To keep our first attempt at Numero as simple as possible, we started with the solitaire version. This only allows 'takes' but not the two additional moves used in all other forms of the game ('builds' and 'discards'). The pack is limited to just the four sets of cards numbered from one to fifteen (with the option of using an even more limited set suitable for very young children) and the scoring is very simple. If the limited description of the rules is insufficient, you can check out the Numero website.
Having completed a working solitaire game, we modified it to fix a few minor problems, rearranged the display and made internal changes in preparation for including 'build' and 'discard' moves, while keeping it working as a solitaire Numero game. We also removed the 'finished' button so that multiple 'takes' must now be done as one move. Be aware that this version still has some bugs!
Now we have a two-handed version where you can play against the computer. 'Takes' and 'discards' are implemented but not 'builds'. Images are now preloaded which will lead to an initial delay over the internet, but to much smoother play. Cards are still limited to the basic four by fifteen set but button behaviour, scoring and other minor features have been improved.
We have finally produced a complete two-handed version of basic Numero (that is, with all three types of moves and simple scoring, but not including wild cards). If the game is being played by young children and the computer plays too well, get it to not try so hard by adding '?s=2' (without the quotes) to the end of the URL.
Numero is a card game which may be played at many different levels, depending on the age and ability of those playing. It is suitable for all ages from children starting out in school to adults. It not only develops basic mathematical skills, but also involvess problem-solving and gaming strategies.
Numero was invented by Western Australian Frank Drysdale and the rights to the game are held by the Alzheimer's Association of Western Australia, a charity which receives royalties from its sale. Detailed information and the complete rules of the game are available from the official Numero website. The game itself, which consists of a pack of approximately 90 cards, and additional material to support its use in an educational environment, is available from Prim_Ed Publishing. The web-based versions of the game which you will find here are made available with the permission of Prim_Ed, but may not be copied without their authorisation.
We were asked if we could create a web-based version of Numero. This turned out to be quite a challenge, given the limited options available at the time for graphic manipulation using standard HTML and Javascript. We prefered to code conservatively so that those with older computers could still play the game successfully. So most of the Javascript code is version 1.1 compatable and our HTML should be acceptable to any browser supporting version 3 or better.
This is an on-going project, so the versions of the game presented here represent different developmental stages rather than completed examples of a defined level of Numero, so their behavior should not be relied on as conforming exactly to the official rules and scoring. The first two versions will suffer from delays in displaying cards during play while the subsequent ones avoid this problem at the expense of taking a long time to load (while the images are pre-loading).
Since the above was written in 2007, browser support for the DOM and CSS has improved markedly. As of version 9 of Internet Explorer, Microsoft has belatedly embraced web standards, but too late to save them from the onslaught of Google's Chrome. Anyway, if we were writing Numero now we would use more modern HTML and Javascript, which would make the process a bit easier, and with HTML5 and the graphics support it provides we could probably improve the animation considerably.
