Tag: Tips and Tricks »

Enjoying the delights of Godus but could do with a helping hand? We're here to give you some simple tips and tricks to get you started and on your way to being a great God.

You Gotta Believe

• There's going to be a lot of sculpting ahead of you, especially early on. Try to plan ahead. Belief fades fast and you don't want to run out midway through creating a flatter plain ready for developing on. Don't just clear land for the sake of it. Think it through before you begin.

• The same goes for building structures. You want to keep people together for maximum efficiency and don't forget that early on, only nearby workers can get to work on building a new settlement. Later on, you'll be able to entice them further afield but you're quite restricted at the start.

• Make sure there's room to place trees near the settlements. More belief is gained that way, which is always a good thing.

• Remove rocks that are nearby such dwellings, as they'll decrease your belief gains.

• Removing rocks, as well as surplus trees, is also handy because it provides you with some easy belief. Do it. Often.

• Belief isn't used up if you're sculpting land from beneath the sea so if you're desperate for space and low on belief, drag out the beaches.

• In other games, collecting all that belief would be irritatingly tedious, but Godus simplifies matters. You can just hold a finger down and drag it around to collect belief up en masse.

• A similar process can be used to 'leash' followers but you want to use that ability sparingly as it uses up belief.

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

• Keep building and steadily expanding. The more followers the better as it'll unlock new cards and generally provide the whole point of the game. It's a slow process, but worth it.

• Make room for farms and mines to be near settlements. You need plenty of both and clustering will soon be essential to your success.

• Work towards the beacons scattered around the land. They're Godus's way of encouraging you to follow a certain path but they're pretty handy for unlocking new areas.

• When you're worried about your followers' and their eating habits, cast Rain of Purity on Crop Fields. Wheat grows much quicker this way than waiting it out. It can make all the difference.

• Unlock cards as quickly as possible but don't necessarily use them all. Some are more hassle than they're worth so be wise with what you upgrade via stickers.

• Speaking of stickers, these can be gained through completing Journeys but also through discovering treasure chests littered around the world. Look out for differences in the land, such as a sparkly section, and start digging to retrieve anything from diamonds to stickers.

All in the Journey

• Regualarly going on Journeys is essential to progression, as well as having more fun with Godus. Do so frequently.

• When you first start a Journey, plan what you're going to do carefully. The time limits are often tight, especially when you're fighting with poor path-finding. Those followers really aren't very bright at all.

• Don't bother sending more followers than you need to. It'll just be a waste if you fail the level.

• Treat the followers like Lemmings. They're dimwitted and really need to be dealt with like mindless drones. Because that's exactly what they are.

• Because of that, make sure you block paths to stop them from either going the wrong way or walking into danger. The Journeys are often simple enough. The tricky part is in keeping those followers safe from their own stupidity.

• You'll be infuriated at times, either by your followers' inability to think or just the slow pace of the game. Be a kind God. Using negative God powers only tends to cause trouble in the long term and you want to keep your people happy through any means necessary.

• Remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. It's going to take a while to get in your stride and truly see significant improvements. Accept it and enjoy.

When it comes to suburban life simulations, The Sims pretty much wrote the book. In The Sims Freeplay, we get to see a mobile-centric version of the game that is equal parts enjoyable and complex. Here are a few tips to get folks going on the natural path to building a happy, healthy cyber-community.

Currency

The first thing one probably wants to understand is the currency system. There are several different tenders that can be used to make purchases or otherwise enhance the life of your Sims. Within the game, the main form of currency is referred to - naturally - as "Simoleons." Simoleons are probably most like real-life money, and can be earned by having Sims do things like going to work. Established properties can garner Simoleons at intervals, so it pays to "invest" and upgrade these properties. There are a few easter egg Simoleon earning activities as well, like pets digging for them.

Another currency type is the "Social Point." This can be earned in neighboring towns by doing tasks such as practicing fire fighting. This encourages interaction with other players, as it's easier to get fellow players to invest in an item necessary to get Social Points. Social Points can be spent on items in the game store.

"Lifestyle Points" can be gained by completing quests, increasing the town's value, leveling-up, or watching and viewing special offers. They can also be purchased with real money. Lifestyle Points can be used to purchase items and speed up tasks.

The game also incorporates experience points, which allow characters to level-up and have access to more content.

One of the best ways to accumulate cash is to work. Consistently. On that note, getting promoted helps earn more faster. Building in moderation also helps maximize reserves. Happy Sims are better able to earn spendables, so keeping Sims inspired by ensuring their needs are met.

Even the simple act of gardening also leads to supplemental game cash. Several "natural" tasks like checking mail can net small amounts that add up.

Careers

There are quite a few professions to choose from, ranging from Real Estate Agent to politician, and a Sim's career can be enhanced by "practicing" the job. Practicing makes the Sim better, and helps them get promoted. Sims can max out in careers, so the progress is not limitless.

Hobbies

Hobbies are great tools for gaining experience and limited content. The availability of hobbies to a specific character are generally restricted based on what one has unlocked and the age of a character. In other words, after the age requirement is met, one might have to do achieve/build something to be able to perform that hobby.

The biggest overall tip is to exhibit patience. The game runs in real-time, so there is always the temptation to use Lifestyle Points to expedite the action. Those Lifestyle Points could probably be best used elsewhere. Along those same lines, rushing to become a real estate mogul sounds logical - in the real world. In FreePlay, restraint is sometimes a good thing.

The world of Battleheart Legacy is fun and deep; full of wizards, warriors, and witches. Here are some tips and tactics to help you get the most enjoyment out of this great game.

Explore Everything!

The people of the Battleheart Legacy world, as in so many other RPGs, have never heard of home invasion and thus have never invested in locks for their doors. Feel free to explore each building you come to as it may hold valuable gold and items that no one will seem to miss. Many areas will often also have a treasure chest tucked away for intrepid explorers to find. As you move around the world map, you will come across “Encounters”. These side missions can be anything from a random battle to get you XP and loot, to meeting an important NPC who might just be a trainer in your future.

Who am I?

As you play Battleheart Legacy, you will choose how your character levels-up and what equipment they will wield, but just as importantly, you will also decide how you interact with people. You can be either pleasant or snarky but be warned: NPCs have feelings too, and some of them may just turn on you if you are being a jerk.

Advancement

When you gain enough experience to level-up, refrain from doing so immediately. Wait until you can return to the trainers at the Academy in Eston - one of the starting areas and a hub where most trainers will appear. Each level of a class requires different stat minimums to be met, so waiting to invest your stat points until you know what you need will save you some grief.

In addition to the starting classes available at the beginning of the game, there are some classes that you will have to explore to find - like the Ninja, Bard, Necromancer, and Monk. It is generally easier to stick to one or two classes your first time around so that you're not spreading your valuable stat points too thin. Some classes have good synergistic qualities, like Knight and Paladin working well together, as they both require strength and endurance. Mixing and matching class abilities can be very satisfying, fun, and downright powerful (barbarian whirlwind + paladin 'heal % of damage done' powers are devastating when combined). Picking combinations that make sense is the key to developing an effective character.

Each level in a class gives you access to a new skill - either passive or active. These can be equipped and switched out whenever you are not in combat. You can always check out your character's stats, skills, and equipment by touching their character portrait. On the stats tab, there is some extra info like dodge chance and speed if you scroll down on the stats section.

Don't underestimate the passives. Passive skills can either give you a bump where you need it (defense, damage, etc), or completely change your tactics (equip giant weapons, deal extra damage at low HP). Experiment and plan accordingly.

Never Fear

You have five potions at your disposal, and while that might not seem like a lot, they replenish every time you leave an area and each one heals you completely. If you are getting low on health, don't be afraid to pop a potion when you need it. If you are still having trouble, you can lower the difficulty setting and get unlimited potions. With that in mind, try not to die too often. You get penalized a percent of your gold each time you do.

Fight Smart

Standing your ground and letting monsters beat on you is an easy way to lose fast. Most monsters can be tricked into mindlessly following you around, allowing you the time you need to recharge your special attacks while avoiding damage. Feel free to use your cooldown abilities and then run around a rock to break line-of-sight to save yourself from those pesky archers.

Enemies with big attacks will often telegraph their moves either with power-up animations or ground effects, which show you where their attack will land. Learning your foes' patterns is invaluable in helping avoid damage, thus keeping you alive long enough to kill the monsters and grab their treasure.

If you find yourself out of potions and don't think you can survive the next big fight, you can always retreat. Monsters do not respawn until you leave a dungeon, so you can always backtrack and leave the dungeon. Of course, the monsters will be back when you return, but you will get to keep whatever experience and loot you accumulated, and your potions will be automatically refilled.

Spend that Gold

You can upgrade your items pretty quickly and there is no real reason to hang onto equipment you have outgrown or cannot use. Gear tends to accumulate, and if you are going a melee route for example, you can probably safely sell that expensive but useless mage's armor you picked up. Also, hitting harder is great, but don't underestimate the value of defensive bonuses - monsters that hit like trucks can be made much easier to deal with by increasing your armor a few points.

As mentioned above, when you die, you lose a percentage of your gold. It is well worth your time to invest it in upgrades as soon as you can. By upgrading your gear and getting new skills, you have the added benefit of not really losing much when you die. Of course, you still need to save for that next big skill upgrade, but your shiny new armor will likely help you live long enough to do that, too.

Recently got into Supercell's other huge hit, Hay Day and could do with some advice on what to do? We've got you covered with some helpful trips and tricks to bear in mind!

Ticking Along

One of the key things to keep in mind while building up that farm is the importance of the different currencies available. Everything to do with Hay Day depends on one of three things - experience, coins, and diamonds.

• Experience is gained by things such as selling goods and harvesting crops. Following the order board is the fastest way to level up, but it's not always wise to level too fast (more on that later).

• Coins are used for purchasing buildings, animals, and items from shops. You can earn coins from completing truck orders, selling stuff, and profiteering from visiting customers.

• Diamonds are the premium currency here but they can be gained via a few different ways. You earn diamonds every time you level up, if you sync the game with your Facebook account, and also when completing one of the many achievements on offer. As a final tip, look for purple tickets that appear near your newspaper and watch a clip to gain more diamonds. Also, try not to use them too often as you're better off saving them for more expensive things.

The Importance of Crops

• Every crop you plant will double its yield upon harvest. That's an important fact to remember. Don't use up all the seeds in your silo, no matter how tempting it might be, in order to complete an objective. Instead, plant those seeds but make sure there's enough spare for later on. Otherwise you'll have to use diamonds to buy more, which is such a waste.

• Always have a good, steady supply of the basics such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and other simple feed for your animals. It'll keep your livestock happy and keep the symmetry of the Hay Day life stable.

• It's an important lesson that we all need to remember with these kind of games - TIME WHAT YOU PLANT. Yes, it's that important that it needed capital letters. Plant slow growing stuff overnight or when you're away from the game for a while. It'll keep you sane while still feeling like you're progressing without wasting those all-important diamonds.

• Remember: wheat, corn, and carrots take mere minutes to grow, while pumpkins and indigo can take hours. Plan accordingly.

Progressing

• Use the roadside stand to sell spare goods. It's a quick way to make a few bucks. Check the newspaper to see what your friends are selling at the moment and work around that.

• Remember that most crafted goods will sell relatively quickly because other players want them to fill their orders. Go for the maximum price then pull it back by about 10% so that you sell quickly but for a good price.

• The board fills up with order requests but don't be afraid to skip some. It'll take a few minutes for a new order to show up, but it's worth it. Some orders pay a pittance or simply take too long to complete. Focus on what's easiest to achieve for maximum profit.

Money, Money, Money

• There's a pretty easy but dull way to make money fast: plant wheat everywhere. If you constantly harvest and sell off the surplus, you'll gain some valuable rare items along the way. It's dull though, so only do it if you're exceptionally determined.

• With that money, you can buy building materials that can then be used to upgrade your various storage places, as well as buy new land plots. It'll be worth it in the long run.

• Find those materials through newspaper ads but remember to decide quickly as things change fast. Don't like the ads? Quit the game completely (right down to double tapping the home screen and swiping up on the game to clear Hay Day from running in the background) and go back in. The ads will all be new!

Most importantly of all, balance your aims to make money alongside gaining experience. It'll ensure you don't end up too unbalanced but it's also a heck of a lot more fun that way! After all, developing that farm is a marathon, not a sprint.

New to Boom Beach and in need of a helping hand? We've got you covered. While a lot of the fun of such games is figuring out your own strategies for success, it's also useful to have someone give you a few helpful tips and tricks to get you started. We offer up a few pieces of advice for those just starting out and confused as to where to go or what to do next.

The Importance of Being Resourceful

As with most freemium-based city or base building games, the resources you gather are vital to getting anywhere in Boom Beach. Early on, you'll mainly be dealing with wood and gold. Wood is used for building new things as well as upgrading existing structures. Gold is primarily used to recruit new units and reveal more of the map, thereby opening up more opportunities to progress.

As well as that is the premium currency: diamonds. These can be used to fill up the gaps left behind by lack of wood or gold, but they're much more efficiently used to speed up timers on things that have long waiting times. Early on, few things take long to build so save any diamonds acquired (when possible) for later on in the game when things can take days to finish. Completing achievement objectives unlocks more diamonds, so focus on these where possible.

Later on in the game stone and iron will play valuable roles in upgrading buildings, but by then you should have a handle on what's going on.

Unusually, in the early levels gold is quite plentiful while wood is much harder to come by. A useful tip is to remove as many trees as possible. It'll cost 600 gold a turn but you'll gain 300 wood in exchange, thereby making it much simpler to afford those all-important building upgrades.

Continue reading Boom Beach - Tips, Tricks, Cheats, and Strategies on How to be the Biggest and Baddest »

In some cases, Angry Birds Epic is going to be many players' first encounter with a turn-based RPG. While it might not be the deepest of experiences to old-hands at the genre, we felt it was the perfect time to provide you with some helpful hints to start you off, as you work towards wiping out the evil pigs yet again.

Basic Battle Strategies

Regular RPG players will tell you that there are a few core principles that apply no matter what game you're playing. Angry Birds Epic is no different in that respect.

Knowing your enemy is always key in these kind of instances. Angry Birds Epic makes it simple with holding a finger to each pig - enabling you to see what abilities they possess, so you know exactly what to expect.

There's no penalty for exiting to the map at this point so you can easily do that to change birds or hats (special abilities), so that you're at your strongest for each fight. Remember: different classes work better in different situations!

Generally, you should always focus on healer pigs or ones that can resurrect other downed pigs. There's no point inflicting plenty of damage on other enemies if the healer can undo your good work with one spell!

Some pigs are immune to certain statuses, so consider that before you make your move. A pig that can resist poison? Well, don't bother trying to poison it then! It's a simple idea, but one that can easily be forgotten about in the heat of battle.

There's nothing to be gained from weakening multiple pigs at once, so always focus on one pig at a time. Ideally, and assuming there aren't healing pigs to pick on, you should go for the weaker and smaller prey first before taking out the big brutes.

After you've built up a sufficient number of attacks, you can use a rage chilli to perform a special attack that relates to that character's abilities. Use it up whenever possible. They don't carry over between battles so there's no point letting it go to waste! The only exception here is when dealing with wave battles as it's better to save the chilli for the start of a new wave. They replenish frequently so you can often use a couple during a series of battles.

Unlike in other RPGs, using a health potion doesn't take up a turn. It's a small yet significant thing to consider, given it can make all the difference in battle.

Struggling to defeat a particularly tricky foe? Watch the videos that Rovio keep offering. These give you a 20% increase in health and attack power. They're limited in number so try to save them for a special occasion. They can really make all the difference.

Always have a healer in your party. Attacking like crazy is all well and good, but it's pointless if you get wiped out too soon. Healing helps. A lot.

General tips

Equipment is key throughout Angry Birds Epic. It's simple enough to craft from pieces gained during battle, but there are some useful ways to make it all the better.

Replay missions often for more items and loot that can then be used elsewhere. Plus, aim for those magical three-star victories. These are based upon how much health you have at the end of a battle so heal up just before the end for the maximum chance of three stars.

Check the scavenge points every day for new loot to be acquired. It can be pretty profitable.

Similarly, daily dungeons unlock after a certain point and these are invaluable.

Get friends involved as they can enable you to re-roll when crafting equipment. Re-rolling dictates whether you get the fabled 3 star piece of equipment or a weaker 2 star one.

Save up for a Golden Anvil. It's not cheap, needing Lucky Coins to buy one, but keep leveling up and play naturally for a week or two and this should be possible. A Golden Anvil means better gear, which makes all the difference in battle.

Farmville 2: Country Escape is a big deal for many casual gamers, much like its predecessor. As we pointed out in our review, its relaxed nature when it comes to harvesting crops and simply waiting things out means it's strangely beguiling, although patience is certainly essential. To help you along in your path towards a farming fortune, we thought we'd round up some great tips on how to do the very best you can. While they won't make you rich overnight, they should help steer novices in the right direction.