Where can I get the latest patch?
A patch for Version 1.4 can be downloaded here.

What's new in Version 1.4?
-An expanded dictionary (merged the previous dictionary with the OWL, OWL2, and SOWPODS word lists found here).
    For a file of the words used in Alpha Blast, click here. The older file (pre-1.4) can be found here.
-Added several keyboard shortcuts, including a special one for "H" that quickly pauses and hides your game when the boss is coming.

What's new in Version 1.3?
-Wicked fast internet score submissions.

What's new in Version 1.2b?
-The text colors in the Game Over screen are corrected.

What's new in Version 1.2?
-Improved functionality for submitting scores to the internet. On some computers, Version 1.1 would take over 20 minutes to submit scores.

What's new in Version 1.1?
-Tiles in the game slide down rather than plopping down in spurts, making it easier to catch the tiles and move them.
-Improved compatibility for older PCs.

Why is J worth so much?
In the original dictionary, J was the least common letter: 2501 occurances of the letter J compared to 2549 Qs, 4623 Xs, and 7511 Zs. However, with the new words added in 1.4, Q is now the slightly less usable tile (3341 Qs, 3530 Js, 5720 Xs, 9959 Zs), but we won't change the scoring system because of the retroactive impact it would have on high scores and top words.

What does the 'Ghost Tile' option do?
The ghost tile is the pale tile that you get when you try to drag your selected tile over another tile. This tile is just a guide to show you where the tile would be if the obstructing tiles weren't there. The brighter yellow tile shows you where the tile really is, and if you let go of the tile, it will be dropped on the bright tile, not the ghost tile.

Some people get confused seeing the two tiles, so the option is there to turn it off.

Why can't I quit a game in the first 30 seconds?
In the early stages of the game one tester decided to make it his strategy on Sticky Speed to quit and restart the game over-and-over until he received a number of high-point letters (J, Q, Z, etc.) in his initial tiles. So after restarting the game repeatedly for an hour, he finally got a set of letters where he was able to spell several killer words. We thought this strategy destoryed the spirit of the game, so we implemented a 30-second wait before he could restart. However, you always can quit the program entirely at any time by pressing Alt-F4, but all unsaved data (high scores, top words, etc.) from this session would be lost.

I try to submit my scores to the Internet, but nothing happens... what's up?
The program first checks to see if you have any scores high enough to make the list. If none of your scores or words break into our top 500, then it goes right back to the High Score screen. Also, the program keeps track of which scores have already been submitted and won't submit them again... unless the score was earned on the same day you are submitting it.

When submitting scores to the Internet, it says "Press Escape to cancel", but sometimes Escape has no effect. Why is that?
Internet functions sometimes lock the program while they are trying to access the Internet... when it does this, it will ignore keyboard input. If you repeatedly press escape, you may catch the program in between Internet functions, and then it will gracefully quit. However, sometimes that isn't possible, so we set it up that at worst you should wait no longer than a minute as it tries to access our Internet server.

We also know that some firewalls will lock the program up indefinitely. Make sure that Alpha Blast is given permission to access the Internet through your firewall before trying to submit. Otherwise you can press Alt-Tab to leave Alpha Blast momentarily and turn off your firewall, submit the scores, and then turn it back on again. Refer to your firewall's instruction manual or website for information about granting programs access or temporarily disabling its activity.

My word is high enough to make the Internet list, but it isn't there. How come?
If you spelled the same word that somebody else did, the Internet database only counts the first one. Otherwise, the list would eventually be filled with 500 copies of the same word. So we give people who come up with original words the credit, and not the copyists.

I accidently cleared my high scores and top words. Can I get them back?
Nope. But if you submitted them to the Internet they are still on the Internet listing (if they were high enough).

Where did you get your dictionary?
From the beginning through version 1.3, we had used the ENABLE dictionary which is available on this site. But as of version 1.4, we merged in the OWL, OWL2, and SOWPODS dictionaries found on this site.

How many words are in the dictionary?
228,211 - which includes 124 two-letter words and 1250 three-letter words that aren't used in Alpha Blast.

Why isn't [insert obscure word here] in your game?
There are several reasons why your word might not be in the game.
1) It's a proper noun.
2) It's spelled incorrectly.
3) It's fewer than 4 letters long.
4) It's too new (ie. the word 'googled' - meaning: to have searched for someone/something on the Internet - was only officially a word as of 2002).
5) It's lingo and not bona fide English.
6) It's too technical for dictionary writers to care.
This last one has gotten me, too. I tried to set a record with 'electrogasdynamics' (18 letters long) only to find that it isn't in the dictionary.

Remember, there is no perfect dictionary.

What word in the dictionary is worth the most points?
Check the Top Words list for the highest scoring words found so far. Also, you can use the word finder included in the full version or download the dictionary here to do your own searching for words.

What are the requirements for running Alpha Blast?
You must have a computer that is capable of running DirectX 9 or higher.
It must run Microsoft Windows 98 or later.
It must support 16, 24, or 32-bit color.
It must have at lesat 64 MB of RAM.
It must run a processor of at least 400 Mhz.
To submit scores to the Internet, you must have an active Internet connection (not included in the game).
In general, if your computer was purchased after 1998, it should support Alpha Blast.

Are you ever going to make Alpha Blast for Macintosh, Linux, etc?
Maybe. We'll post it on our front page if we ever decide to support another operating system.

Allez-vous faire Alpha Blast en ma langue?
Perhaps, but unlikely. Let us know what language you speak and how badly you want Alpha Blast translated. If there is enough demand from your language, we will definitely consider it.

I have a question that isn't here.
Write us.