the file you are about to read is intended to be the primary source of information about MacPipes and its purpose is to answer to common questions about the game (FAQ stays for "Frequently Asked Questions"). If you have any questions about MacPipes, please check if it's not already answered in this FAQ or in the Read Me file enclosed in the game package before contacting me. Thank you.
Q - How many built-in levels are there in MacPipes?
A - There are 32 "different" levels (96 counting the three difficulty settings), but the game in fact never ends; starting from level 33 the difficulty (represented by the increased number of obstacles and the reduced completion time) increases constantly reaching a maximum at level 38; from that point on, you will play with the same level layout.
A - You start earning points when the water start flowing in the pipeline. The "start" and the "end" pipe segments give you 50 points. The other pipes give you (100 + 10 * P) points, where P is the pipeline length, i.e. the number of pipe segments already filled with water, including the one for which the score is being computed. In other words, if the water filled 5 pipe segments, the 6th give you (100 + 10 * 6 = 160) points. The pipes marked with "+5000" give you 5,000 points (easy enough). Bonuses (those marked with a ?) can give you a score bonus between 500 and 5,000 points. Unused pipe segments subtract 100 points each. When you complete a level, the remaining time is converted in bonus points
(100 points for each second left). If you connect more pipes than the minimum required for passing a level, you are then rewarded with an extra 500 points for each additional pipe. Loops (those made using the "cross" shaped pipe segments) are worth 1,000 points each. Finally, you get a level bonus of (1,000 * N) points, where N is the number of the level you passed. The maximum score achievable in MacPipes is 9,999,999.
Q - Why doesn't the game take advantage of large monitors?
A - Well, I know it can be quite ridiculous to see a stamp-like game window lost in the middle of a 19" monitor screen but you have to admit that it fits well in a 14" monitor, which is the natural choice for home based computers. There is in fact a historical reason that somehow justifies the reduced game window. MacPipes was originally designed on a Macintosh SE in times when color Mac owners were still an elite. When adding color graphics I left the window size untouched. Another reason is that enlarging the playing grid would have altered the basic gameplay.
Q - The screen fades are smooth, but slow. Can you provide quicker transitions?
A - Screen fades are a must in today's shareware games; I only followed the trend. The slowness you may notice in transitions it's not imputable to the fading routines but to the time the program takes to actually redraw the various screens. Even if I take away the fading effect, the "blackout" delays will remain. Obviously, slower the machine, higher the delays, no way!
A - The demo starts automatically every time the scrolling message ends, but it can be stopped by clicking the mouse. In addition, it can be launched at any time by selecting "Start Demo" (command-D) from the Game menu. In the current release of MacPipes there is no option for preventing the demo to start.
Q - Hitting a random key causes the game to crash. What's wrong?
A - No, no, you activated the tremendous "panic" screen, which simulates a system error (it's mentioned in the keys setting dialog in version 2.1). I must admit that it can be confusing, sorry. For this reason it has been eliminated in version 2.1.1.
Q - I'd like to be able to continue placing pipe parts on the grid while the water is flowing in the pipeline. Can you add this feature?
A - No. I know that's how the game Pipe Dream works but, you know, that's just another game. In fact, MacPipes was not inspired by the Lucas game. The idea behind it is much older. See the read me file for the whole story. In general, no changes to the basic gameplay are in my plans.
Q - I cannot pass level 18, although I'm sure I have connected the required number of pipe segments. What I'm supposed to do?
A - Level 18 introduces the "end" pipe segment. It is placed in a random position at the start of the level. You must connect your pipeline to this segment, if present, in order to pass the level.
Q - Will there be a Power PC (or FAT) version of MacPipes?
A - Starting with version 2.2.1 MacPipes runs native on PowerPC machines. I recently changed my mind on this subject because of two main reasons. The first is that all new Macintoshes an Mac OS based machines mount PowerPC processors; the second is that Power Mac owners tend to discard applications that aren't PowerPC native, and that's not good for a Shareware developer ;-)
