 Magma Blaster Guide
by usukii
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Tyrannia has never been the number one tourist destination in Neopia and it's not hard to imagine why. Between The Lair of the Beast, the Wheel of Mediocrity and that fascinating furniture that appears to be made out of dung, there really isn't much out there to persuade tourists to give up their summer vacation in Faerieland and try Tyrannia instead. And if that wasn't enough for the citizens of Tyrannia to deal with, they now have to avoid being hit by pieces of rock from one of their local volcanoes. I suppose if you were feeling particularly charitable you could go over there and give them a hand, but first it's probably a good idea to make sure you know what you're doing, I don't think they'd appreciate any unqualified Magma Blasters who end up causing more damage than they prevent. Fortunately I've put this guide together for that very reason!The Basics
The point of the game is to blast the flying pieces of rock before they hit the ground, where you will find 5 very confused Tyrannian citizens running back and forth due to some badly placed direction signs. These Tyrannians represent your lives in the game and so you want to keep them safe by blasting the rock. If you miss one it will fall and crash on the ground, however you will only lose a life if it falls too close to one of them. If it misses them by enough you won't lose a life, but you may notice them become rather scared and there's sometimes even tears, so it's probably best to avoid that if possible. Now on to the blasting! As any skilled Magma Blaster will tell you, you can't just be shooting at rock with any old setting to your laser, you need to make sure it is set to blast the correct piece of rock, and you do this using your number keys. Then, when you have the correct setting, aim for the magma with your mouse and you can either blast the magma by left clicking, or by pressing the space bar. As we're already using the mouse to aim, I find that clicking is easier than the space bar for me, but try both and see which works best for you. Laser Signature
Now we know we need to match our laser's energy signature to the type of rock before we blast it, but how exactly do we go about doing that? In total there are 6 different types of rock and I'm guessing you probably don't have 6 fingers on one hand (given that the other is occupied with the mouse). Now there are a variety of ways you can do this, but my personal preference is to put my little finger on number 2 and then the next three fingers on 3, 4 and 5. Then, in the case of rock type 1 or 6 appearing I just have to move the finger closest over one key. In the earlier levels you won't need to blast all 6 types of rock so you could position your fingers starting at 1, but I find it's better to get used to using the same fingers all the way through, instead of changing it for the later levels. Levels
There are 5 levels to this game, and depending on your score, up to 5 bonus levels, one at the end of each normal level. There is a specific number of rocks you have to shoot in order to move on to the next level, and a specific number of points to get to earn the bonus level, here's a handy list to remind you: Level 1 Rocks for next level: 10 Points for bonus level: 40 Level 2 Rocks for next level: 15 Points for bonus level: 60 Level 3 Rocks for next level: 20 Points for bonus level: 80 Level 4 Rocks for next level: 25 Points for bonus level: 100 Level 5 Rocks for next level: 30 Points for bonus level: 120 To earn the bonus levels you need to make sure you are hitting the rocks exactly on target, so you will earn 4 points per rock, if you only catch the edge of a rock you will only get 2 points for blasting it. And obviously if you miss it entirely there will be no points for you. So accuracy is definitely key for earning those bonus levels! Another thing you may need to be aware of is having two rocks of the same type close together, when this happens you may be on target for one of them, but slightly off target for the other and when you shoot you may end up not shooting the one you were aimed at, meaning you only get 2 points. To avoid this it's best only to shoot one when it isn't right next to a rock of the same type, unless waiting for them to separate means risking them hitting the floor before you have a chance to get them. 2 points is still better than 0 points. During the bonus level it doesn't matter how many you miss, you won't lose any lives, but you still want to be hitting as many of them as possible. Each bonus level is only 15 seconds long and you want to make the most of that time. The volcano seems to delight in even wasting your valuable seconds by waiting a while before throwing out a rock, or by throwing out too many at once. If lots come out at once it is tempting to panic and click around madly, but if you can try and stay focussed so you can get the full points for as many of them as possible. If there are lots out it helps to try and get rid of all of the same rock type before switching your laser to the next rock type, instead of constantly switching back and forth and wasting time. Conclusion
Well there you have it, your guide to defending the innocent citizens of Tyrannia, succeed and they'll be forever in your debt, fail and you'll have to find somewhere else to stock up on your overpriced dung furniture. Good luck!
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