Whilst being on the Neoboards, specifically, on the games Neoboard, I noticed a lot of people wanted help with the latest game on Neopets. So I thought, “I’ll do one!”. After 10 straight hours of game play, I’ve mastered my strategy, and ended up with a bronze trophy for the game. ^_^ This article will go through all the aspects of the game, from controls, to strategies, to advice from other Neopets players!
Basic Game Idea
In this game you have to fly around an un-manned ship, collect jewels and glowing orbs of Kreludan Metal, and then return it to the processing drop-off area of the Kreludan Mining Corporation building (Why not just use bionic Cybunnies?).
Controls
The default controls for this game are shown below. You can set your own controls for Kreludan Mining Corporation by clicking on the “Options” button that appears when you load the game.
Thrust: Up arrow. This will boost your ship forwards, in the direction that your ship is facing.
Left: Left arrow. You cannot move directly left on the game. Instead, your ship rotates anti-clockwise (to the left), and you must use thrust to go left.
Right: Right arrow. Again, like the left control, you cannot move directly right. Instead, your ship rotates clockwise (to the right), and you must use thrust to go right.
Laser: Space bar. The most handy weapon on your ship (It’s the only weapon on your ship). A simple press of the space bar will send a red laser shot towards an enemy. Die you pesky fungus of doom!
Tractor Beam – On: B Button. When near a gem (in later missions and mines), or near a Kreludan Metal Orb, you need to face away from it, at a 180 degree angle from it. You then need to hold down the B button until the orb moves. If you just press the button once, and attach the beam to the orb, but it doesn’t move, you will not be able to pick it up. When the orb does move though, you can release the B Button. Also, if a laser goes through the tractor beam, it will not destroy you or the Kreludan Metal Orb. Also, if you have the Orb connected to your ship, it will have a slight effect on your ship’s movement, e.g. if the orb is swinging left, your ship will jerk slightly to the left. To counter this and move with ease, get into a space open enough for the orb to swing, and let it calm down like a pendulum, and let it hang below your ship. When it’s hanging without motion, resume your ship’s movement.
Tractor Beam – Off: N Button. The opposite of the B button. You can only use this when you already have the tractor beam connected to the Metal Orb. This will drop the orb from the tractor beam connecting to your ship.
One other thing that should be noted is that there is a continuous gravitational pull on you, so the game will keep pulling you downwards.
Scoring
The most important part of the game, in my opinion! No point in playing if there’s no scoring level, is there? Although, if there was no scoring level, the Neopets team could give Neocola Tokens instead/as well for level completion? *cheesy grin*
Kreludan Metal Orb: 100 Points! One is found per level. This is the biggest point score in the game. You have to get the orange-yellow metal orb to the Kreludan Mining Corporation building, which has a large glowing area (which will be known as the orb depository for the rest of this article) attached to it. This is where you need to drop the Orb into to end the level and score the points. You can either drop it in by pressing the N button, or just lower it in with it still connected to the tractor beam. Either way works fine.
Blue Gem: 20 Points! These can be found attached to mine walls, from all angles. These take about a second of being in the blue tractor beam highlights before being absorbed into your ship, and giving you the points. This means that you do not need to carry them on the tractor beam and take them to your orb depository. Also, they will not be absorbed by the end of the tractor beam blue search light. You have to get a little closer. I’d seriously advise collecting all gems in a level first, because once you have lifted the Kreludan Metal Orb from it’s motionless space, you will not be able to get the gems at all unless you drop the orb to destroy it, and then go around collecting them. This of course will mean you have to destroy your ship after you’ve collected them and start the level again, causing you to need to get the orb again.
Evil Fungus of Doom: 5 Points! At first, the game didn’t give you score when you shoot them. The game has now been changed so that they reward you with 5 points upon their disintegration. 5 points is pretty small, but then there are a lot of enemies, so the score from them soon builds up. You have to shoot these with your laser. Getting a decent shooting angle can be quite awkward when you’ve got an orb attached to you, so I’d advise killing all enemies in a level first, and then collecting the orb. Also, these shoot out gaseous toxins at you. You will not die if they hit the orb or the tractor beam, but you will die if they hit your ship.
1,000NP Walkthrough
So, you want to get through enough levels so you can get maximum neopoints? You will need to go through the first four levels of the game, killing all enemies, and collecting all orbs. Currently, you get 200NP per 100 points you earn in the game, so that means you need to get 500 points for maximum neopoints.
Mission 1.1: This level is the easiest in the game. Obviously, because it’s the first level. This is the perfect opportunity to train your maneuverability with your ship, your aim for laser firing, and your maneuverability when you have an orb attached to you.
You start the level above the orb. There is a hidden gem in this level. Go to the top left, and you will see a part of the mine wobbles a little. Keep shooting at it, and eventually, you’ll see a blue gem, hanging down from the ceiling. Hold down the B button, and rotate near the gem. You should be able to get it without crashing into the walls.
After this, all you have to is pick up the orb with the tractor beam (B button), and then move it over to the orb depository and drop it in.
End of Level score: 120 Points.
Mission 1.2: This level is also very easy. There is an enemy directly below you, so that will be the first enemy of the game. Many people believe the enemy looks like a mutant frog. I personally think it’s an evil fungus of doom. No matter what it is, you should destroy it. A single shot with your laser will suffice, and add 5 points to your score.
There is a vertical drop in the level just to the right of the enemy, where the orb is hidden. I personally use this drop to my advantage, by hovering over the drop by about 1/3 to 1/2 of the screen, then rotating left, and destroying the enemy as I fall down the hole. This gives me enough time to rotate back to an upright position, and use thrust to stop the drop quickly.
After you’re through the wide passageway going to the orb, it will open up a bit more, allowing you adequate space to manoeuvre your ship to position it directly above the orb. Once you are above the orb, release the tractor beam, by pressing the B Button, and hold it down, and press up. This will allow you to lift the orb from it’s stationary position, up into the air.
Once the orb is moving, you can release the B button without fear of dropping the orb, and concentrate on getting the orb to the orb depository. Slowly use thrust to travel up the opening above you, and out into the spacious start area.
The orb may swing from side to side a little during this process. If this bothers you, it is a good idea to stay in the air, hovering with a steady amount of thrust, so you don’t fall, or rise higher, and wait for the orb to stop swinging. A way I have noticed that speeds up this process is when you do a 10-30 degree rotation to the direction that the orb is swinging. This will be a useful trick in later levels if you are going for a higher score or a trophy.
Once out of the lower cavern, and into the higher one, you should see the orb depository on your right. Move up to it, and drop the orb into it, to complete the level, and move onto Mission 3.1.
End of Level score: 225 Points.
Mission 1.3: On this level, there are six enemies. You will start this level in an isosceles triangle formation, with two enemies below you. This gives you time to maneuver and set up two laser beam shots to these two enemies. When you’ve done this, and dodges any gaseous clouds they fire at you, you should see a cavern going down to the right of them.
Leave this for now, you’ll come back to that in a minute. If you go further right, you should see the orb depository. Above that and slightly to the right, there are two enemies hidden away, ready to shoot you as you come to deposit the orb. I would advise destroying these before going to retrieve the orb, being careful above the orb depository and the close walls. Remember, if you hit a building or a wall, your ship explodes, and we don’t want that, do we?
Once the two enemies have been destroyed, you will want to return to the cavern going down that you saw a moment ago. When you go down it, you will need to go down a cavern which slants down and to the left. I find it easier to rotate about 10-30 degrees to the left, and give taps of the thrust button to keep in the middle of the passageway, then level out and face your ship upwards towards the end.
There will be an enemy above the orb. For obvious reasons, you will want to destroy it before you pick up the orb. This is where new players to the game experience problems, either by the orb swinging into the wall, and exploding both the orb and themselves, or flying the ship into the cavern walls with their eagerness to get out of the cavern corridor.
I would advise using the same method that you used to get into the small area, that being rotate your ship to the right by about 10 to 30 degrees, and slowly move up the passage with continuous small thrusts.
At the end of the passage, you may find that the orb swings considerably to the right. If this occurs, you will want to move to the left a bit, and try and even out the swinging before going up to the open space by using the method I described in Mission 1.2. When you have moved yourself up into the open area, it’s just a simple task of putting the orb into the orb depository.
Note: The sixth enemy is in the top left corner of the area.
End of Level score: 355 Points.
Mission 2.1: At the start of this level, you start above and to the right of the orb depository, and above and to the left of an enemy. By now you should have got used to the controls. Or at least, I hope you have, because you’ll need some clever maneuvering in this level.
First off, kill the first enemy you see, below and to the right of you. You will see a passageway to the right of it. Like on Mission 1.3, don’t go down it yet.
You will want to go up to the top right of the level which you are in. You will see an enemy hidden away there. Why is it there, out of the way? I don’t know. My guess is so that you can have enough points to get maximum neopoints without going onto Mission 2.2.
Anyway, once you’ve killed this enemy, you’ll want to go down into the passageway you say before. This level is the start of longer levels.
Directly below you when you go down the passageway are two enemies. You’ll want to kill these. To the right is another passageway going down. On the other side of this, another enemy lurks. Kill this too.
Follow the passage downwards again. You have to go left a bit too. Hanging from the ceiling will be another enemy. Dispose of this. It should be a lot easier than the enemies you have faced so far because you do not have to rotate your ship as much to hit him with your laser. Directly below it is another enemy, slightly more to the left.
Once you’ve splattered him across the floor, follow the passage down once more. You will see an enemy hanging off of the left wall as you do. I would advise going past him, and shoot him as he rises above you. Also, you’ll need to use quick turning here, as after you’ve destroyed that enemy, there will be one facing you at a 45 degree angle at the bottom right of the cavern you are now in.
After exploding that enemy, you will want to head left. There is another enemy on the ceiling, but this should cause you no problem if you use the 10-30 degree method of moving sideways I described earlier. You will be able to shoot him as you hover past.
At the end of the corridor heading left, the floor will dip a little, leading to another enemy. I have noticed that this one doesn’t seem to fire as many gaseous clouds at me than the others, so it should be no problem to you.
There will be a thinner passage going directly up now. The orb is hidden here. Be cautious however, as there are three enemies within a small space. It is a good idea to get a bit of thrust as you move up the passage, and face left as you reach the top, so you can shoot the first of the three fungi as soon as you enter the small room. The other two enemies will be on the ceiling, one directly above you, and one to the right, in near the top right corner. The orb is at the bottom right corner.
Once the three evil fungi of doom have been stripped of life, you will be able to carefully position yourself above the orb, and send your tractor beam down to get it. With some careful manoeuvring, you should be able to take the orb downwards into a considerably thicker passageway. Slowly move right along the passageway with the 10-30 method, until you reach the passage moving up. When you get to it, stop and move left a little, because the orb will swing to the right, and we don’t want it hitting the wall. When the orb’s swing has slowed and levelled out, move up the passages above.
The passages, now fungi-free, are quite thick, so you should not incur any problems more than the swing of the orb. You have easily enough space to level it out, so all you need to do is deposit the orb in the depository and finish the level. This will bring you up to the 500 point target you need to get maximum neopoints for this game. When depositing the orb, click, “Send Score”, and you’re done. ^-^
End of Level score: 525 Points.
Strategies
I have already described my methods of play in this article, but strategies never suit everyone. Here’s what other users have said that they do
“When I play, I go through the entire map before picking up the Kreludan Metal Ore. I destroy every fungus and I collect every gem. I then plan out the best route to get the orb to the ore depository. I do this especially on level 5.1 and up, where there are many gems, enemies, and lasers. Besides that, just take your time, go as slow as you need to. Also if you have problems hitting stuff on the ground use the first mission (Mission 1.1) as a practice area. It is a good idea to try shooting different parts of the mine or the ore station, or even the orb, because you’ll need to be accurate later.” ~ burntarticwolf
“Kill all the beasts first, then get the orb, because killing them with the orb on your tail is a lot harder.” ~ wolfskers
“It’s the same with the gems…get them all before the orb. Basically do EVERYTHING before getting that orb. Oh, and grab that secret gem on Mission 1.1” ~ mrekitten
“If you get to an orb, don’t just pick it up, take a look around the level, because there might be more gems ahead, and you cannot get crystals if you already have the orb attached to you by the tractor beam.” ~ xm3d1cx
“Umm, I find taking my time and letting the orb stop swinging from side to side helps a lot. But I guess that’s just something anyone would do. Killing all the fungi and taking a look around the level carefully so you know pretty much what you got to do and where you need to go also comes in handy. When I say carefully I mean so you don’t lose all your lives just looking around.” ~ monkey_man_4444
In this writer’s opinion, it seems that the main strategy is the same. Get everything before getting the orb and don’t try destroy your ship trying something fancy…
I hope this article helps you get your daily 3,000 neopoints for this game, and that it inspires you to go further into the game, dodging lasers and firepower-triggered doors, getting you a trophy, like it has done for me. Good luck, and let the orbs be with you!
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I’d like to personally thank those that gave their strategies to me for this article. Also those who did make comments on the neoboard I had created asking for help.
Special thanks goes to mrekitten who showed me the secret gem in Mission 1.1.
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Comments? Questions? Feel free to neomail! – umbreon_of_the_moon
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