SkiFree
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Skifree_screenshot.png
SkiFree is a computer game created by Chris Pirih, who was working as a programmer at Microsoft. The object of the game is simple - ski down a seemingly endless slope and avoid the obstacles.
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History
Pirih had created SkiFree in C on his home computer for his own education and entertainment. The game eventually attracted attention of a program manager for Microsoft Entertainment Pack when he noticed Pirih playing it at work, leading to the inclusion of the game in the next Entertainment Pack release under Pirih's consent.
The game was featured in the Best of Windows Entertainment Pack and was available as a ported version for the original Macintosh.
In 1993, Pirih started work on a second version of the game, but it was abandoned for other projects as the original source code was lost.
On 4 April, 2005, Pirih announced the rediscovery of the game's source code and the creation of a 32-bit version of SkiFree. The updated version is made available on his official SkiFree website.
32-bit version
Because the initial SkiFree release was a 16-bit Windows program, compatibility issues when running the game in newer versions of Windows arose. Pirih noted that users of Windows XP can configure the operating system to run 16-bit Windows programs, resolving the problem for some.
The problem has since been addressed as Pirih rediscovered the game's source code on April 2005, and created a more compatible 32-bit version of the game.
Gameplay
At the beginning of the game, the user has four choices:
- Enter the Free-style course (with the objective of collecting "style points" by doing flips, going over moguls, etc).
- Enter the Slalom course (with the objective of completing an opened slalom course in the shortest time possible).
- Enter the Tree Slalom course (similiar to the Slalom course, but longer, with trees interspersed).
- Enter none of the courses, and just "ski free".
Abominable snowman
Skifree_yeti.png
Once the player has completed their run, the game does not abruptly end. Rather, the player continues skiing until they encounter an abominable snowman. From that point on, the player can ski until the monster catches them.
Tips and cheats
- During the game, the skier can slow his speed down by simply pressing the "s" key. On the other hand, pressing the "f" key allows the skier to move faster.
- Clicking the Left Mouse Button in front of a dead tree causes the skier to jump over it and sets the tree on fire.
- In the Free-style course, placing the skier under a chair of the chairlift that is heading downhill provides large amounts of points.
- Colliding with a tree stump from the bottom, by holding the "up" cursor key, turns the stump into a mushroom.
- In the Free-style course, each close contact with a passing dog awards 3 bonus points to the skier. However, after several encounters with the same dog, it will deposit urine; skiing over the urine will result to the skier losing large amounts of points.
- Aiming right by pressing "f" and going downwards in a straight line helps the skier get past the abominable snowmen (there are two of them). If the skier successfully evades them, he will eventually reach the top of the piste.
- Some trees occasionally move around on tiny feet.
External links
- The Most Officialest SkiFree Home Page (http://ski.ihoc.net/) - Author Chris Pirih's website
- SkiFree tips and cheats (http://www.gamewinners.com/DOSWIN/blskifree.htm)