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May Lesson: Snitch (optional) By now, you should have learned the art of Quaffle. However, in this lesson you will learn something different. This game is more along the line of strategy, quick thinking, planning and outsmarting your opponents. The goal of the Snitch game is to: The goal of the game may seem simple and easy to play, but it's not as simple as what was mentioned above. Why you may ask? It's because you have to navigate a 13 by 13 squares (169 Squares in total) in order to find the clue location and in the end the snitch location (Once the puzzle is solved too). Before we get into the game playing strategy and how it works, let's all take a look at the Snitch Grid, (be mindful that it always changes in every game). 
Now as you see there are some pretty colours all over the grid but you may wonder what each represent in terms of looking at the Snitch Referee Bot. Lets go through them now and learn all about them. Grey/Silver Squares: These squares are called the "Empty Squares". They generally don't serve any purposes in the game, but can easily make you think it is a clue location square. Blue Squares: These squares are the "Trivia Squares". Trivia squares
are available to you in order to earn trivia points by answering correctly.
After you have received 5 trivia points, you will be noticed the next clue
location. Black Squares: The infamous "Bludger Squares", if you land in this square, then obviously it is bad luck for you because you would miss three turns. This can easily give your opponent a chance to get ahead or catch up to you, depending on how they are playing and what they do. Green Squares: There are only two of these squares available in every
game. It's called the "Wronski Feint Squares". If you land in this square,
it can be either an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the stance
in the game. By landing on this square will cost your opponents five turns. Red Squares: These are the "Clue Squares". At the start of the
Snitch game you will get an introduction for the Logic Puzzle, and
on the grid five clues will be randomly placed. These five clues will
help you solve the Logic Puzzle in order to get the Golden Snitch.
In order for the answer to the Logic Puzzle to be acceptable is to
obtain all five clues. Yellow Square: This should be the obvious square, as it's the
"Snitch Square". You receive this location after you have successfully
solved the Logic Puzzle and submitted to the referee. If you are correct,
you will be given the location to the Snitch via a notice. However you must
remember that unless you have correctly solved the puzzle, the Snitch Square
will appear as an Empty Square. An example is below: So Team B would of course win the game, but however if Team B's Seeker has caught the Snitch then It would be 70 to 180 with Team B winning it. So the idea of HOL Quidditch is to ensure that the Quaffle Team is in the lead when scoring to ensure a win via Snitch, more preferably 60 Points in the lead. The Seeker's Side The following log and explanation for the entire lesson is an example is from the game, Ravenclaw vs Slytherin on the 16th of December 2006. Now before the actual game starts, the referee must do a handle test to ensure that that you can receive all the notice privately (Such as empty squares, clues, clue location and the snitch location) so the other Seeker do not know you are receiving them. [08:08:33] [narciref] Testing ... Seeker 1 is S-S-Tambaqui,
and Seeker 2 is R-S-Mandrake. So all you need to do in this situation to acknowledge the referee that you can see the message is type in "Ready". Also note [narciref] is what you see in the actual channel, and -NarciRef- is a notice that you only can see. Once both players are ready, the Snitch is then released and the way the actual game work is that at the beginning of the game, you will receive an Introduction to the Logic Puzzle for that game. It is very important that you read the whole introduction, because there maybe vital clues or information that you may need to take note in order to solve the puzzle.
[08:11:31] [narciref] The Snitch has been released! After the puzzle is revealed, Player A must start first by revealing their move:
[08:11:51] [narciref] Tambaqui is in Square 0,12 The cycle would continue from Player A and Player B, in which the referee would ask the player to make a move. At no circumstances, that you can either ignore, pass your turn. Every turn and move must be made in regardless of what you wish or have desires to do. Now how or where you move to is up to you. However you can go only left (l), right ®, up (u) or down (d), diagonal moves are not possible. There are two methods of playing Snitch game that I know of, you can either use tracking, collecting trivia points and stalking/following. With tracking, the way it works is that you use the Snitch Grid which you can get from here: http://hol.org.uk/snitchmap.html It is advisable when playing Snitch Game that you print out the grid, and the way I normally track squares is to have the following pens/textus Blue: Trivia, Wronski Feint or Blank Squares (That you landed on,
not your opponents!!) Now if you have all those pens, every move you or your opponents make, mark them down onto the grid using the correct coloured pen/textus. Advantages of tracking, allows you to quickly go to potential squares, or avoid bludgers or clue locations if you have landed on them. One major disadvantage, that I have suffered in this game is incorrectly marking the grids, mistakes like this can easily make you lose track or miss vital clue squares or locations. With collecting trivia points, the way this strategy works if Harry Potter trivia is your strength, then you just answer trivia questions in order to receive clue locations and go to that clue. It may sound simple and easy, but the disadvantage unfortunately for this is that it is too obvious, which allows your opponents to either track every move you make or simply just follow you. Also another game strategy is stalking or following. It's simple, just
catch up with the other seeker and follow them around the entire grid like
a puppy There maybe some more ways of playing the Snitch game, but those ones are the obvious ones I know about, however you may have your own game style or technique, but it is totally up to you and advisable that only you should know it. Let's get back onto the topic of Snitch Play. The game like quaffle last for 90 minutes (No more). During the game, you will get 10 minutes of play time and 2 minutes of puzzle solving time. During every 10 minutes intervals, use those time to gather trivia points, clue locations and clues. It is advisable you start this as soon as the game starts. After each game play intervals, you get a 2 minute break to either track both yours and your opponent moves, or if you have the clues, start solving them. Now let's take a look as how as to how you would receive a clue during the Snitch Play:
[08:28:03] [narciref] Tambaqui's turn: (please type 'u', 'd', 'l', or 'r') Now this is when I first got my clue by tracking Mark Mandrake's move.
It said that I have moved into the square 9,6 and it told me I have landed
into a Clue Square and then noticed to me the Clue.
[08:20:03] [narciref] Tambaqui's turn: (please type 'u', 'd', 'l', or 'r') In the end if you have correctly solve the puzzle and sent it to the referee. If you are correct, you like the clue locations and the clues you would receive the Snitch Location. With that, you can just simply fly onto it. Refereeing a Snitch Game Now that you have the basic knowledge to play the snitch game, are you up for a chance to referee a Snitch game or two? Now to referee a Snitch game, you will need three things; A snitch referee bot, the question set, and of course a logic puzzle. Now, if you have the following things, let's go over the first part which is the referee concept and layout of the program. You will need to know what their function in order to referee. 
Now the interface on this program is a lot simpler than the Quaffle Referee, but there is however more to refereeing the actual game. Now the first part is just the menu, with all the things you will need to run this referee bot. The second part is the grid in which you will move and coordinate the players around for the duration of 90 minutes. The next part is the detail of each seeker, which describes their team,
the Seeker's name, their coordinates, how many trivia they have as they
approach for their next clue, and how many clues they have left in order to
solve the puzzle. The little snitch button next to the Seeker's name is there
in order to announce who has the correct answer to the trivia. The fourth section is more of problem fixing or ending the turns. The
"A's Moves" and "B's Moves" is basically if the current Moves is wrong,
you can adjust that by pressing the correct players move. Now the last thing we need to look at for the fourth section is the
two countdown timers. The first one on the left with 600 seconds is the 10
minutes play time timer, and it's what you have to keep an eye on because
after 10 minutes, there is a 2 minute problem solving break. The last part is simply there for you to see the question and answer personally to award trivia points to the seeker who answered the question correctly. Now let's take a look at each menu and their functions: File Menu: 
Some of these, you would be already familiar with from the Quaffle Referee bot, such as Open Question Set and Load Team Info. Open Puzzle Set: This is basically where if you have a Puzzle that is already set up for the Snitch Referee in a certain format and as a .puz fie. Towards the end of this lesson will show you how to do a puzzle. With the Edit Puzzle part, you can manually add the puzzle, clues and the answer into this if you do not want to open it via the file: 
Now it is pretty simple and easy to set up! Now let's look at the next menu, the "tools menu". 
Now let's go through them and discover what each functions does. Firstly, the Set Colors, to find out about this, please refer to the Quaffle Lesson on how to set this and understand the colours function in more details. It's pretty easy to understand. The "Edit Mode", is basically a way to correct any errors-decision you
have made through out the Snitch Games. You can modify errors like incorrectly
giving someone the trivia points when it was the opposing Seeker's answer was
correct or you mistakenly pressed the Trivia button by mistake. Rearrange Squares function, is what the referees use to rearrange the
Snitch Grid in order to find an even and fair field. By even, meaning not
giving either side any unfair advantages (such as the Bludgers is in the way
of a Seeker or even both). The next four section (Reset play timer, Reset break timer, Set play timer
to zero, and Set break timer to zero) is generally there if there was a
problem with the timer, then you can be able to either reset it or set the
timer to zero. Play Timer: This is when both Seekers are on the Snitch Grid and they must
play for 10 minutes, they can use this time to mainly gather clues, trivia
points and any additional information that maybe advantageous for them via
tracking.You will only get 10 minutes per round to do them, so make the most
of all your moves and make sure its for the right reason (In other words,
don't be silly, random or clueless when playing, play smart and strategic). There is also another timer involved, but it's a manual type I'm afraid, and it's for trivia squares mainly. Every time a player lands in the trivia squares, and after the trivia count down and the trivia question is revealed, you have to manually count down somehow (It can be an timer on your mIRC or mentally count down). After 30 seconds and if both Seekers failed to answer the question correctly, you just simply press "End Turn" button on the main interface. Now onto the next menu, the "IRC Menu" 
Now, the first two part of the IRC Menu should be familiar to you guys.
However with the Snitch Program being made back around when HOL first started,
the mIRC was quite old and this program (Unlike the Quaffle Referee) does not
work with the newer mIRC. It works with version 5.91 or lower if you're using
mIRC. Next, open up Pirch and then click on the Login button: 
Next, you will get this screen: 
To set up the Server to connect to Blitzed, you have to click on the Edit Server List Button. 
Now you will get s screen like above, and then what you do is click on the two computer screen button with a + next to it. Next you will get the two computer icon, and you put in "BLITZED" as a text for the Network name. After that, you click on the singular computer button with a + next to it, and then you will get a screen looking like this: 
For name and address, you put in the IRC address, so to access the HOL IRC Server that we use, you use "irc.blitzed.org", and set the port to 6667. Once you have done that, click on "OK" and then close the Network Explorer window. You should be ready to go, make sure you fill the basic form to connect to the Server (Such as Nick name, etc etc). Also make sure the Auto Connect check box is checked. Hopefully the basic introduction to Pirch will give you a head start to deal with the rest of issue and configuring around. Let's look at the next three section of the IRC menu. Begin IRC Play: Once you have prepared everything in order for the Snitch Play to officially start (Such as opening the trivia files, logic puzzle, and rearranging the squares), then just simply go to the IRC menu and just click on "Begin IRC Play" and then the Snitch Referee will start with introducing the Logic Puzzle and then announce for Player A to take their turn to move. Halt IRC Play: This is more of a pause option, for instance you have to
do something quickly or say the Quidditch Board has to speak to both Seekers
about something, then you can pause the play by going to this option and
this will pause the game. However it is in rare circumstances that the game
would be paused, by pausing the game gives both Seekers more opportunity
to solve the puzzle. Set Channels: Once again, please refer to the Quaffle lesson in regard to setting up the channels for Snitch Play. It will be all explained there in details and how to set it up to play in a specific channel. Announce Play Break: Once the 10 minute of play time is up, which you will
know via the Timer mentioned in the early of the Referee bot lesson then
you would go to the IRC Menu and then click on this option to announce
and begin the two (2) minutes break. Announce Play Restart: This is when the last paragraph comes into play into this section, once the two minute break is up, you would of course go to IRC menu and then click on the Announce Play Restart and then the Snitch game would resume with a new round of 10 minute play. Test Player Handle: This is something really important when it comes to
refereeing a Snitch game. In order for both Seekers to receive all notices
such as clues, clue locations and blank squares for examples, the handles must
be exactly the same as their IRC nick in order for it to work. [08:08:33] [narciref] Testing ... Seeker 1 is S-S-Tambaqui,
and Seeker 2 is R-S-Mandrake. Now note how the referee Narcissa Heart said testing that Seeker 1 is S-S-Tambaqui and Seeker 2 is R-S-Mandrake. It is merely saying that it is what the referee bot identifies both seekers as S-S-Tambaqui and R-S-Mandrake. Now assuming both seekers did receive the notice, they would type "Ready".
However if the handles is not set up correctly, then the Seekers would not
receive any notice informing them if they see the message and to verify
that they are ready. Change Player Handle: This is where the previous Test Player Handle comes into play. Let's take a look at the screen of this portion of the Referee Bot: 
Now this is where we configure the handles, so that both players can receive notices for various things as mentioned above. Now note the settings, how the main players information for Player A, it is set to Slytherin (For the team name) and Tambaqui (For the player name), same with Mandrake for Ravenclaw. (The teams and colours set up can be found in Tools Menu and then go to set colors). Now when we went to the Change Player Handle part in the IRC menu, note
how it already had S-S-Tambaqui and R-S-Mandrake all set up. That is already
set up in this part of the menu, however if the neither Seekers chooses to
use a different IRC name but rather their main name mentioned for seeking,
you can adjust that in the Change Player Handle. The last menu is the Help Menu, for this you should once again refer to the last Quaffle Lesson. Now that is all of the basic and important information that you will need to know in order to referee a Snitch Game. Now let's just quickly cover a guide and step by step in order to referee a Snitch game. 1. Now firstly before you set up the main Snitch Referee, it is ideal
that you set up the Team Name and the Seekers for both team. Also set up
the colours for both team (Also houses if you intend to use them). From this point on, the Snitch Play has now officially started and is in progress, with the Puzzle introduction and then prompts Player A to move. As each players turn and entered their direction to move, use the four buttons to move them either up, down, left or right on request (My advice is to double check their moves to avoid any errors or complication). Also remember that when it comes to trivia question, the first player to correctly answer gets a trivia point, in which you press the little Snitch next to their name. Keep an eye on the main 10 minutes timer on the left, when it reaches 0, you have to go to the IRC Menu and click on Announce Play Break. From this moment, the red count down timer will start and the break will go for two minutes. After that two minutes is up, you just click on Announce Play Restart. You keep doing this for the entire game (Which last 90 minutes or until the first Seeker to get the Golden Snitch.) Now you may ask, what happens if a player correctly solves the Logic
Puzzle when they sent it to you, well after 5 clues have been received by the
player, a Solve button will appear next to the Seeker's name. When they have
sent you the solution to the puzzle, click on the Solved button and you have
to cross check their answers with the answers with the Logic Puzzle. If they have correctly solved the puzzle, click on Ok (I think) and then a notice will be sent to the Seeker if the Snitch Location/Square. If they failed to provide the correct solution, you would have to inform the Seeker via p2p stating they are not correct and therefore will have to wait 17 minutes or until the opposing Seeker have sent their answers. Once the first Seeker to solve the Logic Puzzle correctly, and lands on the Golden Snitch square, the game would then be over and the winning team gets 50 points. It is very important to note that you must use pirch, or a version of mIRC that is 5.91 or lower (which is very hard to find).
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. This can work if the other seeker does not have any clues,
however the downfall with the strategy is that the other Seeker would have
a lead over you, or maybe a clue ahead of you (If you did not get their
earlier clues).