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From a dusty old blueprint...

...to a brilliant new video game!

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you want to know about Magnetic Billiards

On this page I have been tasked with providing illuminating answers to the enquiries of our esteemed audience regarding the operation or development of Magnetic Billiards products.

If you should formulate a query of your own that isn't answered below, please feel free to quiz me through the medium of electronic mail and I shall endevour to provide an answer forthwith.

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If I buy the Skeleton Key, do I get the Arcade Games as well?

Yes! If you buy the Skeleton key, as a bonus you also get the Arcade Games and Prototypes, as well as accessing the Serious Tables, Tricky Tables and Fiendish Tables in the Classic Game, and any future game modes or content that we add.

What you're actually buying with the Skeleton Key is a key that can be used to instantly unlock any Table in the Classic game, without having to fill up the key for that page by earning grades. You can still play through the Classic game in the normal way though, by unlocking each table with the regular key. The Skeleton Key is just an extra option you can choose to make use of - it doesn't instantly unlock all the tables.

In addition, buyers of the Skeleton Key will also get access to prototypes of new game modes and gameplay experiments we're working on.

If I buy extra Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint content on my iPhone, will I have to buy it again on my iPad (or vica versa)?

No! You only need to buy extra Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint content once, and it will be available on any and all iOS devices associated with your Apple ID.

If you've successfully purchased something on one device, it won't be immediately available in-game on any of your other devices. You will need to go to the shop and tap the Restore Purchases button to reinstate any content purchases you've previously bought with your current Apple ID.

NOTE - UNDOllars cannot be restored in this way, as they are consumable purchases. UNDOllars therefore cannot be moved between different iOS devices, such between an iPhone and an iPad.

Why does the iOS game use the Blueprint style instead of the Victorian style from the PC demo version?

The Blueprint style was actually the original graphic style for the early PC prototype, when the Pickford Brothers were still formulating and researching the rules of the game. This PC prototype was never released.

They then developed the Victorian graphic style and theme once they'd uncovered a more complete rule-set.

The iOS version of the game - Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint - was the Pickford Brothers' first attempt at iOS development, and they were unsure as to whether it was either possible or wise to squeeze all of the advanced features of the PC game into a mobile game, or whether the platform could support the performance required for some of the 3D aspects of the Victorian style. So, they decided to return to the original, unreleased PC Blueprint prototype, and adapt this to iOS, with its more streamlined game structure and ruleset, simpler UI, and 2D graphics.

What's happened to the PC version?

The PC version of the game - Magnetic Billiards: Seriously Casual - is close to completion, and at alpha testing stage. Development of the game was put on hold while the Pickford Brothers started work on the iOS Blueprint version of the game.

The brothers plan to return to the PC version and complete it soon after the release of the iOS version.

Will there be a Mac version?

Possibly!

Will there be an Android version?

We don't have any immediate plans for an Android port of Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint, although we're not ruling it out. The Pickford Bros don't have a great deal of development 'bandwidth', so at the moment we feel that the best use of our time is to concentrate on further development of Blueprint, and other iOS products.

There seem to be some of difficulties with Android due to both a fragmented market (lots of different devices to support), and a culture of not paying for apps, which combine to make us reluctant to commit our limited time to Android for the time being.

 

Magnetic Billiards is a fresh family of puzzle games by The Pickford Bros.

The first game, Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint for iOS, is no longer available for download.

We're currently working on the follow-up, Magnetic Billiards: Seriously Casual, coming to PC soon.