Gameplay Tips
The strategy that should be employed when first playing Zuma is the slow and
steady approach. The keys to being successful Zuma are accuracy and efficiency.
The game starts out slow and forgiving, so take time to fire intelligently.
Watch what happens each time a group of balls is destroyed. Knowing the basic
principles and physics of the game are just as important as accuracy.
The frog houses two balls at a time. The ball in his mouth is the ball "in the
chamber." The color on top of his head represents the color of the ball that is "on deck." The two can be switched at any time by clicking on the right mouse
button. Use this to your advantage when the second color would be more useful.
Each level has a target score represented by the orange bar at the top of the
screen. When the orange bar is filled (it will turn green), "Zuma" is achieved.
This state means that the balls will slow and roll backward temporarily if
they are further than 50 percent along the curve. Try to use this time wisely
to assess the situation and ready the best strategy, like setting up combos to
clear the balls quickly.
As the game gets harder, it's important to remember which scoring tactics are
the most rewarding and efficient. Shooting coins is always the best way to get
points. It takes the least amount of time and has the highest yield. There is a
trick to shooting coins, as they always lie behind balls on the curve. It's
safe to say that a coin positioned behind two lines on the curve isn't worth
working on. Opportunities to hit these coins usually present themselves rather
randomly. However, a coin behind only one line of balls is easy to hit with a
double tapping technique. If a group of like-colored balls is directly between
the frog and the gem, fire a ball of the same color directly at the gem. Follow
up quickly with a second ball (of any color) and it should hit the gem. Double
tapping the mouse button should fire quickly enough to avoid hitting balls that
might potentially be sucked back.
That being said, balls of a like color attract. If a group of balls explodes,
the remaining balls on either end of the explosion will draw toward each other
if they are the same color. This principle is used in making combos. If those
two remaining balls draw together and another group of three or more is formed,
it will explode, creating a combo. Two or more explosions generated by a single
shot are considered a combo. With each explosion, the bonus becomes greater and
greater. While the point total is very good, it's not very practical to spend a
lot of time setting up combos slowly. As you play the game, it might become
second nature to create these combos while doing other things. This is one of
the most efficient ways of scoring.
Another bonus is the chain bonus. If five or more subsequent shots each
generate an explosion, this is considered a chain. Starting with the fifth, a
bonus is added for each subsequent explosion. This is the easiest way to get
bonuses, but it also has the weakest point payoff. The best time to employ this
method is on the levels with a double curve. There are two independent curves
generated their own ball clusters and, generally, there is much more curve
exposed, so there is a better possibility of keeping the chain alive.
The final bonus is the gap bonus. This bonus is achieved when shooting through
a gap in the balls to cause an explosion. The smaller the gap, the higher the
bonus. The best way to employ this is using the double tap method discussed
above. Firing to create an explosion on the closest part of the curve and then
firing quickly at the balls behind the gap you just created is the best way to
get good points. If the second shot creates an explosion, the bonus can be
quite large as long as the gap is small. Watch for opportunities behind two (or
more) gaps. They don't come around often, but the point yield is such that you
won't want to miss it.
The single most important reason to collect as many points as possible is
obtaining extra lives. An extra life is earned at every 50,000 points. A good
way to gather points is with speed. The faster you clear a level, the better
chance you have of receiving a bonus. Each level has a pre-determined Ace Time.
Beating this time can bring in a bonus as high as 25,000 points. The best way
to finish quickly is to garner as many points as possible as quickly as
possible. Usually a combination of shooting gems, gaps and chains is the best
method. If the board is a double curve, take the chain bonus as far as possible
while hitting any gems you can, while also paying attention to gaps you create.
|
