Nah, I reckon an extra life is nicer.
of course, it all depends on how you handle the BFG's, if you die too often, then maybe you should nuke when there are a few...
but still, when I'm playing alone, I get chain, then Pierce, then retro or shrink, then spread or shield(awesome).
then, if I have got shield, the I go extra lives.
however...if I'm playing two player, then it's different.
still get Chain and Pierce first, but then I take shrink or turbo, then shield or hyper.
the reason for not taking turbo single-player is this: when I'm on my own, I don't have time to steer too dramatically, and going fast just makes it harder.
also, as I don't have as much time to aim well, I take spreader.
when I'm playing two-player, I take turbo because the person steering can use all his energy on manoeuvring, making turbo very useful.
I don't take spreader two-player because the person aiming can spend all his energy doing so, removing most of the need for broad shooting.
advantages and disadvantages of the power-ups are:
chain - no disadvantages, makes hitting at a long range much easier.
pierce - no disadvantages, makes killing large targets and asters easier, useful for removing BFG's fast.
laser - only single use, great for killing something like a BFG that is about to shoot when you are cornered.
turbo - makes you move faster, sometimes causing you to crash into things while you aren't paying attention, makes it easier to outrun shots and kamis, and allowing you to catch power-up crystals easier.
hyper - same as above, only the speed at which you travel is almost fast enough to catch up to the crystals, and also to out-manoeuvre vultures.
stasis - very useful for taking out the hard guys like vultures, BFG's, neumenn and xaos.
retro - fires shots out the rear, protecting you from incoming suicidal baddies, but sometimes it can be annoying when you are trying to catch a crystal without killing the last badguy.
spread - great when playing single player, because it doesn't require as much brain-time, also useful for vultures, neumenn and asters, great for cleaning up quick.
nuke - can "
save a lot of headache"
, but you don't get the points for the kill, you have not time to pick up any crystals, and you have to start the power-up bar from the beginning.
shrink - makes those fluke collisions with unexpected shots less likely, but sometimes makes it harder to collect crystals.
shield - absolutely awesome, makes it so that once you've got rid of the BFG's, almost nothing can harm you, so long as you keep your back to a wall and shoot any incomings.
one-up - almost nothing beats an extra life!!!
few things to remember:
it doesn't really matter how long you take to complete a level, so long as you don't lose any lives, and of course, don't get got by the Smite Cross-Hair.
so basically it works like this; kill the BFG's quickly, as they are the hardest to dodge(there laser, except for the charge-up, is instant, meaning that it doesn't move across the screen.
so unless you hear or see the BFG charging-up and get out of the way you get hit, making it so that you cant just keep an eye on shots near you.
next on the list are the Neumenn, as they can produce more BFGs.
killing Neumenn usually involves spraying shots in a tight cone, or getting very close before you train your sights on them.
next is vultures.
if none of these guys has reared their ugly heads yet, then don't go looking for them.
however, if there are any, get rid of them before they start circling or getting behind you.
to do this, simply sit on a wall, and wait for one to get stuck against it.
shoot it.
it will return fire, but it should be fairly easy to dodge their shots and still keep them stuck, as the vulture will be trying to circle around you, not fly into you.
next on the list is probably Xaos...the buzzy buggers!
the trick to defeating Xaos is to not be afraid of getting close to them, and then judging your shooting correctly.
once you get close to them they should start colliding with your shots.
be careful not to get too close though, as they have quite an effective gun and move in odd directions when least expected.
obviously, you are going to have to deal with the kamis at some stage, as they should all be following you around by now.
there are two ways to do this, the first is get a fair distance away from them before you shoot them, thus avoiding the splinters entirely, the second way involves shooting them whenever it is that you have the opportunity, and then avoiding the splinters by manoeuvring around them and putting them behind you, this can be done without turbo, but is more risky, as if there are any incoming shots from any other baddies, you will have no room to move and there is a great likelihood of you being hit.
when a snipe starts to move, try aiming for the wall that they are heading for, not the Snipe itself.
when an Aster only needs one more shot to kill it, try sitting parallel to the way it is flying, as it makes hitting it much easier. make sure you get out of the way though, because if you still miss, it's a waste of a life.
try flying infront of Wonk Mk.IIs, as there is very little chance you will be struck by an unexpected shot.
try to leave Asters till last, as they just make it difficult to fly otherwise.
once the BFGs are out of the way, Turbo and Hyper can make everything else a breeze, so long as you don't crash!
if you see an Aster at its smallest, shoot it, otherwise you wont get the points!
Never shoot the last badguy until all onscreen crystals have been gathered.
once you have shield and spreader, just CHARGE!!!!
Try not to take
too long completing a level, for having the Smite Cross-hair
tm chasing after you makes things tricky...
Drink a few cups of coffee before you play, not only does it make it more fun, but it seems to help.
always keep your cool
even when you lose a life, if you don't, further lives may be lost.
Try different ways of playing. record your scores for each style. you may find that some ways work more than they fist appear to.
turn the music off. I'm sorry to say this, but however cool the sound might be, it's a little distracting, and it makes it harder to hear noises.
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW YOUR PLAYING STYLE!
this means :
1. make sure you are using the right controls for you
a) keyboard only makes for good steering, but bad aiming.
b) mouse only makes for good aiming, but bad steering.
c) keyboard and mouse makes for good control all around, but requires more multi-tasking skills.
2. if you are playing two-player, make sure you both know who is in charge of using power-ups and starting the next level.
3. find out what power-ups you are best at using, and use them; if you are bad at facing BFGs, use a nuke or a stasis to take them out; if you are good at aiming, try to hold off on getting spread till later; if you are really good at steering, take turbo and hyper.
4. make yourself a routine, maybe expect to lose a life on BFG, then get it back next level; maybe get shield quickly so that you can focus on getting BFGs.
FOCUS ON THE ENTIRE SCREEN!
look out for BFGs getting close to facing you.
watch for more BFGs appearing out of Neumenn.
if you are hiding in the corner of the screen, watch out for wonks going off the screen: they may come out behind you!
keep a lookout for crystals flying around and see if you can intercept them safely.
USE EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK!
if you lose a life, kamikaze into as many enemies as possible before you stop flashing.
position yourself in front of a cube when you have retro to add extra fire-power.
use shield to protect you so that you can cross a field full of shots safely.
if you use both keyboard and mouse for movement, try using the left mouse button to augment your tricky manoeuvres.
MAKE SURE THAT...
you don't bump the mouse buttons on anything.
you don't move your mouse off the mouse pad mid level.
you don't hit the spacebar when your tense.
you don't move your mouse out of the window if you are playing in windowed mode.
you know how to exit the game!(ctrl+Q or alt+X)
I'm still expanding this, so bear with me
.
____________________________
"
Satire denounces the world;
Wit penetrates it;
Humour accepts it;
But Nonsense Transforms it"
- Cedric Whitman
w.r.t. Aristophanes
[Last edited by wonkyth at 01-22-2009 11:58 AM]
One question: Does the game run a little faster than it did before the update, or am I just imagining things?
