Playing a Battle

[BattlezM]

Battle Basicz:
This article explainz the way I go about playing a battle.

First conserve all the gruntz you can and gather them nearest the areaz where the most enemiez usally go to (they have a very predictable pattern of pathz). Build a front line of shovelz and gauntletz. Now the absolute most dangerous enemiez you can face are gruntz armed with explosivez and ranged toolz.

• If a bomb happenz to come by, send a grunt out to direct him in a different direction. Same for timebombz (except you kill them).
  
• If a ranged grunt comez by, gang up on him.
  
• Watch out for boomerangz, they are by far one of the most damaging gruntz around (at max damage potential, boomerangz can hit almost 30 gruntz! An attack that can kill 7.25 gruntz!)
  
• If a sword comez by, gang up on him.
  

Behind your front line, build up swordz and clubz. These guyz will be able to defend the fort should the front line fall (in case a bunch of gunhatz or timebombz come by). Be sure to check your defense frequently, if you lose it and the enemy has you surrounded it could cost you the game. Here are some thingz to do while waiting for a built up defense:

• If you get a goober straw, have him suck up any goo to create gruntz faster.
  
• If you have brickz, have a gauntletz break the cap off any plain stack of brickz reachable. then have your brick layer replace it with something else (gauntlet-breakerz and gold brickz will do well)
  
• Get access to any powerupz
  

When you have 7-10 gauntletz and shovelz guarding your fort, send out an attack force of a shovel and a gauntletz and any other strong tooled gruntz that don't serve as defenderz. If the enemy'z defenderz are weak enough kill them. If you're dealing with heavier duty guardz, (swordz or 3 brick layerz) occupy them with any toyz you have. You can also send gruntz other than gauntletz or shovelz to hold them at bay if you don't have toyz. If you have spyz, send him to find safe brickz, which gauntletz breakz. Then it can go a variety of wayz:

• If the next obsicale is a RB, send all your attackerz past it. Then trap any oncoming defenderz in it'z path. Now you just have to get around any other defensez.
  
• Dig holez if any are around.
  
• Go over bridgez if any are around (that lead someplace you need to be).
  
• if there are even more brickz, start hacking at them. Block the previous hole you made with any attackerz you have left.
  

Be sure to pick up any powerupz along the way. To use them:

• ghost: the easiest powerup, send a grunt to attack the enemy'z defense under their nose.
  
• conversion: this is the funnest powerup, if the conversion is close enough to the enemy fort, you can convert their whole defense.
  
• roidz: use this to quickly wipe out the defense and hack through brickz in a tight spot.
  
• invinsibility: have the grunt carring this one to attack the most powerful defenderz. Also, if your gauntletz carriez it, you can break bomb brickz safely.
  
• reactive armor: again, attack any powerful enemiez with this. Note that you can even resist welder shotz with only a fourth of health loss!
  
• superspeed: this one workz best if you need to run away.
  
• death touch; kill every grunt around. Don't give this to your key attackerz (gauntletz and shovelz), they won't be able to use thier toolz.
  

A very classical strategy is to send a timebomber (you need many stationary toyz for this). If the enemy has brickz around his fort as a first layer of defense use this strategy. Give toyz to the defenderz, make sure they are playing where you can blow them and the brick wall at the same time. If any other gruntz come by, give them toyz near your deadly trap. When the brick layer(z) is broken, continue on to the next fort area and repeat. Then you can send in attack teamz to get by any other defensez.

• If you have any roidz powerupz around, you don't need to bother with toyz. Just lay timebombz all along the wall and you can blow the entire wall out! Continue to do this to all the other fortz.
  

If you are under heavy assult, try attracting the enemyz' attention, they will come running after you to where ever you lead them. Send a grunt to the attacking AI'z fort, it will come with all of it'z forcez (including any in your base not standing on switchez) to stop you. If you attack a different heavily fort, you can hope they go to yourz and engage in a skirmish against the original attackerz.

[BattlezM]

Putting up with enemiez that happen to attack you with powerupz or cursez.
Also here'z a very helpful hot key: double left click on a creation pad to drop a grunt on it.

Cursez: Best to just sit through it, and be ultra alert for any enemiez that come by. Pull back any attack teamz you've sent. Note that cursez last for 30 secondz.

powerupz:

• Roid Gruntz: kill any that come as fast as possible. They are still stupid and will be (most of the time) barehandz.
  
• Invisible Gruntz: look carefully for them, they aren't impossible to be spotted. Don't worry about them, they don't even do anything. Surround them at kill them in one gang hit.
  
• Conversion gruntz: the worst of the worst, avoid these guyz like the plague by retreating from them (they die after walking 20 stepz any way). It'z not possible to give conversion gruntz toyz and attacking them will only create more enemiez (and rob you of your best gruntz). If you can't run, hit them with a team of 2 or 3 that can kill them instantly. you can also drop a grunt on them if you can lure the on a creation point.
  
• Death Touch Gruntz: like conversion gruntz, these gruntz can't be given toyz. It'z best to gang up on them or lure them over a creation point and drop a grunt on them.
  
• Reactive Armor Gruntz: Never attack a reactive armor grunt! Give him a toy or lure him over a pad.
  
• Invincibility Gruntz: Don't bother attacking these guyz. Give them a toyz to keep them occupied or lure them over one of your padz. If you have a shield and the grunt is a barehand, have shieldz occupy him.
  
• Superspeed Gruntz: The only stupid thing to do is try to run from them. Just kill them like any other grunt.
  

[BattlezM]

Dealing with Crankerz (Crankerz are those goober strawz stuck on goo puddlez).

Dealing with a Cranker AI is not easy, excepcially if you are going one on one. If you are 1 vs 1 do this:
Gather all of your gruntz together, if you have any swordz, have them take the lead. March towardz the enemy fort killing any gruntz that come at you. Do it quick, they come in a constant flow. If the cheating goober straw is not in the fortress, send 2 gruntz off to kill him. Continue towardz the enemy'z fort with the rest of your forcez.

If you are under heavy attack by the cranker:
You are in huge trouble if you do not have any strong toolz. If so, it'z best to lead them on a wild goose chase as you build up gruntz and strong toolz. If you do have a sword or something stronger than gauntletz, start taking on the weakest enemiez first. Send gauntletz to go after any gruntz in your fort. Harass them and lead them into any trapz (RBz, holez, pitz [by using a boxing glove grunt, if you have one]). Give them any toy you get. As you move the enemiez out of your fort, start to push them back.

If there are other playerz in the game, it would be much easier, all you have to do is resist.

[BattlezM]

Getting What you Need out of Scrollz and Wandz:
Frequently, when you have a grunt read a spell or cast a spell, it'z often a spell that you do not want and will often do more bad than good (like if you accidentally teleport your entire defense elsewhere ). There is a very simple work-around, save your game before you cast a spell. That way, if it'z something you don't want happening, reload the game and try again . Sometimez you may need to reload many timez to get the right spell , so it'z all about luck. The time this comez most handy is when many of your defenderz are in the red health and there are only two kegz of zap cola to go around, rather than wasting cola, you can heal all your gruntz simultaneously with scrollz or wandz. So it'z best to keep a wand or scroll in a battle, you never know when you may need it .

[BattlezM]

Using Toyz:

There are many different wayz to use toyz in a battle. One of the best wayz to use toyz is to stop (or kill, if it'z a mobile toy near holez) a grunt that you do not want to deal with (nobody likez an enemy sword...unless they want to convert him .
Another good use for toyz is if you have a timebomber (read the second-to-last part of the first post).
Gruntz attacking your fort can also be stalled with toyz.

Often you can use toyz to a higher degree of usefulness. They can be easily used to bribe an enemy barehand (those barehandz are really gullible) to stand on a switch. Then you can past a pyramid or cross a bridge.

You could even create an entire wall of toy boxez in a field of holez (if you have enough it is a terrific death trap [but on the other hand you do need a lot and would have to remove them toy by toy] ).

[BattlezM]

Battle Hotkeys:

Most grunterz have an easy time selecting toolz from the inventory area and giving them to a grunt, most however, would also like a faster way to do it. Here'z how to do it using the number pad and the three keyz above it.

N

/

*

[/td][/table]

7

8

9

[/td][/table]

4

5

6

[/td][/table]

1

2

3

[/td][/table][/center]


This table's boxez then correspond with the positionz of objectz in the inventory. (e.g.- when you press the 3 key you get the 1^st brick in the inventory) The order is first=bottom to fourth=top.

1st tool

1st toy

1st brick

[/td][tr][td]2^nd tool[/td][td]2^nd toy[/td][td]2^nd brick[/td][/tr][td][/td][tr][td]3^rd tool[/td][td]3^rd toy[/td][td]3^rd brick[/td][/tr][td][/td][tr][td]4^th tool[/td][td]4^th toy[/td][td]4^th brick[/td][/tr][td][/td][/table][/center]

This will require some practice, but once you get it, you can quickly give your gruntz itemz; both in questz and battlez.

Edit: GooRoo I fixed one of the two 'table' entriez in this post ... BattlezM will fix the rest.