This FAQ contains answers to frequently asked questions about Square Off, an educational math game that used to be available on the Prodigy Classic service.

Square Off is a service mark of Prodigy Services Corporation. Prodigy is a registered trademark of Prodigy Services Corporation.

1. Questions About the High Score Lists

1.1 Which scores show up on the high score lists?
1.2 When are the high score lists updated?
1.3 Why are my scores nowhere near as high as the scores on the high score lists?
1.4 Why didn't my name didn't show up on the high score lists at the end of the week?
1.5 My score showed up, but it wasn't my highest for the week. What happened?
1.6 Why aren't the high score lists being updated?
1.7 Why weren't the high score lists available for several months beginning in 1996?
1.8 Who is K. Moser, and how did he/she get the impossibly high score of 999,999 points?

2. Questions About Your Scores

2.1 How is my score determined?
2.2 Are my high scores accumulated during the week?
2.3 Will a faster computer or modem help me get a higher score?
2.4 I just upgraded to a faster modem. Why is Square Off slower instead of faster?
2.5 How can I get a higher score?
2.6 What is the highest possible score?

3. Miscellaneous Questions

3.1 At the end of every game it tells me to do better next time. Doesn't it ever congratulate me?
3.2 Am I charged extra for playing Square Off?
3.3 Who is SLAM5, and what does the name mean?
3.4 Why am I allowed to play only once a day?
3.5 Do the winners get a t-shirt or other prize?
3.6 What are the meanings of the quotes on the main page and of the tiled pictures in Phase 2?
3.7 Are the photos in the Meet SLAM5 section real?
3.8 Will Square Off ever be upgraded? Will there ever be a sequel?

4. Other Web Links to Square Off

• A mention of Square Off in an (old!) online services review article from Practical Homeschooling.

1. Questions About the High Score Lists

1.1 Which scores show up on the high score lists?
All scores achieved in a given week are contenders for being on the high score list. That gives you up to 7 separate and distinct chances. But because only one ID per player is selected to appear on each of the 3 lists, only your top score in each of the three difficulty levels is really a contender.

The only time scores will be posted that AREN'T your highest is if technical problems prevented some scores from being included in the ranking process. This has happened several times in the past, and is beyond my control. When it happens, there is usually no practical way to recover those scores.

1.2 When are the high score lists updated?
High scores are posted every Friday morning. They include scores from the previous Thursday (a week ago) through Wednesday (two days ago).

Scores from games played after midnight on Wednesday are included as well, even though technically they were really played on Thursday. Because the rest of Thursday's scores aren't posted until next week, it would be misleading to say "As of Thursday..." That's why it says "As of Wednesday..." instead.

1.3 Why are my scores nowhere near as high as the scores on the high score lists?
Square Off is not very forgiving. Every second you waste and every equation you get wrong causes you to lose points one way or another. Conversely, every second you save gives you more points. As a result, your score can be very low (near zero), very high (50,000 and up), or anywhere in the middle.

In retrospect it would have been better to scale the scores so that novice players would score better relative to expert players. This would have made for a more fun, less frustrating experience for first-time players.

1.4 Why didn't my name didn't show up on the high score lists at the end of the week?
One of the following happened:

• None of your scores was high enough to make it on the high score list. (Note that your high scores for the week are NOT accumulated; see this FAQ for more information.)
• You played after this week's deadline and your score won't show up until next week. (Games played on Thursday are posted next week; see this FAQ for more information.)
• Due to technical problems, everybody's score was lost for the day you played. This is extremely rare, but when it happens there's very little that can be done to recover your score. Consider it lost forever.

1.5 My score showed up, but it wasn't my highest for the week. What happened?
One of the following happened:

• Due to technical problems, everybody's high score was lost for the day that you achived your highest score that week.
• Your highest score was played on Thursday, and will be posted next week. (See this FAQ for more information.)

1.6 Why aren't the high score lists being updated?
It's probably a technical problem. The best way to get the problem fixed is to write a message to Prodigy's Member Services. To write them a message, follow these directions:

1. [Jump]: ASK FOR HELP
2. Hit the PgDn button to get to the next screen
3. Select "Report Errors"
4. Select "Write To Us"
5. Write a polite message noting that the high score lists aren't being updated and asking them to please fix the problem.

1.7 Why weren't the high score lists available for several months beginning in 1996?
There were technical problems. (The next time it happens, follow the instructions in this FAQ.)

1.8 Who is K. Moser, and how did he/she get the impossibly high score of 999,999 points?
Kim Moser is me. I programmed Square Off, and at the time I had the ability to put any score on the high score list. It is virtually impossible to achieve a legitimate high score anywhere near 999,999.

2. Questions About Your Scores

2.1 How is my score determined?
Throughout the course of the game, your score can go up or down depending on how well you do. Here is a breakdown of what happens in each phase: Phase 1:

• In the beginning of Phase 1 each equation is worth 100 points. If you solve an equation within "n" seconds three times in a row, the value of the target increases 100 points (to a maximum of 500). If you solve an equation within "n+m" seconds, the point value doesn't change. If it takes you more than "n+m" seconds to solve an equation three times in a row, the value of the equation drops 100 points (to a minimum of 100). (The preceding rules can be paraphrased as: the faster you answer questions, the more they become worth; the more slowly you answer questions, the less they become worth.)
• Every time you get an equation correct another piece of the "bonus block" gets built. Once you get 5 equations correct in a row, the bonus block is complete and gets added to your list of bonus blocks (visible near your current score).
• Every time you get an equation wrong you are penalized its point value, and the point value of the next equation drops by 100 points (to a minimum of 100), and the existing bonus block gets destroyed and must be rebuilt.
• At the end of Phase 1 you are awarded points for each bonus block: each bonus block is worth the number of points that the last equation was worth that you solved. So if the last equation you solved was worth 400 points, and you got 3 bonus blocks, you get a bonus of 400*3 or 1,200 points.

• In Phase 2 the point value for each equation remains constant. Its value is the same as the point value of the last equation you solved in Phase 1. So if the last equation in Phase 1 was worth 400 points, then ALL the equations in Phase 2 are worth 400 points.
• If you solve all 13 equations in Phase 2 before the clock runs out (2 minutes), you get bonus points for each extra second. The bonus is a percentage of your current score. I don't remember the exact equation, but basically the more time left the higher the percentage will be.
• If the clock runs out before you solve all 13 equations in Phase 2, you are penalized for each equation that you didn't have time to solve. You are penalized "n*p" points, where "n" is the number of equations you failed to solve and "p" is the equation point value.

2.2 Are my high scores accumulated during the week?
No. Your high scores are NOT accumulated during the week. Each time you play, you get a separate score. At the end of the week, everyone's scores from each of the past 7 days are sorted (not combined!), and the highest 50 scores are posted for each difficulty level.

2.3 Will a faster computer or modem help me get a higher score?
Yes. Unfortunately a slow computer will put you at a slight disadvantage because it takes longer for your computer to display graphics. The timer is off for much of the time that graphics are being displayed, but it is not possible to turn off the timer EVERY time graphics are displayed.

The same applies to a slower modem. Most of the game loads in to your computer before the game starts, but occasionally information needs to be transmitted while the timer is still running. A slower modem will put you at a slight disadvantage in these situations. This phenomenon can not be overcome (except by getting a faster computer).

2.4 I just upgraded to a faster modem. Why is Square Off slower instead of faster?

Some Square Off players who upgraded to a faster modem (e.g. from 9600 or 14.4 to 28.8) have experienced Square Off playing SLOWER with their new modem. As far as I can tell, this could be caused by any of the following:

• You reinstalled the Prodigy software. That caused all the Square Off files that were in your cache to be deleted. The next time you played Square Off, these files had to be downloaded while the game was playing, which slows it down. However, as you continue to play Square Off, it should return to its former speed.
• You're now dialing a different number to connect to Prodigy. The new computer you're now connecting to may respond more slowly than the one you used to connect to. The slower response may be because more people are using it, or because it's getting burdened more, or both. Also, because you're dialing a different number, the quality of the phone connection may be different (worse) than the connection to the previous number; if this is the case, you can blame the phone company.
• Prodigy may slow down slightly every Tuesday or Wednesday (I forget which). This is for technical reasons I'm too lazy to get into. It has nothing to do with Square Off.
• You may be imagining things. Believe it or not, some people think it's running slower when in fact it's running faster.
• Square Off IS running faster, but your high scores are lower than usual. Yes, this is very possible. It happens because with your new modem, data gets transmitted faster than usual (albeit in small chunks of a second or so), giving you more time to play. However, you may not be taking full advantage of those extra seconds; for every one of those seconds that you miss, your score may drop (this is especially true in Phase 2). The only way around this is to continue playing and getting faster.

2.5 How can I get a higher score?
Everybody has their own strategies for playing Square Off. Your best bet is to ask other players on the Games BB. To get there:

• [Jump]: GAMES BB (remember, BBs are a PLUS feature)
• select the PRODIGY GAMES topic
• look for notes under the SQUARE OFF subject. (You might have to set the date back a few months.)

You can also try sending email to some of the people on the high score lists. If you ask nicely, they might help you.

Finally, you can try some of these tips:

• If you're using Prodigy for Windows or Prodigy for Mac, make sure the typeahead buffer is enabled. This will let you use the keyboard and mouse even when you're still waiting for Prodigy to respond to your previous keystrokes and mouse clicks. To check whether typeahead is enabled, select "Goodies" from the menu bar; if there is a check mark next to "Typeahead" then it is already enabled; otherwise, click on "Typeahead" to enable it.
• If you're using Prodigy for DOS, get a utility like Pro-Util or VGA720X to give your Prodigy software a typeahead buffer.
• Learn to use the keyboard in Phase 1 and the mouse in Phase 2. This is the fastest way to select the correct tiles.
• In Phase 1, use the END key on the keyboard to quickly move the cursor to the DONE button. This is faster and more accurate than moving it with the arrow keys.
• When only two tiles remain in Phase 2, and one tile contains a number and the other contains an operator (e.g. + or -), you can hit ENTER twice to automatically select the proper answer to the last two questions. This works because the cursor will automatically start out on the correct answer; if the answer contains a number, the cursor will start on the only remaining numbered tile; if it contains an operator, the cursor will start out on the only remaining tile with an operator. In either case, the cursor will be on the correct tile and all you have to do is hit ENTER.

2.6 What is the highest possible score?
There is no maximum highest possible score. Your score is limited only by the speed of your brain, your fingers, your computer, and your modem.

3. Miscellaneous Questions

3.1 At the end of every game it tells me to do better next time. Doesn't it ever congratulate me?
If you score less than 90% of your all-time high score for that level, you are told to do better next time. If you score higher than 90% of your all-time high score, you are congratulated.

3.2 Am I charged extra for playing Square Off?
Square Off is a CORE service. You are billed for CORE services according to the terms of your pricing plan. For more information, [Jump]: PRICING.

3.3 Who is SLAM5, and what does the name mean?
SLAM5 stands for Synthetic Learning Acceleration Machine, version 5. According to the story, SLAM5 is the 5th in a series of virtual intelligences developed by Kerry Nelson.

3.4 Why am I allowed to play only once a day?
If you were permitted to play more than once a day, what was initially intended to be an occasional mind-expanding diversion would become a dull, repetitive chore.

3.5 Do the winners get a t-shirt or other prize?
When Square Off was first introduced in July of 1993, every week a t-shirt was mailed to the top three winners in each difficulty level. (If someone had already received three shirts, their shirt went to the person below them in the list.) This lasted until we ran out of shirts. In all, over 100 shirts were mailed. (It may have been more like 200; I don't remember.)

These days your "prize" consists of the knowledge and skill that you have achieved, as well as the fun of seeing your name on the high score list. In other words, winners don't get anything special.

3.6 What are the meanings of the quotes on the main page and of the tiled pictures in Phase 2?
Some are SLAM5's general philosophies, while others are just plain wackiness devised by the game designers.

3.7 Are the photos in the Meet SLAM5 section real?
Yes, they are real photos, but some have been enhanced for dramatic effect.

3.8 Will Square Off ever be upgraded? Will there ever be a sequel?
UPDATED 7/14/2014: Yes! You can play a web-based version of Square Off.