XPIPEMAN(1) XPIPEMAN(1)
18 July 1998
NAME
xpipeman - connect the tiles to preserve the flow
SYNOPSIS
xpipeman [-levelsdir <path>] [-scorefile <path>] [-nosound] [-lang
<locale>] [-noshm] [-display <xserver>]
DESCRIPTION
XPipeman is a game of skill requiring the user to connect together
pieces of a "pipe" to allow a "liquid" to flow through without leaking
out. The words "pipe" and "liquid" are in quotes because as XPipeman
progresses, the game tiles take on the shape of electricity through
circuit traces, spark through fuse cord and other items similar to
liquid through pipes.
The liquid flows out of a tile marked "Start", "S" or some comparable
designation. The object is to connect as many pipe tiles to the start
tile as possible. The pipe tiles must be arranged so that liquid may
flow undisturbed from the start tile. There is no designated place to
end; simply keep the flow continuing as long as possible. A random
sequence of pipe tiles is generated and displayed down the right hand
side of the gameboard. This is called the Tile Pool. The next tile
that can be placed appears on the bottom right of the gameboard. The
word "Next" usually appears above the position of the next tile (the
appearance of the XPipeman game board varies over time). Once a tile
has been placed, then next tile is placed in the "Next" position.
When the game begins, a flow meter starts to count down the time
before the flow initiates. The flow meter can be seen in a vertical
bar just to the left of the tile pool. The look of the flow meter
changes over time however the means by which it counts down will
always be intuitive. XPipeman is played in levels. The rules for
each level are the same, but the artwork for each level is different.
Also, successive levels become increasingly harder through a reduction
in the time-to-flow and increase in the number of unusable (obstacle)
tile positions. To progress to the next level, the liquid must pass
through a minimum number of tiles. The minimum increases with each
level. The remaining number of tiles for the current level is
indicated at the top of the game board. Pipe tiles may be placed
using the mouse. The left mouse button places the next tile under the
cursor. The right mouse button confirms the placement and moves a new
pipe tile into the "next" position. Pipe tiles can not be placed on
obstacles, the start tile or tiles through which the liquid has
already passed. Once a pipe tile has been confirmed, it can not be
moved (but may be overwritten). Some tiles are unidirectional. These
tiles will be marked with an arrow or by some other means. The game
ends when the minimum number of pipe tiles have not been met for a
level. The number of levels is limited although it is very difficult
to exhaust them. The tab key may be pressed to speed up the flow. If
the flow has not started, then the flow will begin (at normal speed).
The cursor must be over the playfield when the tab key is pressed.
- 1 - Formatted: December 15, 2025
XPIPEMAN(1) XPIPEMAN(1)
18 July 1998
RESOURCES
xpipeman.scorefile
Specified the file in which high scores are saved. A default
value is compiled into the game (often
"/opt/xpipeman/xpipescores").
xpipeman.levelsdir
Path to XPipeman game directory. This directory contains the
specifications for the level artwork and other information. A
default value is compiled into the game (often "/opt/xpipeman").
OPTIONS
XPipeman accepts command line options -scorefile and -levelsdir to set
the X resources of the same name. If sound has been compiled into the
game, the "-nosound" option will disable it. If the X server is named
":<x>.<y>" or "unix:<x>.<y>" and if the targeted X server has an 8 or
16 bit depth, then the MIT-SHM (shared memory) extension will be used.
32 bit depths will not use the extension due to shared memory segment
size limits imposed by UnixWare 7. The "-noshm" option may be used to
force the extension to be ignored.
SCORING
Each tile dispensed (entering the next position) deducts 2 points.
The start tile is counted as dispensed. Four points are earned for
each tile through which the flow passes. If the flow passes through
the tile twice, 16 points are earned. For each pipe tile which is
overwritten by another pipe tile, 8 points are deducted. Negative
scores are possible.
AUTHOR
XPipeman3 is a completely rewriten version of XPipeman2 by Larry Plona
(ljp@tiac.net). XPipeman2 was an updated verion the orginal XPipeman
game. The original was written by Nigel Paver. XPipeman3 does not
contain any of the original XPipeman code.
- 2 - Formatted: December 15, 2025
