How LittleDragonErin plays Fireworks Remixed
Well here I am again with the latest mini game guide. ;)
First off, forget almost everything you knew about the last version of the Fireworks game. When they say remixed, they really mixed it up! I'm still learning, much like everybody else, but I'm averaging about 6,000 points per game and many are having a difficult time getting to that range. So here's how I do it...
You need a computer that isn't running slow. If the fireworks fly smoothly, then you're okay. If they are choppy, then you will have problems. Your mouse needs to be good response-wise and the click sensitivity should be just right. You can adjust those settings in your computer's Control Panel. Also, I've found that wireless mice seem to not respond as well as wired mice. I think that very tiny delay wireless mice have does actually affect game play of the Fireworks game.
I'm going to break down the game in a few sections and basically go step by step on what you need to master in order of importance...
The last version of Fireworks was pretty straight forward. You pretty much had only one part of the screen to pay attention to. This new version, is much like other video games that have multiple points of focus. I like to call it dual vision. Not everybody has the kind of peripheral vision to be able to pay attention to more than one thing on the screen at a time. However, even if you're one of those people, it just means you have to work a little harder. Much like a racing game (where you need to not only watch where you're going but look at what's coming ahead in the track or see where the other racers are) or a puzzle game (where you need to watch for the next piece coming), you have 2-3 other things to pay attention to on the screen than just the fireworks flying through the sky.
The first thing you NEED to familiarize yourself with is the order of the fireworks at the bottom. If you do not have the order down, you won't be able to move as fast and efficient enough to score high. Memorize the order of the fireworks and know how many spaces it takes to get to each from either direction. When you get to the higher levels, you don't want to be looking at them trying to figure out how best to move between fireworks. And you also want to know the fastest paths from one to another. If getting from one firework to another takes four steps forward or two steps back, you want to take the two steps back, right? You also want to really know how many spaces between fireworks so that you don't have to look at that bottom bar EVER. You should be able to just tap the arrow keys and know you're there.
The second thing you need to learn to look at, but mostly out of the corner of your eye is the upcoming fireworks. The bottom right corner shows the next two fireworks that will be coming out. The bottom is the immediate next and the top is the one that follows. Knowing the order of fireworks is very important because when you start to pay attention to what's coming next, you need to know the fastest paths in switching from one firework to another. Sometimes you have three different fireworks come out at once. But which is the one you want to click? Well, that's where you need to know what comes next. Because you want to click the one that will be closest to the next so that you have the smoothest and most efficient switching of fireworks as possible. This makes you faster and more accurate rather than sitting there scrambling to move between fireworks and catching them as they fly across.
Now before I continue to the next new on-screen feature, I must talk about how you hit the fireworks. Like the last version, getting flawless is your main objective. You need to wait as long as possible before clicking on the firework. When the fireworks come out, follow its path. Don't wait for it to get where it is going then move your mouse there. You will end up too late sometimes. Also do not put your cursor OVER the firework. Instead, leave it to the side or above. That way you can see it. Why? Because before it disappears, there will be a spark or twinkle. And it disappears usually a half second to a second and a half after that depending on the firework. Not counting the final firework you get, the blue star, the red planet disappears the fastest (a half second after the twinkle) and the pink three circle the slowest (almost two full seconds). Learn the timing and you'll be able to get flawless easier.
Sometimes multiple fireworks come out at once. Or sometimes different fireworks overlap each other. Here's where everything changes. DON'T CLICK IF YOU CAN'T GET FLAWLESS. Just let it disappear rather than take the chance. Why? Well that's the third part of the on-screen features. The Flawless Bonus. On the right side is a multiplyer for keeping a streak of "flawless" hits. It goes up to 3.0 but will drop back to 1.0 if you hit something other than flawless. If you miss a firework, it does not affect this multiplyer. Only if you hit something other than flawless. You want to keep this at 3.0 as much as possible, because that is what makes the points add up.
However, if you're in a situation where you have all kinds of fireworks flying around and are completely lost, then just keep hitting them until you get a "flawless". No sense in not getting any points at all if you're lost anyway.
For those that are pretty adept at getting flawless by avoiding those harder to hit fireworks, here's where you can pick up those extra points. Learn to hit fireworks from corners and sides. Sometimes you have a firework come out and another fly past it. Learn the distance of how far you can click and still register it as a hit. Sometimes to get those fireworks you need to click a little to the left or a little to the bottom so that you don't hit the other one that flies over it. Also, learn the vanishing speeds of the fireworks. If a pink and a red firework come out at the same time, hit that red firework first and quickly slide over to the pink and get them both. The red disappears much faster than the pink and you'll have that time to hit both flawless.
Just keep in mind though, quality of quantity is sort of the name of the game now. It's better to miss a firework than to break the streak of "flawless" hits.
The last on-screen feature is the standings. Sort of like in a racing game, you can see where you stand with the 2 closest players (usually the player ahead of you and behind you). This is VERY useful for those still learning. Here's where it's tricky, as you need some good dual vision to do this. If you notice you're dropping in points in one area faster than other players, try to keep your eye on the player(s) above you and see how many points they are getting versus how many points you are getting in that same spot. Chances are you'll see the difference and realize what it is you're doing wrong. Use this feature as a learning tool.
Then there's the combo bonuses. I wouldn't worry about this one until you've gotten all of the previous stuff I've talked about down. Otherwise you'll be thinking of too many things at once and just get lost. Ignore the combos until you can play the game without really thinking about it. Because the combos are what you do need to think about. Again, you need to master what I've talked about first in order to make use of the combo bonuses. You need to be aware of which fireworks are coming out next. Sometimes multiple fireworks come out and you need to decided which is the one you want to hit. After all, they're worth the same points. So now ignore what I said about hitting the one which will give you the easiest transition to the next firework. Now you need to know which one will give you the combo bonus. If the combo is purple, red, green, and a purple firework comes out followed by both a red and pink, you want to hit the red and not the pink. In the earlier levels, this isn't very useful as you hardly need to make that choice. But in the later levels, this is key to bumping your score up that much higher.
Finally, there's the "explode all" feature. I personally do not use this much, but there are moments where it's handy. You really need to know the vanishing speeds of fireworks though. Sometimes you'll have three or four fireworks of the same type come out at once. Sometimes two of them overlap with the third going off in another direction. You can hit the two or use the explode all button for all three. However, be aware of other fireworks coming out just in time to ruin your "flawless" bonus. The patterns are now random, so you can't always tell how fast the next firework(s) will come flying out. But there are set moments that you know there will be a long enough pause after multiple fireworks of the same type come out and you can use the explode all button. Another thing to think about is sometimes you'll have three of these situations in a row. But some will have three fireworks, some four. You want, of course, to save the explode all for the four...more points. The other really useful thing about the explode all button is when you're utterly and completely lost and have about 15 fireworks on the screen. Slam that space bar! You'll at least get all those minimal points rather than get nothing. :P
Build yourself up. Don't try to hit that high score right away if you are not that good yet. Practice the first rounds as much as you can and experiment with timing. Learn each stage as you go.
And last but not least, HAVE FUN! If you're not having fun, it's not worth the stress. Hope this helps!
