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PopCap Games recently released an article detailing the behind the scenes process of making their popular casual arcade title, Peggle. The feature also offers a strategy guide for players, as well as confirmation that a Mac version is "coming soon."

Inspired by Pachinko the game gives players the chance to aim the ball and challenges them to clear every orange peg from the board. Peggle features a variety of power ups, hazards, and unlockable challenge levels for players skilled enough to reach them.

One of the first features to show up was power-ups — special shots triggered by hitting specially colored pegs. (The Magic Powers now famously known as Bjorn’s Super Guide and Jimmy’s Multiball were originally special shots that came out of this phase.)

The special pegs appeared on the board randomly, and sometimes all at once. People tossed in all kinds of ideas for special shots, but when they were all active at once, game play became nearly as chaotic as when you fired a hundred balls. Choosing just some special kinds of shots and throwing away the rest risked losing some of the most enjoyable parts of the game. Something had to give… but what?
Claude's Flippers

The levels also had plenty of their own unique features competing for attention. One level in particular, which featured pinball-style flippers (now Claude’s Flippers), helped push the thinking in a different direction.

The team realized that things like the Flippers didn’t need to be attached to a level. Flippers, along with other special shots, could be the power-ups. And instead of each shot having its own colored peg, the green peg could trigger any kind of power-up, giving the player the choice of which power to use.

The Making Of Peggle

Peggle

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