Pipes (Person, Roy Sr.)
Release type: Shareware
Release date: 1993
Levels: 4
Author: Roy Person Sr.
Registration bonus: Personalized edition, plus free copy of Roy Person's next game
Registration price: $10
Related games: Pipemare
Not to be mistaken for cly5m's Pipes or RSD's Pipemare.
For a Game-Maker user, the points of interest about Roy Person's Pipes are few, slight, and abstract. Whereas most people would borrow tiles or sprites from RSD's demo games to aid in expressing their own ideas, some users took RSD's license to an extreme and claimed the complimentary material much as a party crasher might raid the hors d'oeuvres.
The results needn't be horrible. Terry Chatman used Nebula as a canvas for both Shorty Da Pimp and Ballie D. Plumber; despite the weight of repurposed material, both games have a certain charm and originality to them. A good rule of thumb: if you're going to rip something off then you had better use it to some new or interesting purpose.
It is unclear what purpose Roy Person imagined for Pipes. The game is basically just Pipemare with a different character sprite and changed music. He also repeated the game's two original levels, with the monster placement and some level features adjusted -- doubling the game's length with a minimum of involvement. Change the title screen, rewrite the credits, add a lengthy end user agreement, and we're done.
Although not very complex, the new character is sort of distinctive -- a two-color robot sprite, reminiscent of an early-1980s arcade game like Robotron or Berzerk. Likewise the music, if not original, is certainly new. New, and catchy. Put them in an original game, and we might have something.
Although the game credits Person with the music's composition, it also credits him the art and design, to which Person's contributions are about as minimal as possible. Keep in mind also how difficult most users found Game-Maker's music situation, and it would be curious if that were Person's major contribution to the game. When you consider users such as David Barras and Mark Hadley, though, the scenario is plausible.
Contents
Story[edit]
A T T E N T I O N
The City Bureau of Water Works supplys the city with clean clear water. At least, it used to.
Underground where the water is 'worked', a lot of mopping up is desperately needed. Stop the water leaks, kill all the monsters, and collect gold.
Luckily, the monsters have collected a pile of gold which is yours if you can reach it. But first you must find the way out of the first level and then fight to the end of the second level.
HINT : The exit from the first level is in the Gold room.
Instructions[edit]
Arrow keys or joystick move your Robot Drone.
The space bar fires the phaser. The 'b' key drops bombs, if you have any. The 'p' picks up objects. The 'd' key drops objects.
Be careful to watch out for steam coming out of faulty pipes.
Level One[edit]
Score one point for each new section of the path you travel. Score plenty if you stop any leaks or turn off any running water. Build strength by eating. Lose strength if any vermin even touch you. Find the hidden room of gold to progress to the next level.
Level Two[edit]
Many of the same problems as on level one, but you are out of the pipe tunnels and into the underground pipe rooms. Win by finding and bombing your way into the chamber of the Water Wombat, where piles of gold are yours if you can wipe out the Wombat.
Level Three[edit]
This level is basically the same as Level 1 except a little bit harder, more creatures, etc.
Level Four[edit]
This is the final level in PIPES and is similar to Level 2. Again this level has more monsters and surprises.
Credits[edit]
Programmed by: Roy Person Sr.
Artwork by: Roy Person Sr.
Game Design by: Roy Person Sr.
Sound & Music by: Roy Person Sr.
Availability[edit]
Available on several shareware compilation CD-ROMs, including:
- Software Vault: The Ruby Collection (1994),
- The Chicago Computer Broker's Games 1994 (April 1994),
- Software Vault: Emerald (1994-95?),
- Software Vault: Games 2 (January 1995),
- Beachware's 1000 Games for Windows and DOS (November 1995), and
- Softkey Entertainment Pack (1996).
Archive History[edit]
This game was provided to the archive on September 15, 2010, by Mike Perrucci -- who in turn found it on an Internet archive of Software Vault: Games 2.
Links[edit]
Downloads[edit]
- Pipes (133.0 kB)
- Level 1 map (101.0 kB)
- Level 2 map (66.2 kB)
- Level 3 map (104.3 kB)
- Level 4 map (72.5 kB)
