Skittles is an action/puzzle game for one or two players! You control genetically altered Skittles which fall from the sky, trying to keep them from stacking up to the top of the screen.
The Skittles engineers have recently been experimenting with new flavors and colors. One of the more psychopathic scientists decided to alter the Skittles' formulas through genetic mutation. The first test batch was produced, and a teeming, jiggly mass of coagulated, living Skittles appeared. They quickly began to multiply and pile up into large groups. As the scientists fled screaming from the building, a few clever minds noticed that the Skittles were highly reactive. When four of the same type of Skittle touched, they would instantly vaporize.
There's only one hope left for the Skittles plant, its workers, and the small city that they inhabit. Vaporize the Skittles before they run rampant and destroy everything in their path! You are the only hope left before they crush the entire city.
• How do I play?
Ready to start a game? Good! Once you open Skittles, a demo game will begin and the computer will face off against itself. You might want to watch what it does to gain a few strategies or ideas.
Next, click the mouse button to show the menu bar, and choose "One Player." You will begin a game of Skittles against the computer. Don't let your Skittles pile to the top of the screen! When four identical Skittles touch, they will vaporize. Try to position your Skittles so that four of the same color will touch one another, and they will immediately disappear in a flash of Skittle glop, allowing nearby Skittles to drop down. As soon as each pair of Skittles starts dropping from the top, rotate them into position and slide them into place.
You can also choose Two Player mode, and face off against a partner.
• How do I control these Skittles?
By default, you can use the numeric keypad or the A, S, D and X keys to move, rotate, and drop the Skittles pieces. These controls, however, are customizable. Choose Keyboard Setup from the Options menu to change these settings to whatever makes you comfortable!
• I'm a registered user, and I just downloaded this new version. How do I upgrade?
Upgrading Skittles to the most recent version without losing the registration bonuses—high scores and extra characters—is easy. Just make sure that you replace only the new "Skittles" application file, and not the "Data" folder. The "Data" folder contains all the extra registration features, and you will lose them if you replace it. Once again, make sure that you move over the "Skittles" application only!
• Special thanks to…
• My first registered users! Valerie Russell, Jonathon Wolfe, and Mark Lambert were the first to register. Thanks for supporting shareware!
• My testers! Andy Cheng <AndyCheng@aol.com> has had the role of being chief tester of Skittles, and he's done an excellent job of reporting all those pesky little bugs.
• My moral support! Leanne Barber took on the arduous task of coming up with the name "Skittles," and she put up with me as I hurled profanities at my Power Mac while designing this thing. Also, she's mighty cute.
• What do I get if I register?
The first advantage to registration is that you get eight full levels of action! The computer's intelligence progressively increases for each level, with the final boss challenging even Skittles experts. The second advantage to registration is the high score table, which becomes unlocked when you register. The most meaningful benefit, though, is that you've done the honest, upright thing by supporting and encouraging a young shareware author to create new, exciting games.
• What's the matter?
• I don't get any sound! Check to make sure that Sound Manager 3.0 or later is installed in your machine. Power Macintosh users should make sure that Sound Manager 3.1 is installed—it provides a huge speed boost to Power Macintosh sound in all games.
• I don't get any music! Check to make sure that QuickTime 2.0 or later is installed in the machine.
• The Mac tells me that QuickTimeLib isn't installed, and the game won't play! Power Macintoshes can't load Skittles without QuickTime and the accompanying QuickTime Power Plug. Install these two files and everything should work fine.
•I get music, but it sucks! QuickTime music benefits immensely from the installation of the QuickTime Musical Instruments extension. For some peculiar reason, many Macs (especially recent Performas) are bundled with the Musical Instruments extension in the Apple Extras folder, still uninstalled. Drop it in your System folder, reboot and prepare to hear some real music!
•Fast Graphics doesn't work (or crashes)! Sorry. Fast Graphics is not 100% compatible with all Macintosh configurations—accelerated graphics cards and odd external monitor configurations can confuse it. You'll need to live without it.
•I can't use the High Scores! You need to register the shareware with the author before High Scores become active. They're an incentive to register.
•Where can I find these funky system extensions like Sound Manager and QuickTime? Check http://www.apple.com/ on the Internet, and you should be able to find everything you need.
• How can I ever thank you?
That's easy! Choose Registration from the Apple menu for details.
JOHN STILES E-MAIL:
8800 ST. CLOUD LN. JohnStiles@aol.com (Internet)
BAKERSFIELD, CA 93311 or JohnStiles (America Online)
WWW: http://ultrix5.csubak.edu/~jstiles/
This software is not in the public domain. You may freely copy and distribute this software, provided that you do not charge for it. This software MAY be included in any disk or CD-ROM library of public domain and shareware software sold by a NON-PROFIT organization WITH THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE AUTHOR. This software MAY NOT be included in any disk or CD-ROM library of software collection sold for profit, nor may it be bundled with any commercial software, hardware, books, or other media, without the prior written consent of the author. All magazines and publications such as MacFormat and CD-ROM Today must contact the author prior to publishing the software on any compilation CD. This software is not guaranteed in any area. Although I believe that this software will function without any problems, I will not be responsible for any damage caused by this program, for any reason, even if I have been informed of these problems. You bear all risks of using this program. If distributed, all included documentation and supplementary files must be included with this software. Also, please don't write me snail-mail and expect a reply. I really don't have enough time to write a formal reply to each person that sends me a snail-mail. However, if you send me something I enjoy or appreciate, you might get lucky. Caveat emptor.
No riders under 4'0", or persons with heart conditions. You must be free from injury. Please keep your hands in the car at all times.
