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NOT ONLINE Sholly73

Sholly73 has been a member since 11/9/05 and was last logged in on 10/2/18

SHOLLY'S TIP SHEETS, CHAPTER IX: Goldfish Bowl 11/10/07 3:42 PM

I think this is a good time to do this particular Tip Sheet, as I just made King and there's currently a Diploma Hunt open for this game. In fact, I made King around the same time that I snagged the last Diploma piece, while blowing through a 6-round Cup (awaiting a semifinal opponent as I type).

The idea of this game is quite simple: Go Fish! No, not the card game. Use your rod and reel to pull objects out of the bowl. Be sure to focus on the higher-scoring "good" items, and to score enough in each round to qualify for the next.

Goldfish Bowl is a very simple game (if your aim is good) with very simple controls. You have one minute per round to snag all you can and score as many points as possible. Your hook will swing back and forth, and all you have to do is click your mouse anywhere in the bowl to drop your line. Your line will drop until your hook hits an object or the edge of the screen. If you snag an object, you'll automatically reel it in, and you won't be able to do anything else until you land it, unless you have a spare line. You can't reel in the Sturgeon or the Blowfish, which I'll discuss in a bit.

The game lasts for four rounds, unless you fail to reach a qualifying score. The qualifying scores are fixed, so if you manage to score 10,000 points in the first round, you won't have to worry about qualifying for the rest of the game. Also, making it to level 4 will get you an achievement point.

Let's talk about what you're fishing for:

There are three kinds of items in the bowl: "Good," "Bad," and "Special." However, not every round has special items. In addition, you might find one or more Blowfish sitting in the bowl, and the Sturgeon might make a special guest appearance.

The "Good" items score best and are reeled in very quickly (except the Clown Fish with Ring, which comes in at average speed). These are the items you want to grab, and to try to get several of one kind in a row if possible.

The "Bad" items carry a very low score and take longer to reel in (average speed, except for the Big Tire which is very slow). You usually don't want to bother with these items unless they're in your way.

The "Special" items are found in treasure chests, and there are three varieties of them: The Big Hook, which doubles the size of your hook, thus making it easier to catch items; the Wine, which increases your strength, thus causing you to reel in considerably faster; and the Spare Line, which allows you to cut your line if you've snagged an undesirable item. Press the Up arrow to cut your line. Note that, unlike the other two Special items which are good for an entire round, you can only cut your line once for each Spare Line you have. However, Spare Lines can be carried through the entire game.

The Sturgeon appears on certain levels, and you should hit him whenever he does. On Sturgeon levels, he will always make his appearance at the :49 mark of the round, and will make five passes across the screen, about ¾ of the way down. The Sturgeon can't be caught, but every time you hit him with your hook, he will drop a can of Caviar, which is the highest scoring item in the game. Two Sturgeons will appear (at the same time) on certain rare levels.

The Blowfish also appears on certain levels, doesn't move, and can't be caught. If you hit the Blowfish with your hook, he will explode, taking out any objects in the immediate vicinity. This can be good or bad, depending on what's in the area. Any fish (including the Sturgeon) that is caught in the blast radius will die, and its bones will remain in the bowl. The bones (except for Sturgeon bones) can also be reeled in, but give no points.

Let's talk about which items are Good and Bad, and how they score:

Good items (all reel in quickly, except for the Clown Fish with Ring, which is average speed):

Bag of Chips (crisps): 100
Can of Beans: 200
Hot Dog: 250
Soda Can: 300
Suntan Lotion, which I swear looks like mustard: 400
Wine Glass: 500
Clown Fish with Ring: 500
Caviar: 1000

Bad items (all reel in at average speed, except for the Big Tire, which is slow):

Blue Fish: 50
Clown Fish (without ring): 25
Briefs: 25
Small Tire: 10
Big Tire: 10

There is no score for Special items. Note that you must bring an item all the way in to score for it, so if time runs out before the score box for that item appears, you don't score for it.

If you catch the same item - Good or Bad - more than once in a row, the score for the item will be multiplied by the number of consecutive catches of that item. For instance, if you catch three Wine Glasses in a row, the first will be worth 500, the second 1000, and the third 1500. There is no limit to how high the multiplier goes, except the end of the round--I've gotten it up to 9 already.

If you make it past the first level, all catches will be multiplied as well: x1.2 on Level 2, x1.4 on Level 3, and x1.6 on Level 4.

You will also receive a small time bonus if you make a catch within ten seconds of the previous one, which is the number of seconds less than 10.

In the first three levels, your total score must reach or beat the qualifying score to advance to the next level. You need 1500 points to go on to Level 2, 5000 for Level 3, and 10,000 for Level 4. As stated earlier, this is total for the game, not for each round, so if you were to get 10,000 points in Level 1, you'd automatically qualify for all four levels.

Let's talk about how to reel in the big points:

As the Diploma Hunts for this game have highlighted, there are two keys to big points: Catching several of the same item in a row, and getting Caviar whenever you can. Scan the board quickly at the start of each round to see where there may be an opportunity to string together several of the same item, and/or if it's a Sturgeon board (more on that in a bit). If you identify such an opportunity, you may want to clear away items in the way, in order to avoid breaking up your multiplier. If you know or suspect that it's a Sturgeon board, you should clear a fairly wide path through which you can hit him.

How would you know ahead of time that the Sturgeon will appear on the board? There are a finite number of boards. They're randomly chosen, but not randomly generated. If you recognize the positions of the items, you'll know if it's a Sturgeon board or not. If you haven't seen the board before or don't remember, expect the Sturgeon if there are very few items on the board, or if a horizontal path about ¾ of the way down is relatively clear.

Just as the boards are fixed, so are the contents of the treasure chests on each board. If you remember which item is in a chest, you'll have a better idea whether or not you should take the time to grab it.

Your line always swings at exactly the same speed, back and forth. The game "remembers" where your line is "supposed" to be on this arc, even as you're reeling an item in, which means that when you land an item, the line will "jump" to the place in the arc it would be had you not cast. Keep this in mind when lining up your next cast.

Remember that clicking anywhere in the bowl will cast your line. Use this fact to your advantage: When you've decided what item to catch next, position your pointer between the top of your line and the item. This way, you can use the pointer to help you aim.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll probably come up with more later, at which time I'll update this Tip Sheet. As always, questions and feedback are welcome. Take care and good luck!

Comments

  • reese_katherine

    would you belive that i found out just today that you can blow up the sturgeon? i had absoultely no idea! ive never done that before, of course until today when im playing for money trying to get the last diploma piece now that i finally have the time and money :P

  • kvparham

    Thanks for the great info! I'm more than a little bothered that I am not very good at this game and this will help out a lot! Also, the suntan lotion that you thought was mustard -- I swear I always thought it was a bottle of rum!


    Hmmm...I hadn't thought of that. Apparently we've both been in the sun a bit too long...

  • PeaLsd23

    very thorough and informative! thankyou - P3Ac3