Welcome to RS Games Go Fish, an accessible, online, multiplayer version of the card game Go Fish. RS Games Go Fish utilizes the RS Games client, which allows players to play against each other from around the world via the centralized RS Games server.
To get started, you will need the RS Games client installed. TO get the RS Games client if you don't have it already, go to http://www.rsgames.org. connecting and logging into the server are covered in the RS Games client documentation. Alternatively, you can use the web client, from which you can play by using your web browser. The web client can be found in the "Quick Links" section on the RS Games home page.
This document assumes you have read the RS Games client documentation first, for general concepts and instructions on using the client. If you have not read this document, please read it before continuing.
If you are using the web client, options referred to as keyboard commands in this document will appear as buttons on the web page.
Once you are connected, choose Go Fish from the list of games, and you will be presented with the main menu. From there, you can create a new game, join a game, or see a list of existing games. Choose an option using the up and down arrow keys and the enter key, or by clicking on the option if you are using the web client.
If you choose to create a new game, you will be asked if you want to make the game private. If you choose yes, you can set a password, and only those who know the password will be able to join.
After you have made your choices, you will be placed in your game. Here, players will be able to join your game.
Bots are computer players who will play against you if there are no other humans around to play with, or if you want to add more players to your game. If you are the creator of the game, you can press B to add a bot, or R to remove a bot.
Once you are ready to start the game, press the Enter key.
To join a game, choose the Join Game option from the main menu. You will be presented with a list of games that are open for players, along with the people playing in each game. Choose a game from the list, and press enter. If the game is private, you will then be asked to enter the password. Once you are in the game, you must wait for the game master to start the game.
The goal of the game is to collect all four cards of each rank E.G. four threes, four queens, etc. You do this by asking for cards from other players or drawing from the draw pile.
When the game starts, each player is dealt a number of cards dependent on the number of players. The remainder of the cards are placed in a draw pile.
When it's your turn, look at the cards in your hand, then use the menus to ask another player for a card you need. If they have it, they are required to pass it to you. If not, they say, "Go fish," and you draw a card from the draw pile.
If you received the card you asked for, either by getting it from another player or drawing from the pile, you get to take another turn. Otherwise, play passes to the next player.
If at any time you receive or draw a card which causes you to have all four cards of a certain rank in your hand, those cards form what is called a book. This book of four cards is then set aside, and those cards are no longer in play.
The game ends when the draw pile runs out of cards, whether or not all thirteen books (aces, twos, threes, fours, fives, sixes, sevens, eights, nines, tens, jacks, queens, kings) have been formed. The person who completed the most books wins.
There are several keyboard commands that can be used to get information about your current game. You can always press Ctrl+H to get a quick reminder of these keystrokes.
You can chat with other players at any point during game play by pressing the F2 key, typing your message into the input box and pressing enter. You can also chat at the main menu to other players who are not currently in a game, also by pressing F2.
To change the volume of the background music during the game, use F3 to lower the volume and F4 to raise the volume. You can also adjust the volume of the sound effects with F5 and F6 to lower or raise the volume, respectively.
You can opt to receive a transcript of your game, that is, an email containing the entire text of your game. When you leave a game, you will be asked if you would like to receive a transcript. If you would, choose Yes, and the transcript will be sent to the email address you used when creating your RS Games account. You can also press F11 during the game, rather than wait until you leave the game to decide.
Thanks to the following people for helping to create Go Fish:
If you have any problems using any of the games released by RS Games, or have a question, bug report, suggestion, feature request, or anything else, feel free to contact RS Games by sending an email to rsgames@gmail.com.