Blockade! - FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)


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How do I play?
Control the paddle () to reflect the ball () towards the blocks at the top of the screen. Your goal is to clear all the blocks on the level with the help of power ups you find along the way.

What are the controls?
Move Paddle: scroll wheel, up/down arrow keys.
Move Paddle (faster): menu + scroll wheel, up/down arrow keys.
Release Ball, Shoot Lasers/Missiles: scroll wheel button.

Um... Power ups? What are those?
Power ups appear randomly throughout the course of the game when blocks are destroyed. When you see a power up it will fall down the screen, if you want it then catch it with your paddle. Keep in mind power ups can be both good and bad.

Oooooh! What kind of power ups can I get?
- Slow Down: slows down the speed of all current balls.
- Speed Up: speeds up the speed of all current balls.
- Three Ball: each ball divides into three.
- Catch: ball sticks to the paddle allowing for improved accuracy (use scroll wheel button to release).
- Lasers: fire block destroying lasers from the paddle (use scroll wheel button to fire).
- Expand: increases the paddle size.
- Reduce: decreases the paddle size.
- Comet: exploding ball will destroy all adjacent blocks.
- Extra Life: grants an additional life.
- Death: destroys paddle.
- Level Up: advance to the next level.
- Level Down: go back to the previous level.
- Driller: ball travels through blocks, destroying them.
- Quake: causes screen to shake and vibrate.
- Vertigo: inverts paddle movement.
- Neutralize: removes all active power ups.
- Barrier: creates a temporary reflective barrier below your paddle.
- Blocks Up: moves all blocks up by one row.
- Blocks Down: moves all blocks down by one row.
- Color Buster: ball will destroy all blocks on the screen of the same color.
- Missile: destroys a column of blocks when fired (use scroll wheel button to fire).
- Killer Blocks: blocks will fall when destroyed, dodge them to avoid being killed.
- Random: gives a randomly selected power up featured on this list both positive and negative.
Why do some blocks take multiple hits to destroy?
Silver blocks will only be destroyed when they have been hit 3 times.

How come I can't break certain blocks?
Gold blocks are indestructible.

My ball is stuck, what do I do?
Very rarely does it occur that your ball becomes stuck bouncing in an endless loop. If this happens, use the left/right arrow keys to nudge the ball, this should unstick it.

My neck hurts, how come the screen is oriented sideways?
We've found game play is much more enjoyable using the longest screen dimension. While you can still play Blockade! holding the Hiptop normally, we recommend turning it 90 degrees clockwise while playing.

I have a rash, can you help?
Fantastic. And no.

This is too easy! How do I change the difficulty?
Under the "Settings" menu, click on "Difficulty/Game Style". Select from 4 difficulty modes in the "Difficulty" popup menu.

I am old and boring and these explosions are scary -- I would like a more traditional game style, can I play with different power ups?
Under the "Settings" menu, click on "Difficulty/Game Style". Under the "Power Up Set" section you will be able to select from 3 game styles.

I have no more skin on my thumb, is it possible to adjust how fast the paddle moves?
Under the "Settings" menu, click on "Controls". This will allow you to set how quickly the paddle moves per turn of the scroll wheel.

I want to play Blockade! all day during class, but my teacher keeps trying to make me learn! How do I turn off the sound?
Under the "Settings" menu, click on "Sound/Vibration". Uncheck the "Use Sound" box.

I can't feel my hands and my dog won't stop barking. How do I turn off vibrations?
Under the "Settings" menu, click on "Sound/Vibration". Uncheck the "Use Vibration" box.

I hate you, you haven't answered my question. What do I do now?
If this FAQ doesn't solve your problem our staff at Requiem Software Labs would be happy to answer your question directly. Please send an e-mail to software support detailing your problem.