Solo Joe: Frequently Asked Questions:

If you have a question that does not appear below, send it to me (via the Contact Page). The purpose of the demo is to work out all the kinks before I finish the full version. Your feedback will ensure the best results.

NEW Question (June 9, 2008):
The game loads, but how do I start?

Answer:
This main controls for this game are the Arrow-Keys, Z-key, X-key, and C-key. The Z-key is your enter/select key. To begin playing the game you must press "Z".

NEW Question (June 9, 2008):
I'm on "Anomoly's Reward" and I've brought all the possible gear, but I can't get any protection into the cracks to save my life. Any tips?

Answer:
There are a couple of scenarios that could yield this result. First, you must learn how to place trad gear. As you progress through the game it is essential to learn new skills from "The Guide". He will teach you how to place trad gear. Second, if you have already gleaned some trad skills from "The Guide" and it still is not working, you may have an old version of the demo. Version 4.2 is the newest. Earlier versions had a problem with that climb.

NEW Question (May 29, 2008):
When will new levels be available?

Answer:
New levels? Well, I'm nearly done programming the next crag. However, I do not intend to release new crags as I finish them. Instead, the next release is scheduled for November 1st (much to my chagrin as the workload seems unsurmountable). The November release will be the full version.

NEW Question (May 29, 2008):
I can't dyno. When with The Guide teach me something new?

Answer:
The demo has its limits. One thing you can't do in the demo is dyno. Most of the cool skills the guide teaches aren't available, and won't be until the full version is released.

NEW Question (May 29, 2008):
I can't do the 5.11 and I'm a 5.12 climber. I can't get through the second crux. What am I missing?

Answer:
First off, if you're a 5.11 climber you played the demo out long ago. The demo was designed as a sample. I doubt the game would be much fun after 5.8. As far as the 5.11 is concerned, that climb is VERY technical. It's a 5.11 for a super technical climber, but probably 5.12 for everyone else. I may consider bumping the grade. However, much like real climbing, grades are very relative. This actually opens the game up a bit. You may find that some of the climbs are easy for your character. In this case, if you had chosen to customize your character differently this climb might be more doable at 5.11.

Question:
I downloaded the game, but can’t get it to work?

Answer:
The download is a zip file. You must extract all the files before opening the game. This is also a demo, and compatibility has not been fully tested. Please contact me with issues. It would be nice to debug as many compatibility issues as possible.

Question:
I find it hard to advance. I find myself climbing the same route over and over again to bring my stats up. It can be frustrating when you are almost leveled up and you fall and have to do all those climbs all over again because it resets your experience back to zero.

Answer:
The demo is designed to allow you to level up your character to approximately 5.8-ish. Beyond that, it will take a lot of minutia in order to level up any more. When I finish programming the full version I intend to revisit those things that affect game-play. I may tweak the rate that the character levels up at that time. It will depend on overall game-play. As for loosing experience points, your experience points only get reset to zero when you deck (hit the ground and die).The most economic strategy is to stay tied in and protect the climb well to avoid decking. In this way you will not loose your experience points.

Question:
I find that I run out of money and cannot get more because I can’t climb the routes with booty on them because they are too difficult.

Answer:
You can make money by climbing routes. Your “Sponsors” pay you for each successful attempt. The “style” of your ascent will dictate the amount of cash you earn. Sponsors pay top dollar for on-sight solos, but won’t shell out much green for something you’ve climbed several times. Each time you go to a different wall there is a chance that something has changed. Watch your “booty-indicator” which will display as a blue circle when there is booty on the wall. Sometimes this indicates that there is a special “booty-biner”; however, it may simply be because someone left a quickdraw behind. You can sell these quickdraws back at the Gear Exchange. Limit the climbs you attempt to the ones within your grade. If you try too many climbs that are out of your league you will run out of draws. In addition to "booty biners", you can retrieve "bail draws" (quickdraws left behind by other climbers). The "bail draws" have a higher resale value then the basic aluminum booty biners.

Question:
The balance cruxes are very difficult. I press the keys and don't see anything happening in the direction pressed.

Answer:
The balance-o-meter responds to left and right key-presses. Holding down the key will not get the job done. Each time you press the left or right key it will increase the speed of the ball in that direction. So, if the ball is traveling left (counterclockwise) a couple of quick taps on the right key will turn it around. The ball also changes directions randomly; therefore, keeping the ball in the top half of the circle with quick key-presses is essential for avoiding the random direction switch. It takes a little finesse, but balance crux is one of my favorites.

Question:
It's too hard. My guy can't walk a 5.4. There are no big rests on the entire route where I can recover. When you hold the X-Key the power meter still goes away. It is constantly getting lower and there's no where to 'rest'. Perhaps term "rest" here is misleading? I would think that the left bar would increase.

Answer:
When climbing a route, don’t dally. Move quickly. Some routes won’t have any rests. When you are “on the rock” your character will loose energy and grip. You can’t just rest wherever you like. If you find a “rest jug”, maneuver your character until it is touching the hold. Then, stop moving. The only way to benefit from a “rest jug” is to stop moving.

Question:
What does the circle with the “?” it mean?

Answer:
This happens during a technical crux sequence, where your character is not strong enough technically to know how to do the required move (button push). However, it is possible to guess correctly.

Question:
If you fall on the climb you should still get experience for it.

Answer:
Yes. You do not have to finish a climb to earn experience points.

Question:
Am I missing something? You start out with $275, which means you can buy the cheapest rope and either a guidebook or a quickdraw. Wouldn't it make more sense to be able to at least buy the first guidebook as well as a draw?

Answer:
You do not need to buy a rope as you start the game with one automatically. You also start with 4 quickdraws. Eventually you will need more quickdraws and some trad gear to complete most of the climbs in the demo.

Question:
So when I rack up for the trad line, I can only put one “type” of pro on my rack (i.e. only small stoppers or only large cams.) I've splatted a considerable number of times trying to get to the top with just small stoppers... Shouldn't you be able to bring different types of pro?

Answer:
You have to move over to a different “slot” on your rack. Press the Left and Right Keys to move to select different “slots” on your rack. This will allow you to rack how you want to.

Question:
Are there limits to your character’s stats?

Answer:
Currently, no they are unlimited; however, this is the demo.

Question:
What happens to the draws I leave behind?

Answer:
If you leave a draw on a climb, and leave the crag it may be gone when you return. This is not guaranteed, though. You may get lucky. In addition, there are other climbers in the game who may leave draws behind that you can retrieve.

Question:
Does the following series of keystrokes help: up up, down down, left right, left right, a b, a b, select?

Answer:
Not currently, then again I have yet to introduce a three-headed monster.