The application supports two types of tweaks: rule variations and cheats. Both tweak types are game specific: they are set up for each new session and remain unchanged until it is complete. In a network game all players share same set of tweaks, set up by the game starting device.
For easy reference (e.g. in saved game details) each tweak has a two-letter code specified in square brackets [ ].
Since there are no official rules of the game, several flavours of the game exist. Some of implemented variations are influenced by that diversity, while the others are borrowed from similar games.
A short session consists of 4 games per player with three penalty games, selected randomly, and one award game. This results in 12 games, i.e. half of the games played in a full session.
For those who prefer a pleasant relaxed game not burdened by score and game statistics. The score chart in this case contains only the pool area.
If enabled, Kings in additions to Jacks are treated as penalty cards in No Boys game. Since the amount of penalty cards is doubled, the unit score is halved to 5 points.
To avoid confusion the application uses names No Boys and No Girls if both Jacks and Kings are penalty cards, leaving terms No Jacks and No Queens for the standard case.
Disallows assigning a trump to a misère game.
Before adding to the contactor's hand, content of the kitty is shown to all players. (Similar to Préférence game.) Even though a card may be later discarded, you know that the contractor is the only player who may have the card.
Applies to No Hearts game where it allows leading with a heart in presence of other suits, as soon as a heart appears in a trick. (Similar to Hearts game.) The application displays Broken Heart icon to let you know about that.
To make the thing worse the Broken Heart rule also applies to No King game, in which case any heart (not only King of Hearts) may not be discarded at Exchange stage. Whereas under standard rules having K♥ provides safety against taking it, this card may become extremely vulnerable, if BH rule is in action.
Disallows leading with a trump if non-trumps are present, until a trump card appears in a trick. (Similar to Spades game.) The application displays Broken Trump icon to let you know when leading with trump is possible.
Given that in overwhelming majority of outcomes the breaking trump appears as the winner of a non-trump leaded trick, it makes really difficult (though not completely impossible) for the contractor to win all tricks in an Award game.
A player void of leading suit is allowed to renounce any card even in the presence of trumps. (Similar to Bridge game.) Adds flexibility to Award game.
The cheats have been designed for the convenience of human player. Computer players have no access to those, with the exception of Active Cards (AC) list, used by Smart and occasionally by Average player.
Play Face UP is an obvious fraud. All other cheats are so subtle that have no effect on game statistics.
Play game with open cards. This facility is designed for testing and demonstration. It can be used to understand the logic of computer player. Games with enabled FU are disregarded for statistics and High Score tables.
By default a computer hand has no suit separation, while a card always seems to come from the middle of the hand. If RP is enabled, the suits are separated, and you can see from which place the card is discarded or played.
This option adds realism to the game. It is assumed when Play Face Up is set.
Displays the list of cards, still held by other players, arranged by suits. Note, that unless you are the contractor, the discarded cards are listed as active, being in fact out of play.
Enabling this options also turns on indication when a player shows an evidence of being void of suit (failed to follow suit, failed to play trump when Renounce with trumps was off, lead with a heart/trump before heart/trump was broken).
It isn't really a cheat, since, instead of using this feature, you could just keep track on paper :) The application only offers a handiness by doing that for you.
Play stops as soon as the application figures out that current trick leader cannot avoid taking all remaining tricks.
To make this decision the application in particular checks the content of discarded cards, unavailable to a non-contractor otherwise. If the 'takes all' message does not appear, when you expect it, this may indicate that a particular card, assumed to be discarded, is really in play. Such a cheat seems so negligible, that this option is enabled by default as a convenient feature for saving your time.
As opposed to tweaks, the settings can be changed at any time in the game by selecting Settings from the game menu (See Control section on Play page).
When disabled, there is no animation while bringing up a page or returning from it.
If there is only one card allowed to play, the application will play the card for you.
Saves game before every new deal, so if the application happens to crash, you lose no more than the last deal. Note that the game is saved before the deck is shuffled, therefore the card order in the restored game will be different from the original order.
Specifies hand sorting order within a suit. Auto indicates decreasing order for misère and increasing order for other games.
Helps to avoid an accidental discard of a valuable card at Exchange.
Mode Trump enables confirmation on discarding a trump card.
Modes Normal and Picky, in addition, require to confirm discarding an Ace in an award non-misère game or a Seven in a misère or a penalty game. As opposed to Picky, Normal mode suppresses confirmation for the only card in a suit in a game involving penalty cards
Selects the appearance of court (face) cards. 4-colour option gives English deck where four different colours are used for the suits.
Selects an image for reverse side of the cards.
Show a colour bar above the cards helping to separate suits from each others.
If enabled, the application uses colour specified in macOS System Preferences (highlight colour with macOS 10.13, accent colour with macOS 10.14+) for tinting page background and User Interface elements.
Specifies colour used for tinting background in case System colour for the background is disabled.
Specifies colour used for tinting background and User Interface elements.
Selects background pattern or Plain for colouring without texture.
Sets animation speed or turns off animation.
Animate dealing refers to dealing stage. If you are dealing in a network game, other devices try to adapt to your speed. To temporary disable animation, tap outside the middle screen area.
Animate play refers to all other stages.
Value of Pauses in tricks affects the duration of pauses between moves in a trick, as well as after a trick.
Value of Other pauses refers to pauses in other situations, like taking kitty, 'takes all' and after each game in a session. An after game pause can be interrupted by tapping the screen outside its middle area.
The volume of sounds effects from 0 (off) to 100 (maximum).
Speak up the game type after is has been selected.
If enabled, the application 'whoops' occasionally after opening kitty. The exclamations refer only to the added cards, having no relation to the cards dealt.
Enable sound effects and music even when ringer is disabled with mute switch of the device.
Grants access to user's music file to play them in the background. This permission can also be granted or revoked using system setting Privacy - Media & Apple Music - King Solo Pre 9.3 releases of iOS do no require such a permission, otherwise, if permission is not granted, the following items don't appear.
The scope of background music:
App. Music is played throughout the whole application (except Game Menu, used for muting). If Shuffle music is enabled, the play list is shuffled when the application starts.
Game. Music sounds only while playing game. If Shuffle music is enabled, the list is re-shuffled whenever a game session is started or resumed.
Off. Disables music and hides the following items.
The volume of background music in the range 1 to 100. As opposed to device volume keys system volume control, this sets up music volume exclusively for the application.
Shows an additional page to select album(-s), artist(-s) or play list(-s) to playback in the background. Play lists created automatically by iTunes are referred as smart playlists.
If enabled, the music tracks are played in random order, otherwise the default order is used.
If enabled (assumed by default), the application displays each music title before starting playback.