Carnival of Terror- Tips From a Champion

DESERTED FAIRGROUND- Looking at a typical Neopian's high score charts, their Carnival of Terror scores usually aren't very high, ranging from a measly 200-500 points. This leads people to believe it's a difficult game with little pay, but this couldn't be further from the truth. If you know how to play it properly, it can be one of the easiest (and most fun!) games in Neopia! I also consider it the easiest flash game trophy to obtain- I stink at most games and only have one other flash game trophy, so if I can get it, so can you ;) In the following guide I will not only cover the story and basics, but I will also give you some advanced tips as well!

Story

This once-popular carnival has been invaded by (surprise, surprise!) Dr. Frank Sloth and his Robot Clown Chia minions, who are attempting to take over Neopia. It's all up to you, dear reader, to stop them!

(But worry not, fellow Sloth minions! He'll never run out of clowns, so shoot as many as you want! MUHUHAHAHAHAHA! *ahem*)

Basics

Your goal is to get as many points as possible before you die. The points structure, quoted from the game itself, is below:

Clown Head:

Worth 2 points!

Clown Arm:

Worth 0 points! *

If robot is missing one when crawling it tends to over load, so be careful.

Clown Legs:

Worth 1 point!

Very explosive when robot is falling!

Umbrella:

Worth 3 points!

If you're quick you can send the evil Chia plummeting to its death!

Clown Skeleton:

Worth 1 point!

One shot here and the Chia is a cadaver!

*Although it says the arm is worth 4 points in the game, it is actually worth none.

Death x____x

There are three possible causes of death in Carnival of Terror- running out of bullets, running out of lives, or running out of time.

Running out of bullets:

-You are given 100 bullets. If you use them all up, you will die!

-You don't have to necessarily keep count, but remember to keep an eye on the bullet meter.

-A flashing bullet meter indicates that you have 10 bullets remaining.

-To prevent this way of death, always grab the ammo powerup whenever you see one, even if you don't think you need it. Also, keep an eye on your bullet meter- if you are at (or almost at) the point where the meter is flashing, don't shoot any clowns - only shoot powerups, and possibly pies. (If it is a real emergency, about 5 or less bullets, then ONLY shoot an ammo powerup!)

-Keep in mind that if you've used 99 bullets and you shoot an ammo powerup, you will die anyway, because your 100th shot is instant death no matter what.

Running out of lives:

-You are given 10 lives, which appear as green plus signs. If you run out, you will a-splode :o

-The only two possible ways to lose a life are: getting hit by a pie, or having a one-armed Chia explode.

-Note that the lives are bugged, but to your benefit ;) Sometimes when you run out of lives, you won't get a game over until much later. I've gotten as many as 5 extra lives even when it says I have none left!

-Still, this isn't a reason to ignore your life meter- if you have 3 or less lives, carry on the game normally but just be cautious. If you have 0 left, you could very well actually have 5, but be extra-cautious because there's no official way of knowing!

-The white boxes with green plus-signs on them will give you one extra life.

Running out of time:

-You have 90 seconds on the clock. Run out of time, and it's GAME OVER!

-A flashing clock indicates that you have 15 seconds left.

-A clock powerup will give you 45 seconds.

-Typing in 'custard' will restart the timer. For emergencies only! (Note that it will only work once per window, so if you want to use it again, X out and open the game again or it won't work).

Advanced Tips

Now that we've covered the basics, we can move onto the more advanced stuff ;)

1. Be Prepared

Always play on fullscreen mode. This makes the targets bigger and easier to shoot, and it prevents X-ing out accidents and clicking on other windows by accident as well. Also, close all messenger programs and anything else that could cause an unwanted pop-up window. Make sure you have a lot of time on your hands, and a cordless phone nearby, as there isn't a pause button at the moment. -nudges TNT- ;) It'd be a shame if you were about to get a high score and then got interrupted by something silly like this, so just make sure you're prepared ;)

2. Quality, not Quantity

It's a common misconception that killing the most clowns gets you the most points. It's quite possible for someone who's killed 1,000 robots to have far less points than someone who's only killed 500. Why? Well, the person who shot 1,000 robots probably had the mindset of 'kill as many as possible', while the person who killed 500 knows better ;) You see, points are measured by the clown's individual parts, not its death. For instance, if you shot the head, legs, and skeleton of the robot, you'd get 4 points per kill, whereas someone who just shoots them all like a madman/madwoman is probably only getting 1 or 2 points per kill. Doesn't seem like a big difference, but trust me, it adds up. A conservative shooter may not necessarily kill as many, but since they get more points, it really doesn't matter. Plus, they save ammo! ^^

3. Avoid the Arms!

As I said before, the arms are worth nothing, so it's a waste of ammo to shoot them on purpose. Also, if the robot doesn't have pants and you shoot the arm, it can explode and cost you a life unless you act fast. If a Chia is about to explode, shoot it QUICKLY and if you're lucky it will die before it explodes. This is especially annoying for the tiny Chias that are far away, so when shooting be careful not to shoot the arms!

4. Time!

The clocks are your most important powerups. Why? It's the only death factor in the game that you can't control. You can control how many bullets you use or how many lives you have, but of course, you cannot control time (unless you have a time machine of some sort...in which case, please Neomail me immediately). So, in order to get the most possible time for each game- ALWAYS shoot a powerup as soon as you see it, even if you don't really need it. Why? Well, the sooner you shoot a powerup, the sooner the next one will come, giving you more chances for a clock powerup. Of course, if there is a pie coming towards you or an exploding clown, shoot that first, but get the powerup right after.

If you have 10 seconds left, keep an extra sharp eye out for time, and when you have 5 seconds left type in 'custard' to restart the timer. Don't type it -too- early, though, because there's a chance you could get a clock powerup right after typing the code :P Also, remember that the custard code is not only once per game, it's also once per WINDOW so if you need to use it again, x out first.

5. Pie-in-the-sky

Always keep an eye out for pie. Not only will shooting a pie save you from losing a life, but they're worth the most points, too! A lot of times, when you are shooting a robot in one corner, a pie will be in the other- so you have to keep an eye out. Remember, you will not get penalized for not shooting/killing a robot, so it's a good idea to shoot the pie first and then come back to the robot. Don't feel like you have to kill it before you shoot the pie- that is a common but incorrect mindset people create in this game! I understand it may be difficult to destroy a perfectly tasty desert, but try to hold in your tears until the end of the game so you don't lose your concentration. :(

6. Boom-Boom-BAM!

It's a good idea to create a pattern while shooting. For large clowns that are nearby, I shoot head-pants-head, and it almost creates a rhythm (boom-boom-BAM!) that makes the game a whole lot easier. (Of course, I don't do this for every clown- for clowns that are fast and far away, I just shoot their head, and for clowns on umbrellas, I shoot the umbrella, an easy 3 points!) Creating a rhythm in the game can keep you more focused and makes the game more fun. Sometimes I even think of a song in my head while playing that goes along with the rhythm ;P

7. So you want a trophy?

Practice, practice, practice! Don't be discouraged if you don't get a high score on your first try. Why, there was a time when I couldn't score over 500, but with a stroke of luck, I can now easily score over 3,000 points! But as long as you keep practicing and follow these tips, I guarantee you'll see improvement ;) Remember, though, if you're going for a trophy, try at the beginning of the month, when the scores are lower. Also, while this is mostly a skill game, it -does- require a bit of luck (getting the clock powerups when you need them), so even if you're an expert at Carnival of Terror, it could take you a while to get a 'lucky game'. It takes a lot of patience, but once you have that shiny trophy in your userlookup it will all be worth it ;D

The End!

I hope this game guide has helped you out =) If you have any questions, comments, or feedback of any kind, feel free to Neomail me. Thanks!