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F A C T O R Y THE INDUSTRIAL DEVOLUTION Frequently-Asked Questions Third revision, April 15, 1996 I frequently am asked the same questions about Factory - this sounded like a job for an FAQ. Answering email about Factory is actually beginning to take up a fair amount of my time (as much as 30-60 minutes a day), so I have invested some effort in compiling all the answers here in the hope of saving time for everybody. If you have a question about Factory, please look here before asking me. The answers provided here are the most complete answers I'm going to be able to offer. If you have a question that isn't listed here, send email to me at pcal@agora.rdrop.com. Thanks, -p ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ is updated at http://agora.rdrop.com/~pcal/factory/factory_faq.html. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 The Game 1.1 What is this Factory game all about anyway? 1.2 Where can I get Factory? 1.3 This game is difficult. Do you have any tips? 1.4 I'm tired of doing these same days over and over again. Can I cheat? 1.5 Why do I get messages about not being able to write to the disk? 1.6 Why can't I save my game? 1.7 Why does Factory crash on me? 2.0 Registering 2.1 Why should I register? 2.2 How do I register? 2.3 How can I pay my registration fee? 2.4 Where do I send my registration fee? 2.5 Can I purchase a site license for my school or other group? 2.6 Will you just send me a registration number for free? 3.0 For Registered Users 3.1 Why can't I open the manual? 3.2 Are there any other months available? 3.3 How do I make my own months? 3.4 How can I unregister a copy of Factory to give it to someone else? 3.5 What is the password for December? 3.6 I registered version 1.1. Do I have to pay to upgrade to 1.2? 3.7 I registered version 1.1. How do I upgrade to 1.2? 3.8 I have version 1.1 installed. How do I install version 1.2? 4.0 Current Version - 1.2 4.1 What has changed in v1.2? 4.2 Why did you increase the registration fee? 4.3 What bugs are known to exist in v1.2? 4.4 Why don't I hear any sounds? 5.0 Future Versions 5.1 Will there be another version? 5.2 Will you make a Windows version of Factory? 6.0 Past Versions 6.1 What was the deal with commercial v1.0? 6.2 Can I still register version 1.1? 7.0 Distribution 7.1 Can I make copies of Factory for other people? 7.2 Can we put Factory on our shareware compilation? 7.3 Will you send me the game/manual/months through the mail? 7.4 Will you email me the game/new months? 8.0 Miscellany 8.1 How do I program games for the Mac? 8.2 What other projects have you done/are you working on? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1 What is this Factory game all about, anyway? Factory takes you to a not so distant future in which automated manufacturing systems have failed and it's up to you to keep the factories running. You must direct various components along conveyor belts and through pipes by clicking on control switches. Properly combine the components into finished products and meet your quota or you're fired! Quick thinking, not lasers or bullets, is the only thing that will help you here. The registered version of Factory includes an editor so that you can create and share your own custom factories and products. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2 Where can I get Factory? If you have access to the World Wide Web, the best way is to just stop by the Wactory web page at http://agora.rdrop.com/~pcal/factory. Factory is also available in the the Info-Mac FTP archives and is located in game/arc. It may also be available in the Mac archives of other services, e.g. America Online. Factory has also been distributed on several shareware CDs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.3 This game is difficult. Do you have any tips? * Go through the Tutorial (select it from the Game menu). * When you approach a factory for the first time, take a minute studying the layout and the Assembly Guide to formulate a strategy. * Use the speed control to your advantage. If things get too complicated, slow down and figure out what you need to do. * Work quickly but don't rush. There will usually be more than sufficient time to fill your quota if you work at a steady pace. * Learn to think ahead and be able to concentrate on assembling components in different places at the same time. * Don't be afraid to throw items in the trash. You will lose money, but having fewer objects floating around allows you to concentrate on getting finished products assembled. You may even want to dump stray objects together in a temporary trash area. * Remember that the shipment counter is merely a raw count of how many items you've loaded into the truck. Be sure enough of those are finished products before deciding to Call it a day. * Write new check number codes down when you get them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.4 I'm tired of doing these same days over and over again. Can I cheat? Registered users are now allowed to retry days on which they fail to meet quotas. If you're really stuck (and have registered), you can use the following cheat code to help you out: In the new game dialog check number field, type in '#' followed by a capital letter corresponding to the day you want to start on. (For example, a password of '#D' will start you on the fourth playable day). Next, and before you click 'OK', press and hold (Command+Option+Shift with CapsLock ON) until the game starts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.5 Why do I get messages about not being able to write to the disk? You must have Factory installed on a volume to which you have write access, such as your computer's hard drive. Factory will not work so well if you run from a CD or locked network volume. Also, your System Folder must not be locked so that Factory can write to it's preferences file. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.6 Why can't I save my game? At the end of each week, you get a check. On this check is a number. When you start a new game, you can type this number (along with your name) into the New Game dialog and start the game on the Monday right after you received that check. One name and check number at a time is stored in the preferences file, so you don't need to worry about it when you're the only one playing the game and you're playing through a single month. However, if you're playing difference months, or different people are playing, you need to write down or copy and paste the check numbers someplace safe. In terms of game design, this really wasn't the best scheme for dealing with this. I will try to address this issue to some extent in the next version. If it's driving you crazy, you might want to look use the cheat code described above. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.7 Why does Factory crash on me? I don't claim that Factory is going to win 'most stable app of the year', but a lot of people seem to be able to play it ok. Some people have complained of lockups and crashes, however. The only one which has been isolated and is slated to be fixed is the one which occurs when you complete a month. If you are getting more chronic problems, first try disabling all of your extensions (Restart and hold the shift key) and then running Factory. If the crashes go away, then it is an extension conflict. (It still might be Factory's fault, but you at least can get around the problem). If nothing seems to help and you want me to try to fix the problem, I need to know as many details as you can tell me about when and under what circumstances the crash occurs. I also need to know about your system configuration, i.e. CPU type, resolution and color depth of your display, system software version, and what extensions you are running. Any other info you can add will help. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.1 Why should I register? Factory is distributed as Shareware. This means that you can download it and try it out for free. It also means that if you like it and play it a lot, you should compensate me for all the work I put into it. As additional inventives, registration will also do the following: * Enable Factory's built-in editor so you can create your own factories and products. * Allow you to play factories designed by others. * Let you restart a day if you fail to make your quota. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.2 How do I register? To register, all you do is send me $15, and then I will send you a registration number by email or postal mail which unlock some features. Please open the 'Order Form' for detailed instructions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.3 How can I pay my registration fee? Money order, check, or US cash all work for me. Sorry, but I just don't have the means to accept payment via credit cards. Please note that I can only accept US funds. If you're running into heavy bank charges for international currency exchanges, you might want to look into postal money orders - this seems like the best way to go about it. I don't have any problems accepting US cash; 30% or so of Factory users have sent cash. Nonethelesss, you do take a risk when you put cash in the mail, so it might be wise wrap it up in some heavy paper. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.4 Where do I send my registration fee? The address is located on the Order Form. If your copy of Factory is a year or two out of date, you might want to email me to make sure that you have my current address. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.5 Can I purchase a site license for my school or other group? Yes. Please see the Order Form for details. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.6 Will you just send me a registration number for free? No. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.1 Why can't I open the manual? 1. If you have a Microsoft Word or another word processor that reads RTF (Rich Text Format) files, such as MS word, launch the word processor and open the Factory Manual in the MS Word/RTF folder. 2. If this doesn't work, open the SimpleText version. It is a two-part SimpleText version of the manual. Double-click on each part and you should get the manual. This version doesn't look nearly as nice as the RTF version, but it will work. I'm afraid this is all the help I can offer here - if you email me asking about this, I won't be able to tell you anything more. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.2 Are there any other months available? Yes. You can download them from the Factory web page or from any Mac FTP site. There currently are three additional months included with 1.2, and more are supposed to be on the way. Note that only registered users can open month files other than December. Please note that I didn't make any of these months - they were created by players just like you. Please direct any comments or questions about these months to their authors. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.3 How do I make my own months? First, you have to register your copy of Factory. You will receive a manual that explains all the details of how to do it. It's really pretty simple once you get the hang of it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.4 How can I unregister a copy of Factory to give it to someone else? Launch Factory and then hold (Command+Option+Shift with CapsLock ON) until the menu bar appears. Factory will be unregistered again. Make sure you are doing this on a copy or that you still have your registration number, as this procedure completely unregisters that copy of Factory! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.5 What is the password for December? If you really want it: INTIMEINTONEFINETUNE Note that only registered users can edit December. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.6 I registered version 1.1. Do I have to pay to upgrade to 1.2? Users who registered version 1.1 prior to version 1.2's release can upgrade for free. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.7 I registered version 1.1. How do I register v1.2? Registration numbers that have already been given out for version 1.1 will still work with 1.2. If you have lost that number, email or write me and I will send it to you again. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.8 I have version 1.1 installed. How do I install version 1.2? You should throw away the entire Factory 1.1 folder (remove any custom months you might have first). None of the old files are required for 1.2. Your game is saved in the Preferences file in the System Folder, so you don't need to worry about that. Note that the '...Graphics' and 'Sounds' files are now kept in the 'Data' folder. They have to be in there or Factory will not find them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.1 What has changed in version 1.2? After a good number of hours of slogging through some ancient code, I've come up with what seem to be the most wanted fixes. I couldn't do everything, though. This is a complete list of changes to 1.2; if I don't mention making a change here, I probably didn't make it. Bug Fixes * The infamous 'presses getting stuck' bug is fixed. * Objects won't rebound off of closing gates. * Objects won't fly off the edge of conveyor belts. * Objects won't fly out of the top of elevators. * Objects won't push through closed presses. * Screeching sounds should be gone. Factory now requires Sound Manager 3.0. * A few graphic glitches with filler streams were fixed. * Some generally sloppy parts of the code were cleaned up. It is likely that this will eliminate some of the random crashes that have been reported. * Waste total is now tallied correctly. * A few other cosmetic improvements were made. Features Added * Registered users now have the option to repeat a day on which they failed to make quota. * Some fine tuning was done to the December month. In particular, items on the last day should assemble correctly now. * Added a separate 'Register' command on the File menu. * Made some adjustments to salary calculations to make the game more reasonable. In particular, you are now charged a flat $2 per item of waste, regardless of the difficulty level. However, you are charged more now for defective items which you send into the truck. * Added a sound for objects falling into storage tanks. * You should now hear the music that was supposed to play at the end of the game in v1.1. * Source was recompiled with CodeWarrior 7. Will probably be a little faster. Features Removed * The drum/machinery sample on the introduction was removed due to technical difficulties and the liklihood that few people listen to it more than once or twice anyway. Administrative Changes * The manual and FAQ are now included with the unregistered application. * Three 'home-brewed' month files are now included. * An order form is now included. * I will no longer be mailing out photocopies of the manual. * Registration fee increased from $10 to $15. * Site-license fee structure finalized. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.2 Why did you increase the registration fee? Factory is my first venture into shareware, and prior to it I didn't realize how much of my time it was going to take up after I released it. Just getting these bugs fixed for version 1.2 occupied most of my free time for over a week, not to mention dealing with daily support issues. Increasing the fee will help ensure that it will continue to be worth my while to maintain and support the software. It's still not all that expensive, and with the improvements to version 1.2, it is a much higher quality product for the money. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.3 What bugs are known to exist in v1.2? * I have been told (but have not been able to see for myself) that Factory has problems with multiple monitors. * I'm sure there are other problems, we'll see what comes in. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.4 Why don't I hear any sounds? First, make sure your sound volume is on and all that stuff. Also make sure that the Sounds file is in the Data folder. If you're still not getting sound and you're on an older Mac, it may be because Factory now requires Sound Manager 3.0. This was necessary to eliminate the screechy sounds that many people were getting. I could make a special version of Factory available that supports sounds on older Macs, so let me know if this is really bumming you out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.1 Will there be another version? I'll wait and see what kinds of bugs turn up in 1.2. I may take the basic concept and do something different with it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.2 Will you make a Windows version of Factory? I don't know much about the Windows API. I'd say it's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.1 What was the deal with the Commercial Version 1.0? In 1993, Factory was released as a commercial product by Softstream International. Fairly soon after, Softstream went out of business. I think some copies of Factory 1.0 actually were sold, though I never saw a dime of any of it. This was rather discouraging, and I was in college trying to write my thesis. As a result, Factory sat on the shelf gathering dust for a while. Eventually (in the Fall of 1995), I found the fortitude to clean it up a little bit and distribute it myself as Shareware. Incidentally, the commercial demo of Factory v1.0 is probably still floating around out there. If you happen to see it anywhere, please delete it and replace it with the most recent shareware version. The old demo contains false information and some bugs which have been fixed in the current release. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.2 Can I still register version 1.1? No. I will not continue to accept new registrations of version 1.1 or give out registration numbers for 1.1. You must register version 1.2 now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.1 Can I make copies of Factory for other people? The normal shareware spiel applies here. You are encouraged to distribute unregistered and unmodified copies of Factory to anyone you think might like it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.2 Can we put Factory on our shareware compilation? You may not include Factory for distribution on shareware compilations, CD ROMs, or anything else that people are going to have to pay for unless you obtain permission from me. Most likely, all I'll want is a copy of whatever you put it out on, but please ask first. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.3 Will you send me the game/manual/months through the mail? No. Sorry, but I really need to keep this operation streamlined. I spent too much time going to the post office with v1.1. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.4 Will you email the game/month files to me? Sorry, but no. My mail server has a hard time with documents of this size. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.1 How do I program games for the Mac? Well, this is the one exception to the 'all answers here are as complete as they're going to be' rule - this is a big question, but I can point you in the right direction. You need to learn a programming language and you need to learn the Macintosh API. C++ is the language of choice these days. Get yourself a good development kit. Like most everybody else, I like CodeWarrior from MetroWerks. I haven't recently looked at what's out there in the way of good books to buy. I'd suggest checking in with comp.sys.mac.programmer for more advice on getting started. BTW, Factory was originally written in Symantec's Think C v 4.0. Version 1.2 was recompiled with CodeWarrior 7. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.2 What other projects have you done/are you working on? As I mentioned above, Factory was pretty much how I taught myself C. I haven't really put anything else out since then. I have taught myself C++ in the last year and am working on a new project. I'm reluctant to talk about the specifics at this point. It is not a game exactly, but it is something that will probably appeal to people who like Factory.