MARBLE DROP CONTENTS

Welcome to Marble Drop, the intriguing and challenging new puzzle game from Maxis

This Help Menu was designed to introduce you to the basic rules and components of the puzzles as well as answer any questions you may have concerning gameplay or puzzle functions. We have tried to give you a good mix of puzzles in this demo, and we  hope you enjoy playing them. Thanks and Have Fun!

ABOUT MARBLE DROP

PLAYING MARBLE DROP

SCORING AND STRATEGY

MENU COMMANDS

CONTACTING US

CREDITS


ABOUT MARBLE DROP

What Is Marble Drop?

Marble Drop Components


PLAYING MARBLE DROP

Pick A Puzzle

Ready To Play?

Types Of Marbles

Losing Marbles

Buying Marbles

Puzzle Speed

What's The Point?


SCORING AND STRATEGY

Scoring

Strategy and Tips


MENU COMMANDS

Keyboard Commands

Game Menu Commands

Option Menu Commands

Help Menu Commands


What Is Marble Drop?

Marble Drop is a unique puzzle strategy game that challenges players to explore the workings of different mechanical puzzles. Players drop different colored marbles in each puzzle machine, and try to figure out how best to get the right colored marbles to their correct destination. The difficulty level of the puzzles ranges from “cakewalk” to “hope you’re not doing anything for the next few days”. Needless to say, the puzzles can get quite challenging with the addition of various components like, springs, cannons, lifts, and freezers. Once you are playing Marble Drop, we promise that you will be motivated to figure out, and ultimately solve the puzzles. Just remember to take a break once in a while!


Marble Drop Components

Brake  Buzz Saw  Cannon  Diverter  Exit Bins  Exit Track Freezer   Heater  Lift  Marbles  Marble Reservoir	Purchase Marble Button  Reset Puzzle Button  Score box  Sorting Tube  Speed Control  Start Funnel  Target  Teleporter  Track Variants Trigger Warning Light


ARTHUR

This is the beginning puzzle in the Marble Drop demo and one that we thought would introduce you to the rules and strategies that are important, especially as you progress to the tougher puzzles. You will be introduced to diverters, brakes, and lifts.

See Puzzle Components for more info.

FRANCES

Meet Frances, the next puzzle on the difficulty scale. Frances is an exciting puzzle, which features many new elements. Check out the marbles as it completes the loop de loops. Pretty neat. If you notice that one, or possibly several, marbles get stuck in an infinite loop where they continuously make the same loop; don’t worry, we designed it that way for your enjoyment.

See Puzzle Componentsfor more info.

WANDA

Here’s your first real challenge. This puzzle will really make you think about strategy. Try to find a pattern in the way the marbles get diverted by the pendulums. Check out the cool sounds they make too! You will also get your first taste of the crossbows in this puzzle.  Spend some time with Wanda for best results.Also, try increasing the speed on this puzzle. It’s neat to see it work fast.

See PuzzleComponentsfor more info.

JOSEPHINE

We thought you would enjoy somewhat of a breather after tackling Wanda, so enjoy the moderate challenge offered by Josephine. Watch the cannon fire the marble and try to figure out which exit bin the marble will fall into next.

See PuzzleComponentsfor more info.

JUAN

This is the toughest puzzle in the demo, and if you can solve it, you are a Marble Drop wizard! There are several things to be aware of. When a marble passes through a heater it will become hot and change color, and if it passes through a second time, it will “melt”-be destroyed. When a marble passes through a freezer, it will become cold and will “shatter” if it passes through a second time. When a marble passes first through a heater, it will become hot. If the same marble then goes through a freezer it will return to normal color. The same for freezer —> heater. This puzzle is quite challenging, so be prepared to spend some time on it.

See PuzzleComponentsfor more info.

For scoring help / pointers seeScoring and Strategy and Tips sections.


Getting Started

First, launch Marble Drop by double clicking on the Marble icon in either the Marble Drop folder or on your desktop if you have created a shortcut, which is an easier method. If you don’t know where the folder is, click your Start Button and go to Find and choose File or Folder. Type in Marble Drop.exe and then click Find Now. When the Marble icon is brought up, double click on it, and also remember the directory where the game is located for future use.


Pick A Puzzle

Begin by opening a new puzzle under the Game Menu. You may select a different puzzle under Select Puzzle, or start solving the default puzzle, Arthur, which will come up automatically when launching the game. You may also start a new game by pressing your F2 key.

This demo will include five, count ‘em five!, puzzles for your enjoyment. We have named all of our puzzles after famous hurricanes which have occurred in the past.You may choose from: Arthur , Frances , Wanda , Josephine or Juan. So select a puzzle and buckle your seat belt; it’s Marble Drop time!!


Ready To Play?

We’ll be honest. You will be using your brain more than your fingers and hands as you play Marble Drop. It’s a thinking persons, spectator game. So just relax and check out the workings of each puzzle. Begin by selecting a  marble with your mouse pointer (be sure to hold down the button as you drag the marble) and dropping it into one of the start funnels at the top. Of course, you will want to select a marble whose color matches the first exit bin (the last bin on the left on each set of bins). All of your successive moves should depend on which bin needs to be filled next. You may put as many marbles into the puzzle, until the warning light is activated. This usually occurs after 10 marbles or so depending on the puzzle. Thats your mission: dropping marbles in the puzzle, but doing so very carefully.


Types Of Marbles

•	Colored Marbles

•	Black Marbles

•	Steel Marbles

See Also: How to purchase marbles.


Losing Marbles

During game play, marbles may be lost or destroyed a number of ways. Check under the  PuzzleComponents section to find which parts of the puzzle could cause trouble. You will probably learn quickly that if the wrong colored marble falls into the incorrecr exit bin, it will be destroyed. When one or more sets of exit bins are filled, a buzz saw will pop up which will destroy any additional marbles that try to enter.  Marbles can be lost as well. If the cannon is pointing upward off the track, and marble tries to enter the cannon barrel, it will drop off the table and disappear. Probably the biggest loss of marbles happens when you overload the puzzle with too many marbles and ignore the warning light which activates. All marbles, including those in exit bins will be destroyed. So please heed the warning.


Buying Marbles

When starting a new game, you are given seven of  each colored marble. As you progress to the more difficult puzzles, you may find it necessary to buy additional marbles. To purchase marbles; click on the  Purchase Marble Button, designated by a “+” symbol located next to the reservoir whose color you would like to purchase. The color of the “+” will match the color of marbles in the reservoir. You will be “charged” (points deducted from score)for each marble you purchase:

Color Marbles- These cost 500 points each for all colors except silver and black.

Silver Marbles- Silver marbles are valuable because they can be purchased for 100 points, and as such are perfect “sacrifice” marbles. There will be instances when in order to get a particular marble into the correct bin, a trigger will need to be tripped or a diverter will need to be changed, and a silver marble is perfect for these tasks. Silver Marbles will be destroyed if and when they fall into an exit bin. You need at least 100 points in the bank to buy one.

Black Marbles- Black marbles are the most valuable, and also the most expensive at 1500 points. Black marbles are considered a “wild card”; no matter what color exit bin they fall into, they will change that color. Example: if a black marble falls into a yellow exit bin, it will turn yellow and points will be awarded as normal. You cannot purchase Black marbles until you have at least 1,500 points. The “+” symbol will be grayed out until you have sufficient points.


Puzzle Speed

Marble Drop puzzles default to a medium speed setting. The speed of the puzzle can be altered to work slower or faster. Look to the lower right corner of the puzzle for the Speed Control. Simply click on the speed control needle and drag left for slower and right for faster. The setting you choose will stay active through all successive games, until it is changed again.


What's The Point?

Above all, the most important objective is to JUST HAVE FUN. However, the “real” object of the game is to solve the puzzle by filling all of the exit bins with the correctly colored marbles. And, as we explained before, this can be easy or it can be hard depending on the puzzle. Solving puzzles successfully may require some time and concentration, but it can be done. And remember, there is no “right” way to solve the puzzles. Be creative.

See Also Strategy and Tips


Scoring

Scoring for Marble Drop is quite basic. Points are earned as follows: Each time a component is used by a marble you earn a various number of points depending on what the component is. For example: passing through a diverter yields 50 points, marbles that get transported award 100 points. You will be awarded 500 points for every marble that makes it into the correct exit bin. When the puzzle has been completed, there will be a large point bonus awarded that is dependent on how many marbles were used to solve the puzzle. This bonus will be between 100 -5,000 points.

None of the following features are available on Demo Version.

The “Score Summary” page, which appears automatically when a puzzle is completed gives scores in the following categories.

Beginning Score

When first starting a game, you will usually star with a score of “0”, unless you are working your way through several puzzles in which case your score will be cumulative amount of all the puzzles completed to that point.

Components Used

This is the number of components you actually used to solve the puzzle.

Points Scored

This is the total  amount of points you earned for completing the puzzle. Points are earned for solving puzzle, utilizing components, and using marbles efficiently.

Of Marbles Purchased

The game begins with seven marbles of each color. Once these are used up, you may “buy” marbles in order to complete the puzzle. This number indicates the number of marbles you needed to buy to complete the puzzle.

Cost Of Marbles

This is the total points it cost to purchase marbles necessary to complete the puzzle. Marbles have different prices:

Colored Marbles: 500 points

Black Marbles: 1,500 points

Silver Marbles: 100 points

Efficiency Bonus

The efficiency bonus added to your score which is based on how many marbles you used to complete the puzzle. Ie.; the fewer the marbles used, the higher the bonus.

Ending Score

This is the final score you have received, including and additions and subtractions described above.

# Of Marbles Lost

The total number of marbles which were “wasted”, “lost”, or otherwise “destroyed” in order to solve the puzzle successfully.

# Of Marbles Gained

If for some reason you were good enough to gain marbles during the game, that total will be listed here, otherwise you will see a zero.


Strategy and Tips

There are certain “tricks of the trade” that you will learn about as you progress through the puzzles that will enable you to achieve higher scores and use fewer marbles. We can help you by giving you a few pointers ahead of time:

1.	PATIENCE: Take your time and be patient! Watch where the marbles are going and which tracks are open to new marbles. This will help determine which marbles to select to drop into funnel.

2.	SILVER MARBLES: If you need to use a “sacrifice” marble to trip a switch, change a diverter, be destroyed, or get caught in an infinite loop; purchase Silver Marbles which only cost 100 points, rather than risk destroying a colored marble which will set you back 500 points or even a black marble which will set you back 1500 big ones.

3.	FOLLOW THE PATH: Take some time to map out the route  the marble will take before dropping it in start funnel. See exactly where the marble will go once dropped by tracing the track all the way to exit bin. It’s time consuming, but it will pay off in higher scores and fewer wasted marbles.

4.	TIMING: Try timing your marbles for better results!  Sometimes a puzzle cannot be solved without losing marbles unless you time the release of the marble just right. Dropping a second marble into puzzle while the first is still going through may be the only way to complete the puzzle with minimum losses and maximum points.

5.	BLACK MARBLES: This is more of a quasi-strategy and should only be used as a last resort. If for some reason you can’t seem to figure out a puzzle and are losing too many marbles, purchase a few “chameleons” (Black marbles) and drop those in. Remember? These are the powerful marbles which change color to match the exit bin. Expensive? Yes, but definitely worth it!

6.	BE EFFICIENT: Don’t waste time and points using inapplicable colors to solve the puzzle. Example: if the Puzzle only requires red, blue or yellow marbles, don’t drop purple marbles into the puzzle because they will be destroyed and you will lose points.


Game Menu Commands

New Game (F2) - Select this to start new game.

Pause / Resume Game (F3)- Interrupt and continue play.

Toggle Full Screen / Window (F4)-(Not available in Demo Version)

Load Game (F11)-Load a previously saved game-(Not available in Demo Version)

Save Game (F12)- Save a game- (Not available in Demo Version)

Reset Puzzle- Selecting this choice will result in all marbles in play being destroyed although the current score will be maintained.

Restart Puzzle- Choose this to clear the puzzle and the score. Blank slate.

Demo Mode- Let your computer show you how to play!

Select Puzzle- Choose a puzzle to play.

Exit- Exit Marble Drop.


Keyboard Commands

In order to simplify using some of the commands that will be used frequently, we have provided a number of function hotkeys :

F1= On Line Help

F2= New Game

F3= Pause / Resume Game

F4= Toggle Full Screen / Window (Not available in Demo Version)

F11= Load Game (Not available in Demo Version)

F12= Save Game (Not available in Demo Version)


Option Menu Commands

Full Screen Mode (F4)= Toggle between full screen and normal window.

 (Not available in Demo Version)

Sounds (Ctrl+S)= Turn game sounds on and off.

Resolution= 640 X 480 will be the only  choice for this demo! Sorry.

The final release of Marble Drop will have 800 X 600 & 1024 X 768 as available settings in addition to the above.


Help Menu Commands

Marble Drop Help Topics

Access our on line Help manual if you have any questions or problems with Marble Drop. We have tried to cover all the basics regarding Marble Drop including: getting started, playing, scoring, strategy, rules, components, and objectives.We are sorry if something got left out or forgotten, and we will do our best to correct them on the final version of Marble Drop.

About Marble Drop

If you are interested in finding out who was responsible for this fine game, check out this section and you can see who did what to make it happen. Also, if you have any comments or suggestions regarding the Marble Drop Demo or need any Technical Assistance, please contact us. We encourage and welcome your input.

FOR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS CONTACT:

FOR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS CONTACT:


Contacting Us

Technical Support

Comments and Suggestions


Technical Support

Maxis Corporate Office

2121 North California Street #600

Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Attention: Customer Support

(800) 33-Maxis

(510) 927-3905

Fax: (510) 927-3581

E-Mail: support@maxis.com

How it works

Maxis Technical Support

For technical questions dealing with hardware and software compatibility,

startup problems, system errors, be sure to consult your manual addendum

or README file.  If you need further assistance, you can contact a MAXIS

Technical Support Representative.  To prepare for your technical support

session, please follow these guidelines: 1) Gather all information that

applies to the problem. Note any onscreen error messages that appear when

the problem occurs. 2) Write down all the steps that your have taken to

correct the problem.  3) Have ready as much information about your

hardware configuration as possible, including your operating system,

amount of RAM, your brand of sound and video card, etc.  4) When you

call, please be in front of your computer with the power on, and have

your manual and product disks handy.  A Maxis Technical support

representative can be reached by calling 510-927-3905, M-F 8:00 a.m. -

6:00 p.m. (Pacific Time).  You can also send details of the problem by

Fax to 510-927-3581, or by mail at Maxis Technical Support, 2121 North

California Blvd., Suite 600, Walnut Creek, CA 94596-3572.

Online Customer / Technical Support

MAXIS provides a variety of online support services.  The Maxis Web Site

(http://www.maxis.com/) is one of the best sources of information on all

kinds questions related to our products and services.  From the homepage

you can link to a product catalog and demos, a store where you can

purchase games online, and a technical support knowledge base where you

can easily troubleshoot problems with our software.  Similar information

is also readily available 24 hours a day by modem via our Maxis Bulletin

Board Services (BBS) at 510-927-3910, up to 28.8kbps, 8 data bits, no

parity, and 1 stop bit (8-N-1).  There is no charge for Maxis BBS usage,

and full user access is granted upon completion of a brief questionnaire.

 If you are unable to find the information you need on our web page or

BBS service, our email service at support@maxis.com is a great

alternative.  Send technical or customer support related questions about

MAXIS products and we will usually respond within 24 hours.  For instant

access to updaters, patches, demos, and user uploads,  we offer public

access to our FTP site at ftp.maxis.com/pub/maxis.


Comments and Suggestion

Maxis South Software

8303 Mopac Expressway

Suite #B-225

Austin, Texas 78759

Attention: Customer Relations

Fax:     (512) 343-2231

E-Mail: support@maxis.com


CREDITS

MAXIS SOUTH CREW

Executive Producer

Kevin Gliner

Producer

Lisa Acton

Technical Director

Michael Sandige

Game Concept

   Michael Sandige

Design

Kevin Gliner

Monty Kerr

Programming

John Taylor

Additional Programming

Mark Kness (Knessie)

3D Artists

Paul Effinger

John Frantz

Larry Vela

2D Artists

Paul Effinger

Larry Vela

Phil Shenk

Quality Assurance Lead

Darin Henley (“D”)

Quality Assurance Team

Alex Nedleman  (Pokey)

Kelly Kerr

Peter Saylor

Cynthia Engstrom

Help File Documentation

Alex Nedleman (Pokey)

Sound Production/

Music & Sound Effects

Ridgeway Sound/ Matt Ridgeway

Special Thanks

Paula Sandige	Dennis Clark

David Stafford	Joy Carchidi

Jim Mischel 	Shea Love

Stacey & Jessica Falk

THE  MAXIS TEAM

Producer

John Csicsery

Publishing Director

Tom Forge

Product Manager

Julia Hing

Quality Assurance Lead

Myka G. Macaraeg

Quality Assurance Team

Cathy Castro           Delos Mace

Keith Meyer	    Ira Katz

Joe Longworth	    David Abrams

Tim Moore              Russell Johnson

Marc Meyer	    Shannon Gray

Owen Nelson	    Fred Cooley

Michael Gilmartin  Mike Chan

John Ylinen	    Zir-Paul Macaraeg

Scott Shicoff

Joe Ellis

Art Director

Sharon Barr

Install Program

Anthony Hobbs

Special Thanks

Joe Scirica	   Will “Burr” Wright

Jeff Braun 	   Sam Poole

Ashley & Felicia Csicsery


Marble Tower

The marble tower is the tall vertical structure on the left hand side of the screen which  holds the various colored marbles. It also serves to recycle the marbles by reclaiming them through the Sorting Tube after a puzzle has been completed.


Marble Reservoir

Connected to the Marble Tower are eight individual reservoirs, each of which holds seven marbles of a certain color. This is where you select the marbles that are dropped into the puzzle. The trays which normally hold black and silver marbles should appear empty until you purchase those marbles.


Start Funnel

At the top of every puzzle will be one or possibly several funnels, which is where the marble is dropped to start the game. Marbles released in other areas of puzzle, will be put back in reservoir.


Warning Light

At the top of the Marble Tower there is a warning light, which will warn you when you have too many marbles in the puzzle at the same time. When approximately 8 marbles have been dropped into puzzle, the light will flash "red" and an audible buzzing sound will be heard. At that point you should wait until the marbles finish getting through the puzzle before proceeding ahead. If you choose not to heed the warning, all the marbles will be destroyed and game will need to be restarted.


Score Box

The Score Box is located just above the Marble Tower and displays the current game and/or puzzle score. Red digits means you have a negative score.


Marbles

These are the main game pieces. There are 8 different marble colors: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Silver and Black. Silver and Black marbles have special properties as described in the How To Play Marble Drop section.


Speed Control

This is the mechanism you may use to control how fast or slow the game components move. It's located in the lower right corner of screen. The default is medium speed and can be adjusted faster or slower.


Reset Puzzle Button

Near the bottom of the Marble Tower you will see a red button; this is the reset puzzle button. Clicking on this will reset the game by destroying the marbles currently in the puzzle, while retaining accumulated score.


Purchase Marble Button

The purchase marble button is located just to the left of the marble reservoir on the tower itself. The button will be designated with a colored “+” symbol. Clicking on the “+” will dispense the marble AND deduct the cost from your total points.


Sorting Tube

The Sorting Tube is the portion of the Marble Tower that receives the marbles from the exit track after the puzzle has been completed. The  recycled marbles then make their way up the marble tower to their correct reservoirs.


Exit Track

The Exit Track takes the marbles from the Exit Bins into the Sorting Tube for re-distribution into the Marble Tower reservoirs.


Exit Bins

This is the ultimate destination of the marbles as they make their way through each puzzle. The Exit Bins hold only one marble at a time and the color of the bin must match the marble color.


Buzz Saw

Caution, this is one of the puzzle elements which likes to destroy YOUR marbles. The Buzz Saw is activated when a particular set of exit bins is full and cannot accept any more marbles. If more marbles try to enter the exit bins , they will be destroyed by the Buzz Saw.


Track Variants

These are not really components, but several different track styles that make the puzzles more interesting. These include; spirals, corkscrews, gutter-style tracks, pipes (enclosed track), jumps (invisible track where marble seems to jump from one track section to another), and drops (invisible track where marbles seem to drop off track.


Diverter

Diverters allow marbles to change tracks. They can be either 2 or 3 branches which direct the marbles horizontally or vertically. Each time the marble passes through a diverter, the direction of the diverter will change. So, the next time a marble passes through it will go a different way.


Brake

 A brake is a component used to slow a marble down. They appear as a vertical pipe with several pairs of metal "wings" which slow the speed of the marble as it passes through. Check out the cool sound effects too.


Lift

A lift is a device that moves a marble vertically in a puzzle. It resembles a conveyer belt with scoops that pick up and relocate marbles to a different track. Puzzles can have more than one lift.


Target

A target is an obstacle found in a marbles path. When a marble collides with a target, the target bounces off in the opposite direction. Targets are deactivated once they are knocked down.


Pendulum

Also called a swingbar;  the pendulum is the device which carries a marble over gaps in the track. Once the marble is carried over, the pendulum will remain in position waiting for another marble.


Spring

Spring- A Spring appears as an archaic loaded crossbow. If a marble lands on a spring, it will be launched to a receiving basket located elsewhere in the puzzle.


Trigger

Triggers are devices lying on the track that carry electric impulses to other components when hit by a marble. The incoming impulse will change how the component functions; ie, a diverter will switch paths, or a blocker will fall down.


Cannon

An unusual feature indeed! A cannon fires a marble like a cannonball into a receiving basket located elsewhere in puzzle. The marble will roll into the cannon barrel, which will then be tilted upward until another marble hits the trigger (usually located on a different track), which will cause the cannon to fire.


Heater

A heater is a jet of flame a marble can roll through. The first time a marble rolls through a heater, it will become "hot" and turn a copper color. If the marble rolls through a heater a second time, it is destroyed.


Freezer

The opposite of heater of course. A freezer appears as a glass dome that emits an icy mist. A marble that rolls through a freezer will become "cold" and change color. The second time through a freezer and the marble will "shatter" and be destroyed.


Teleporter

There are 2  types of teleporters: senders and receivers. A sending teleporter (white) will send marbles to a receiving teleporter (green). Only one teleporter is active to receive at a time. The active teleporter is colored yellow.


Colored Marbles

There are six different marble colors in Marble Drop. They are red, blue, orange, yellow, green and purple. Each game begins with seven marbles of each color.


Black Marbles

Black marbles are the most valuable and also the most expensive. If a black marble falls into an exit bin, it will turn the color of that bin. So it kind of eliminates guesswork. Black marbles can be purchased when you have earned at least 1500 points. Black marbles are also awarded in some of the bonus puzzles, so it pays to get some of the Bonus action.


Steel Marbles

Steel Marbles are the sacrificial lambs of Marble Drop. We kind of like to think of them as "filler" marbles. They are the cheapest to purchase and are useful in tripping a diverter, filling a holding tube,  or any other function which is needed to solve the puzzle efficiently. These can  be purchased as the game progresses.