!@
CHUCHU ROCKET H@@!
EXPERT BATTLE GUIDE @R3@@
*@33%S@ @
by Benjamin Paul Galway @@3@@@S@@3 @@@
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======================================================================
CONTENTS WITH SEARCH CODES
CRN1 CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL ONE : Introduction
C1IN -- Introduction
C1GU -- Guide Release History
CRN2 CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL TWO : The Art of Blocking and Juggling
C2BL -- Blocking
C2JU -- Juggling
CRN3 CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL THREE : Cats -- What To Do With Them?
C3DE -- Defending Against Cats
C3AT -- Attacking With Cats
CRN4 CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL FOUR : Gathering Mice
C4VA -- Value "50" Mice Above Others
C4DE -- Dealing With the Slot Machine
C4LE -- Learn the Mice's Path From the Portals
CRN5 CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL FIVE : Handling Random Events
C5MY -- Mouse Monopoly
C5MA -- Mouse Mania
C5CA -- Cat Mania
C5SP -- Speed Up
C5SL -- Slow Down
C5EV -- Everybody Move
C5CK -- Cat Attack
C5PL -- Place Arrow Again
CRN6 CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL SIX : General Battle Advice
C6SP -- Speed Of Mice And Cats
C6PO -- Portals Are Immune To Tiles
C6AN -- Analog Vs. Digital Control
C6WI -- Winning Pushing Fights
C6TI -- Timing Of the Game
C6AR -- Arrows Die Quickly
C6LI -- Limits Placed On Mice and Cats
CRN7 CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL SEVEN : Understanding the Stages
C7ST -- Stage Maps and Tips
C701 -- Stage 1
C702 -- Stage 2
C703 -- Stage 3
C704 -- Stage 4
C705 -- Stage 5
C706 -- Stage 6
C707 -- Stage 7
C708 -- Stage 8
C709 -- Stage 9
C710 -- Stage 10
C711 -- Stage 11
C712 -- Stage 12
C713 -- Stage 13
C714 -- Stage 14
C715 -- Stage 15
C716 -- Stage 16
C717 -- Stage 17
C718 -- Stage 18
C719 -- Stage 19
C720 -- Stage 20
C721 -- Stage 21
C722 -- Stage 22
C723 -- Stage 23
C724 -- Stage 24
CRN8 CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL EIGHT : On-line Gameplay Abnormalities
C8ON -- On-Line Play Update
C8LA -- Lag, Online Gaming's Ugly Stepsister
C8TH -- The Cat Glitch
C8DO -- Double and Triple Teaming
CRN1
======================================================================
CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL ONE
*
Introduction
======================================================================
______________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION [C1IN]
______________________________________________________________________
ChuChu Rocket is a very chaotic and fast moving puzzle game for your
Sega Dreamcast system. It is also war. This guide is written to help
people become better ChuChu Rocket players by revealing various
helpful tips and strategies that can be used to better secure a win.
While there IS a certain "luck" factor inherent in the game,
bettering one's skill beyond simply mindlessly dropping tiles and
hoping to collect more mice will SIGNIFICANTLY increase the player's
chances of winning.
ChuChu Rocket is a game of opportunity, and a good player knows the
best ways to take advantage of the opportunities as they present
themselves. The Expert Battle Guide will highlight these opportunities
for players so that they may become more formidable battle opponents.
This is a free guide and NOT to be sold or altered under ANY
circumstance. I ONLY authorize this document for personal,
non-profitable use. The most current version of the ChuChu Rocket:
Expert Battle Guide can be found at GameFAQs [ gamefaqs.com ].
If you wish to host this FAQ on your web site, then you have my
permission so long as you DO NOT alter this file in any way -- that
includes reformatting this document and removing or adding to it. You
must link to this as a plain text file as the sites listed above do.
______________________________________________________________________
GUIDE RELEASE HISTORY [C1GU]
______________________________________________________________________
April 19, 2000 [ version 0.5 ]
Original release, weighing in at 25.4 KB. Embarrassing spelling and
grammatical errors account for about six KB of that document.
April 30, 2000 [ version 0.7 ]
Most sections were added to or modified in some way. All stage maps
are finished, with roughly half of the stages having individual
strategies now available. Spelling errors have been squashed. New
section on on-line junk. All that is left to do is to add the missing
battle strategies for stages 11-24.
June 4, 2000 [ version 0.9 ]
Some minor formatting and and editing. Added strategies for half of
the missing stages. Stages 15, 17-20, and 24 remain.
October 16, 2000 [ version 0.95 ]
This mini-update is spurred by a reader named Kirk [ kirk.wagstaff
AT cwctv DOT net ] who offered a couple of really good tips not
available in this here guide. Check out the Juggling section in
Chapter 2 and Chapter 6's Winning Pushing Fights for his new advice.
I went ahead and added some stuff regarding stage 15 and 17, leaving
18, 19, 20, and 24 to be filled in.
October 20, 2000 [ version 1.0 ]
Finished writing the strategies for the four remaining stages.
The Expert Battle Guide is finally complete. I have also expanded the
table of contents somewhat so that it is easier for readers to refer
to a specific section of this guide.
February 1, 2006 [ version 1.1 ]
Minor update to including a code-based search system along, a note
about on-line play, and some minor editing and rewriting.
March 15, 2006 [ version 1.2 ]
Minor editing.
CRN2
======================================================================
CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL TWO
*
The Art of Blocking and Juggling
======================================================================
______________________________________________________________________
BLOCKING [C2BL]
______________________________________________________________________
This is literally the MOST IMPORTANT technique in the game. Much of
what is discussed in later chapters refer to the ability to "block,"
so be sure practice this rather simple move.
Mice and cats follow the path of an arrow when struck. However, when
a cat hits an arrow head on, the arrow shrinks in half. After another
head on collision, the arrow disappears. Blocking prevents this.
Recall that when mice or cats run into a wall, they turn RIGHT. Thus,
if you point a down arrow into a wall such that it is adjacent to the
wall below it, then whatever hits the arrow will then run into the
wall and immediately travel to the right without affect the arrow in
any way. Blocking is an INVINCIBLE technique. You will learn to love
it when it benefits you and HATE it when another in the lead is
blocking him or herself from being struck with cats. Again, this is
the most heavily used technique at high levels of play, and it is
IMPERATIVE that you learn it.
Bad ASCII Illustration 1
------------------------
Tiles are invincible through "blocking"
..........CAT V
---
Cat travels right into waiting down arrow.
CAT.......... V
---
Cat is sent into bottom wall and "bounces" back to the
left (turning right after hitting wall) WITHOUT
injuring the down arrow tile.
With this in mind, it can be possible to repel EVERYTHING from
touching your rocket should the need arise by "blocking" all
available entryways. Although this is quite difficult (even
impossible) on certain stages, particular on wide open areas, the
technique can be used with great success on the ones which allow it.
You can also block an opponent to prevent them from surpassing your
lead at the last minute if necessary, though it is considered rude to
do nothing but block an opponents rocket for the duration of the
match. Since I think such tactics are lame and ruin the competitive
fun of ChuChu Rocket, they will not be covered in this guide.
______________________________________________________________________
JUGGLING [C2JU]
______________________________________________________________________
The technique that allows "blocking" also can be used to tear down
an opponent's arrows while trying to chase cats into his or her rocket
as well as trapping and holding mice and cats at some point on a given
board so that they are of no use to opponents.
Bad ASCII Illustration 2
------------------------
Juggling can hold cats and mice from opponents
_______
A |
~C8 ~C8 ~C8 A < |
|
Mice run right into corner of stage.
_______
A~C8|
A < |
|
Mice get trapped in an arrow loop. They will hit the
corner, run into the LEFT arrow, run into the two UP
arrows, and then repeat the cycle as long as the
tiles remain in their position.
Note that NOTHING can be done thanks to the positioning of the arrows.
There is NOTHING an opponent can do to interrupt this cycle, meaning
that whatever a player is juggling can be juggled (in theory) for the
duration of the match. This is a strategy generally applied when a
player has accumulated enough mice and believes he or she will win
with that amount -- juggling the cat prevents any loss of a lead. The
same holds true for mice if two players' scores are fairly close.
Although juggling isn't used nearly as often as blocking, both are
important skills you need to develop to stand a fighting chance
against experienced players.
As mentioned in the October 16, 2000 update in the Guide Release
History, Kirk has an extra tip regarding juggling. He has pointed out
that players can juggle cats and mice in open corners of the stages
with just two tiles like so:
Bad ASCII Illustration 3
------------------------
Juggling in corners with just two tiles
_____ _____
| < A A | > | |
| < | _ _>_| |_V_V_
From left to right: the top left corner, the top
right corner, the bottom right corner, and the
bottom left corner. Any and all mice and cats which
walk onto either arrow will be juggled between the
two tiles.
This really is a much better method than using three tiles as
originally thought to be the only way, by me anyway. While I do make
mention of two tile juggling in the individual stage strategies, that
requires a narrow pathway and opposite facing adjacent tiles as in
stage 17 or 22. Kirk's method allows you to juggle in any open corner
and leaves you a free extra tile to do with as you please. It's also
much, much easier to set up once you remember which direction the two
tiles must face for it to work. The only negative thing I can say
about this method is that it gives you very little breathing room to
replace the tiles once they fade since the objects being juggled are
just hovering in the center, but that's a small price to pay for all
the advantages it offers.
CRN3
======================================================================
CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL THREE
*
Cats -- What To Do With Them?
======================================================================
______________________________________________________________________
DEFENDING AGAINST CATS [C3DE]
______________________________________________________________________
Cats are your enemies. One strike from a cat takes one-third of your
mice away. The horror! Well... no, not really. At the start of the
game, set up your tiles such that you quickly rack up as much mice as
possible. As long as you as stealing mice from other portals, a cat
or two this early in the game will not be so bad a threat that you
should reset your tiles. If you only have 30 mice and a cat is heading
your way, then you will only lose ten measly mice. It takes no time at
all to gather ten mice.
Only worry about getting struck by cats after you have collected 100
or so mice. Use your judgment and the other players' mice count to
see if you are ready to cancel your mice trail. If you have 60 mice,
a cat on the way, BUT also a "50" mouse in pursuit, then it would be
well worth taking the cat hit for the bonus mouse.
When it is time that you must start defending against cats, you can
either block or juggle them. If you cannot block a cat, then try to
juggle it with as few tiles as possible. For example, it is possible
to juggle a cat in Stage 2 with only a single DOWN arrow, leaving two
extra tiles to continue gathering mice yourself or to interfere with
your opponents' plans. Should an opponent juggle a cat WITHIN your
blocking position, your only hope is to quickly swap your blocking
tiles with ones which will both defend your rocket and destroy his or
her "attack block." If you absolutely need to break out as soon as
possible, then you can reset your tiles while the cat is moving away
from your rocket. Although risky, it can be better than wasting time
banging on the appropriate button waiting for your tiles to fade.
When cats are being sent your way, DO NOT become preoccupied with a
pushing match. The more time you waste trying to push a cat with
away tiles is more time for other players to collect mice and usurp
your lead. The keyword is DEFLECT.
DEFLECTING cats onto new paths away from your rocket is the smarter
decision. If a cat is being chased to the right headed for your
rocket, place an UP or DOWN arrow instead of a left. Cats will eat
away at your and the opponent's tiles during the pushing match, and the
fighting will waste your time.
DO NOT wait until the cat nears before reacting to it, ESPECIALLY if
you are in the lead or in an open area. The MOMENT a cat enters the
stage, keep an eye on it. In many ways, the best defense is a good
offense. Sending a cat into another player's rocket is one less cat
that will find its way into yours.
______________________________________________________________________
ATTACKING WITH CATS [C3AT]
______________________________________________________________________
Cats are your friends. You can use them to help take down people in
the lead or keep other players in check. Since cats also eat any mice
they run into on the board, cats can also be used to devour an
opponent's "50" mouse before it gets a chance to enter his or her
rocket. Learn to use cats and take advantage of them before another
seizes the opportunity.
As always, PAY ATTENTION to the cats the MOMENT they are released.
Note the path of the cat and predict what its future position will be
given the design of the board and the positioning of the arrow tiles.
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you take advantage of whatever opportunity
you can while playing against an experienced player. A good player
will know how to block and otherwise protect his or her rocket, so the
element of surprise is crucial. The warp holes on certain stages --
holes in the border which allow objects to "wrap around" a level --
are a big plus. Players who see cats coming have time to react. Use
"stealth" pathways when possible, and attack whenever a player's tiles
and focus are being preoccupied elsewhere.
You can also chase cats along walls and into an opponents vicinity by
"blocking" the cat into the wall, which will tear down any "away"
arrows a player might use to try to stop the approaching cat. Against
a player who has blocked cats in some manner, it may also be possible
to juggle the cat within his or her "blocking" tiles by dropping one
or more arrows.
Bad ASCII Illustration 4
------------------------
Make blocking dangerous with juggling
___
_ _| O|
.........CAT V _|
> >|
|
Opponent drops three tiles in a block formation to
prevent approaching cat from striking his or her
rocket.
___
_ _| O| (close up)
V _|
> >| > >....|
A <| CAT .|
A...<....|
You drop a LEFT and an UP arrow directly underneath
the other player's two RIGHT arrows. Not only is the
cat now trapped in close to the opponent's rocket,
but your tiles will also last longer than your
opponent's since they are "fresher."
It helps knowing how skillful your opponents are before play. It
can sometimes be wise to attack a "better" player, even if he is
just second place, because he is better equipped to block and defend
himself. Just be sure you take out the "lesser" leader as well.
CRN4
======================================================================
CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL FOUR
*
Gathering Mice
======================================================================
______________________________________________________________________
VALUE "50" MICE ABOVE OTHERS [C4VA]
______________________________________________________________________
The mouse portals release two special mice: the "50" mice and the "?"
ones. It is far more beneficial to pick up a "50" mouse than a dozen
or so streaming out from a portal for obvious reasons. "50" mice can
easily turn the tide of the game over in an instant and are the second
largest threat to your victory after cats. By collecting them, you not
only increase your lead but also prevent others from quickly gaining
or surpassing you in a given match. Since "50" mice are distributed
randomly, your only hope is to keep an eye out for them and react as
best as you can to capture it or preventing an opponent from gathering
it. If you see a "50" mouse heading toward an opponents rocket, you
may want to try to first block the "50" mouse from reaching his or her
rocket and then sending a cat into the direction. This way you not
only kill the threat of the "50" mouse, but you also have sent a cat
into your opponent's rocket, likely being lead with his or her own
arrows.
______________________________________________________________________
DEALING WITH THE SLOT MACHINE [C4DE]
______________________________________________________________________
Mice marked with a question mark are triggers for the slot machine.
The slot randomly picks one of the following level modifiers:
MOUSE MANIA
EVERYBODY MOVE
CAT MANIA
CAT ATTACK
PLACE ARROW AGAIN
MOUSE MONOPOLY
SPEED UP
SLOW DOWN
Note that not a single one of these are directly harmful to you. On
the other hand, getting a "Mouse Monopoly" can GREATLY increase your
mouse stock by as many as 200. Also, picking up a Cat Attack saves
you from any possible immediate mice loss. Thus, it is generally a
good idea to try to pick up a "?" mouse if possible. Since the bonus
triggered is random, always be prepared to react as quickly as
possible should the effect be less than desirable.
______________________________________________________________________
LEARN THE MICE'S PATH FROM THE PORTALS [C4LE]
______________________________________________________________________
Mice always exit the portals the same way on each stage in a given
game. Learn what direction they run out and plan accordingly.
Likewise, notice their route along the natural walls of the various
stages. If a mouse trail is hitting a wall and turning right into
your rocket, there is no need to waste an arrow to "remind" them of
what direction they are already moving in. Better to use the "excess"
arrow(s) to gather more mice from other portals or interfere with
your opponents mouse collecting.
CRN5
======================================================================
CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL FIVE
*
Handling Random Events
======================================================================
______________________________________________________________________
MOUSE MONOPOLY [C5MY]
______________________________________________________________________
If you get a Mouse Monopoly, then you should be racing to your rocket
before the words have even disappeared from the screen to drop some
tiles to block against the cat(s) your opponents will undoubtedly send
after you. This would be a good time to juggle the cat or otherwise
redirect it as far from you as possible. Since all mice flock to your
rocket during a Mouse Monopoly regardless of tiles and the board, you
can just sit back and enjoy the five seconds it lasts as long as you
remain in a safe position.
If another player gets a Mouse Monopoly, then you obviously will
reverse the roles above. Try to sink as many cats into the player's
rocket as possible. Mouse Monopoly can increase a player's stock by
as much as 200-300 mice depending upon how many "50" mice get sucked
into the rocket. It is a powerful event which can alter the balance of
the game in a matter of seconds.
In either case, the three opponent players will likely join forces
during the Mouse Monopoly since there is nothing else they can do
during the time. If you're the attacker, then try to anticipate and
assist the others with sending cats into the lucky player's rocket.
If you're stuck defending yourself against three others, then you
should concentrate on either blocking, juggling, sinking the cat into
closest player's rocket, or just stalling the cat. Once Mouse Monopoly
ends, most players will return to their usual mouse gathering and
somewhat lessen their desire to bomb you with cats.
______________________________________________________________________
MOUSE MANIA [C5MA]
______________________________________________________________________
Mouse Mania is the most common level effect encountered. Lots of mice
start streaming from the portals for eight seconds, usually with
several "50" mice showing up among the masses of regular mice. Most
players will drop tiles as quickly as possible to route mice into
their rockets. In order to maximize the number of mice streaming into
your rocket as well as reduce the threat of several "50" mice running
into your opponents' clutches, you should always be looking for ways
to steal from more than one portal.
Be aware that some "?" mice may show up during a Mouse Mania event.
Most people will have set up their arrows such that it leads straight
into their rocket, making it an unfortunate time for another "?" mouse
to trigger a Cat Mania.
If you're already in the lead, then you will likely want to focus on
juggling the mice for the duration of Mouse Mania. Once the event
ends, a cat will show up sooner or later and can be used to kill the
threatening mice.
______________________________________________________________________
CAT MANIA [C5CA]
______________________________________________________________________
Like Mouse Mania, Cat Mania floods with screen with cats for eight
seconds. "Flood" is a bit of an overstatement since only four cats
may be on screen at any time.
The cats will be entering from the portals -- one each -- and ALL
mice will vanish from the board. You immediately should either plan
to block if possible, attack, or divert the cats as far away from you
for the duration of Cat Mania. Since arrows remain on a board for ten
seconds before vanishing and Cat Mania only lasts about eight,
blocking at the start of the Cat Mania event will keep you safe.
If you are in the lead, chances are that the players will unite to
sink you with the cats. If you are unable to block your rocket from
the cats, your main objective will be to deflect the cats away from
their waiting tiles and sink any other rockets to buy more time.
Remember that once a cat strikes a rocket during Cat Mania it will
regenerate in one of the portals. If your opponents have built an
indestructible path to your rocket, just be ready to take advantage
of the newly generated cats to seek revenge while their arrow tiles
are being preoccupied with your destruction.
If you are not in the lead, then you would be advised to attack the
one with the most mice as soon as possible. If you are on a board in
which it is possible to block, then setting the tiles such that
blocking cannot be implemented take priority over getting the cats
heading toward the player.
Bad ASCII Illustration 5
------------------------
Attacking with "blocking" tiles
.
.
.
CAT
| |
O
Cat travels down to opponent's rocket.
A) CAT B) .
. .
. .
. .
. .
| < | | > |
CAT
O O
Note that placing a LEFT arrow blocks the cat
from the opponent's rocket as shown in example A.
Placing a RIGHT arrow in position (example B)
instead not only counter's his or her ability
to block but also keeps the cat on a path to his
or her rocket.
______________________________________________________________________
SPEED UP [C5SP]
______________________________________________________________________
Speed Up is simply a speed modifier. The game moves at about double
the normal pace, and it can be very difficult to plan your moves
during this event ESPECIALLY with the lag. This is why I advise for a
defensive posture during the Speed Up event since you will have too
little time to react.
If you feel relatively safe, then you may consider using the
opportunity to attack other players. At this speed, it will be very
difficult to win a push tile fight, and a spare arrow here or there
can send one or several cats into a player who wasn't in a position
to see or stop them in time.
______________________________________________________________________
SLOW DOWN [C5SL]
______________________________________________________________________
The other speed modifier, Slow Down slows the game's running speed by
half. This gives people more time to not only plan their moves but
also check yours out and react accordingly. The only real advantage of
the speed decrease is that it makes it much easier to handle routing a
single mouse or cat however you wish. Unfortunately, it also gives
other players more than enough time to counter your moves, and tile
pushing fights can last "forever." Consider this a break and just take
advantage of the extra time to check out your opponents and other
activity on the board. Slow Down is easily the least useful of the
random events.
______________________________________________________________________
EVERYBODY MOVE [C5EV]
______________________________________________________________________
Depending on what your current position on a board is, Everybody Move
can either be a life saver or the worse possible event in the game.
Many stages have positions -- rocket locations on a board -- which are
more advantageous than others. This either is the result of the stage
design itself or whom you are closest to on the map. Being next to a
lesser skilled player in a quick and easy mouse routing area makes
winning far easier than, say, playing next to a more skilled person
in a position which allows for easy interference from others. Of
course, you cannot control when the randomizer chooses Everybody Move,
and it is just one of the risks associated with the "?" mouse.
The only real strategy is to be able to play from any position as best
as possible. If you are in a great position and do not want to give it
up, then you may consider trying to rid the board of any "?" mice you
see via holes or cats.
When the positions are switched, be ready to adjust your arrows as
appropriate. If you had set up your arrows to receive mice in your
prior position and see a cat entering that trail, then you may want to
hold off on resetting those tiles until the cat strikes the opponent's
rocket. Likewise, if a "50" mouse is heading to your former tile
route, quickly reset your tiles by dropping three "meaningless" tiles
to vanquish the older ones.
______________________________________________________________________
CAT ATTACK [C5CK]
______________________________________________________________________
Three cats (one cat per rocket) attack your opponents or your rocket
if another player collected the "?" mouse instead. There's nothing
that can be done to prevent this other than collecting the "?" mouse
yourself. As stated in "Gathering Mice," there is nothing DIRECTLY
harmful incurred to the player who collects the "?" mouse. Collecting
the "?" both increases the chance of gaining a Mouse Monopoly and
avoiding getting struck with a Cat Attack.
______________________________________________________________________
PLACE ARROW AGAIN [C5PL]
______________________________________________________________________
Place Arrow Again resets all tiles on the board. It is up to you to
replace your tiles in a position which is most advantageous to you.
If you were fighting over something with another play, then this is a
good time to make a better path to your rocket. Likewise, if a cat is
threatening your area, you can quickly mount an immediate defense
without having to reset the tiles manually.
CRN6
======================================================================
CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL SIX
*
General Battle Advice
======================================================================
______________________________________________________________________
SPEED OF MICE AND CATS [C6SP]
______________________________________________________________________
The game moves at a rapid pace, but not all characters move at the
same speed. Mice travel approximately 30% faster than cats do. How
does this bit of knowledge benefit you? If a "50" mouse is circling
the board, you can judge whether or not it will run into a cat (and
subsequently die). If you can see that the mouse will commit suicide
by the time it nears your rocket, then it would be wise to not bother
attempting to capture it when all you will receive is a cat. Of
course, the ideal choice would be to redirect both the cat and mouse
in your favor, but this will not always be an option depending on the
outside forces (other players' tiles and random events) affecting
the game board at the particular time.
______________________________________________________________________
PORTALS ARE IMMUNE TO TILES [C6PO]
______________________________________________________________________
It is impossible to set a tile directly on a portal. This can be of
some benefit during a cat pushing match. You can buy extra time to
reset your dead tiles by sending a cat back and forth over a portal.
This is a useful tactic on wide open stages in which it is impossible
to block.
______________________________________________________________________
ANALOG VS. DIGITAL CONTROL [C6AN]
______________________________________________________________________
I personally play with digital control since I tend to dislike analog
control in video games. I find the analog control in ChuChu Rocket
to be too "jumpy" and imprecise compared to digital control. That
said, learning to play with the analog controller can make players
SIGNIFICANTLY better. There is no disregarding the speed advantage of
the analog controller, which moves the pointer at DOUBLE the rate
digital control does. Even if you are stubborn like me and just
cannot adjust to the analog control, you can always turn to it for
those moments when your pointer has to travel a great distance in as
short as time as possible and swap thumbs with the digital pad once
the pointer gets there.
I cannot stress enough how VALUABLE analog control is in this game.
You WILL get beaten by a player using analog of equal standing since
he or she will be able to implement his or her strategy before you so
much as move your pointer. Players will effortlessly guide cats to
your rocket, tile by tile, while you race to keep up with their
movements. You will find that you are stuck REACTING to a good analog
player most of the time instead of focusing on your own strategy,
always moving two steps behind no matter how well you can plan or how
much better your strategy is. LEARN ANALOG CONTROL IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!
______________________________________________________________________
WINNING PUSHING FIGHTS [C6WI]
______________________________________________________________________
You will occasionally get in a "pushing match" -- a fight between to
players and their tiles. Pushing matches are a waste of time and
banging on the controller does not guarantee you will win the fight.
Instead, dupe your opponent by rerouting the mice (or cats) on an
alternate path. Remember that you can have only three tiles present
on the board at once, and use that to your advantage. Set up your
first and second new tiles so that the other player's arrow will push
the mice onto the first tile, redirecting the mice on a new path.
Plan for an outer route, and when you drop your third tile to aim at
your rocket, the mice will be released from the "pushing" tiles and
on their way to your rocket thanks to your opponent.
If you see someone start to do this, plan to interrupt his or her
scheme from the first new tile dropped. You can take advantage of
an opponent's letting go and intercept if you catch him or her setting
up a new alternate route.
This does take a bit of time, so be sure what mice you are fighting
for are worth it -- do not fight for mice when you can gather more
through the standard portal collection.
As mentioned in the October 16, 2000 update in the Guide Release
History, Kirk has an extra tip regarding push fighting. He notes that
sending a "?" mouse into another rocket with the two free tiles is a
smart move that will often reset all mice and cats on the board. I
think that's a great tip when in a pinch since both Mouse Mania and
Cat Mania will remove all mice on the board. However, it is still a
risky move since Cat Attack, Mouse Monopoly, or Everybody Move can
really hurt your chances of winning, especially the first two if you
are forced to send the "?" mouse into another player's rocket. Take
note of what you're fighting for, everyone's scores, and the time
remaining, then use with caution.
______________________________________________________________________
TIMING OF THE GAME [C6TI]
______________________________________________________________________
Each game lasts three minutes. Warnings are given at two minutes, one
minute, and 30 seconds. At the two minute warning you should be
focusing on attacking the leader if you have a good chance, but not
at the expense of your mice gathering. When there is just a minute
left, start looking for ways to attack players with cats that are in
the lead or are close enough to threaten your win. With half a minute
left, you should be in the lead and concentrate on retaining your
lead.
You want to make sure to attack while you still have enough time to
hurt those who block. Arrows take ten seconds before disappearing, so
you will need at least 30 seconds to get a cat into position and try
to disable their blocking position. Of course, all this is easier said
than done, but the sooner you try the more likely you will succeed.
______________________________________________________________________
ARROWS DIE QUICKLY [C6AR]
______________________________________________________________________
The arrow tiles last for ten seconds. If you are already in a blocking
position and Cat Mania is activated, then be sure to reset and block
again if possible since your tiles may not survive through the eight
seconds of Cat Mania.
Also, consider setting up brief, temporary routes if you are currently
sending mice into your rocket but need to replace the tiles. Drop a
new arrow or two to continue feeding from the portal, and THEN
reconfigure to the setup you were using before. This prevents mice
from slipping through while you adjust, important for when the game
decides to release a "50" mouse.
______________________________________________________________________
LIMITS PLACED ON MICE AND CATS [C6LI]
______________________________________________________________________
There can only be one cat one a screen at a time save for Cat Mania in
which four roam the stage. Similarly, there is a limited number of
mice which can be present on screen -- approximately fifty mice. It
is possible to slow down and even stop the portals from releasing mice
by juggling as many as you can. It is difficult to suggest to actively
juggle mice for this affect, though, because sooner or later a cat
will strike your rocket or devour the mice.
Nonetheless, this is important to remember if you or another is
involved in a pushing match. If you see two players fighting over mice
and slowing down the portals as a result, it may be in your best
interest to see that the push fight is settled as quickly as possible.
End it quickly by ending a cat into the blob of bunched up mice and
resume your gathering.
CRN7
======================================================================
CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL SEVEN
*
Understanding the Stages
======================================================================
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE MAPS AND TIPS [C7ST]
______________________________________________________________________
The following is a list of stage maps in order to help plan better
playing tactics. These are provided because it is often difficult to
get a good sense of the board thanks to the frantic pace of the game.
Notes accompany each stage map for key tips on using the play field
to your best advantage.
KEY:
B = Blue rocket's starting position
R = Red rocket's starting position
Y = Yellow rocket's starting position
G = Green rocket's starting position
A = Portal from which mice/cats travel upward
V = Portal from which mice/cats travel downward
> = Portal from which mice/cats travel to the right
< = Portal from which mice/cats travel to the left
| = Indicates position of a horizontal wall
- = Indicates position of a vertical wall
H = Indicates location of hole
NOTE: Maps are only as accurate as the ASCII character set
allows. In particular, horizontal walls underneath
other objects (such as those under the portals and
hole in stage two) are difficult to map.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 1 [C701]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
In this stage, the red player has the | | |
best position. Note the layout of this | B | R |
stage, particularly the direction of the | |
top-left portal and positioning of the | > < _ _ _|
four short walls. Mice will circle red |_ _ _ |
once, then circle green, then yellow, | > < |
then red AGAIN, before finally getting | |
to the blue rocket. For this reason, it | G | Y |
could also be said that the blue rocket |_ _ _ _ _ _ _|_ _ _ _ _|
is in the worst position.
Of course, these are a somewhat minor advantage and disadvantage once
the game starts and players start dropping tiles. Still, it does mean
that the red player gets more traffic than the others, especially the
blue player, although this could be a potential cat problem as well.
Thanks to the red and green players' "roomier" position (given their
distance from the walls), they also have more time to react to
circling mice and more room for traffic.
The best immediate strategy is to drop two tiles directly in front
of the portals closest to your rocket and guide the mice in with the
proper arrow. Other players will attempt to interfere with you
siphoning mice from two portals, but you should always be looking
out to take advantage of that if possible.
Juggling is possible in the corners of the four short walls using
three tiles. Since it does take all three tiles to juggle cats or
mice, make sure you have established a comfortable lead. Also, try to
juggle as far away as possible to give you time to react should the
cat escape before you have time to replace your tiles.
When it comes time to defend against several cats, try using the
portals as part of your blockade, especially if you are in the red or
green positions which have a wider entryway. This is a weak defense,
though, and you would be far better off juggling or attacking with
the cats if possible. This is a very open stage, and it probably
among the most difficult.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 2 [C702]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Note the hole, the bottom-left wall |>__ >__ >__ >__ |
adjacent to the blue rocket, and the | _|
position of the leftmost portal |_ |
including its surrounding walls. Its | _|
these features which give the blue |_ |
player the advantage on this stage. | _|
The wall and hole allow the blue rocket |_ |
to COMPLETELY shield itself from cats, | B R G Y |
an advantage unique to its position. |H__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
Also, it is possible to juggle in the
top-left corner with a single tile,
and while any player can do that, the blue rocket's arrow is likely
to be in a better, closer position to do so.
Yellow is the second best position since its only immediate threat
is the green player. Both the red and green players will have to fend
off against more people being trapped in the middle, although it also
means that they can quickly steal mice from both sides of the room.
Of course, a good player will not allow mice to be stolen from him or
her so easily, and when a cat comes into play both the red and green
players may find themselves being attacked from both sides.
It is possible to juggle anything with a single DOWN tile in the top
left corner, two UP tiles in the top-right corner, and three varying
tiles along either side wall. Be quick to take advantage of all these
opportunities should you need to prevent mice or cats from walking
along the board.
As in any stage, you should be trying to take from as many portals as
possible. ALL four run straight to yellow's side, so be sure to use
the openings in the top wall to break into the mouse stream before
other players do. A DOWN arrow can be used to release the mice while
other arrows can be used to block mice from their natural path. For
example, a single DOWN arrow next to the far right portal will block
all mice from exiting through the right opening.
This is a rather open stage, and unless you are the blue rocket it
will be difficult to defend against cats. Deflecting cats into a
neighbor works best, leading a cat near your rocket and then setting
it straight into another. Since all rockets have little space between
them, your opponents will have almost no time to react unless they
have already protected against the threat.
Bad ASCII Illustration 6
------------------------
Defensive and offensive posture for stage 2
.
.
.
CAT
O 0 0
Cat travels down to your rocket (center).
V < (or) > V
O < 0 0 0 0 > 0
Tiles are set so that not only your rocket is
shielded from the threat of the cat, but should
the cat get close enough, it is directed to
either opponent..
If you end up in a cat pushing match between your and an opponent's
rocket, then consider deflecting a cat to the bottom wall when you
replace your arrow, block the bottom entrance to your rocket with a
DOWN arrow, and try to hit the closest opponent. Since the cat will
turn right when hitting the wall, you will want to strike the closest
opponent to your left. Unless someone else pulls such a reversal
maneuver, you will likely never have to worry about cats striking you
from the rear although the threat still exists.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 3 [C703]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The red and green rockets have the | _ |> |
best position on this stage. It is | _ _ |
much easier for them to gather from | | B | |
their portals while monopolizing |A_ |_ _ _| R |
another player's portal. For example, | |_ _ _ _|
the green player can place an UP arrow | G | | V|
next to the bottom portal while dropping | | _ _ Y | |
a DOWN arrow directly above the leftmost | _ |
portal and a RIGHT arrow to guide the |_ _ _ _ _ <|_ _ _ _ _ _|
down streaming mice into your rocket.
The technique for red is similar.
This benefits those players because there is no walls obstructing
their rocket from their closest portals like the ones blocking the
blue and yellow players. While it IS possible for the blue and yellow
players to gather from two portals, the mice will have to travel a
MUCH great distance, giving the victim more time to counter your
theft. Note that in the above example that green can also steal from
blue using a RIGHT arrow instead of the DOWN tile, but by having the
mice travel through the portal gives blue one less available space to
interrupt the stream.
This is the first level with a lot of walls, so be sure to use them to
conserve tiles. The blue player could steal from the top rocket with a
DOWN arrow to the right of the portal and a LEFT tile below it, but it
makes MUCH more sense to use a LEFT arrow instead -- the mice will
enter blue's area the SAME way with a two available tiles instead of
one.
Juggling opportunities exist not only in the corners, but also against
the portals and the small adjacent walls as well (which works since no
player can drop a tile on the portal). The blue and yellow also have
an extra juggling spot in the "inner corner walls" next to the portals
located along the side of the board.
There are too many entrances to completely block your rocket, but cats
should no prose too much of a problem given the somewhat lengthy
distance between entryways. If you see a cat heading your way, then
you should have little troubling blocking the closest possible route
or juggling it if necessary. If a cat is circling your rocket, then
you may want to take advantage of the vertical space between the two
left and right rockets to dump the cat into an opponent.
Mice flow clockwise on this board thanks to the placement of the
walls. While the arrow tiles will likely disrupt the flow somewhat,
always be aware that of the natural path along the board. If your
neighboring opponent has a "50" mouse in his or her vicinity, then
you may want to use your tiles to prevent the mouse from entering
his or her rocket while allowing it to "naturally" flow into your
rocket's surrounding area.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 4 [C704]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The walls in this stage are placed |> _ V|
such that all mice and cats are | _ | |
"funneled" into the hole at the | | |
center of the board. This hardly | B _ R |
ever happens since most mice are | H |
gathered by the time they have a | G Y |
chance to enter the hole (since it | | _ |
is a rather long path). Each player | | _ |
has his or her "own" portal to draw |A|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ <|
in their closest corner, but then no
one should ever concentrate on just
one portal.
Stealing from your neighboring opponent's portal is VERY easy to do on
this stage thanks to the walls that litter the board. However, mice
will have to travel a somewhat long distance to reach your rocket,
giving the victim more time to counter. Instead of "obvious" theft --
such as placing an arrow directly in front of an opponent's rocket
where the mice are being fed -- try using the walls for the element of
surprise. When players see opponents' pointers near their rocket, then
they will not only INSTANTLY know who is trying to steal from them but
also have time to counter or seek revenge on the offending player(s).
So, if the blue player wanted to steal from the red player's portal,
try using a LEFT arrow directly underneath the portal. This will
block" bounce the mice against the wall to the left with a single
tile instead of, say, having to use a UP arrow to interrupt and a LEFT
arrow to direct the mice over to the blue rocket. Likewise, if a
player to your side keeps stealing your mice, you may want to bounce
mice from your own portal to increase their distance from a greedy
opponent.
Every player except green can instantly juggle with two tiles in
their respective corner using the walls and portals. While the green
player CAN juggle with just two tiles (back and forth against the two
small walls), he or she must use an extra tile to route from the
portal if needed. The green player must also act quicker since there
is no "dead" portal space for the mice or cats to walk through), but
it ultimately is just a small inconvenience albeit one you should be
aware.
On the plus side, the green player has an invincible block opportunity
underneath his or her rocket (RIGHT arrow into the bottom wall). NO
ONE is completely safe, however, so try to take care of cats before
they make themselves dangerous to your position. NOTE THE HOLE in the
center of the stage and USE IT. If you are winning, you can use the
hole to dispatch cats and "50" mice as needed. If you need to kill a
cat, try to send it in from the opposite side along the horizontal
walls to lessen the risk of having it redirected into your rocket.
For destroying "50" mice, try to do it from your side since you will
only risk one opponent grabbing it instead of having to keep two
players in check.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 5 [C705]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
There are two things worth noting about | | < > | |
this stage that most people overlook: R | _ _ | G
the portals at the bottom and the "warp | B |_ | _| Y |
holes" near the top of the board. It's | |
amazing how many people will freak out | |
when someone starts juggling a cat in | |
top "portal room" while there will be |_ _|
plenty of mice being released at the | _|_ |
bottom of the stage. If someone begins |_ _ _ _ _ <_>__ _ _ _ _|
doing that or if everyone is fighting
over the top mice, by all means help
yourself to the ones at the bottom.
While there really is no great advantage among the rocket locations
for gathering mice, the red and green players are in a better position
to block against cats. For example, if red was in the lead and about
to be threatened by a cat directly, he or she could easily drop three
tiles such that they all aim at the blue rocket horizontally from wall
to wall. It's a great defensive and attack maneuver only available to
them.
The red and green players only defensive weakness come from the warp
holes at the top. If the red player was blocking as in the above
example, the only chance to strike the red rocket would be to lead
the cat over to the other side and send it through the hole for a
surprise hit. Unfortunately, those on the other side are more likely
to think you are trying to attack them instead and interfere with your
plan. The holes are best used for redirecting cats away from harming
your rocket and getting a surprise attack launched at the other side's
rockets in the process.
Cats and mice can be juggled either in the bottom corners of the board
or in the top portal enclosure. Juggling at the top is not only much
easier to do but will also kill all mice streaming from the top two
portals to prevent others from gathering from them and passing you up.
The only disadvantage is if a "50" mouse comes out from the bottom
portals, you will have to release the cat "that" much closer to your
rocket in prevent an opponent from taking it if needed.
Although the bottom portals look as though they are much further from
the rockets compared to the portals at the top, there really is little
difference between the two. The greatest advantage for gathering at
the bottom is because both portals can be monopolized with just two
tiles while the upper ones require all three arrows. It is generally
easier to collect from the bottom than the top (especially since most
players ignore the bottom portals), and the slight extra distance give
you more time to react should the portal release a cat or several cats.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 6 [C706]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
It is annoying how easy it is to block | H__ |
in this stage. Not only can everyone |B__ | _ _ <|
block his or her own rocket without | |_ | _ <|
fear of retaliation, but the close |Y__ | |_ | |
proximity of the other players means |_ _| |_ | |_ <|
it is THAT much more likely that | | _|_ | |
another player will completely block |R__ _| | | <|
your rocket in an attempt to steal your | | |
cats. Another aggravating feature of |G__ _ _ _ _ _ _|_ _ _ _|
this board comes from the layout of the
walls and portals, which are more
confusing then normal.
Note that the top portal is NOT the one which runs into the blue
player's rocket. Thanks to the positioning of the walls, the "order"
of the portals does not correspond to the location of the rockets.
Counting down along the right side, it can be determined that:
1) The first (top) portal's mice and cats will be lead into the red
rocket. There are 17 steps (blocks) on this pathway.
2) The second portal feeds into the bottom green rocket. This is
the longest route at 22 steps.
3) The third portal flows at an upward diagonal to the blue player.
The blue player is tied with the yellow player with the shortest
route distance at 15 blocks.
4) The last portal is also directed at an angle up to the yellow
rocket. As stated above, this route is only 15 blocks long.
It would appear that the green player has the advantage on this stage
despite the lengthy distance which must be traveled. The green player
can monopolize ALL of the portals easier than the other players given
his or her position. There are several locations where three DOWN
tiles can be placed to steal the opponents' mice. Typically, players
only begin stealing from the halfway point on the board. HOWEVER, ALL
players CAN monopolize ALL portals if they know how to use the
ignored half of the stage to their advantage.
Bad ASCII Illustration 7
------------------------
Using walls to monopolize in stage 6
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
| H__ | | H__ |
|B__ | _ _ V <| |B__ | _ _ V <|
| |_ | _ <| | |_ | _ <|
|Y__ | |_ < | | |Y__ | |_ V | |
|_ _| |_ | |_ <| |_ _| |_ | |_ <|
| | _|_ A | | | | _|_ < | |
|R__ _| | | <| |R__ _| | | <|
| | | | | |
|G__ _ _ _ _ _ _|_ _ _ _| |G__ _ _ _ _ _ _|_ _ _ _|
Blue Yellow
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
| H__ | | H__ |
|B__ | _ _ <| |B__ | _ _ > <|
| |_ V | _ <| | |_ | _ <|
|Y__ | |_ < | | |Y__ | |_ V| |
|_ _| |_ V | |_ <| |_ _| |_ | |_ <|
| | _|_ | | | | _|_ | |
|R__ _| | | <| |R__ _| | |V <|
| | | | | |
|G__ _ _ _ _ _ _|_ _ _ _| |G__ _ _ _ _ _ _|_ _ _ _|
Red Green
Although green may have more opportunities to
monopolize all portals, ALL players can.
Of course, stealing from all four portals exhausts all your available
tiles. You can expect for the other players to interrupt and fight
over the mouse stream as long as you maintain it. Like anything, it is
something to try and do as often as possible but don't expect too much
prolonged success. The MOMENT someone interrupts the stream, reset your
tiles as soon as possible. There's no reason for you to help other
players win the game.
It may be better to just steal from one extra portal to be both less
inconspicuous and to increase reaction time. It is better for the
blue player to steal from the green portal, for example, because he
or she will not immediately see it because of the odd portal
arrangement, and because the pointer will have to travel a bit
farther from its location to retaliate.
The blue player is probably in the best overall position. Not only
does the rocket have the shortest distance from the portals overall,
but it is also close enough to make use of the hole to kill cats if
necessary. In addition, being at the top edge of the board means that
the blue players can deflect most cats away with a DOWN arrow just as
green can use an UP arrow. The two middle players are more prone to
cat threats, although the red is slightly disadvantage due to the
extra two blocks of travel distance over yellow.
Learn to use the walls to block players from gaining mice if they
threaten your lead, and try to send them along the right wall into the
hole. There are a great many juggling spots available, with some on
the right half requiring only two tiles. Be sure to juggle cats inside
of a player's blocking tiles if he or she has taken the lead. If your
rocket becomes blocked by another player's tiles, be sure to block his
or her rocket as well. Hopefully, the player will remove the tiles for
the retaliation -- otherwise, you're out of luck.
Practice the stage off the network to work on taking advantage of
your position and learning more strategies than just sandwiching a
LEFT tile between two interrupting tiles. This is a difficult stage to
react as quickly and as efficiently as possible without having a good
understanding of the board's odd layout.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 7 [C707]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
As you can see from the diagram, anyone | | |
who drops two arrows in between the |_ _ _ _|
four portals can easily monopolize all | |
of them. This somewhat benefits the |B V V G|
blue and yellow players since they | |
can do the above without needing a |R A A Y|
third tile to redirect the mice. At any |_ _ _ _|
rate, this advantage is short lived | |
since the other three players will be |_ _ _ _ _ _|_ _ _ _ _ _|
sure to interrupt the greedy player.
Any player can drop two tiles above or below the portals to gather
more mice so long as there are no middle tiles (as described above) in
the way. Most of the game will be a battle for that middle area, but
the danger of that approach is that the player above or below you can
easily and quickly intercept the trail of mice. If you see a player
taking advantage of the middle area, be sure to steal as soon as
possible, and remember that the mice can be sent through the portal
blocks to save time (there is no need to go around the area).
The blue and yellow players have the advantage of an invincible
blocking position with three vertical UP or DOWN arrows. If you're
in the red or green players' location, try to take advantage of your
neighbor's blocking position with two similar supporting tiles.
If for whatever reason you cannot implement such a block, you'll
have three positions to defend. Try to claim the middle area between
yourself and your opponent first and drop a tile so that it faces his
or her rocket. Put up some barrier in front your rocket and deflect
any cats if needed.
There are eight locations where you can juggle cats or mice if needed:
four in each corner of the stage, and four in the center along the
horizontal wall using the short protruding wall. Make use of that
short wall since any cats and mice released will be aiming toward
either side.
Should another player block you to try and steal all your mice, it may
be best to block and deflect the mice away from your opponent. If you
engage in a push fight that close to his or her rocket, chances are
that the block will continue with the opponent hoping to win and
gather all of the bunched up mice. Deflecting the mice away from both
your rockets should make the opponent reset the tiles since no
possible good will be accomplished by maintaining the block in front
of your rocket.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 8 [C708]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
With no places to block and a mostly | |
even layout, this stage is among the | B R |
most "fair" boards in ChuChu Rocket. | _ _ |
It will be rare to see more than two | |> V| |
people feeding from the portals at any | |
given time, so expect lots of "push | |A_ <_| |
fighting" on this board, requiring | |
quick thinking to devise alternate | G Y |
routes. Your goal here will be to try |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
and maintain possession two portals,
switching paths every so often to keep
your opponents from interfering too much.
It is best to send the mice up or down from the enclosed area instead
from the sides. Your closest opponent will be the one above or below
your rocket, so it is in your best interest to put as much distance as
possible between him or her. While the player off to the side will
have an opportunity to steal your mice, chances are he or she won't
since the gaps in the horizontal walls are wider meaning the player
can gather his or her own mice. It's not a guarantee, of course, since
all players act and respond to situations differently, but by not
cutting off his or her flow of mice, you give the player one less
incentive to steal yours.
Bad ASCII Illustration 8
------------------------
Gathering mice in stage 8
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
| | | |
| B R | | B R |
| _ _ | | _ _ |
| |> V V| | | |> V V| |
| | | A |
| |A_V <_| | | |A_ <_| |
| | | |
| G < Y | | G < Y |
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _| |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
1 2
The tile placement in scene two has an advantage
over the first method because it blocks off all
immediate entryways to the blue player, making it
more difficult for him or her to interrupt.
This is useful with the red player is using a tile
to close off the top gap, otherwise blue might
intercept the trail through the top.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
| | | |
| B R | | B R |
| _ _ | | _ _ |
| |> < V| | | |> V| |
| V < | | V < < |
| |A_ <_| | | |A_ <_| |
| | | |
| G Y | | G Y |
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _| |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
3 4
The main advantage three has over four is that it
will be less likely that you encourage the other
three players to interrupt you. The tiles in
scene three keep the battle focus on the blue
player, and one player is much easier to handle
than three players.
There are lots of other methods, but the examples above show some
alternate ways of collecting along side two of the most common
stage strategies (shown in examples one and four). Remember to use
the walls as well if they can benefit you -- facing a tile in
front of a portal pointing to the opposite direction will send the
mice counter-clockwise, which can be useful while gathering. You may
also find it helpful to purposely send mice into the outer wall if
another player's tiles are in the way. When enough have hit the wall,
you can drop a tile against the wall as they run around right into it.
Note that you CAN juggle stuff in this stage within the enclosed area.
It's ridiculously easy to trap cats and mice since they will run right
into your juggling tiles. As far as blocking, just do your best to
juggle cats before they have a chance to threaten you or deflect and
attack as best as possible.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 9 [C709]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This is one of the few completely | | | | |
"fair" boards as far as layout and B R
position advantages go. It will be very |_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|
difficult to monopolize the two closest | | <|> | |
portals since an opponent can easily
and quickly send the mice through |_ _|_ _<|>_ _|_ _|
another opening in one of the "rooms." | | | | |
You should also take account that all G Y
the "warp holes" make your opponents |_ _|_ _|_ _|_ _|
much closer than they appear. The blue
rocket, for example, is just two squares
away from the red and green players.
While you may have a tendency to steal the mice horizontally, planning
a vertical route to your rocket minimizes interruption from other
players by having your tiles not only adjacent to the portals but also
blocking two room openings as well.
Bad ASCII Illustration 9
------------------------
Opening move for stage 9
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
| | | | | |
B < B
|_ _|_ _| |_ _|_ _|
| | A <| | | <|
NOT A <
|_ _|_ A_<| |_ _|_ _<|
| | | | | |
G G
|_ _|_ _| |_ _|_ _|
Even though mice can be collected from both
portals with the method at right with only
two tiles, the top (or bottom) player could
easily set up the left formation and cut off
your mouse supply.
There are two ways to react to the above strategy. The green player in
this instance could use two DOWN arrows -- one to the right of the
blue rocket and one below it to steal the mice. Otherwise, the player
could use two UP arrows to send the mice through the warp hole above
the blue player straight into the green rocket. Using the warp holes
has the advantage that it is more difficult for the blue player to
react and block the mice from entering your rocket, and the less time
you spend "push fighting" the better.
Again, remember that you will basically be RIGHT NEXT to two of the
other players on the board thanks to the warp holes. Use this to your
advantage to steal mice (particularly "50" mice) and send cats their
way without their knowing. Likewise, always remember that unless a
cat is positioned diagonally from your rocket across the board, it
will pose a threat.
It is impossible to juggle on this board and quite difficult to block
(and even then you can only block one entryway to your rocket. Focus
on sending cats through the warp holes if you are in danger of being
struck. If an opponent is only a warp hole away from your rocket and
he or she is attacking you with a cat, take advantage of his or her
own rocket's defenseless state and divert the cat through the
corresponding hole. Unless you are being double teamed or the
attacker is in the opposite location, cats should not be too difficult
to handle.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 10 [C710]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Both the blue and yellow rockets have |B |_ _ _|V V|_ _ _| R|
the advantage on this stage since it |_ _|
only takes them two tiles to feed mice | | | |
from their two closest portals. This | | | |
is because the mice will turn RIGHT | | | |
into their rockets, while the red and | | | |
green players must use a third arrow |_| |_|
to point them in the right direction. | _ _ _ _ _ _ |
While it is a good advantage for the |G__|_ _ _|A_A|_ _ _|__Y|
blue and yellow players, don't expect
the other people to sit idly by and
let this continue.
The main goal of all players is to monopolize the two portals closest
to their rockets. Although blue and yellow CAN gather from two portals
with just two tiles, it is advised those players also drop another in
front their rockets to avoid having other players block their
entryways in a fight over the mice.
Do note how easy it is to block on this stage. All players can make an
impenetrable barrier with three well positioned tiles. The only places
juggling (at least so that no one can interfere) is possible is at the
top and bottom of the stages against the portals. Depending on how the
tiles are placed to juggle, there IS a chance that a cat may come out
the portal one of your arrows will be facing. At worst this will just
shrink the tile before the cat begins to circle in place.
This is a pretty simplistic board as far as strategy. Expect to engage
in lots of "push tile fighting" in the large open area, mainly near
the portals and close to the rockets. Remember to use your opponents
tiles to lead the mice on an alternate path to your rocket and you'll
be fine.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 11 [C711]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The positioning of the walls cause the | _ |
mice to stay contained within the | B | R |
center of the room moving in the | _ |
plus-like shape. Note the portals | _ _ | V | |
aiming UP and DOWN on the stage; the | | < >_ _| |
mice exiting from them will stream | |_ A | |
away from the rockets they are closest | |
to, putting the green and red players | G | _ Y |
at a bit of a disadvantage. Also, the |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
verticle walls to their sides will also
pose an inconvienience when trying to
gather mice from their poorly positioned portals. The blue and yellow
players' efforts will make trying to gather any mice a bit more
difficult, especially if they don't mind collecting from just their
own portal while redirectly all the other mice away from the opposite
players.
This stage is mainly a battle of who gets to the portals first. The
first tile to drop should be the one blocking the entryway pointing
to your rocket. For example, when the green player drops a LEFT tile
to the right of the left portal and a DOWN arrow to the left of the
same portal with the remaining tile guiding the mice into the
rocket, the green player has effectively cut off all of the blue
player's immediate entryways. Whoever misses that opportunity will
have to take some time to interrupt and reroute all of the mice
around to his or rocket. It pays to be first, so this is a good
incentive to begin the game with the analog controller, switching
after the spot is maintained if desired.
There are many juggling positions on this stage, the easiest and
best one being within the two walled-in "C" shapes on the far sides
of the stage. Green and red also have a better blocking position
since the small wall to their side gives them an extra invincible
blocking position.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 12 [C712]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This stage is a slight variant of stage |_| |_ _ _ _| |_|
nine, notable for its warp holes and B R
enclosed center portals. Most players | |_ _ _ _ _| |
will try to take control over the | | | > V | | |
enclosed area with the portals by | |
seizing the side entrances and using | _| |_ A <__| |_ |
a third arrow to point to his or her | | | |
rocket. You can either fight with such _ G _ _ _ _ Y _
players or instead take control over |_|_ _|_ _ _ _|_ _|_|
the portals by using a technique few
players seem to be aware.
The side exits are NOT the only methods to collect from the portals.
By dropping two tiles in the center of the enclosed area, a player can
gather from the two up and down portals and possibly a third if
another has set up the afore mentioned typical gathering method. This
slightly benefits the green and red players since they will only need
the two center tiles since the wall will automatically direct these
mice into their rockets. The green player, for instance, should drop
a LEFT tile underneath the down portal and a DOWN tile above the up
portal. This will send mice from both portals through the up portal
down into the wall and right into his or her rocket.
If you see a player really racking up mice and/or about to get a
treasured "50" mouse, then remember to take advantage of the warp
holes. If you're the red player and the blue player has a nice stream
of mice flowing into his or her rocket from the bottom, dropping a
LEFT tile underneath his rocket and another LEFT arrow to the left of
the rocket will send all of the mice straight into your rocket
through the hole in the wall. Another LEFT tile to the right of the
bottom left tile can completely cut off the blue player's ability to
do a quick reroute without blocking him or her off. The only threat
here would be from the green player sending the mice down into his or
her rocket before they move through the hole.
The important thing to always remember to pay attention to all
players all of the time since you are only four spaces away from most
of your opponents at any given time thanks to the warp holes.
Juggling is only possibly within the fat part of the path along the
left and right edge of the board, but none of them are invincible. The
best way to occupy cats and mice is to really just keep them tied up
within the center enclosed area, keeping them flowing in a clockwise
motion.
Blocking is as difficult as it is on stage nine, since each rocket is
open from all directions. Try to focus on a specific side by dropping
a two tile wall to block cats traveling along the outer edge of the
enclosed area, with a third tile used to plug up any other nearby
opening. Be wary of an opponent juggling within your block wall,
though, especially if it is right next to your rocket. Try to build
your wall as far as possible. Also, be wary of surprise attacks
through adjacent warp holes as the cat you're leading to an opponent
can easily be directed around your target straight into your rocket.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 13 [C713]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The blue and green players have the | |
advantage of completely invincible | |
blocking positions. This gives then an | _ _ _ _ |
edge on this stage, depending on how | B A A Y |
successful you are at using and | | | |
defending their monopolizing positions. | R__ V V __G |
All rockets can gather from a maximum | |
of two portals in a normal battle game | |
environment. Most players will be |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
vying for the two closest paired
portals on this stage.
The red and yellow players have I think the best method to monopolize
since it leaves more room to react and set up a new path to their
rockets. The red player can quickly and effortlessly drop two LEFT
tiles under the two down portals and aim a RIGHT arrow at his or her
rocket as the mice are sent right along the wall. Any attempts to
interfere by the blue player can easily be countered since there is
bound to be enough spaces to interrupt, plus a greater chance that
the red player will unintentionall block the blue player while
interrupting.
The blue and green player are at a disadvantage in that regard since
since it is easier for opponents to steal from and block them. While
they ARE able to gather from either pairs of portals, it will be a
a short lived advantage. For instance, the blue player will want to
place a LEFT arrow above the top right portal, a DOWN arrow under the
top left portal, and a LEFT arrow underneath the top left portal,
which will send all mice toward the wall into his or her rocket. The
disadvantage is that the red player can EASILY direct the mice with a
single DOWN arrow.
Nonetheless, keep in mind these monopolizing positions and utilize
them whenever possible. There will be A LOT of close in fighting on
this board, so make use of all three of the entrances to your and
your opponents' rockets as best as possible.
As stated above, the blue and green players will have an invincible
blocking position available to them. The blue player should use a
LEFT arrow to his or her rocket's immediate left, an UP arrow to the
right of the rocket, and a DOWN arrow to send any cats hitting it
into the opponent's rocket. Likewise, if you're the red player look
for ways to interrupt this ability. A REALLY good, really EASY way to
both block and attack available to everyone is to line two UP or DOWN
arrows so that they point to a LEFT or RIGHT arrow aimed at your
opponent. This does your farthest side open to attack but still makes
for a great techinque to exploit.
Uninterrupted juggling is only available in the four corners of this
stage. If you want to tease and threaten an opponent, consider
juggling right within the enclosed area so that the only way to
deflect the cat would be to send it into his or her own rocket.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 14 [C714]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This is a stage in which it is VERY |B |_| < |_| R|
IMPORTANT that you make your moves as | _ _ _ _ _ _ |
FAST as possible. The six large blocks |_ | | | | | | _|
in the center of the room REALLY |_| |_ _| |_ _| |_ _| |_|
LIMIT the available playing space. |>_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _<|
This means that there will be NO ROOM |_| | | | | | | |_|
to counter someone's position with an | |_ _| |_ _| |_ _| |
alternate route. The best you will be | _ _ |
able to do is block the mice from |G__ _|_|_ >__ _|_|_ __Y|
their rockets and wait until a cat
disrupts them or for their tiles to
fade away and take over. I STRONGLY suggest using the analog stick
for this board, because the opening move is really that important,
and tha analog stick provides for a superior speed boost.
Your first priority in this battle is to take control over the bottom
or top portal, whichever is closest. Mice and cats spewed from the
top and bottom portals will circle the center area. Drop two tiles at
the intersection in parallel so that mice stream into your enclosed
area. Both of the top players and both of the bottom players will be
fighting for the SAME EXACT spots on the board -- only the positioning
of the arrows will be different. Your secondary goal is to seize
control over one of the side portals, most likely the one closest to
your rocket. You will have three opportunities to direct those side
mice into your rocket; either aim them into the opening to the area
surrounding your rocket or along the path to either of the arrows from
the first part.
While there is a danger of sending a cat your way, you'll have more
than enough time to react to it. This does, of course, reset your
tiles and forfeits the best position. Thankfully, each player has an
infinite blocking position which requires only two tiles, leaving you
an extra tile to spoil the fun of the opponent who just took over
your favored spot.
When beaten to the punch, your only recourse is to block the mice
from entering your opponent's rocket while waiting for a cat to come
out from one of the portals. Quickly throw the cat into the player's
arrows to either damage the mice tally or force him or her to reset
the position. Assist the cat until the opponent forfeits the position.
Cats should not be a threat much at all thanks to the invincible
blocking available to all (use the closest "big block" and the two
"small blocks," placing your tiles in the gap between them). There is
also plenty of juggling positions, either the familiar circular
pattern to horizontal and vertical "bounce" juggling, created by
placing two opposite facing tiles side by side along the corridors
between the big blocks.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 15 [C715]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Asymetrical boards such as this and |B _ _ R|
stage six can make planning on the fly | | _ _ _ H| |
quite difficult. The layout of the | _| <| _ _ | |
portals and walls benefit the yellow | | V | | |
player the most since he or she will | | _ _ |
have the easiest time monopolizing the | |_ > _|> | |
the most mice on this board. The down | |_ _|_ _| |
facing portal and the two right facing | |_ _| |
ones are easily within the yellow |G__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __Y|
rocket's grasp. The blue player will
have the most difficult time trying to
gather any mice while the red player will probably find that hole to
be a nuisance which can easily jeopardize his or her efforts despite
being in a somewhat favorable position.
Look for unorthodox paths to keep your opponents guessing. Sure, the
red player can fight the yellow player over the two right facing
portals, but it is much easier to drop a single UP arrow underneath
the down facing portal and let the mice run themselves into your
rocket. The green player can take control over the two center portals
with two DOWN tiles and a LEFT arrow sending mice through the bottom
center portal into one of the DOWN arrows. Sending mice backwards
through the portals and using the outer walls to guide them into your
rocket is key to taking control of this stage. Keep an opponent
guessing with different paths, and you'll reduce the time it takes him
or her to absorb everything that's going on and interrupt your plan.
On defense everyone is equal with an invincible blocking position of
their own. Be wary of such blocking during normal play, though, since
each rocket has a side in which an opponent can juggle a cat within
your block with a single tile. For example, if the green player blocks
to the right, a single DOWN tile to the right of the green rocket's UP
arrow will make that cat a constant threat. The only difference on
defense among the players lies in the red rocket's hole, which can
both aid and hinder the red player. If you see the red player about to
receive a "50" mouse, it doesn't take much to sink it into the hole.
There are a few juggling spots available on the board. You can hold
mice and cats along the bottom left walls with properly placed,
opposite facing and adjacent UP and DOWN tiles, or you can juggle in
that "U" partition near the bottom left portion of the stage. As
mentioned above, you can juggle in the corners, but that requires
blocking yourself or an opponent.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 16 [C716]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Consider this stage a variant of stage |B _ |_|V _ _ V|_| _ R|
14 since both are rather cramped and | |_| _ | | _ |_| |
require the same strategy more or less. | _ | | |_ _| | | _ |
In fact, it's easier here since you | | | |_| _ _ |_| | | |
will only have to concentrate on one | | | _ |_ _| _ | | |
location -- either of the two bottom | |_| | | _ _ | | |_| |
or top portals. The blue and yellow | _ |_| | | |_| _ |
players have a bit of an advantage on | |_| _ |_ _| _ |_| |
this stage since they will only need |G__ _|_|A__ __A|_|_ __Y|
two tiles to direct traffic into their
rockets, but it is advised to place a
third "reminder" tile anyway to avoid having an opponent block you.
Because there are no side portals as in stage 14, it is even MORE
IMPORTANT to be as fast as possible with your opening move. Once an
opponent takes control over a pair of portals, there is NOTHING you
can do other than block the mice from entering his or her rocket.
If a cat gets sucked into their tile vacuum, be sure to fill in the
gaps to make sure the cat strikes the opponents before they have a
chance to reset their tiles and counter. Unlike stage 14, there will
be little time to react given the close proximity of the portals to
the rockets. Try and use such opportunities to gain control of the
portals.
Everyone has an invincible blocking position, but be careful to not
block right by your rocket. If, say, the green player puts an UP tile
to the right of his or her rocket to defend against an incoming cat, a
quick thinking opponent can place a DOWN arrow to its immediate right,
juggling the cat with only a single tile. If you find yourself in such
a situation early in the game, it would probably be best to go ahead
and let the cat strike since it will be difficult to repell the cat
with it being so close. Time is lost mice in this game, so try to
waste as little time as possible fighting the unavoidable.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 17 [C717]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
You want the two center portals. Those | _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
are the only two which can both be | | | |
gathered from at the same time. The | | B | | | | R | |
basic strategy for that would be to | | _ _| | | |_ _ | |
place an UP or DOWN arrow to bounce | _ _ V < > A _ _ |
the mice traveling away from your | | | | | | | |
rocket through the portals to your | | G | | | | Y | |
location, and use two more arrows to | |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _| |
route all of the mice into your |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
rocket. Since this is another stage in
which your first move really is a "make
it or break it" kind of thing, I'd STRONGLY suggest using the analog
stick to secure those two center portals post haste.
Unfortunately, smart players will be more than ready to interrupt your
mice stream. It takes a full three tiles to gather from the two center
portals, which leaves you defenseless. There will be a single square
gap between the UP or DOWN facing tile and the LEFT or RIGHT facing
one, and your opponents will use it to divert your mice away from your
rocket. While this can be easily corrected by dropping another tile in
your rocket's direction (since the mice will circle the squared area
before exiting, dropping that corrective tile will reset the first one
you dropped to hoard all the center mice. This isn't as awful as it
sounds since you'll still be successfully gathering from a single
portal, but that's not being greedy enough to win the game.
Note that while you can bounce the vertical streaming mice through
their portals, you will only be able to gather from one or the other
since it takes all three tiles to set up the path to your rocket. This
is only worthwhile if, say, you're the blue player but currently have
no control over the last three portals. You can bounce the down
streaming mice away from the green player to at least collect from one
portal while the others fight over the rest.
All players are basically on equal footing during this stage. All have
an invincible blocking position thanks to the enclosed walls
surrounding each rocket. Blocking will take up all three available
tiles: one will deflect to the right and placed inside the square
while the other two will create a path just outside the other entryway
to push cats into the hallways and bounce block them away to the
right.
Bad ASCII Illustration 10
-------------------------
Completely blocking cats in stage 17
_______________________
| _ _ _ _ _ A _ _ _ |
| | A A | |
| | B | | | | R | |
| | _ _| | | |_ _ >| |
|< < _ _ V < > A _ _ |
All players have invincible blocking positions,
each set up similarly. Above shows the blocking
method for the blue and red rockets.
Juggling can be done in the corners using Kirk's two tile method.
Juggle alone the narrow pathways with flipped adjacent tiles. Remember
that the portals themselves are invincible, so be sure to take
advantage of them by juggling across them to eat up time if needed.
This stage has the longest possible juggling distance in the center of
the board (cats travel eight squares per cycle) in addition to the
paths found in each of the stage's corners.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 18 [C718]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The main you'll want to remember to | < > |
do on this stage is to redirect the | _<_>_ |
mice streaming from the portals away |_ | _|
from your rocket toward your area |_ _|
whenever possible. If you're the blue | _|_ |
or red player this means dropping one | B R _ _ G Y |
or two LEFT or DOWN arrows to the right |_ | _|
of both of the right facing portals and | |
vice versa for the other rockets. Both |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
the red and green players have the
advantage on this stage precisely because
they get first dibs on the mice spewing from the portals above..
You will always be stealing from your neighbor and your neighbor from
you on this board. If the red player has mice traveling down into his
or her rocket, then the blue player should drop two LEFT tiles and a
DOWN arrow in a half circle formation similar to what's shown in the
stage 2 strategy. The fighting with your neighbor is complicated by
the fact that you almost have to work as a team to keep as many mice
as possible on your side of the play field. Note that while the red
and green players do get most of the traffic, they also have two
neighbors to worry about having their mice stolen from than the side
rockets. No one ever thinks to use the gap between the red and green
players for stealing.
Mice basically slither down to the bottom of the stage at which point
they will circle around and around until someone picks them up. Don't
focus so much on the portal fighting so that you neglect these scraps.
Every mouse counts, and it only takes one UP arrow to gather those on
the bottom. If a player has redirected both your portals to the
opposite side, then you can either try to get them back through the
gaps in the fence down the center or just juggle them in place at the
top of the stage.
This is an open stage and defending against cats is all about juggling
and deflecting. If you can't juggle them then be quick to block your
most vulnerable side while sending the cats into your opponent as in
stage 2. Juggling is only possible in the corners and that gap between
the red and green players. You may be able to tie up cats and mice at
the source if an opponent has dropped the right UP or DOWN tile next
to the portals.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 19 [C719]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This stage is sort of like a flipped |H B Y R G H|
stage 2 with the main difference being | |
that the mice stay put at the bottom | |
of the screen. The blue and green are | |
by and large in the best position since | |
they only have to contend with one | |
neighbor since their other side is |_ _|
flanked by a hole. The hole itself also | > > < < |
proves to be useful for sinking any |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
threatening cats.
The blue player is in an even more favorable position since mice sent
to the top wall will funnel right into his or her rocket. While this
is true of every player, the blue player will not have to fear his or
her neighbor dropped a LEFT tile and siphoning off his or her mice
stream.
The mice are trapped at the bottom until someone drops an UP tile,
then the fighting begins. This is basically an open war, and you'll
have to constantly keep your opponents guessing to ward them off. It
is not likely that you'll be able to simply let the mice stream into
your rocket since your opponents will be quick to steal them, so it is
in your best interest to focus on a single grouping of mice at a time
if you keep getting interrupted. Juggle some mice at the bottom and
then send them up on a quick but shifting path to your rocket. Since
everything is in season for all players, be sure to capture as many
"50" mice as possible -- there is no reason for you to avoid going
after them on this stage.
Juggling can be done in either of the bottom corners of the stage and
along the top of that small wall on the right near the bottom. If you
get a lead consider just tying up the mice by juggling them until the
timer ticks down. The portals are set up so that the mice will just
run straight into the corners to be juggled. The same works for cats,
so Cat Mania really shouldn't be too much of a threat if any.
The blue player also has the best defending position, with two
invincle barriers to the side: an UP tile to the right and a LEFT to
the left. Of course, the bottom of the rocket is still exposed just
like the other players'. Focus on diverting cats and using the half
circle pattern in stage 2 to both defend and attack when needed.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 20 [C720]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
All mice lead to the green rocket. Any | _ | _ | _ |
scraps in the center will just funnel | B | R |
straight into the green rocket, and | | _ | _ | _|
green player is in a pretty good | | < <| |
position. Although the board looks a _
bit confusing and off balanced, most | _ _|> >_ | _ _|
players except red have an equal | | | | | | |
number of advantages and disadvantages. | |_ G _| |_ Y |
That said, I prefer playing from the |_ _ _ _|_ _ _ _|_ _ _ _|
yellow rocket's position since I find it
is much easier to work from.
The blue player is in a pretty nice position, able to easily take
advantage of either row of portals. The top row will automatically
make a pass near the blue rocket, and wooing in the mice only requires
a single LEFT tile aimed at your rocket. The bottom row can be had by
dropping a LEFT tile to the right of the right most portal and
bouncing the mice left through the portals. This means that the blue
player can monopolize all four portals with just two tiles which is a
very good thing. Of course, it won't last, and you can be sure that
the other players -- especially the green player -- will be quick to
siphon off your mice stream. Still, it makes for a good opening move
and something to abuse whenever possible. When playing from the blue
rocket your main focus should be the top row of portals. Expect the
green and yellow players to be fighting over the bottom row, perhaps
so much so that it's not worth the hassle. The red player is in a
worse position to take control over the top portal row; just drop
two LEFT tiles in front of them and a LEFT arrow to guide the mice in,
and you'll have all the mice from the two portals all to yourself.
The red rocket is the loser position on this stage. The blue player
can easily prevent the red rocket from getting any mice from the top
portal row, and the bottom row will be occupied by both the green and
yellow players. The red player must be quick and drop a RIGHT arrow in
front of the top portal row and then use RIGHT and UP arrows to funnel
the mice into his or her rocket. The main problem with that is that it
is reasonably simple for either the blue and yellow players to
interrupt the stream and steal or divert the mice. The red player is
primarily a scavenger on this stage, since the poor position of the
surrounding walls and location from the portals makes it more
difficult to gather mice with any regularity. You will always be
reacting to other players' gathering instead of being a leader.
Yellow and green are the easiest positions to play from thanks to the
placement of the walls. Both can steal from the top row of portals if
needed; a DOWN tile for green and a RIGHT tile for yellow. The yellow
player can monopolize all four portals with just two tiles just like
the blue rocket while the green player requires three, bouncing the
bottom row through the portals, up into the waiting DOWN arrow, and
then back down into a LEFT guide tile. Both the yellow and green
players will spend nearly all three minutes just fighting for control
over the bottom row of portals, and things are set up so that
interference from the above players are kept to a minimum. Any
attempts from the above players to steal can easily be countered by
sending the mice through that middle gap and down into your rocket.
Although it's not the most useful thing in the world, that center warp
hole can come in handy to get around other players' tiles littering
the board. While the holes aren't something to rely on for a sure win
strategy, they can be useful for diverting or attacking with cats or
getting that "50" mouse to your side of the board. The holes won't see
much traffic thanks to their poor placement and having all the mice
run around in the center of the board.
With only two entryways, the yellow rocket is the only rocket with an
invincible blocking position. The other players, particularly those
at the top of the stage, will have to focus on diverting or juggling
cats to defend their rockets. Juggling can be done with two tiles in
any of the corners or in that "C" formation next to the bottom two
rockets. Since that's not practical during play since all traffic
remains in the center of the board, focus on diverting cats as soon as
they enter the stage.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 21 [C721]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Without a doubt, THE position on this | _ _ |
board belongs to the green player. The | | _ _ B | |_ _ _ |
green rocket has quick access to all | | | | | | _ _ R |
of the portals and the easiest time | | |_ _| | |_| _| | |
monopolizing them as well. Most of the | |_ >__ | <|_ | |
green player's tiles will be blocked | _ _ > < |
from interference from other players | |_| |_| | | | |_ _ |
as well. The red player has the | _ _ G | _ _ _| |
absolute worst spot on the board, |_ _ _|_ _|_ _ Y__ _ _ _|
although it IS possible to play from
it reasonably well.
What are the green player's advantages? Well, it is one of the two
rockets which have an invincible blocking position, but you will not
spend the duration of the stage blocking. Green's strength lies in
the variety of mice stealing strategies available to the player. Steal
from the blue portal with a couple of well placed RIGHT arrows. The
portal above the yellow rocket can be had with a LEFT and a DOWN tile.
Take control over the red player's portal with two LEFT arrows. In
fact, all portals are aimed at the green player already, so it may be
possible to steal using only one tile if nothing is blocking the path
of the mice (ie., mice from the blue portal travel down to the green
rocket on their own thanks to the wall). Green also has the shortest
distance from his or her portal, making it the only rocket which has
a path from its portal completely protected from interference.
The second best position belongs to the blue rocket, which has its own
portal mostly protected from other players other than green. Block
that bottom exit with an UP tile to gather from your own portal. If
someone drops a LEFT or DOWN tile in front your portal to bounce the
mice around the other way, the wall will guide it back to your rocket
as long as you put a RIGHT arrow by the top exit. Concentrate on
stealing from the green and yellow players' portals. An UP tile in
front the green portal and a LEFT in front the yellow portal will
bring the mice to your rocket and waiting LEFT tile to guide them in.
The yellow player is in a similar position as the green player but has
too much distance between the rocket and portals to be as effective.
Use a RIGHT tile on the portal above the yellow rocket to bounce mice
in. Steal from the red player with LEFT and DOWN arrows or from the
green portal with a RIGHT tile or a couple of UP and RIGHT arrows. The
blue portal is too far away to worry about, so just focus on stealing
from your neighbors, swapping as they counter your theft.
The red player should always have an UP tile in front of his or her
own portal. Steal from the yellow portal with two RIGHT arrows. Try
bouncing blue's mice around the top wall if he or she is being
distracted in a push fight or something. If the path above the green
rocket is open, use a couple of UP tiles (one to block blue from the
side) to send some mice your way. The red player really is too far
from the portals and is in too open a position compared to the others
on the board. You will have to fight and claw your way through this
match, mainly terrorizing the yellow player below you.
The best juggling spots are between two horizontal or vertical walls
closest to your opponent. Threaten green with a cat to his or her
immediate left using an UP and a DOWN tile. The blue player is
particularly susceptible to such tactics. While the green and yellow
players have invincible blocking positions, blue and red do not.
Still, the abundance of walls should make defending against cats
fairly easy as long as you focus on the most threatening side. Just
watch out for something dropping a tile and juggling within your
block formation.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 22 [C722]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Note the trapped position of all the |H H _ _ _ |
players, making it very easy for you |H H > _ __B |
or another player to block your rocket. |H H _ _ _ |
While it is great to be able to do an |H H > _ __Y |
invincible block on this stage, it is |H H _ _ _ |
TOO easy for another person to block |H H > _ __R |
off your rocket in an attempt to steal |H H _ _ _ |
your mice. Be wary of this, because it |H H > _ __G |
can and will happen during this board, |H_H__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
forcing you to collect through the more
difficult rear entrance.
The blue player has an advantage on this stage precisely because any
mice set up into the top wall will pass behind his or her rocket
first. If you are in the blue position and someone has blocked you
off, then you can just redirect the trail of mice to the top of the
stage and collect them from the rear. If you are in another position,
then you can still do the above but risk losing them to the blue
player, or you can try sending them through the pathway above your
rocket, which will require an extra RIGHT arrow.
You should try to steal from three portals as often as possible. Drop
a RIGHT arrow in front of the portal facing your rocket, and direct
two other portals into that arrow with a couple of UP or DOWN tiles.
Expect someone to intercept soon enough, and adjust your tiles to
avoid your opponents' arrows if possible. While you COULD do the above
but drop the arrows directly in front of your opponents' entryways
instead, that just seems rude to me. If someone does that to you, then
you can either block their rocket or redirect all mice into the holes
at left so that no one benefits.
The holes at the left of the stage are VERY valuable. Once you have
taken the lead and are winning by a good margin, you can redirect ALL
of your opponents mice into the holes. You can cause much confusion
with this action while increasing the number of tiles it takes for
your opponents to collect mice. Their only hope is to fight for your
free portal or attempt to send the mice around your arrows.
When the time comes to defend, you will find that blocking and
juggling is quite easy on this board. A DOWN arrow to the left of your
rocket and a RIGHT tile behind it will ensure that no cat can threaten
your mice. It's a good idea to drop two DOWN tiles side by side to
ensure a longer barrier. Anything can be juggled in the space between
each rocket with just two tiles. You can also make use of the holes to
kill anything if needed, especially handy when a "50" mouse is headed
towards an opponent.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 23 [C723]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
You can gather from your closest | |
portal with just a single tile, or | |
you could drop three in parrallel | B R |
and make sure no one interferes. The | A > |
main disadvantage with that method | |
is that you only collect from one | < V |
and put yourself at greatest risk to | G Y |
exiting cats. It would be fine during | |
Mouse Mania, but then you should |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _|
really be trying to monopolize more
than one portal in that or any case.
You can monopolize two portals at best, and do so will require three
tiles. You will gather from the portal closest to you and ANY other
available portal. Remember that you can steal from opposite portals
by sending the mice back through the portals.
Bad ASCII Illustration 11
-------------------------
Borrowing from an opponent in stage 23
B < < B < < B <
A > A > A A > <
OR OR
A < V < V < V
A
All players can steal from any opponent. Mix it
up as they interfere.
Because of the close proximity of the portals, expect a difficult
battle to try and maintain a single portal let alone another one. You
may use the outside wall if needed to send mice around tiles and
gather them from the outside as they travel around.
This is a very difficult stage since every rocket is vulnerable with
no real advantage. There is no way to block, and juggling is only
possible inside the four corners of the stage. Hopefully you will be
skillful enough to deflect cats and win the push fights which dominate
this stage.
______________________________________________________________________
STAGE 24 [C724]
______________________________________________________________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The final stage is another free-for-all | < > | < > |
similar to stages 2 and 19. As always, | |
while the blue and green players on the | |
sides only have to contend with one | |
neighboring opponent to worry about, | |
they also get less traffic than the | |
others. The mice exit from the portals | |
and circle each half of the stage until | B Y R G |
they are captured, and the positioning |_ _ _ _ _ _|_ _ _ _ _ _|
of those little walls means that the
yellow and red players can pick off
virtually every scrap mouse on the board, assuming that the other
players don't get to them first.
Try to increase traffic around your rocket by bouncing opposite
running mice through their portal. If you're the blue player, then
this means having a LEFT tile right in front that second portal. The
green player should have a RIGHT tile in front the third portal and
vice versa. Also, the moment that you see a player trying to send mice
straight down into his or her rocket, you should divert the path your
way. No one should be able to collect mice easily on this stage, and
letting another player win without interference is just dumb.
One nice advantage the green player has is the ability to send
everything to the right, let the mice run down along the wall, and
pick them up from the sides. You not only keep the mice moving toward
your rocket, but the wall also makes a much larger and easier target
to focus on instead of having to aim straight down into your rocket
like everyone else. Note that the blue player can do a variation of
this as well although it requires an extra tile to route the mice down
(since they will travel up when striking the left wall) and therefore
isn't as effective.
On defense use the half circle tile placement outlined in stage 2 to
defend yourself against cats. No one can block any part of his or her
rocket except the bottom entrance, so be sure to divert and juggle as
needed. You can juggle in the corners and against the small walls
protruding from the top and bottom of the stage. It is easier to
juggle at the top so you may want to redirect cats to the top instead
of trying to juggle below if your rocket is in the area.
CRN8
======================================================================
CHAPTER ROMAN NUMERAL EIGHT
*
On-line Gameplay Abnormalities
======================================================================
______________________________________________________________________
ON-LINE PLAY UPDATE [C8ON]
______________________________________________________________________
Unfortunately, Sega's Dreamcast ChuChu Rocket server have been
shutdown, making on-line play impossible as of this update. I leave
the following intact should Sega ever release the source code to allow
for player run servers.
______________________________________________________________________
LAG, ON-LINE GAMING'S UGLY STEPSISTER [C8LA]
______________________________________________________________________
Generally, the lag (time it takes for a dropped tile to register
on screen during on-line play) is only a second or two. Initially,
this may seem awkward, but the lag is not so long so that it becomes
impossible to play the game well. Players just have to accustom
themselves to planning ahead to keep up with the lag. As long as you
stay one step ahead of the game, you should be able to play with the
lag and reduce it to a slight inconvenience.
A slow Internet connection on yours or an opponents' Internet service
provider can increase the lag by as much as 20 seconds. Sometimes the
lag will dramatically increase during the game, too. There are two
things to remember in case lag becomes too much of a problem:
1) Keep track of your opponents lag time. If you see a
pointer near your rocket, tiles, or mouse stream, then
chances are that it is dropping some arrows of its own
to hurt you but have yet to register. If possible, try
to predict what tiles were dropped and change your
strategy accordingly (i.e., set the mice on a new path)
before the tiles show up.
2) If lag becomes greater than five seconds, then you can
probably give up attempting any real strategy. When
there is no time to react, don't bother to react since
whatever action you take to counter will show up long
after you initiated it. Instead, it may be best to just
set up a trail from a portal to your rocket and hope
for the best.
Sometimes your lag will be greater than your opponents. There really
is nothing you can do to even the playing field.
______________________________________________________________________
THE CAT GLITCH [C8TH]
______________________________________________________________________
The "cat glitch" is what is referred to when a rocket is impervious to
cats. There are three possible explanations for it:
1) It is a bug in the game.
2) A result of lag.
3) The player is cheating.
Sometimes both mice and cats will not affect a rocket. Sometimes this
glitch is caused when a person gets disconnected, which would make
sense since his or her ISP was unable to relay the information to the
other players. Other times someone get struck by a cat and not have
the loss show up for a minute if not more, which could be attributed
to lag. Also, it could also be a bug in the game, one which certain
players have found out how to take advantage.
If you notice the cat glitch affecting a player, then do not waste
anymore time sending cats to the rocket since it is immune. That,
ultimately, is the worst thing about the glitch; you waste precious
game time trying to bomb another player with cats, only to find your
efforts were useless. While you COULD block their rocket, be careful
since the player may not be aware of the glitch and think YOU are
cheating for someone else. Just try to play normally, and instead of
bombing the suspect's rocket with cats try to prevent it from
gathering mice. You may want to use the taunts ("What!?") to try and
clue the other players in on the situation.
While being afflicted with the "cat glitch" does not guarantee a win,
it certainly helps and makes for an unfair game. If you play the same
person in another game and encounter the same problem, then consider
just avoiding him or her.
______________________________________________________________________
DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAMING [C8DO]
______________________________________________________________________
While it is not known for certain if the cat glitch can be controlled
and used to cheat, there is no question that double or triple teaming
is cheating. There is a difference between having other players
loosely unite during a match to knock you from a large lead, and
having a team of two or three players conspire to make sure you lose
the match.
Try preventing this from happening by using the X button to check and
see if a team (a single name showing up as two or three people) in
waiting in a game room. While some teams do play fair, it may be a
precaution well worth using. Of course, this does not prevent you from
getting teamed by members of a ChuChu Rocket clan or by friends who
play with their own accounts. If a player is blocking your rocket for
no apparent reason, then you really have no chance to win. Simply make
sure not to play people who block your rocket for the duration of a
match so another can win.
======================================================================
ChuChu Rocket: Expert Battle Guide
Copyright 2000 by Benjamin Paul Galway
All names and trademarks copyright 1999 Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
