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Epic Pinball's Android Pinball
Frequently Asked Questions

Written By
Norman G. Sippel
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Version 2.00
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Introduction
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With the growth in popularity of the IBM PC pinball game, Android, and its many requests for cheat keys, I decided to put this Frequently Asked Questions document (FAQ) together.  Please e-mail ngsippel@miavx2.ham.muohio.edu with any comments, questions, or additions.

As of Friday April 15, 1994, the FAQ Server at news-answers-request@mit.edu will be posting this document in the middle of every month on rec.games.pinball and comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.misc.


Trademark and Copyright Notices
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All Android trademarks and copyrights mentioned in this FAQ are property of
Epic Megagames and James Schmalz.  This purpose of this FAQ is to inform people, and it is kept in my spare time for no profit.

All material in this FAQ has been written by myself, Norman G. Sippel, or has been given to me.  The "Android FAQ" is my property with (C) 1993, 1994, 1995.


Distribution and Site File Access
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This document, if kept on a file transfer protocol (FTP) site, must be kept in a public access section and be available for free; otherwise, the site may not carry this document.  If a site accepts these terms, it may freely distribute this document as long as it remains in tact with proper disclaimers and credits.  (Currently, only FTP sites may carry this document.  No other computer-oriented or hard-copy transmissions have been approved.)

This document, or any derivative works thereof, may not be sold or redistributed for profit in any way without express written permission (through paper [snail] mail) of the editor, Norman G. Sippel.  This includes, but is not limited to, translations into foreign languages, mass archival as on a CD_ROM, inclusion in commercially published compilations (books), and uploading this document to non-USENET services.

This document represents the collective effort of many USENET pinball fans.
We appreciate your honoring of this policy.


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* Table Of Contents *
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PART ONE
The Original Android Pinball

I. What is Android Pinball?
II. Where can I get a copy of Android?
III. What are Android's keyboard controls?
IV. What are its missions and goals?
V. How do I hit ... ? (Strategy Section)
VI. What are its secrets?

** NOTE **
Please send in your best strategies on how to reach difficult tasks and areas--the strategy section is still being constructed.  (Your strategic tips will be added along with your name next to it.)

The biggest FAQ is "how do I hit the physical systems consistently?"  I have yet to come up with a solid solution, so one would be very much appreciated by all!  (I tried in this edition!:)


PART TWO
Super Android Pinball

I. What is Super Android Pinball?
II. What is the difference between the original Android and Super Android?
III. Where can I get a copy of Super Android?
IV. How do I hit the new targets?
V. What are its secrets?

** NOTE **
Since the Super Android part of the FAQ is still very new, this part is still being constructed.  Comments, suggestions, and corrections are wholeheartedly invited to be sent to me at ngsippel@miavx2.ham.muohio.edu.

Reminder: Since the two games are invariably intertwined, I will keep the main areas and tasks in Part One, and the new areas and tasks in Part Two.  (For your convenience, if you don't see a question answered in one part, please see the other before posting questions or emailing myself.)


PART THREE
I. How do I contact Epic MegaGames?
II. What would you like to see in the next release of Android?
III. Credits! (Let's hear it for these folks!)



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* PART ONE *
                                   ********


I. What is Android Pinball?

"Android" is one of Epic Megagames' new pinball tables.  This FAQ covers the shareware version of Android which is available all over the Internet (and other networks).

Currently, there are two versions available through shareware: Android (The
Original, 0pinball.zip) and Super Android (pinball2.zip).  Epic Megagames' shareware policy does not allow both versions to be out at the same time, so
Android is being phased out.  (So if you want to enjoy both, save them in separate directories on your hard drive and back-up both onto disk.)

Due to copyright concerns, as of this version of the FAQ, I will be deleting
Epic Megagames' description of Android.  If you would like to see what it's like, I highly recommend downloading a copy of it--it's worth the time and effort to get.  For myself, it's one (or two? :D) of the few games I will always keep on my hard drive.

Android, simply put, is one of the finest pinball games on the IBM Personal
Computer (PC).  The pinball acts as if it was real, and according to Epic
Megagames, it is as fast as 60 frames/second.  It has bumpers, a kicker, many sinkholes, challenging ramps, and many many more features.  Most of the features have been covered in the other sections of the FAQ.

Remember: Android is shareware; if you like it, please pay for it.  Thank you.


II. Where can I get a copy of Android?

** NOTE **
These sites may not have the original game anymore, so while searching for the original, keep looking for the name "0pinball.zip."

Here are a few places to look (from a recent archie search):

Host athene.uni-paderborn.de

Location: /pcsoft2/msdos2/games/Epic
FILE -rw-r--r--     707185  Nov  1 14:49  0pinball.zip

Host gandalf.umcs.maine.edu

Location: /pub/msdos/games
FILE -rw-------     707185  Dec  8 04:34  0pinball.zip


III. What are Android's keyboard controls?

Key            Function
------------------------------------------------------------
Space Bar      Shoot the ball, Tilt the pinball machine up
Left Arrow     Flip up the left flipper
Left Shift     Flip up the left flipper
Right Arrow    Shoot the ball, Flip up right flipper
Right Shift    Flip up the right flipper
Up Arrow       Scroll pinball machine viewing area up
Down Arrow     Scroll pinball machine viewing area down
M              Turn music on/off
P              Pause
S              Turn sound on/off
T              Adjust tracking (smoothness) control
Z              Tilt the machine right
/              Tilt the machine left
ESCape         Quit (Y/N)?

See "What are its secrets?" for cheat keys! :)


IV. What are its missions and goals?

Here are the three goals of the game:

[1] Hit the physical systems hole once to start activating the systems.
Every time you hit all three targets, aim for the hole again to activate an arm, a leg, or other body part.  Once you finish the torso, there are no more systems to activate.  Collect Tests every time you activate an android part.

Physical Stages: (Note: All "M"s after numbers stand for million)
Hit all three targets (marked 1, 2, 3) and physical stage hole to activate
Left Arm
Right Arm (Multiball & Jackpot)
Left Leg
Right Leg (Multiball & Jackpot)
Head
Torso (Multiball with 3 balls and Double Jackpot; Testing max is 247M)

[2] Move the ball through the rightmost ramp to activate the computer link.
Every time you complete the targets, hit through the regular left ramp to get memory (5M, 10M, 15M, etc).  Once you complete all 3 targets, you can get BOTH goals [1] and [2], and then it resets.

Memory Stages:
Basic Input/Output (I/O)
5M - Start computer link-up and aim for all ramps

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
10M - Aim for all ramps and targets
15M (Virus) - Hit rightmost ramp

Artificial Intelligence 2 (AI2)
20M - Shoot all red triangle paths

Database
35M - Sink the pinball into all the sink-holes
15M (Virus) - Hit rightmost ramp

Activate
Hit all three targets on the board (the 1, 2, and 3 switches)

[3] Collect points and jackpots.

Collecting Points:

There are many "points only" targets on the board such as the "Power Up" hole.
Every time this hole is hit, one letter lights up at the bottom of the board (such as "P" or "W"); once all ten letters are lit, a jackpot of 10 million is awarded.  Another score-booster is aiming for the ramp that leads to the bumpers, and the red arrow for the middle lights begins glowing.  When this ramp is traveled, the ramp pot increases by thirty thousand and the current pot is awarded.  Another target is the IQ--IQ will never reach a maximum.  My personal high for IQ was 1100.

Multiball Stages and Jackpots:

After completing the arms, multiball (with two pinballs) will appear.  Aim for the second left-most lane (not the test lane or the return-to-the-bottom ramp) which will give the jackpot plus highlight the middle ramp's bonus.  After completing the legs, a similar multiball will occur.  Once the torso is activated, the final multiball will drop its three pinballs in the middle of the board.  Aim for the test lane for double jackpot.

Other Notes of Interest:

A. The middle ramp's bonus value starts at 100,000 and increases every time by
30,000 when the ramp is lit.  (See "How do I hit ... ?" section for more information on the middle ramp.)

B. Fast PCs have silver flippers, and slow PCs have yellow flippers.  This can be switched in the OPTIONS menu.