francois.pessaux.perso.sfr.fr/