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SHOLLY'S TIP SHEETS, CHAPTER VIII: Bomp Bomp 9/25/07 5:21 AM
I held off on doing this next Tip Sheet for a while until I decided how I wanted to handle games with deluxe versions. I wanted to be sure I covered both versions of the game, but in separate Tip Sheets so as not to confuse you. Therefore, this Tip Sheet will soon be followed by a shorter Chapter VIIIA, for Bomp Bomp Party.
Bomp Bomp is an interesting twist on the match-3 genre spawned by Bejeweled. There are Stars, Bombs, and even a Reset button to shake things up. Not only that, but you can swap any two Bomps you like, not just ones that will make a match. Let's talk about these interesting twists:
You start with a 10x10 playfield full of Bomps of several different colors. It starts with six colors, with a seventh added after you've made significant progress in the game. You know the drill--make three or more of the same color in a row or column to remove them. You only have regular Bomps in the beginning, but as you make matches and new Bomps come out, you'll get the other two varieties as well:
Star-Bomps: Look like balls with a pair of gold stars on them. They come in the same colors as regular Bomps, and are capable of doubling the score for a match, or triggering the Special Matches.
Bomb-Bomps: Look like bombs, oddly enough. They start with a timer of 9, and must be removed before it counts down to 0. They're worth more points than regular Bomps, and will trigger the Star-Bomb Special Match.
Be aware of the Bomb-Bomps at all times! A Bomb-Bomp's timer will count down by one every time you make a matching move, and by two if you make a non-matching move. Always plan for their removal before it's too late!
If you're having trouble safely removing a Bomb-Bomp, you also have a Reset button on the left side that will reset the timers of all Bomb-Bomps on the screen to 9. You can use it as many times as necessary, but it must be "charged" before you can use it. The slider starts at 5, and moves one notch for every set number of Bomps (I think 50, but not sure) you remove. When it reaches 0, it lights up and is available for use. Pressing it sends it back to 5.
Keep matching and removing Bomps for as long as you can. This will be either five minutes, or until a Bomb-Bomp counts down to 0. Removing 50 or more Bomps with one move (easiest to do with the Star-Bomb Special Move) will get you an achievement point. You can earn more than one achievement in a game of Bomp Bomp.
I've mentioned the Special Matches, so let's talk about them for a bit, as they're the key to high scores:
The Tri-Star Special Match is the only match that doesn't require all the Bomps to be of the same color. If you get any three (or more) Star-Bomps together in a row or column, they'll be removed and will take out all Bomps touching them. This gives a good score, and is useful for removing several nearby Bomb-Bomps at once.
The Star-Bomb Special Match occurs when a match contains both a Star-Bomp and a Bomb-Bomp. When this happens, all Bomps of that color are removed. This can result in a HUGE scoring move, depending on how many Bomps of that color are on the screen at the time. It's also the easiest way to get achievements.
Whenever you make a Special Match, a little tune will play and the word "BLING!" will appear. Nice touch.
Let's talk about how this game is scored:
Each match of a row or column of three regular Bomps is worth 50 points. A match of four is 100, and a match of five is 150.
A non-matching switch is worth -11 points, but don't let that deter you.
If you make more than one match with one move, an increasing bonus is added for each match beyond the first: 50 for the second match, 100 for the third, 150 for the fourth, and so on up to a maximum of 400 per match for nine or more.
A match containing one or more Star-Bomps is multiplied. The base score for a match is doubled for each Star-Bomp it contains, but this isn't the best use for Star-Bomps, so try not to waste too many of them this way.
Each Bomb-Bomp in a regular match is worth an additional 200 points.
The Special Matches are where you'll get your big points:
The Tri-Star Special Match is worth 1500 for lining up three Star-Bomps, 2000 for four, and an impressive 2500 for a row of five. The most points you can get for this move is by making a row of five in which the middle Star-Bomp completes a crossing row of three (in a sort of T shape), for a whopping 4000 points! (2500 for the row of five + 1500 for the crossing three) You don't usually have that many Star-Bomps available to do this, but it's impressive if you can pull it off.
The Star-Bomb Special Match is worth a flat 1000 points, but the points really start coming in if you have a lot of Bomps of the matched color on the screen, as they're all removed and a whole bunch of new ones come in. This often results in several chain matches all over the board, which can pile up points in a hurry!
Neither of the Special Matches is affected by multipliers or chain bonuses. It's a flat score regardless of where or when you make it.
When the game ends, regardless of how it ended, you receive a bonus of 3 points for each Bomp removed in the game.
Now, let's talk some strategy:
It seldom takes long for Star-Bomps and Bomb-Bomps to start appearing. When the first Star-Bomp(s) appear, try to make matches mostly on the side of the board in which they appear, in order to keep them close to the next Star-Bomps and Bomb-Bomps that appear. It does no good to have a red Star-Bomp on the opposite side of the screen from that red Bomb-Bomp that just appeared.
When a Bomb-Bomp appears, a plan for its removal should always be the first thing on your mind, but there's no rush if it's close to a few Bomps of its own color. If this is the case, you have at least a few moves to bring a Star-Bomp over or to try to get one to appear in order to make the Special Match. If there are no Bomps of its color nearby - which can sometimes happen when you've made a Star-Bomb Special Match and the game cruelly throws you a Bomb-Bomp of the color you just wiped out - then you may want to make a Tri-Star Special Match next to it, if you have enough Star-Bomps in the area. If that's not an option either, you may have to hit the Reset button. More on Reset in a bit.
Just because you lose a handful of points for making a move that doesn't produce a match, don't be afraid to make one. They can be useful to set up a Special Match, as the right Bomps will seldom line up properly on their own. Just be aware that Bomb-Bomp timers count down by two whenever your move doesn't make a match.
Given a choice between a Tri-Star and a Star-Bomb Special Match, you should usually prefer the Star-Bomb match in the regular game (but NOT in Bomp Bomp Party--I'll discuss that in BBP's Tip Sheet). It has a lower base score, but a lot more point potential when it removes a lot of Bomps of its color. However, if you have several Bomb-Bomps of different colors in the vicinity, it may be safer to just take them all out with a Tri-Star match.
Don't abuse the Reset button, and don't press it until you absolutely have to! This means don't press it until the timer on a Bomb-Bomp is down to 1 and you can't remove it on your next move, or down to 2 and you need to make a non-matching move. If you use it before you need to, it might not be available when you really need it. Always try to remove dangerous Bomb-Bomps before considering the Reset button.
I usually end up with a score in the 50-70K range, though my high score is over 80K.
That's about it for now. Stay tuned for the Bomp Bomp Party Tip Sheet, which will soon follow this one. As always, all questions and feedback are welcome and appreciated. Take care and good luck!
Bomp Bomp is an interesting twist on the match-3 genre spawned by Bejeweled. There are Stars, Bombs, and even a Reset button to shake things up. Not only that, but you can swap any two Bomps you like, not just ones that will make a match. Let's talk about these interesting twists:
You start with a 10x10 playfield full of Bomps of several different colors. It starts with six colors, with a seventh added after you've made significant progress in the game. You know the drill--make three or more of the same color in a row or column to remove them. You only have regular Bomps in the beginning, but as you make matches and new Bomps come out, you'll get the other two varieties as well:
Star-Bomps: Look like balls with a pair of gold stars on them. They come in the same colors as regular Bomps, and are capable of doubling the score for a match, or triggering the Special Matches.
Bomb-Bomps: Look like bombs, oddly enough. They start with a timer of 9, and must be removed before it counts down to 0. They're worth more points than regular Bomps, and will trigger the Star-Bomb Special Match.
Be aware of the Bomb-Bomps at all times! A Bomb-Bomp's timer will count down by one every time you make a matching move, and by two if you make a non-matching move. Always plan for their removal before it's too late!
If you're having trouble safely removing a Bomb-Bomp, you also have a Reset button on the left side that will reset the timers of all Bomb-Bomps on the screen to 9. You can use it as many times as necessary, but it must be "charged" before you can use it. The slider starts at 5, and moves one notch for every set number of Bomps (I think 50, but not sure) you remove. When it reaches 0, it lights up and is available for use. Pressing it sends it back to 5.
Keep matching and removing Bomps for as long as you can. This will be either five minutes, or until a Bomb-Bomp counts down to 0. Removing 50 or more Bomps with one move (easiest to do with the Star-Bomb Special Move) will get you an achievement point. You can earn more than one achievement in a game of Bomp Bomp.
I've mentioned the Special Matches, so let's talk about them for a bit, as they're the key to high scores:
The Tri-Star Special Match is the only match that doesn't require all the Bomps to be of the same color. If you get any three (or more) Star-Bomps together in a row or column, they'll be removed and will take out all Bomps touching them. This gives a good score, and is useful for removing several nearby Bomb-Bomps at once.
The Star-Bomb Special Match occurs when a match contains both a Star-Bomp and a Bomb-Bomp. When this happens, all Bomps of that color are removed. This can result in a HUGE scoring move, depending on how many Bomps of that color are on the screen at the time. It's also the easiest way to get achievements.
Whenever you make a Special Match, a little tune will play and the word "BLING!" will appear. Nice touch.
Let's talk about how this game is scored:
Each match of a row or column of three regular Bomps is worth 50 points. A match of four is 100, and a match of five is 150.
A non-matching switch is worth -11 points, but don't let that deter you.
If you make more than one match with one move, an increasing bonus is added for each match beyond the first: 50 for the second match, 100 for the third, 150 for the fourth, and so on up to a maximum of 400 per match for nine or more.
A match containing one or more Star-Bomps is multiplied. The base score for a match is doubled for each Star-Bomp it contains, but this isn't the best use for Star-Bomps, so try not to waste too many of them this way.
Each Bomb-Bomp in a regular match is worth an additional 200 points.
The Special Matches are where you'll get your big points:
The Tri-Star Special Match is worth 1500 for lining up three Star-Bomps, 2000 for four, and an impressive 2500 for a row of five. The most points you can get for this move is by making a row of five in which the middle Star-Bomp completes a crossing row of three (in a sort of T shape), for a whopping 4000 points! (2500 for the row of five + 1500 for the crossing three) You don't usually have that many Star-Bomps available to do this, but it's impressive if you can pull it off.
The Star-Bomb Special Match is worth a flat 1000 points, but the points really start coming in if you have a lot of Bomps of the matched color on the screen, as they're all removed and a whole bunch of new ones come in. This often results in several chain matches all over the board, which can pile up points in a hurry!
Neither of the Special Matches is affected by multipliers or chain bonuses. It's a flat score regardless of where or when you make it.
When the game ends, regardless of how it ended, you receive a bonus of 3 points for each Bomp removed in the game.
Now, let's talk some strategy:
It seldom takes long for Star-Bomps and Bomb-Bomps to start appearing. When the first Star-Bomp(s) appear, try to make matches mostly on the side of the board in which they appear, in order to keep them close to the next Star-Bomps and Bomb-Bomps that appear. It does no good to have a red Star-Bomp on the opposite side of the screen from that red Bomb-Bomp that just appeared.
When a Bomb-Bomp appears, a plan for its removal should always be the first thing on your mind, but there's no rush if it's close to a few Bomps of its own color. If this is the case, you have at least a few moves to bring a Star-Bomp over or to try to get one to appear in order to make the Special Match. If there are no Bomps of its color nearby - which can sometimes happen when you've made a Star-Bomb Special Match and the game cruelly throws you a Bomb-Bomp of the color you just wiped out - then you may want to make a Tri-Star Special Match next to it, if you have enough Star-Bomps in the area. If that's not an option either, you may have to hit the Reset button. More on Reset in a bit.
Just because you lose a handful of points for making a move that doesn't produce a match, don't be afraid to make one. They can be useful to set up a Special Match, as the right Bomps will seldom line up properly on their own. Just be aware that Bomb-Bomp timers count down by two whenever your move doesn't make a match.
Given a choice between a Tri-Star and a Star-Bomb Special Match, you should usually prefer the Star-Bomb match in the regular game (but NOT in Bomp Bomp Party--I'll discuss that in BBP's Tip Sheet). It has a lower base score, but a lot more point potential when it removes a lot of Bomps of its color. However, if you have several Bomb-Bomps of different colors in the vicinity, it may be safer to just take them all out with a Tri-Star match.
Don't abuse the Reset button, and don't press it until you absolutely have to! This means don't press it until the timer on a Bomb-Bomp is down to 1 and you can't remove it on your next move, or down to 2 and you need to make a non-matching move. If you use it before you need to, it might not be available when you really need it. Always try to remove dangerous Bomb-Bomps before considering the Reset button.
I usually end up with a score in the 50-70K range, though my high score is over 80K.
That's about it for now. Stay tuned for the Bomp Bomp Party Tip Sheet, which will soon follow this one. As always, all questions and feedback are welcome and appreciated. Take care and good luck!
What do you mean by "achievement point"?
Achievement points are the points you earn to get awards. In Bomp Bomp, the number of times you remove 50 or more Bomps with one switch is counted on your Awards page, and when you reach the number on the right, you get the next award.