neon signs, re-bent by the roadside

Every motel, diner and drive-in on the old highway has a dark sign. You pull up, lay the glass on your hood and bend it back into shape, one tap per corner, while the hot end swings toward the chalk line.

An arcade game for iOS 16+
MILE
1

The swinging jig

The softened end of the tube swings around the corner it is resting on. Tap anywhere as it crosses the chalk, and the bend is set. The jig speeds up as the glass cools, and a missed corner comes round again a little quicker.

Dead-onTrueKinkedSnap
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48

Hum and kinks

Good bends in a row raise the hum from ×1 to ×4, and the hum decides how many Watts the client pays. A kink stays in the glass for good. A snap costs one spare blank and the tube starts over, so the last spare is worth a breath before the tap.

MILE
230

Six legs, one rule each

The road atlas forks, rejoins and sends you down detours, and every leg ends at a gate sign spelling out the next town.

Desert FlatsStraight bends and sharp corners.
Canyon BendsCurves as quick runs of short bends.
Salt FlatsTwo gases spliced with a double tap.
Pine PassGusts push the jig off its rhythm.
Bayou CausewayOne tube per word, jumpers held black.
Ocean BoulevardMarked bends swing in from the far side.
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512

The filling station

Watts earned on the road buy new gases at the pumps, which bring new colours and open the back roads. The service bay sells asbestos gloves, a plumb jig, slow-cure glass and a hotter hum coil. The paint booth does the convertible and its hood ornament.

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777

After hours

Tonight's Billboard is one sign per night with three tries and no streak to keep. In the garage you can letter anything up to eight characters and bend it with no snaps at all, then hang it on the wall. Bumper stickers pile up on the trunk, and the trip log prints every mile.