Filler

I've been playing Filler for the past few days and despite it's simplicity, I'm still having fun. The objective is simple enough, fill in 2/3 of the box with your balls and you get to move on. Get hit by the balls flying around and you lose a life. Lose too many lives and it's game over.

To play, hold down the left mouse button. A 'filler ball' will begin to expand at that point until you let go of the button. Don't get hit by the 'flying balls' (ever play jezzball or qiz?). You can move your filler ball around by moving the mouse around while it is expanding.

If your filler ball hits another filler, it will stop growing. Walls do not stop the growth, while the flying balls kill it off. (I think the flying balls hit the filler balls too soon. It can be very frustrating, so err on the side of caution.) Once the filler ball is finished (you let it go), it will drop down to the bottom of the screen. The filler balls are not static and will bounce around, or be pushed off to the side. It's very hard to build up a 'wall' that you can work behind. It can be done, but it's not easy and it really isn't worth trying since the wall will just fall down a few moments later anyways.

Another tactic may be to just build hundreds of small filler balls until you get to the 66.6% mark, but you only have a limited number of filler balls to make. Once you run out, the game is not over, but you lose a life for every ball you create from that point on, so it's not a great strategy.

Instead, try to make your filler balls as big as you can when you can. Smaller filler balls can be used later on in each level to fill up those spaces, or just to make room. A great strategy is to work in the upper corners. Create a ball, let it drop away and then start making a new one. The first one you built will act as a shield allowing you to build the second one. As long as you wait a moment for the first one to start dropping away, you should be fine.

Play Filler at Kongregate.

Flash Element TD 2

Normally, when I'm disappointed or bored after a few minutes, I don't post about a game I've been playing. But given that this is a tower defense game and I normally like these games, I'm willing to talk about Flash Element TD 2, even if it is disappointing.

Like most tower defense games, your job is to place towers along the pathway to fire down on the creeps as they pass by. Your objective is to protect the goal, whether it's a castle or a city or whatever. This time, you're protecting your elements, the objects you need to build the towers in the first place.

There are five elements (green, purple, yellow, red and blue) that you use to build your towers (arrow, splash, sniper, fire and ice, respectively). If you've played other tower defense games, you understand what each tower does. There are two levels of towers for each element. The second level is a whole lot better, but they are also a lot more expensive.

Once placed on the field, each tower can be upgraded to level 5 allowing it do more damage (or slow the creeps down more). Each tower also has the ability to build up experience (up to level 4), giving it a slight edge.

There are 50 levels on the easy map. The best part of this game is the quips the creeps give just before they come forward and just after they die (I like the 'meep meep' from the yellows). After each level, you get interest payments, so you should try not to spend all of your money.

You can also sell your towers at 100% buy back, but only in between levels. If you sell them during the fight, you can only sell them at 80%. Which means you can totally redesign your tower placement in between levels at almost no penalty (you lose the experience your towers build up).

But despite some changes in the game play (experience, being able to sell the guns at 100% buy back in between levels), I felt bored. The levels weren't that challenging. It seems the creators want you to play again and again in an effort to build your score up. After playing Flash Element TD, I expected more from the sequel than what we've been given.

Play Flash Element TD 2 at casualcollective.

Warbears: An A.R. X-Mas Walkthrough

Warbears, an A.R. X-Mas Adventure lets you take charge of the Warbears once more, but this time it's serious. Kla is on a shopping adventure and Steve is on a mission to pull the ultimate prank.

Like the other warbear adventures, this is a point and click adventure with a little bit of wit and weirdness thrown in to keep things interesting. Click on anything and everything to work your way through the adventure. Don't forget to open up your inventory (top left) and combine the various items and try them out on other objects to move along. If you get stuck, there's a walkthrough below:

Play Warbears: An A.R. X-Mas at warbears.com



Walkthrough (Spoilers below!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Pick up the gift. Click on the fur scan on the far right. Go talk to Bob. Click on the fur scan again.

Go up and grab the batteries and the neon wires. You can't find the wires, though. Open up your inventory and click on the present. Click on the goggles and then on Kla to put them on. Click on the goggles (up in the inventory) to turn them on.

Click on E-dude, then on find item. Grab the wires.

Cut Scene

You are now Steve. Open Kla's wallet. Grab the taser and the BTE map. Give both to Bob (one at a time) to buy them. Go outside. Go to the far right to go off screen. Click on the bank (green highlight on the map).

Walk into the bank.

Play as Kla. Click on the far left to get the red thread (behind the cliff). Click on the blue thread (looks like a box to me?). Click on the virtual tree across the way. Talk to e-dude and get him to cut down the tree.

Grab the green thread after it bounces out of the tree. Go up the cliff, then jump down onto the tree. Head on over to the right side.

Play as Steve. Leave the bank screen to the right. Click on the park.

Talk to granps. Try Plan A and Plan B. Click on the locker. Look at the circuit panel. Head back to Bob's shop.

Talk to Bob: click on I want to order and choose the nuclear device. Open up the toolbox while Bob's gone (Be quick about it). Repeat the process (order another nuclear device) to get Bob out of the way long enough to grab the screwdriver. GO back to the park.

Open the circuit board with the screwdriver. Use the taser on it circuit. Talk to granps and select plan c. Use the taser on the circuit again. Head on over to the bank and talk to granps.

Go back to Bobs and grab the hacking device. Give it to Bob to purchase it with your reward money. Use the hacking device on the door upstairs (panel next to the door). Go in the door.

Play as Kla. Place the threads into the boxes below the tree in the following order (red, green, and blue) as the tree lights up in those colors.

Play as Steve: Pick up the wires, batteries and neon lights. Connect the wires to the neon lights. Connect those to the batteries.

Kla defeates the evil spirit of X-mas. Click on Get out of here.

The end (or is it?)

Vector TDX

Vector TDX is the very worthy follow-up to Vector TD. Like the first version, this one is excellent. But the developer has made this one a lot more difficult. If you can get to level 33, you're doing great. If you get to level 37, consider yourself an expert. Anything beyond that and you're probably cheating. ;-)

For those who haven't played Vector TD, Vector TDX is a tower defense game. Place your towers somewhere in the maze and let them shoot down the vectoids (creeps is what they are called in tower defense lingo) as they come through. Upgrade or place new towers to eliminate them all. If 20 creeps reach the end of the maze, it's game over.

The trick to getting very far is to learn to spend as little as possible on each level to get through it. With interest payments at the start of each round, that 3% can add up.

Hints, tips and tricks

• Every 10 levels you get a bonus, I recommend increasing the interest payments.
• One level 1 green tower (properly upgraded and placed) can get you pretty far, but won't cut it later on.
• Remember to start the creeps out (release vectoids button), then place or upgrade your tower. That way you get the interest payment first.
• The first blue tower is very useful in slowing the vectoids down long enough for the other towers to blow them away.
• The orange regener creeps are easy enough to start with, but will destroy you later on.

Play Vector TDX at candystand.

Ballistic Wars

Ballistic Wars is pool balls meets war game. Play all 15 levels over at JIG's Design Competition site to get the full effect. While I missed it when it came out (apparently there were a lot of design issues and bugs), I'm glad I played it eventually.

Basic gameplay is easy to grasp. Send your soldiers (pool balls) flying into the bombs to damage them. You only have three types of soldiers, basic, tank and specialist. The specialist can fire at targets or run into them.

The only complaints I have are minor. Scrolling is slow and can be tough to manage. And the music is quite repetitive (I eventually turned it off, leaving the sfx on). But other than that, the graphics are fun (note how the soldiers move when the ball is rolling!) and the dialogue is also fun.

I only had to reattempt a couple of levels more than once. The puzzle aspect of this game is fun, but linear.

Play Ballistic Wars at fizzlebot.

Warbears 3 Walkthrough

Warbears, those wacky, smart-aleccy agent bears are back again, only this time it's a real mission. Save the hostages, take out the guards, pop some bubbles, stop the bad err... fish.

If you've played warbears or warbears 2, you know what to do. Follow along and pick out the right moves at the right time by holding your mouse over each bear and trying things out. Or, if you get sick of failing all the time, follow the walkthrough below.


Play Warbears 3 at warbears.


Walkthrough
From Checkpoint 1:
Look at the string using agent Lucas (looks like an eyeball, but not the grenade). Pull the string to 'free the hostages.'
Kla scolds Lucas. Get Kla to launch his robot rocket. Select manual and move the rocket above the device lowering the hostages. Drop it on top, then move it quickly back to the left and then back under it to the right and shoot back up into it. If you do it quickly enough (while the red lights are still flashing), then it will tilt. You have saved the hostages! Oil pours down one of the poles, giving Ryoh, once he's free from the hamster ball, access upwards.

Move the rocket back upwards to the red rocket outline. Click on the dot when the rocket gets highlighted blue to land the rocket. The WBOT will deploy. Use KLA's PDA once again to control the WBOT. Move him around using the left mouse button (click where you want him to go), but keep him within the blue outer line, or he will fall and the mission will fail. In the upper left corner, there is a green square. Move onto it and activate the toolbox. Move to the upper right hand (you have to go back down and to the right then back up) to move the chain around. Lower it once, then raise it once, then lower it to 73.

Move the WBOT back down and to the left (just to the left and down from where you started) to the green squares. Raise the crane until you can move it into position 5, then lower it until the boat lifting strops are hooked. Raise it back up and move it to position 1. Then lower it all the way down (the hooks will be below the boat). Get out of controlling the WBOT.

Lucas should now toss his grenade at full strength but half power. Click and hold on the arrow when it is full, then hold it down until the grenade is half full. Ryoh will be set free by the pirhanas!

Move Ryoh up-left (arrow) and when he reaches the top of the pipe, use his katanas to slice the pipe open. Go up the pipe again and start sliding down. As he slides, click on the arrow to get him to jump onto the platform on the right. Use his katanas at full power to cut the chain, starting a fire to attract the pirhana. Have Lucas throw a grenade at half strength (arrow half full, grenade full), but full power to kill them off.

Get Ryoh back onto his bubble, then have him go left (arrow) to attach the boat hooks. Click on the PDA to get the WBOT to raise up the boat (up on the Crane panel).

A couple of notes: the rocket to free the hostages was a pain. Even knowing how to do it, I had to try several times to get it right. Also, having the WBOT fall off the crane several times, I have to say his maneuvering abilities are awful! Then of course, there's throwing a grenade at the hamster wheel. The interface was not very good at keeping track of when I was releasing the grenade, so I kept killing off Ryoh.

Checkpoint 2:
Click on Lucas. He will shake dust off onto the guards. Move right to test the door. Move Kla left and get him to try his PDA. It has short circuited.

Get Ryoh up by clicking on the arrow (move your mouse around near the bottom right). Fight the guard. Move left, then click on the katana to slash the pipe. Look at the gauge. Move the slider to #2. Drag the wheel to the right to fill it up (gas leak will start). Slide over to #3, then drag the wheel to the left and quickly push the handle down. If you get it right, a fire will start.

Move Ryoh left, then up the stairs. Use his katanas to break the laser. Head back down to the gauge and wheel. Move the slider to 3 and get it up half-way. Notice how the screen on the machine next to the lase goes from off to on as its gauge moves into the green. Move Ryoh left and hit the button. Then move upstairs again. If you want, you can hit the button on the panel to send a box out now or wait until after the circuit has been reset.

Move Lucas downstairs. Move right and open up the toilet dispenser fuse box. Take out the fuse. Move right and put the fuse into the crane fuse box.

Have Kla open up his PDA again. Get Ryoh to move a box out. Important! Don't drop any boxes onto Steve! Get Kla to pick up and move the boxes up. Green to turn the magnet on and off. Blue to go pick up a box. Yellow to reposition it when it is up (i.e. don't drop one on Steve!). Move Steve left and up as needed to keep him moving up on the stacks. Keep sending boxes out using Ryoh. Lift them up using Kla, then get Steve up onto them (Again, don't drop any on Steve!). The fourth box will go out upside down. Move Ryoh downstairs and hit the button to get it out of the way. Then reset the conveyer belt and send out another box. Get Steve up into the boat.

Move Steve right into the boat. Pick up the object on the table to the left. Hit the bottom left corner of the poster on the right. Find the 3 pieces of paper and then get the crowbar. Open up the box.

Once in the boat look to the left and pick up the weird object on the table. Then hit the bottom left corner of the poster on the right so steve remembers about the pieces of paper he put the code for the safe on. Then find the 3 pieces and collect the crowbar. Use the crowbar on the box. Grab his clothes off the table.

Get Lucas to move the fuse from the crane to the elevator. Bring Lucas back up to get the 'shiny thing' and the CDGs.

Move Ryoh back down to the gauge and wheel and move the gas into #1. Move Lucas right and up the stairs. Throw a grenade (1/3 power, 1/3 blast). Get Steve to shoot the laser. The remaining guard will run. Open up the water tank, take a shower, then move right.

If you haven't already, get the elevator to work by switching the fuse out of the right most box and into the left most box using Lucas. Move Steve right into the elevator.

Checkpoint Three (short and sweet)
Once Steve is out of the elevator, shoot the guards in between ducking behind the panel. Do it quickly for a bonus. Move left twice to check out the office. Go right to find the door is locked. Go back into the office to get the key. Go back to the door and head downstairs. Take out the guard.

Fight the big guy by hitting near the bottom left (on the blue band) of his helmet. The blue band at the bottom will eventually be damaged.

The machine has been activated. Move the red block so that they are in order (I, II, III) from left to right on the middle row. Have Steve shoot the middle. Move block I to the top left and the III block to the bottom right and shoot the bottom. Then move block I to the bottom left and block III to the top right and shoot the top. You win! (well... sort of...)

Coffee Shop

Coffee Shop is the latest lemonade stand look alike from armorgames. (That's not to imply that armorgames comes out with look alikes every week, but that I've seen other lemonade stand look alikes before. And if you don't know what I mean by the lemonade stand game, then you must be under the age of 5.). This one is graphically pleasing, with lots of fun animations to find and enjoy.

Like lemonade stand, the challenge is to find the best mixture possible between coffee, sugar, and milk, while still having enough cups each day to serve everyone. After that, it's just a matter of finding the right price to charge depending on the weather.

If you're reputation goes up high enough, maybe even the pope will stop by for a quick drink.

The better your coffee, the more you can sell your coffee for. But for a laugh, on day 14, make the worst cup of coffee you can and sell it for as much as you can. Everyone will still stop by and since you're closing shop tomorrow, it doesn't matter if they all start puking their guts out on the sidewalk.

Play Coffee Shop at armorgames.