Support
Lowlamp: Snooker & Pool · for Mac
Something not working, or a question the game does not answer? Write to games@slipperysign.com. Tell us your Mac, your macOS version and what happened, and we will get back to you. The controls are also in the game: press Esc at the table and choose Controls.
1. How do I play?
Choose a game, then play it shot by shot. Turn the cue to aim, set the spin and the cue angle if the shot needs them, hold Space to draw the cue back and let go to strike. The longer you hold, the harder the shot. When the rules give you ball in hand, press B and put the cue ball down; press P to call a pocket.
Practice is the place to learn a shot: there Command-Z undoes a shot and R re-racks.
2. What are the controls?
| Action | Control |
|---|---|
| Aim | Drag on the table to turn the cue, or use the Left and Right arrow keys: hold to go faster, add Shift for fine aim. On a trackpad, a two-finger sideways swipe also turns the cue. |
| Strike | Hold Space to draw the cue back and let go to strike; a longer hold is a harder shot. Or pull the power bar down with the mouse and let go. Or set exact power with Up and Down and press Return. Esc while loading puts the cue back. |
| Spin | W A S D, or the cue-ball dial. C centres the tip. |
| Cue angle | Q and E |
| Bridge (hand, rest, spider) | X |
| Stand up, or get down on the shot | F |
| Overhead view | Tab |
| Step closer or back | Scroll or pinch |
| Look around | Right-drag |
| Mouse-look aiming | Double-click the table. Esc leaves it. |
| Ball in hand, when allowed | B, then click the table or press Return to put the ball down |
| Call a pocket | P |
| Replay the last shot | V |
| Fast-forward while the balls roll | Space |
| Pause menu | Esc |
| Practice only | Command-Z undoes a shot. R re-racks. |
| Quit | The Quit button on the main menu, or Command-Q |
Game controllers are supported.
3. Which games and rooms are there?
Eleven games: eight-ball (WPA rules and English blackball), nine-ball, ten-ball, rotation, straight pool (14.1), one-pocket, bank pool, snooker, English billiards, three-cushion and carrom.
Six rooms: the lounge, a snooker hall, an arena, a concrete studio, a plaster room by the coast and a private library.
4. What is free, and what is the full game?
Lowlamp is free to download. Practice is free in full: the practice table and the drills, in the Lounge. The full game is one in-app purchase, Full Game, paid once. It opens every game, every room and the tournaments, for good. It costs USD 4.99 in the United States; prices in other countries vary. There are no ads and no subscriptions. You can get it with Unlock the game on the first screen or on the Choose a game screen.
Family Sharing is not enabled for the purchase.
If your Mac does not show your purchase, choose Restore purchase next to Unlock the game, or restore it in Settings › About. Payments and refunds are handled by Apple, at reportaproblem.apple.com.
5. Who can I play against?
The computer, at four levels: Beginner, Club, Advanced and Expert. Or a second player on the same Mac. The full game also has tournaments. There is no online play: the game makes no network connections of its own.
6. Where is my progress kept?
On your Mac only. Your settings, statistics, achievements, match history and a match in progress are kept in the game's own storage on the Mac. Nothing syncs. Deleting the game's data removes them (a purchase of the full game stays with your Apple Account and can be restored). To clear your statistics, match history and achievements from inside the game, use Reset records on the Statistics page. See the privacy policy.
7. How does AirPods head tracking work?
It is optional, and off until you switch it on in Settings. With it on, moving your head looks around the table; your aim does not move. The game uses the headphones' motion data only on your Mac and only while the option is on. It never stores or sends that data.
8. Which Macs can play it?
A Mac with Apple silicon, running macOS 14 or later. Lowlamp is distributed through the Mac App Store.
9. Terms and credits
Lowlamp is licensed to you under Apple’s Licensed Application End User License Agreement. The furniture models in the rooms and some of the textures come from Poly Haven, under the CC0 licence.