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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 XIV: Polar Bear Bounce 6/30/08 5:10 PM

Wanna see the first Tip Sheet I ever wrote for a King.com game? This one is so old that the site's name was still Midasplayer (though it was officially changed two days later).

I wrote out these tips - I wasn't calling them Tip Sheets back then - on December 13, 2005. I wasn't publishing tips at the time, as I had no blog--I was just helping a friend out in Polar Bear Bounce. This is shortly after I won the first-ever progressive in PBB, which netted me just over $163 and vaulted me directly to King status. It should be noted that my winning score was a little over 27K, which won't even get you noticed these days. Players have gotten a LOT better at this game in the last 2½ years, so take this info for what it's worth.

OK, enough with the back story. Here's what I wrote, unedited except for spacing:

First, a little basic info on the game:

As you know, it's divided into three levels. You get 60 seconds on each level to rescue the required number of bears - 5 on level 1, 12 on level 2, and 15 on level 3. It's vitally important to reach these goals, as your game ends on levels 1 and 2 if you fail to make it, and if you make it on level 3, you get a 2000 point bonus, which is huge.

Small bears are worth a base of 200 points, large bears a base of 300, and Santas 1000. The value of bears increases for each successive bear of the same color you put into the proper door, with an additional 50 points added for each one. Let me explain that: Assuming we're talking about all small bears for the moment, you get 200 points for EVERY blue bear you put in a different color door, 200 for the FIRST blue bear you put in the blue door, 250 for the second "blue in blue", 300 for the third, etc. (If the third blue bear were a large one, you would get 400 instead - 300 base + 100 for the third correct placement of a blue.) These bonuses accumulate separately for each color - you might put three blues in correctly, but if the next one is your first small red one, it's still worth only 200. This can be very important toward the end of a round. All scores are multiplied by 1.1 on level 2, and 1.2 on level 3.

On level 1, the bears come one at a time, unless you grab an Extra Bear powerup. I strongly recommend grabbing the Extra Bear on level 1 if you can safely do so, and ALWAYS grabbing the Santa powerup if you can safely get it. I don't make too big a deal over the Ice Sheet powerup, as I don't lose too many bears.

Anyway, on level 1, with only one bear to deal with, it's very important to get it into the correct color door. You need the points while you can still get them easily. On levels 2 and 3, as it becomes more difficult and time-consuming to move a bear across the board to the correct door, you will more often have to settle for just getting it into any door. However, if you've put several bears of one color into the correct door, it's often worth the extra effort to put the next bear of that color into the proper door. However, don't lose sight of the primary goal, which is to make sure to reach the goal number before time runs out! You get credit (and the points) for a saved bear as soon as it hits a ledge, but a replacement bear won't come out until the current bear disappears into the door.

As for the best way to save the bears? I recommend using small lines rather than big ones whenever possible, as this gives you greater control of the bear's movement. Less bounce is usually better, unless you have to move the bear a long distance. The key to saving bears quickly, which is very important, is to minimize the upward movement by drawing your lines at a 45 degree or sharper angle when possible. For the lower doors, you often want to draw a line that's almost vertical to try to direct the bear straight at the door. Remember, move the bear left or right with your bounces, not so much upward except when necessary. You can also bounce the bears off the side walls to reach the ledge, but if you bounce it too hard, you can save valuable time by drawing a vertical line along the edge of the ledge to bounce the bear back toward the wall.

Also, if you happen to draw a line you end up not using and it's in the way, you can get rid of it by drawing two quick short lines near the bottom of the screen.

Be sure to save every Santa you can, as the 1000 points (1100 on level 2, 1200 on level 3) often make the difference between winning
and losing. Oh, and one more thing - the game's instructions recommend giving up on a bear near the bottom of the screen, but I don't. Every bear you lose deducts one from your saved total, and you'll kick yourself (as I often have) if that one you let go leaves you one short of the goal.

I hope this helps you some. If there's anything else I can help with, or if any of this doesn't make sense, just let me know. Oh, and one more thing - when you have two or more bears coming at once, try to "stagger" the saves - in other words, try not to send them into doors at the same time, as if you do, the new ones will then come out at the same time and surely get in each other's way.

Hope you enjoyed this blast from the past as much as I did. As always, feel free to leave questions or other feedback. Take care and good luck!

Comments

  • gmejnkie

    Wow! That is a true gem. Too bad I gave up on the game, but may have to dive back into it again:-) Keep the tips coming!


    Oh, I intend to ;) By the way, for the rest of you reading this, gmejnkie is the friend I was talking about. We go way back ;)