Switchbox

Switchbox is a strategy game for two players that originally appeared in the March, 1986 issue of Compute! magazine. In the game players attempt to score more points than their opponent by dropping balls into a box consisting of numerous switches. Depending on the direction the switch is facing, balls can either become stuck or continue through; ideally players want to set up a situation for themselves where a cascading effect can be created causing as many balls as possible to reach the bottom of the screen where points are awarded.

On each turn, players can drop a ball into one of 8 columns at the top of a box filled with switches. Each switch consists of a trigger and a platform; if a ball lands on an empty platform side of the switch it will stop falling there. If the ball falls on the trigger side of the switch, the ball keeps going and the switch flips directions. If there is a ball already stopped on a platform and a falling ball hits either side of the switch, the stopped ball will start falling as well; this allows a cascading effect to take place where a single ball can cause many others to fall. When a ball is dropped, it will always fall straight down unless it lands on a platform that already has a ball on it; in this case, the ball will be shifted one column to the left or right depending on the direction the switch is facing.

At the bottom of the screen are 16 exit columns each with different point values; when a ball eventually reaches the bottom, the player who dropped the initial ball earns points for each ball that reaches an exit. The number of points earned can vary depending on which exit column the ball lands in. Switchbox games last for four rounds; on each round of the game the point values awarded change with more points being awarded for exits towards the side of the screen. The game ends when all four rounds are completed, and the player with the most points wins.