Pipes

A pipe connects a small hole in the floor to an exit in the ceiling. A ball that drops into the hole travels through the pipe and falls out of the ceiling exit. It's how you get the ball somewhere you could never reach directly, like the far side of a wall.

Getting the ball to drop in

The mouth is narrow: 40 centimetres by default, while the ball is 28 centimetres across. So the ball only falls in when it arrives slowly. A fast ball rolls straight over the hole. Approximate limits:

For comparison, a full-power shot leaves at 13.5 metres per second. To get into a pipe you have to roll the ball with less than a quarter of a full pull, or slow it down before it reaches the hole.

Coming out of the pipe

The ball leaves the ceiling exit at the same speed it went in. You can't move the exit, but you can decide where the ball goes next: a tilted ramp or spring under the exit steers the falling ball towards the hole.

Ways to slow the ball down

• A gentle shot: the simplest. If the hole is far from the ball, rolling friction helps a little too.
• Head wind: a wind arrow in front of the hole pointing against the ball brakes a fast ball.
• A short reverse booster: a Booster drawn against the ball's direction takes about 6 metres per second off its speed for every metre. A short one right before the hole brings a fast ball down to pipe speed. Make it too long and the ball stops and gets thrown back.
• A slope: a slight uphill before the hole takes speed off the ball.

Pipes are introduced around the middle of Level 1; later Levels use them less often but combine them with other obstacles. Wide gaps where the ball is lost aren't pipes, they're Pits.

More in this section

• SpikesTouch them and the ball pops and the stage restarts. Your margin is a few centimetres.
• PitsA ball that falls in is lost. Jump it, or cross it at speed.
• GatesSlides up and down in front of the hole. When you shoot matters as much as what you draw.
• Wall behind the ballThe target is behind you. Send the ball forward, then bring it back.
• TrianglesTheir slope carries the ball upward. Used well, a free ramp.
• No-draw zonesYou can't draw in the hatched area. The solution has to live outside it.
• Rubber blocksBounces the ball without losing speed. Think of it as a spring you can't move.
• Magnetic floorsSlows a touching ball by 18 m/s every second. Cross fast or don't touch it.
• Sticky floorsThe ball sticks and the shot ends. Your drawings stay, though.
• PistonsExtends from the floor or ceiling and pulls back. You get past by choosing your moment.
• Ceiling targetThe hole is in the ceiling, not the wall. You have to send the ball up through it.
• Black holesPulls in a passing ball and swallows one that gets too close. A slingshot at the right distance.