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SHOLLY'S TIP SHEETS, CHAPTER II: Luxor 8/3/07 12:41 AM
My next Tip Sheet has been far and away my most requested one, as Luxor is another one of my strongest games (and the one in which I've won the most money, over $400 to date). It's often imitated, but never duplicated, and is one of King.com's more, if not most, popular games.
If you've played the retail version of Luxor, you know that the King.com version is very similar (and much better than the Worldwinner version, I might add). There are a few major differences:
You get five minutes to score as much as you can.
The levels are chosen randomly, instead of in a specific sequence like the retail version.
* The first level contains balls of three colors, with another color added with each new level.
The key to winning King.com Luxor can be summed up in three words: Speed, speed, speed. Get through the levels as quickly as you can, because the higher the level you're on, the more the gems are worth. Of course, it's also important to catch the gems and coins, and to know when (and when NOT) to catch a power-up.
The first order of business is to make sure that you have your screen set up properly. When the title screen comes up, slide it down so that there is a small space between the words "Mumbo Jumbo" and the bottom of the playing area. Make sure you have it set the way you want before you begin. If you click outside the play area when a board is up, at least before it's finished, a glitch in the game may screw up your next shot. You won't be able to switch your next ball, because if you hit the space bar after clicking outside the play area, it will knock your screen out of position.
In general, you want to make matches and blow through each level as quickly as you can, but if it's practical, you'll want to build some combos and chains to get power-ups. A combo is formed when each successive shot removes balls; you'll receive a power-up for every three consecutive scoring shots (other than by fire or lightning). A chain is formed when one shot removes multiple groups of balls; again, a power-up is released for every three consecutive groups removed with the same shot.
Combos and chains can really boost your score, but unless the balls come out in the right order for you, they're not always worth the time it takes to build them. I'll only build one if it doesn't take too many balls to set it up. However, if the balls line up properly, you can make a huge combo that will dramatically increase your score. I've made combos of 20 or longer several times, including a 23-banger in the recent Royal Cup.
A great way to get a quick point boost is to make a small chain in which a large group of one color ball is separated by two balls of another color, like this:
G G G G G G G G B B G G G G G
If you fire a blue ball into the other two, you'll create a chain that will yield 2600 points for destroying the green balls (13 balls X 100 X chain of 2), instead of the 1300 you'd get for removing them separately.
If you clear the only segment on the screen, it will often change the colors of your balls when the new segment comes out. Keep this in mind so that you don't shoot the wrong color ball.
Some more about the power-ups...
There are three types of power-ups: Movement, Instant (Color Bombs and Speed Shots), and Shooter power-ups.
The Movement power-ups are Slow, Stop, and Reverse. It's usually a good idea to catch these when you can, but if you catch a Stop or Reverse and then clear the last segment on the screen, the next segment won't appear until the power-up wears off, which costs you several seconds. Also, grabbing a movement power-up when the segment is on a vertical stretch of track isn't always a good idea, as again, you'll have to wait for your shot.
If you use a Stop or Reverse to push an incoming segment back off the screen, it will lurch forward at high speed when it starts moving again. Keep this in mind when the power-up time is about to run out and you're setting up a shot.
Be sure to grab the Color Bombs whenever you get one; but if you're close to clearing a segment, try to quickly finish it before grabbing the Color Bomb. If you get the C.B. before you finish, it won't remove many balls, if any, but if you finish the segment first, it will destroy balls in the next segment, even if they're not on the screen yet. As soon as the sound for an entering segment plays, the entire segment is "in play", even before all the balls have entered the screen. Grabbing a C.B. then can wipe out most of an incoming segment if you're lucky with balls chaining together. Not much to say about Speed Shots, except to be sure to grab them when you see them, and be aware that your shots will travel faster, a fact you should keep in mind if you're trying to time a shot.
Then there are the Shooter power-ups: the Wild, Fire, and Lightning balls. They act just like regular balls until you fire them, and can be switched with the next ball the same way.
The Wild Ball will destroy the color group on either side of where it hits. Just be sure there IS at least one ball on either side of where it will land. The Wild Ball is best used when you have two groups of the same color (preferably large ones) separated by two groups of different colors, like this:
R R R R R B B B Y R R R R
If you shoot a Wild Ball between the blue group and the yellow ball, it will take out the blues and yellow, and the reds will chain together for a nice shot!
Even if the groups on either side aren't the same color, the Wild Ball is useful for "cleaning up":
R R R R R B Y G G G G
Shooting the Wild Ball between the blue and yellow balls won't cause a chain here, but can help to keep a good combo going, as it eliminates the stray balls in between.
The Fire Ball will take out a group of balls within a specific radius. On a horizontal section of track, the Fire Ball will destroy six balls across. Keep in mind, however, that the Fire Ball destroys a circular area, not just one section of track, so if there are balls on a crossing or nearby section of track to where the Fire Ball hits, they'll be destroyed too.
The Fire Ball is best used on a group of stray unmatched balls, or where a segment crosses itself or crosses or gets close to another segment.
The Lightning Ball will destroy all balls directly in its path. The width of its effect is much less than that of the Fire Ball - only two balls wide - but it doesn't stop when it hits a ball, and there is no lag time whatsoever when it is fired.
There are three boards - Inner Sanctum of the Temple, Opening of the Mouth Ceremony, and Pharaoh's War Crown - on which the Lightning Ball is especially valuable. These boards begin with a stretch of vertical track, and if you hit an incoming segment with a Lightning Ball, the entire segment will be destroyed just like that! Stay alert though--when you do this, the gem that is released tends to fall very quickly, so pay attention and make sure to catch it!
As you'd expect, the Lightning Ball is most useful on vertical stretches of track, but you can also use it to take out two stray balls in between two groups as you would a Wild Ball.
As I've said, the idea is to get through levels quickly and efficiently. If you make it to Level 4, you're doing pretty well. Making Level 5 is very good, and will win many lower-ranked games. I make it to Level 5 roughly 80% of the time. If you make it to Level 6, I want to hear about it, as I don't know anyone who has ever made it to Level 6.
A word about quick and efficient: It's actually possible to be TOO efficient, especially on Level 3, and sometimes Level 2. The red bar at the bottom of the screen goes up with each destroyed ball, including the balls you fire. Normally, clearing your third segment on these levels will end the screen, but if you don't use enough fired balls to clear the third segment, the bar won't quite reach the top and you'll have to clear a fourth segment. You can actually use this info to your advantage in progressives: If you know that Level 4 is very hard and you won't be able to clear it, you can clear Level 3 very efficiently in order to get another segment to clear and more points. On the other hand, if you know that Level 4 can be finished with enough time remaining to be useful, you'll want to "misfire" a few times in Level 3 so that you won't have to bother with a fourth segment.
A word about "timing" a shot: This takes some practice and skill, but the idea here is to fire a ball that will hit a pair of balls being pulled back, JUST as they come into contact with each other or the beetle. You want to aim for the point where they'll meet. If you do this correctly, you'll notice that you receive both Combo and Chain bonus, as it's another consecutive scoring shot, but the group is still being destroyed in the same motion. Once you get the hang of it, if you're really good, you can time several shots in a row and pile up a huge bonus! (Note: If the balls are falling back to the beetle and the first two are the same color, you can fire a ball of the same color at the beetle ahead of time and still get Combo bonus, but you won't get Chain bonus that way.)
A word about dual-track boards: As you've seen, some boards have two tracks (Arma Megiddo, Crossing the Reed Sea, Dance of the Crocodiles, Invasion of the Hyksos, Isis Knot, Navigating the Cataracts, The Pillar of Osiris, The Wrath of Set, Weighing of the Heart, and possibly a few others). These boards are extremely hard to clear at levels 3 and up, but your best chance is to not let segments from both sides reach the pyramid area at the same time. The game will tend to give you the color balls you need to clear a segment that gets close to the pyramid, so if you can keep one side pushed back as the other approaches the end, you'll be more likely to have a chance to clear the approaching segment. If both segments reach the end area at the same time, you'll get colors for both sides and won't be able to clear either one.
That's all that comes to mind for now. I'm sure I'll think of more shortly after I post this, but oh well. If I do, I'll take it down and update it. Feel free to leave your comments, questions, and feedback. Take care and good luck!
If you've played the retail version of Luxor, you know that the King.com version is very similar (and much better than the Worldwinner version, I might add). There are a few major differences:
You get five minutes to score as much as you can.
The levels are chosen randomly, instead of in a specific sequence like the retail version.
* The first level contains balls of three colors, with another color added with each new level.
The key to winning King.com Luxor can be summed up in three words: Speed, speed, speed. Get through the levels as quickly as you can, because the higher the level you're on, the more the gems are worth. Of course, it's also important to catch the gems and coins, and to know when (and when NOT) to catch a power-up.
The first order of business is to make sure that you have your screen set up properly. When the title screen comes up, slide it down so that there is a small space between the words "Mumbo Jumbo" and the bottom of the playing area. Make sure you have it set the way you want before you begin. If you click outside the play area when a board is up, at least before it's finished, a glitch in the game may screw up your next shot. You won't be able to switch your next ball, because if you hit the space bar after clicking outside the play area, it will knock your screen out of position.
In general, you want to make matches and blow through each level as quickly as you can, but if it's practical, you'll want to build some combos and chains to get power-ups. A combo is formed when each successive shot removes balls; you'll receive a power-up for every three consecutive scoring shots (other than by fire or lightning). A chain is formed when one shot removes multiple groups of balls; again, a power-up is released for every three consecutive groups removed with the same shot.
Combos and chains can really boost your score, but unless the balls come out in the right order for you, they're not always worth the time it takes to build them. I'll only build one if it doesn't take too many balls to set it up. However, if the balls line up properly, you can make a huge combo that will dramatically increase your score. I've made combos of 20 or longer several times, including a 23-banger in the recent Royal Cup.
A great way to get a quick point boost is to make a small chain in which a large group of one color ball is separated by two balls of another color, like this:
G G G G G G G G B B G G G G G
If you fire a blue ball into the other two, you'll create a chain that will yield 2600 points for destroying the green balls (13 balls X 100 X chain of 2), instead of the 1300 you'd get for removing them separately.
If you clear the only segment on the screen, it will often change the colors of your balls when the new segment comes out. Keep this in mind so that you don't shoot the wrong color ball.
Some more about the power-ups...
There are three types of power-ups: Movement, Instant (Color Bombs and Speed Shots), and Shooter power-ups.
The Movement power-ups are Slow, Stop, and Reverse. It's usually a good idea to catch these when you can, but if you catch a Stop or Reverse and then clear the last segment on the screen, the next segment won't appear until the power-up wears off, which costs you several seconds. Also, grabbing a movement power-up when the segment is on a vertical stretch of track isn't always a good idea, as again, you'll have to wait for your shot.
If you use a Stop or Reverse to push an incoming segment back off the screen, it will lurch forward at high speed when it starts moving again. Keep this in mind when the power-up time is about to run out and you're setting up a shot.
Be sure to grab the Color Bombs whenever you get one; but if you're close to clearing a segment, try to quickly finish it before grabbing the Color Bomb. If you get the C.B. before you finish, it won't remove many balls, if any, but if you finish the segment first, it will destroy balls in the next segment, even if they're not on the screen yet. As soon as the sound for an entering segment plays, the entire segment is "in play", even before all the balls have entered the screen. Grabbing a C.B. then can wipe out most of an incoming segment if you're lucky with balls chaining together. Not much to say about Speed Shots, except to be sure to grab them when you see them, and be aware that your shots will travel faster, a fact you should keep in mind if you're trying to time a shot.
Then there are the Shooter power-ups: the Wild, Fire, and Lightning balls. They act just like regular balls until you fire them, and can be switched with the next ball the same way.
The Wild Ball will destroy the color group on either side of where it hits. Just be sure there IS at least one ball on either side of where it will land. The Wild Ball is best used when you have two groups of the same color (preferably large ones) separated by two groups of different colors, like this:
R R R R R B B B Y R R R R
If you shoot a Wild Ball between the blue group and the yellow ball, it will take out the blues and yellow, and the reds will chain together for a nice shot!
Even if the groups on either side aren't the same color, the Wild Ball is useful for "cleaning up":
R R R R R B Y G G G G
Shooting the Wild Ball between the blue and yellow balls won't cause a chain here, but can help to keep a good combo going, as it eliminates the stray balls in between.
The Fire Ball will take out a group of balls within a specific radius. On a horizontal section of track, the Fire Ball will destroy six balls across. Keep in mind, however, that the Fire Ball destroys a circular area, not just one section of track, so if there are balls on a crossing or nearby section of track to where the Fire Ball hits, they'll be destroyed too.
The Fire Ball is best used on a group of stray unmatched balls, or where a segment crosses itself or crosses or gets close to another segment.
The Lightning Ball will destroy all balls directly in its path. The width of its effect is much less than that of the Fire Ball - only two balls wide - but it doesn't stop when it hits a ball, and there is no lag time whatsoever when it is fired.
There are three boards - Inner Sanctum of the Temple, Opening of the Mouth Ceremony, and Pharaoh's War Crown - on which the Lightning Ball is especially valuable. These boards begin with a stretch of vertical track, and if you hit an incoming segment with a Lightning Ball, the entire segment will be destroyed just like that! Stay alert though--when you do this, the gem that is released tends to fall very quickly, so pay attention and make sure to catch it!
As you'd expect, the Lightning Ball is most useful on vertical stretches of track, but you can also use it to take out two stray balls in between two groups as you would a Wild Ball.
As I've said, the idea is to get through levels quickly and efficiently. If you make it to Level 4, you're doing pretty well. Making Level 5 is very good, and will win many lower-ranked games. I make it to Level 5 roughly 80% of the time. If you make it to Level 6, I want to hear about it, as I don't know anyone who has ever made it to Level 6.
A word about quick and efficient: It's actually possible to be TOO efficient, especially on Level 3, and sometimes Level 2. The red bar at the bottom of the screen goes up with each destroyed ball, including the balls you fire. Normally, clearing your third segment on these levels will end the screen, but if you don't use enough fired balls to clear the third segment, the bar won't quite reach the top and you'll have to clear a fourth segment. You can actually use this info to your advantage in progressives: If you know that Level 4 is very hard and you won't be able to clear it, you can clear Level 3 very efficiently in order to get another segment to clear and more points. On the other hand, if you know that Level 4 can be finished with enough time remaining to be useful, you'll want to "misfire" a few times in Level 3 so that you won't have to bother with a fourth segment.
A word about "timing" a shot: This takes some practice and skill, but the idea here is to fire a ball that will hit a pair of balls being pulled back, JUST as they come into contact with each other or the beetle. You want to aim for the point where they'll meet. If you do this correctly, you'll notice that you receive both Combo and Chain bonus, as it's another consecutive scoring shot, but the group is still being destroyed in the same motion. Once you get the hang of it, if you're really good, you can time several shots in a row and pile up a huge bonus! (Note: If the balls are falling back to the beetle and the first two are the same color, you can fire a ball of the same color at the beetle ahead of time and still get Combo bonus, but you won't get Chain bonus that way.)
A word about dual-track boards: As you've seen, some boards have two tracks (Arma Megiddo, Crossing the Reed Sea, Dance of the Crocodiles, Invasion of the Hyksos, Isis Knot, Navigating the Cataracts, The Pillar of Osiris, The Wrath of Set, Weighing of the Heart, and possibly a few others). These boards are extremely hard to clear at levels 3 and up, but your best chance is to not let segments from both sides reach the pyramid area at the same time. The game will tend to give you the color balls you need to clear a segment that gets close to the pyramid, so if you can keep one side pushed back as the other approaches the end, you'll be more likely to have a chance to clear the approaching segment. If both segments reach the end area at the same time, you'll get colors for both sides and won't be able to clear either one.
That's all that comes to mind for now. I'm sure I'll think of more shortly after I post this, but oh well. If I do, I'll take it down and update it. Feel free to leave your comments, questions, and feedback. Take care and good luck!
I just started playing Luxor & was afraid I'd be old(er) & gray(er) by the time I got any good at it. Hopefully this tip sheet will speed up the process (the getting good, not the aging LOL).
Nice Guide! You might want to add that the screen setup part is only valid for those with a low screen resolution (800 x 600 I guess). Everyone else always sees the entire playing field..
this tip sheet help me improve my score by more than 100K and im not the best game player out there. ive become an expert in the "timing" of shots just as it says above. beware the double tracks-in the lower levels are doable; in 3 and above nearly impossible. thank you sholly for the help :)