You are encouraged to pass this demo along to friends, bulletin board systems, and network file transfer sites, provided that you include all of the files and no files are altered. This program has been distributed for evaluative purposes only.
File Index - Any distribution of this demo must include all of these
files in their unaltered form.
Factory Demo Application
B&W Graphics Graphics file for black & white mode
16 Color Graphics Graphics file for 16 color mode
256 Color Graphics Graphics file for 256 color mode
The year is 2039. Throughout the industrialized world, all manufacturing processes have become completely automated. Computerized factories produce millions of consumer products every hour without any human intervention, as if by magic. Inundated by cheap commercial goods and free from virtually all manual labor, most people live lives of mindless comfort.
Unfortunately, the ultimate conclusion of the Industrial Revolution precluded a revolution in software design. Design of factory machinery far outstripped the design of the computer software which ran it. As a result, the programs which automate manufacturing processes are prone to fail.
This has had dire consequences in the past. In 2028, an epidemic of vandalism and truancy swept over New York's youth following the breakdown of automation systems at a factory producing popular breakfast cereals there. Similarly, in 2033, widespread rioting broke out in Seattle when the local coffee grinding factory and video game factory simultaneously went offline for two days. These are only a few of the worst examples. Most of the population has come to base its existence on consumption, and such violent reactions almost always accompany any interruption in the supply of desired items.
For this reason, it is critical that failing factories remain in operation with the help of special technicians known as EFASTs (Emergency Factory Automation Support Technicians). EFASTs are gifted individuals who can manually control a factory's operations. If they are able keep a factory running at full capacity for a normal 9 to 5 workday, corporate programmers usually have enough time to dig through decaying stacks of aging code to figure out what is wrong with the automation routines. EFASTs at first were hired and trained privately, but in 2037 they formed a collective under the banner FACCOM (Factory Automation Control Compensation). All EFASTs now receive their assignments and paychecks through FACCOM.
The potential rewards for EFASTs are great. Corporations which contract for an EFASTs services are prepared to pay dearly for the maintenance of their production centers. Depending on the complexity of the assembly process and the levels of production demanded, an EFAST stands to make thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars for a single day's work.
With these rewards, however, come great stresses. Some EFASTs have been driven to the brink of insanity because manually running a modern factory entails placing one's mind in many places at once. The EFAST must simultaneously direct many components along conveyor belts and through networks of pipes to be sure that they are assembled together correctly. In a population softened by material luxury, minds sharp enough for the task are rare.
Even so, job security is a term unknown to the EFAST; in the interest of maintaining the integrity and reputation of the team, failure to meet the production quota on any assignment results in immediate dismissal from FACCOM.
-=- RUNNING THE DEMO -=-
To begin the demo, double-click on the ‘Factory Demo’ icon.
The Factory Demo contains a tutorial which will help you learn how to manipulate elements in the factory and assemble product components. This is probably the best place to start. To begin the tutorial simply select 'Tutorial' from the 'Game' menu.
Once you have learned how to play the game, select 'Begin' from the 'Game' menu and you will be able to play through a few sample workdays.
Note: While you are playing the game, the menu bar will be blacked out. To bring it back, simply click on the status bar at the top of the screen which will have replaced the menu bar.
-=- TECHNICAL NOTES -=-
• Factory Demo requires a Macintosh Plus or better running System 6.0.5 or later.
• You must have the fonts 10 & 12 point Geneva and 12 point Courier installed in order for all of the demo's text to display correctly. Refer to your Macintosh Documentation for help on installing fonts.
• If you experience System Errors or other unusual behavior while running Factory Demo, try disabling some or all of you INITs. Refer to your Macintosh Documentation for more information.
• If you’re playing in Black & White or 16 color mode, you can reduce the memory allocation in Factory Demo's Get Info window; the memory size suggested is for users running in 256 color mode. If you’re playing in Black & White, you can set the memory size down to 600k; in 16 color mode you can reduce it to 800k. Setting smaller memory sizes than are suggested here will probably make your system crash. Unless you are experiencing memory shortages, you should probably keep the default setting of 1200k.
