Pipe Maniais apuzzle video gamedeveloped by The Assembly Line for theAmigaand published in 1989. It was ported to several other platforms byLucasfilm GamesasPipe Dream;the company distributed the game in the US. The player must connect randomly appearing pieces of pipe on a grid to a given length within a limited time.
| Pipe Mania | |
|---|---|
 Original box art | |
| Developer(s) | The Assembly Line |
| Publisher(s) | Lucasfilm Games(NA) Empire Interactive(EU) Video System (Arcade) |
| Designer(s) | Akila Redmer Stephan L. Butler |
| Platform(s) | Amiga,Amstrad CPC,Apple II,Apple IIGS,Mac,Arcade,Archimedes,Atari ST,BBC Micro,Commodore 64,Game Boy,PC-88,PC-98,NES,MS-DOS,Windows 3.1x,Psion 3a,SAM Coupé,X68000,Super Famicom,ZX Spectrum |
| Release | June 1989:Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS[1] 1990:Electron, Arcade, CPC, Apple II, IIGS, BBC, C64, GB, Mac, NES, ZX 1992:Windows August 7, 1992:Super Famicom |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Windows version of the game was included in theMS Windows Entertainment Pack.In 1990, it was released as anarcade video gameby Japanese manufacturer Video System Co. Ltd., though with slightly altered gameplay, giving the player the task to connect a source and drain with the random pipe pieces.
Long after its initial release, thePipe Maniaconcept re-emerged as aminigamerepresenting hacking or security system bypassing in larger video games.
Gameplay
edit
The game is played on a grid of squares, one of which is marked as an entry point for a flow of green slime, referred to in-game as "flooz" or "goo" depending on the version. A column of five pipe sections is displayed to one side as a dispenser. When the player clicks on an empty square, the bottommost piece in the dispenser is placed there and a new piece drops in from the top. Pieces cannot be rotated or flipped and must be used in their original orientation. The objective is to form an unbroken pipeline through which the flooz can flow, starting from the entry point and extending for at least a specified minimum number of squares.
The flooz begins to flow after a set time delay, and continues to do so until it reaches a pipe-end that is either open or blocked by a square/playfield edge. If the pipeline has reached or exceeded the minimum required length, the player advances to the next level; if not, the game ends.
If the flooz has not yet entered a pipe section, the player can click on it to replace it with the next one in the dispenser. However, doing so carries a score penalty and causes a short delay before the next piece can be laid.
Later levels introduce added complications, such as:
- Higher minimum pipeline lengths and shorter delays before the flooz starts to flow.
- Higher flow speeds.
- Obstacles or pipe sections already on the field, which cannot be replaced.
- An end piece into which the flooz must be routed. Failing to do so ends the game, even if the length requirement has been met.
- Openings at opposite edges of the grid, allowing the flooz to wrap around from one to the other.
- Reservoirs that take a few seconds to fill once the flooz enters them, giving the player extra time to place pipes.
- One-way pipe sections that allow flow only in the indicated direction.
The player scores points for every pipe section the flooz crosses, and loses points at the end of each level for any unused sections on the field. Bonus points can be scored for the following:
- Using more than the minimum number of pipe sections.
- Routing the flooz to cross itself in a four-way intersection. Doing so five times in a single level awards a large bonus.
- Filling reservoirs.
- Routing the flooz through pre-placed bonus pipes.
A bonus round is played after every fourth level, in which the player is presented with a grid of pipe sections that has one empty space. Clicking on a piece adjacent to this space will cause it to slide over; the goal is to build as long a pipeline as possible, scoring points for each section used. A password is given after each bonus round, allowing the player to start a game at the level immediately following it.
Reception
editIn Japan,Game Machinelisted the arcade version ofPipe Maniaon their November 1, 1990 issue as being the most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[2]
The game was reviewed in 1994 inDragon#211 by Jay & Dee in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Jay did not rate the game, but Dee gave theMacintoshversion of the game 21⁄2out of 5 stars, and the Windows version 41⁄2stars.[3]Macworldnamed the Macintosh version ofPipe Dreamthe Best Arcade Game of 1990, putting it into the Macintosh Game Hall of Fame, and called it an "addictive strategy game".[4]
The editors ofGame Player's PC Strategy GuidegavePipe Dreamtheir 1989 "Best PC Strategy Game" award. They wrote: "Pipe Dreamis destined to become a classic on the order ofTetrisorBreakout".[5]
Reviews
edit| Publication | Award |
|---|---|
| Crash | Crash Smash |
| Sinclair User | SU Classic |
- Commodore Format(February 1993)[6]
- Computer and Video Games(February 1990)[7]
- Zero(March 1990)[8]
- ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)(January 1991)[9]
- ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)(April 1990)[10]
- Sinclair User(February 1993)[11]
- ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)(October 1990)[12]
- Your Sinclair(June 1990)[13]
- Crash!(June 1990)[14]
- Your Sinclair(January 1991)[15]
- The One(March 1990)[16]
- Zero(March 1991)[17]
- Crash!(January 1991)[18]
- Mean Machines(January 1991)[19]
- The Games Machine(UK) (June 1990)[20]
- Game Power(Brazil) (October 1992)[21]
- TOS-Magazin(May 1990)[22]
- VideoGame(July 1991)[23]
- Power Play(February 1990)[24]
- Video Games(October 1992)[25]
- ST Format(April 1990)[26]
- ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)(March 1990)[27]
- VideoGame(December 1991)[28]
Legacy
editMany clones ofPipe Maniahave been produced, under titles such asWallpipe,Oilcap,Oilcap Pro,MacPipes,Pipe Master,Pipeworks,DragonSnot,PipeNightDreams,andFun2Link.ManyNokiacell phonescome with a free version of the game calledCanal Control.[citation needed]
A version with 3D graphics was released for thePlayStationin 2000, titledPipe Dreams 3Din the US andPipe Mania 3Din the UK.
In September 2008,Empire Interactivereleased a remake ofPipe ManiaforWindows,PlayStation 2,Nintendo DS,andPlayStation Portable.[29]It was developed byRazorworks.[30]
Similar games
editWithinBioShock,a variation of the game exists as a means of "hacking"vending machines, robots and cameras.[31]Alien Swarm,Saints Row IVandWarframealso usePipe Dream-like minigames to represent hacking tasks.
Pipe Dreamlike hacking is a main mechanic ofHalf-Life: Alyx,with players solving puzzles in 3D space as a means of hacking doors and electronics in VR.
ANintendo eShop-exclusive game onNintendo 3DStitledMario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Moveuses a similar gameplay in which the player must places tiles to create a possible road for the "Mini Mario" toy to reach the level's goal.
TheNorth KoreangameRailway Assemblage(Chosongul:렬차길 맞추기Hanja:Đoàn tàu 길 맞추기), sponsored by North Korean propaganda regimeUriminzokkiri(Chosongul:우리민족끼리) and released in December 2006, includes a simplified version ofPipe Mania.The game involves joining together sections of railway in order to build a fast railroad track fromSouth KoreatoNorth Korea,before theKTX-shapedtrainappears on the screen.
References
edit- ^"Games".Archived fromthe originalon 2006-04-28.
- ^"Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル hình TVゲーム cơ (Table Videos)".Game Machine(in Japanese). No. 391.Amusement Press, Inc.1 November 1990. p. 25.
- ^Jay; Dee (November 1994)."Eye of the Monitor"(PDF).Dragon.No. 211. p. 40.RetrievedSeptember 3,2021.
- ^Levy, Steven (December 1990)."Game Hall of Fame".Macworld.International Data Group.p. 213.RetrievedSeptember 3,2021.
- ^"Game Player's First Annual PC Game Awards 1989 ".Game Player's PC Strategy Guide.Vol. 3, no. 2. Signal Research. March–April 1990. p. 12.RetrievedSeptember 3,2021.
- ^https://archive.org/stream/commodore-format-magazine-29/Commodore_Format_Issue_29_1993_02#page/n47/mode/2up
- ^"CVG Magazine Issue 099".February 1990.
- ^"Zero Magazine Issue 05".March 1990.
- ^"ACE Magazine Issue 40".January 1991.
- ^"ACE Magazine Issue 31".April 1990.
- ^"Sinclair User Magazine Issue 132".February 1993.
- ^"ACE Magazine Issue 37".October 1990.
- ^"Your Sinclair Magazine Issue 54".June 1990.
- ^"CRASH 77 - Pipe Mania".
- ^"Your Sinclair Magazine Issue 61".January 1991.
- ^"TheOne Magazine Issue 18".March 1990.
- ^"Zero Magazine Issue 17".March 1991.
- ^"Crash Magazine Issue 84".January 1991.
- ^"Pipe Dream - Nintendo Gameboy - Mean Machines review".Archived fromthe originalon 2020-01-08.Retrieved2022-03-20.
- ^"The Games Machine Issue 31".
- ^"GamePower - Ano 1 No. 04 (1992-10) (Nova Cultural) (BR) (pt)".October 1992.
- ^"TOS:05/1990 Pipe Mania: Denkspiel für Leitungsbauer".stcarchiv.de.
- ^"VideoGame - Ano 1 Numero 05 (1991-07) (Sigla Editora) (BR) (pt)".July 1991.
- ^"Kultpower.de - die Powerplay und ASM Fan Site".
- ^"Pipe Dream (Super NES) - N.i.n.Retro (New is not Retro) v3+".
- ^http:// stformat /page_scans/stf09/stf09_037.jpg[permanent dead link][bare URL image file]
- ^"Kultboy - DIE Kult-Seite über die alten Spiele-Magazine und Retro-Games!".kultboy.
- ^"VideoGame - Ano 1 Numero 09 (1991-12) (Sigla Editora) (BR) (pt)".December 1991.
- ^"Pipe Mania 2008 remake website".Empire Interactive.2008-09-03. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-09-30.Retrieved2008-09-03.
- ^"Games".Razorworks.Empire Interactive.Archived fromthe originalon 31 May 2010.Retrieved23 January2023.
- ^Qualls, Eric."BioShockReview (X360) at Xbox.about ".About.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-03-26.Retrieved2007-11-04.
External links
edit- KLOV entry for Pipe Dream
- Pipe Maniaat SpectrumComputing.co.uk