BOOM
Help Home Last revised: September 7, 2011
Dear user,
the file you are about to read is intended to be the primary source of information
about Factor Software, its products and the people who made them; its purpose
is to answer to the most common questions raised by the users (FAQ stays
for "Frequently Asked Questions"). If you have any questions about
Factor Software and its products, please check if it's not already answered
in this FAQ before contacting me. Thank you.
This FAQ file currently answers the following questions:
Q - Who is Factor Software?
A - Factor Software is in fact a single person, i.e., me, Federico Filipponi.
I am a 47 years old Mac programmer living in Rome, Italy. The name Factor Software
doesn't refer to any existing company: I just use it as a nickname since 1986.
I entered the Macintosh Shareware market in 1994, when the first version of
MyEyes (see next question) was released to the public. Previously, I was making
silly games using Basic on my first home computer, a MSX 1 (does someone out
there know what I'm talking about?). Then, the name Factor Software appeared
on a DEC MicroVAX II, where I programmed scientific procedures using Fortran
(that was my real job!). In the early '90s I started programming on a Macintosh
(a Mac SE) using Turbo Pascal first and subsequently THINK Pascal. In 1995
I switched to CodeWarrior (you know, real men use CodeWarrior ;-). Well, in
fact in 2010 I started using Apple's Xcode but this does not mean I'm not a
"real man" anymore :-D.
Q - What products are currently available from
Factor Software?
A - Please refer to my online catalog at:
http://www.factor-software.com/games.php
A brief description of my current games and other software products follows; please refer to my online catalog for up-to-date information.
BOOM - An arcade game in the grand tradition, bringing the playability
and feel of the glorious 8-bit consoles on the Macintosh.
It can be described as “Bomberman meets Doom”. Actually, I took the
basic Bomberman idea and dropped it in a “Super-Deformed Doom” scenario
(whatever this means).
As a space trooper your mission is to penetrate 8 alien infested areas, each
one divided in 10 sub-zones, eliminate all enemies using your bombs and finally
kick the Big Alien Boss back to where he came from.
BOOM's main features are:
Current version: 2.0.5
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or later, Universal Binary
Shareware fee: $9.95 (single user license)
Germs - A game by Mike Weyandt and Factor Software. It combines quick
thinking with even quicker reflexes as players manipulate scads of colorful,
killer pathogens in order to neutralize a biological threat and save humanity.
The gameplay is quite simple, relying at its core on the "pick pieces
up and place them on the gameboard" model used in several games such as
MacPipes. In Germs, the player picks up germ sprites from a "culture dish" and
arranges them on the gameboard in patterns of the same color to make them disappear.
Germs' main features are:
Current version: 1.3.2
System requirements: PowerPC or Intel processor, Mac OS 9.0 or later, QuickTime
5.0 or later
For Mac OS 9.x only: 16 MBytes free memory, CarbonLib 1.5 or later
Shareware fee: $9.95 (single user license)
MacPipes - Classic arcade puzzle in which you have to build a pipeline
of required length connecting pipe parts within a time limit.
The first public release of this game was numbered 2.0. It sounds a bit strange,
doesn't it?
Well, in fact this game has a long story behind its back.
Despite its appeal and gameplay, it is NOT a clone of Pipe Dream from LucasArts
Games; it is in fact a rendition of a small Amiga game I saw in the late 80s,
called Pipeline. It was so addictive that I decided to port it to my Mac (it
was a Macintosh SE, one of those small machines with a black & white built-in
screen, do you remember?)
I started programming it in Turbo Pascal in 1988 (I still have that proto-version
floating around somewhere on my hard disk). Then the 90s arrived bringing color
to the Macs. In early 1994 I produced a color version of MacPipes but didn't
release it to the public until July 1995. The last classic version of the game
(2.2.7) was released in early 1999.
The current version of MacPipes requires a PowerPC processor and runs on Mac
OS 8.6/9.x with CarbonLib and natively on Mac OS X. Since it is a complete
rewriting of the original game, I decided to add a 'X' to the name and restart
version numbering from 1.0.0 (oh, by the way, the silly name it's because all
Macintosh programs in the 80s were called MacThis, MacThat, MacSomething).
Current version: 1.2.8
System requirements: PowerPC or Intel processor, Mac OS 9.0 or later
For Mac OS 9.x only: 3 MBytes free memory, CarbonLib 1.5 or later
Shareware fee: $7.50 (single user license)
MyEyes - A small extension that draws on the menubar a pair of eyes
constantly following the cursor movement.
Yes, I've already seen the Eyeballs INIT (I loved it!) and I must admit that
it's a very old idea, but when I started working on color machines those poor,
black & white peepers seemed to me a little dull. So, guess what! I added
color and lived happy. Using a setup application, you can change a number of
parameters affecting the appearance and the behaviour of the eyes. You can
change the color of both the iris and the eyelids, the frequency of the blinking
and the amount of mouse inactivity time after which the eyes must go to sleep.
You can choose the eyes movement mode between normal (i.e. not focusing) or
independent (chameleon-like). Finally, you can change the eyes positioning
mode. You can have the eyes displayed after the last menu item in the menubar
(like the old Eyeballs did), in a fixed position or on the right side of the
menubar (normally, on the left of the help menu in System 7).
Current version: 2.3.5
System requirements (Classic only): 68020/030/040 or PowerPC, Mac OS 7.1
through 9.x, Color QuickDraw
Shareware fee: $10 (single user license)
Reanimator - A utility for automatically restarting all applications and background-only processes killed by another process, typically an installer or a game. It can also be used to quit all running processes and restart them later.
Current version: 2.0.7
System requirements (Classic only): 68020/030/040 or PowerPC, 64 KBytes
free memory, Mac OS 7.1 through 9.x
Shareware fee: $8 (single user license)
Q - Where can I find the latest versions of Factor's
products?
A - You can find direct links to download my shareware programs in their
respective home pages on my web site.
If you have trouble in retrieving my programs feel free to e-mail me for help.
Q - I don't have Internet access. Can you send
me a disk with your Shareware programs?
A - No. The only mean of distribution of my programs is the Internet
(or, when I give permission, magazines with disks attached or CD-ROM collections).
I prefer spending my spare time programming rather than packaging and mailing
disks. This has by now become an iron rule, so please don't ask me to break
it! You will be disappointed, even if you send extra money for postage coverage
or blank disks. You've been warned!
Q - Why Shareware?
A - Because Shareware it's the best way of distributing home made software.
Using today network facilities it's easy for a software author to make its
work virtually accessible to every computer user in the world. And that's a
big advantage over traditional street distribution. On the other hand, users
can download the software and try it before actually buying it. Moreover, Shareware
authors can keep their prices very low by eliminating all the industrial processes
like marketing, packaging and promoting.
Q - How do I pay for your programs?
A - All my programs can be purchased from my reseller - Kagi.
Kagi accepts all major credit cards, checks and cash in a variety of currencies.
In most cases, you are allowed to purchase and unlock Factor Software products
instantly, using a built-in order form. Instant purchasing is only available
for single orders placed with a credit card. Please refer to the program's
help for further details.
As an alternative, you can easily and safely buy Factor Software products online
at my Kagi Online Order Page.
When you buy one of my products, you receive a registration code to unlock
your copy of the program directly from Kagi shortly after purchase, provided
that you give Kagi a vaild e-mail address. If you're not equipped with an e-mail
address, you'll have to wait a bit more (usually a few weeks) for a postcard
receipt.
In some cases my programs include a “Register X” application (where
X stays for the actual program name) that you can use to generate a registration
form to be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to Kagi.
Send the form together with your payment to:
Kagi
1442-A Walnut Street PMB #392-FF
Berkeley, California, 94709-1405
USA
For credit card payments, send the form via e-mail to <shareware@kagi.com> or
by FAX to +1 510 652 6589. Checks should be made out to “Kagi”.
You can also send your payments directly to me, but I can only accept CASH (US
dollars or Euro). Anything else must be sent to Kagi.
To pay for a Factor Software product with cash, print out the registration
form using the Register program, put it in an envelope along with the money
and send the whole thing to:
Federico Filipponi
via Carlo Del Greco, 2
00122 Lido di Ostia, Roma
ITALY
If you choose to send your payment directly to me, I will send you (via e-mail or postal mail) your unique registration code soon after receiving your fee. A $1.50 bonus for postal coverage is greatly appreciated.
Note: when sending money in an envelope make sure it is not visible from outside: wrap the bill with an opaque paper leaf (here in Italy we are used to say: trusting others is good, not trusting is better!).
Q - I sent my registration several weeks ago and
never received a reply. What's the matter?
A - Sometimes (well, often) I receive registrations from users with
faulty or bouncy e-mail addresses. In such cases my policy is to wait for the “angry
customer” to call in for complaining. There were also cases in which a
letter containing a registration code failed to reach the user for some reason.
Should this happen, there's nothing I can do about it. So, if you already sent
money for one of my programs and never received a reply, please contact me
as soon as you can for your registration code. Your registration has not been
lost.
Q - I received my registration code for one of
your programs but it doesn't work. Can you help?
A - When personalizing your copy of the program, both the code and the
user name must be typed EXACTLY as reported in the purchase confirmation e-mail
or postcard. If you fail to do that, the registration process will not be completed
successfully. If your code is rejected, first check for typing errors. Use
copy & paste to avoid errors. If the problem persists, contact me for help.
Q - How do I contact you?
A - For any request, suggestion, bug report, etc. you can e-mail me
at:
fedefil@factor-software.com (preferred)
fedefil@kagi.com
I usually don't read messages included in registration forms. If you have
something to tell me please contact me separately using one of my e-mail addresses.
Support is given via e-mail only, so don't waste your time and money with paper
mail or faxes.
Obviously, if you need a registration code you can send me a letter as well.
My postal address is:
Federico Filipponi
via Carlo Del Greco, 2
00122 Lido di Ostia, Roma
ITALY
Don't forget to visit my Web site at the following URL:
http://www.factor-software.com/
Q - What about privacy?
A - Find information about privacy and credit card security on the Privacy
page of my web site at:
http://www.factor-software.com/privacy.php
Q - I don't have a Mac. Can you please make <name
of the game> for PC?
A - The short answer is: NO. The long one is: I cannot say that I will
never make my products compatible with the Windows family of OSes sometime
in the future, but, at present, I don't have the interest, time, knowledge
and tools for doing it. So, please, don't ask. If you do, you'll receive the
short answer. Sorry.
Thank you for reading this FAQ.
If you have further questions that you'd like to see answered here, please contact me.