Help Index

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This Index lists all Help topics for Take A Break!:  Pinball.

To learn how to use this Help system:

1.  Choose HELP! from the Help menu,

2.  Press F1, or

3.  Continue to do what you're doing, blindly forging ahead, pointing and clicking because whether you realize it or not, you have indeed entered The Help Zone.

Help Topics

How to Play

Overview

Playing the Game

Pinball Strategy

How to Work and Play

Multitasking

Commands

Game Menu

Options Menu

Dinner Menu


How to Play

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This section contains information about how to play Take A Break!:  Pinball.

How to Play Topics

Overview

Playing the Game

Pinball Strategy


Overview

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Take A Break!: Pinball is a computer simulation of arcade pinball games.  And then some.  The designers of this product have painstakingly attempted to reproduce the look, feel and play of actual arcade pinball, borrowing the design methodologies of some of the leading pinball manufactures in the world and adapting these to the world of computer game development.  And they also played lots and lots of pinball.  Like I said, "... painstakingly attempted ...".

With this product, the designers have introduced elements of animation only possible in the world of a computer.  It is their sincere hope and pious expectation that these added elements of "nutty wacko zany borderline beyond the stretch of management indulgence of creative types" animation will make for a pinball experience that exceeds belief.


Playing the Game

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This topic covers all technical game interface issues of and relating to the question, "What buttons do I have to push to play this thing?"

Selecting One of the Games:

From your Program Manager, point and double click on any of the Pinball game icons.  When the game is finished loading, drop a quarter into the slot, press Start and the first pinball will clunk into position at the plunger.  You are now ready to play.  NOTE:  If you want to have multiple players, you must add them by adding quarters (or by pressing the F5 key) before you start the game.  You may add up to 4 players.

Introducing the Pinball into Play:

The pinball is introduced into play by use of the plunger, located at the lower right of the Playfield Window.  With a mouse, position the cursor over the plunger, depress the left button.  The plunger pulls back.  Releasing the mouse button will initiate the plunger.  With a keyboard, the plunger is controlled by the <Down> Arrow Key on your computer keyboard.  Depressing the down arrow key pulls back the plunger.  Releasing the down arrow key releases the plunger and introduces the pinball into play.

Flipping your Flippers:

With a mouse, clicking on the right button causes the right flipper to flip; clicking on the left button causes the left flipper to flip.  With a keyboard, the flippers are controlled by the Shift Keys on your computer keyboard.  Depressing the right Shift Key flips your right flipper.  Depressing the left Shift Key flips your left flipper.

Smacking the Machine to Keep the Ball in Play or Grunching:

Grunching is done by pressing the Shift and Control keys together.  If you press the right Shift and Control keys, the ball's direction corrects to the left.  If you press the left Shift and Control keys, the ball's direction corrects to the right.  As with real pinball, touch is the key.  If you press the keys too long, the game TILTS, disabling features and scoring for the ball then in play.

Pausing, Saving and Restoring a Game:

The player may pause the game by pressing the Control and P keys simultaneously or by selecting Pause from the Game pulldown menu.  An option of saving the game is offered if the player exits a game after the Start button has been pressed.  The game may be saved at any time by pressing the F2 key or by selecting Save from the Game pulldown menu.  The player may restore an unfinished game by selecting Restore from the Windows pull-down Game Menu or by pressing F3.

Sizing, Resizing, and Relocating Your Take A Break!: Pinball Windows:

Sorry, but because this product is so cool, you may not Size or Resize the separate Windows that together makeup the pinball game.  These are the Playing Surface, Backglass, Quarter slot and gray background Windows.  You see, we're talking high-end, highbrow art and animations in this product.  But, because we're so nice, we'll let you Relocate any of the Windows including the background in order to access other Program icons for multitasking.

PLEASE NOTE:   Minimizing the Backglass Window minimizes the entire game to an icon.


Pinball Strategy

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This topic contains information on what to do if you're ready to take a large blunt instrument and bludgeon your computer senseless because grandma keeps trouncing you at pinball.

Pregame Preparation:

Before you begin play, examine the game's playfield, it's art and all it's ramps, bumpers, targets, trap holes and other features, for together these functions tell a story.  By understanding your playfield, you will understand how to progress through the game's story to collect the maximum points available.

What to look for:

During play, keep a vigilant eye on playfield animations such as flashing lights.  These are intended to inform the player when it is the best time to direct a ball to a given playfield item or feature.  And, when a ball stops during play, as when it drops into a trap hole, take a look at the Backglass Readerboard.  It will tell you what to do next.

Keep the ball in play:

When your back is against the wall, it's fourth down and seventy yards to go, and all hope appears lost as that little ol' pinball is hurtling down the playfield right toward the vast dreaded emptiness between your two flippers, I want you to grunch!  Grunch it good.  But, not too good.  You don't want to overdo things.  You might tilt the machine.

Assign fault:

And, remember, when all else fails, blame the machine.  Blasted Computer!  I can't believe it keeps doing that!  Why I can remember the days ...


How to Work and Play

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This section includes information on multitasking while playing Take A Break!: Pinball.

Multitasking:

As a true, fully compatible Microsoft Windows' product, Take A Break!: Pinball supports all standard Windows' multitasking functions.  To implement a multitasking function, click on the top of the gray background window and drag the Pinball game aside.  Then point and click on the program icons or applications that appear in the background.  When you wish to return to full gaming strength, just drag the game back into position.

Also, if you minimize Take A Break!: Pinball, the program is minimized into a pinball icon (which you can change to another icon in the Options Menu.)  Click on the pinball icon, and you will return to good standing.


Commands

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This section contains information about which Windows' Menu Commands are available while playing Take A Break!: Pinball.

Command Topics

Game Menu

Options Menu

Dinner Menu


Game Menu

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This topic contains information about which Game Menu commands are available while playing Take A Break!: Pinball.

New:

Selecting New from the Games pulldown menu or pressing Control and N keys simultaneously presents you with a list from which you can select another Pinball game.  You can double click on the name of the game to load it, or highlight it and press the OK button.

Restore:

This command restores your last saved game for the current playfield surface.  With the keyboard, this is accomplished by pressing the F3 key.

Save:

This command saves your current game scoring and playfield item status.  With the keyboard, this is accomplished by pressing the F2 key.

Quarter:

There are 3 ways to "insert" a quarter into the Pinball game.  Using the mouse, you can position the cursor over the Quarter slot and depress the left button.  Using the keyboard you can press the F5 key, or select it from the menu.

Coin Return:

Again there are 3 ways to select this option.  With the mouse, press the left button when the cursor is positioned over the Coin Return button.  With the keyboard, press F6, or select it from the menu.

Start Game:

Start the game by positioning the mouse over the start button and depressing the left mouse button; by selecting F7 from the keyboard; or by selecting it from the menu.

Hide!:

This command minimizes the game to an icon which.  With the keyboard, this is accomplished by pressing the Control and H keys simultaneously.

Pause:

This command pauses the game.  With the keyboard, this is accomplished by pressing the Control and P keys simultaneously.

Reset:

This command resets scores and features of the current pinball game.

Hi Scores:

This command displays the top ten high scores for the current playfield surface.

Exit:

This command exits the current game and returns the player to the Windows' Program Manager or, in the event that the player was multitasking, to the Windows' application then running in the game's background.  You can exit Pinball from the keyboard by pressing the Alt and F4 keys simultaneously.


Options Menu

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This topic covers information about which Option Menu commands are available while playing  Take A Break!: Pinball.

Music:

This command toggles background music On/Off.  With the keyboard, this may be accomplished by pressing the Control and M keys simultaneously.

Sounds Effects:

This command toggles all playfield sound effects On/Off.  With the keyboard, this may be accomplished by pressing the Control and S keys simultaneously.

Ball Speed:

This command will allow the player to adjust the speed at which the pinball travels to account for machines that run programs at particularly slow or fast rates.

Extra Ball:

This command puts the player in Practice Mode and allots an extra ball.  There is no limit to the number of extra balls which the player can add.  NOTE:  Adding an extra ball disqualifies that game's score from the list of High Scores.  When playing with more than one player, any player may play in Practice Mode without affecting the other players game or scores.

Disable Tilt:

This command disables the Tilt feature of the game, allowing the player to grunch with impunity.  This feature, like the Extra Ball feature, puts the player in Practice Mode.  It may only be selected while a game is in progress, and will disqualify you from High Scores.  When playing with more than one player, any player may play in Practice Mode without affecting the other players game or scores.

Icon Selection:

This command allows you to select an icon to represent Take A Break!: Pinball when you minimize the program to multitask.


Dinner Menu

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Asparagus Salad with a White Wine Mustard Dressing

Hot and Sweet Soup

Boiled Baked Pesto Stuffed Potatoes

Honey and Ginger Glazed Pheasant

Pretentious Carrot and Radish Garnish

Red Licorice Ropes


Muttonheads Scott Wallin and Louie McCrady would like to take this opportunity to say,

                                                            "Hi!"


It's that thing with what looks like a tail that hooks into the back of the computer.  It rolls around, has two or three buttons that you can push,  but it doesn't squeak like a real mouse, although that would be a nice feature.


We recommend a baseball bat.  Definitely wooden.  35 ounces would be sufficient.


Once upon a time, there was this really neat pinball game, and all who played it proclaimed, "This is the greatest game I've ever played.  My life now has meaning."


Located on the bottom of the Backglass.  From time to time, words will scroll across the rectangular box, instructing the player where to direct the pinball in order to activate features and maximize scoring.


Grunching is the method by which pinball wizards keep the ball in play by pushing, shaking or hitting the pinball machine.  Grunching requires an artful sense of finesse as the difference between a Save and a Tilt is programmed with an engineer's sensitivity to detail.  You can grunch by pressing the Shift and Control keys together.  If you hit the right Shift and Control keys, the ball's direction corrects to the left.  If you hit the left Shift and Control keys, the ball's direction corrects to the right.


                     I don't know either...


Somewhere in the dimension beyond sight and sound, caught in the void between man's search for meaning and a programmer's idea of something cute, neither fact nor fiction, where stupid questions are ignored and good questions left for the person with the sporty glasses and the highwaters, there lies a place we like to call, The Help Zone.