------------------- Pocket Tanks FAQ v. 1.0 (c) Pegboy 2003 All rights reserved ------------------- Welcome to my Pocket Tanks FAQ! This document is copyright Pegboy (Derek Kader) 2003 and should not be copied, in whole or in part, changed in any way, shape or form, stolen from, or any other illegal crap that you might try to pull. If you'd like to use part of it or post it on your website, e-mail me at kader3@msn.com. Also, if you see it on any other site besides GameFAQs, e-mail me so I can take care of the problem. If you have anything to add, be it strategies, tips, tricks, e-mail me at kader3@msn.com. I will credit you with the info in the next update. That being said, sit back, have a coke and enjoy the guide! =============================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS =============================================================================== I. Intro and Notes II. Version History III. Quick Keys IV. Options V. Game Basics VI. Versions and Expansions VII. Weapon List VIII. Strategies IX. Glitches X. Credits and Legal Stuff ******************************************************************************* I. INTRO AND NOTES ------------------- Pocket Tanks was created by Blitwise back in 2001. It is a artillery strategy game that involves two tanks set in a certain terrain, with several to choose from, and they are each given ten weapons. With these weapons, they volley shots back and forth until each tank's weapon stock is exhausted. Although it may seem slow paced and boring, Pocket Tanks is actually very fun. The game was based on another game from way back, and I can't exactly remember the name. It is about two gorillas in a city lobbing bananas over buildings in an attempt to hit one another. Needless to say, Pocket Tanks upgraded this game in many, many ways, from a choice of weapons, different landforms, choice of tank color, and more. I was introduced to Pocket Tanks from friends of mine at school, and at the time, had only seen the basic version. When I got the game myself, I found that there was an upgraded version and several expansion packs, each making the game more fun. With tons of weapons to choose from and more on the way, Pocket Tanks can only get better from here. ******************************************************************************* II. VERSION HISTORY -------------------- Updates, additions, corrections and all that good stuff. v. 1.0 - April , 2003 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Work started on this guide on April 8, 2003. If you have anything to add, be it strategies, tips, tricks, e-mail me at kader3@msn.com. I will credit you with the info in the next update. ******************************************************************************* III. QUICK KEYS ---------------- A short list of the quick keys, or hot keys, used in the game. o=====o==========o | KEY | FUNCTION | o=====o==========o | Up | Increase | | | power | o-----o----------o |Down | Decrease | | | power | o-----o----------o |Left | Raise | | | angle | o-----o----------o |Right| Lower | | | angle | o-----o----------o | , |Move left | o-----o----------o | . |Move right| o-----o----------o | A | Up one | | | weapon | o-----o----------o | Z | Down one | | | weapon | o-----o----------o | ESC |Exit game | | |or screen | o-----o----------o | | Toggle | | F7 | Window | | | mode | o-----o----------o |Space| Fire | | bar | | o-----o----------o The quick keys don't have to be used, the mouse can peform most of these actions with a single click. ******************************************************************************* IV. OPTIONS ------------ There are several menus in the game, many options you may toggle on or off, and different types of play. This section covers all of those different aspects, including what options do and how to work them. --------- MAIN MENU --------- 1 PLAYER ======== The 1 Player game allows you to play one on one against the CPU. When you click on the 1 Player option you are taken to another screen. Here, you can put in your name and choose the color of your tank. Your default name is PLAYER 1, and using the keyboard, you can type in anything you want (as long as it's only eight letters long). You have eight different colors to choose from, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, and magenta. None are better than another but it adds to customization options, so cool nonetheless. After you choose your color, click Continue. This screen is the CPU screen, where you choose your computer opponent's difficulty level. You have a choice of 1-10, 1 being the easiest and 10 being the most difficult. But, even with the wide range of difficulty, the levels don't seem to differ from one another too much. You are then taken to the Weapon Shop, where you and your opponent choose your weapons for the battle. Twenty weapons from the 30+ there are (depending on how many/which expansion packs you have) supplied, and each of you choose ten. There are two ways to split up the weapons: 1) Choosing manually: If you choose to do it this way, you pick first and can take any weapon from the group you want. Then the computer picks it's weapon. This goes on until all weapons have been taken, and then the battle begins. 2) Random: At the bottom of the Weapon Shop screen there is a Random button. Clicking on it will disperse the weapons in the stockpile randomly, as the name suggests, and it is much quicker than choosing yourself. 2 PLAYER ======== The first part is the same as the 1 Player game. You type in your name, not to exceed eight characters, and then choose the color of your tank. Next, the 2nd Player does the same, inputing there name and color choice. You are both taken to the Weapon Shop, 20 weapons are randomly layed out before you and you must choose your weapons are have them split up randomly. TARGET PRACTICE =============== Target Practice is a mode where you are taken directly to the battle field when you click it, and you control both tanks and practice using all of the weapons you currently have installed. There is an unlimited amount of each weapon, so go crazy trying out all of them and have fun. ;) RETURN TO TITLE =============== This option simply takes you back to the title screen. Pretty useless, as the Esc. key does the same thing. OPTIONS ======= This takes you to a whole new set of options, where you can toggle different things on and off. ------------ OPTIONS MENU ------------ MUSIC ===== You can turn the music in the game on or off by clicking the Music option. The effects take place immediately, in case you were that anxious for the muscic to stop. :) TERRAIN TYPE ============ There are several types of terrains to choose from. The terrain is the area you will play in. Each one is a different landform, and for those of you who don't care where you play, you can choose Random. Hill ---- This landform usually starts on either side of the screen and peaks out in the middle before slowly dropping back down on the other side. Valley ------ The Valley starts off pretty elevated on both sides of the playing field and then has a big dip in the middle of it. Cliff ----- One side of the screen is high, the other side is low. This low side can be on the left and the high side on the right, or vice versa. Flats ----- The screen can be at a different elevation, but for the most part it is flat all the way across the screen and players start on the same level, instead of one being higher or lower than the other. Flats are good for close-up shots, if that's your game. EXPLOSION SIZE ============== Choose the size of the explosions here. While most people like the bigger explosions, this can be less fun because the land does not last as long as it does with small explosions. Of course, only twenty weapons are fired each battle... Small ----- The explosions are kept to a minimum here. Even weapons like the Big Shot won't effect the land to drastically. Mega Nuke is another story... Medium ------ The normal or average size of the explosions. This is for average gameplay, if you want the land to stay relatively intact but want moderately big explosions. Large ----- The biggest size explosions you can get, Large Explosion Size is for people who like tearing up the terrain and well... huge explosions! EXPLOSION KICK ============== Toggle this option to how much you want the tanks to be affected by explosions. By affected, I don't mean damage, but the bigger the Kick is, the higher they will fly when hit. Small ----- Minimal movement when hit. The tanks don't move that much. Medium ------ The tanks move quite a bit when Medium Kick is selected. Unless you like to really see 'em fly, this is probably the option you want. Large ----- A mere Single Shot will send the tank halfway across the screen with a direct hit. With Large Explosion Kick on, you'll hardly ever fight in the same position. TURRET ORIENTATION ================== There are two types of turret orientation. The type of turret orientation you use will affect how you angle your shots. Absolute -------- The default setting, Absolute orientation is probably the easier way to go. Whatever angle is put into the meter, that's the direction the missile's going. Relative to Tank ---------------- This is a bit more complicated than Absolute, and the way it works is really hard to explain. Sorry I can't be of much help here, so if you know exactly how this works, e-mail clear instructions to kader3@msn.com. WIND SPEED ========== Wind is something that can really affect how you play and how accurate your shots are going to be. There are three different wind speeds to pick from, although you don't have to use it at all. *NOTE* The wind can be blowing in either direction. If the number of the wind's power has a negative in front of it, the wind is blowing west (left). If the number is positive, it is blowing east (left). The higher number on either scale, positive or negative, the more powerful the wind. Low --- This speed doesn't really have an effect on your game that much. A few degrees adjusted to your shot and you should be fine. Wind speeds at this level normally don't pick up over 20 or so. Medium ------ The wind really starts to affect your ability here. Speed can get up to 40. High ---- With speeds sometimes in the 60's and 70's, high wind speed increases the amount of strategy and thinking involved with the game. WIND VARIABILITY ================ Variability in the wind doubles the effect of having wind, as you cannot get used to a certain speed like you could with just the wind turned on. The wind will change every so often, depending on what level of variability you have it set to. Low --- The wind will not change very often, but it still adds more strategic gameplay than normal. Medium ------ The wind speed will change every volley or so, not really ever giving you a chance to get used to a certain speed. With this turned on, chances are you'll never make the same shot twice. High ---- The wind speed changes with every volley and sometimes every shot, making every single shot unique. Even masters of the game will have trouble with both high wind variability and high wind speed on. Also, the wind changes sharply whenever it changes, meaning it can easily go from 24 to -62 in one shot. WIND CHANGE =========== This is like a less severe Wind Variablility option. Never ----- The wind never changes unless wind variability is on. Per Shot -------- Each time a shot is taken, the wind will change. Per Volley ---------- Each time a volley is completed the wind will change. Random ------ The wind will randomly change throughout the course of the battle. DEFAULT OPTIONS =============== This simply sets the options back to the default, or their original settings. Unless you like customizing your options, it is easier and often times more fun to just leave the options alone and play. DONE ==== Click this whenever you are done toggling the options. ----------- ATTACK MENU ----------- There are several options on the Attack Menu that you need to be aware of and know how to use. The Attack Menu is the menu featured at the bottom of the screen and is used during battles. If playing a 2 Player game, both players share the menu. MOVE ==== Move is an option that lets you move your tank to the right or left at any point during your turn. Click the appropriate side to go that direction, and once you've exhausted all four moves that you are allowed, you can no longer move your tank. ANGLE ===== The Angle meter lets you adjust the angle of your turret (gun). You can shoot at any angle, from 0 to 360, and at anywhere you'd like. It takes a while to get used to how to use the Angle meter and get your shots down accurately, but it comes with time. WEAPON ====== The Weapon option is a list that you can either scroll through by clicking the arrows to the right of the option or by clicking on the menu itself and scrolling through with the mouse. By clicking the menu, you are can to see what all weapons you have because it brings up your list. POWER ===== This option adjusts the force behind your shot, 0 being the weakest and 100 being the most powerful. The default setting is 20. FIRE ==== The last button to press in the list, Fire launches the weapon you've chosen in the direction you angled it and with the power you've selected. ******************************************************************************* V. GAME BASICS --------------- Some things you need to know about the game are included in this section, such as the object of the game, Object of the Game ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The object of the game is to have more points than your opponent, the second player or the CPU, at the end of ten volleys. Basically, when all of your weapons are used up, whoever has the most points is the winner for that game. Points ~~~~~~ Each shot you land, or at least if part of the shot hits your opponent, counts towards your total number of points. Direct hits and just grazing another tank are counted differently as far as distribution of points goes. Hitting yourself deducts points from your score, and hitting your opponent adds points. Quite simple, actually. Terrain ~~~~~~~ There are many different landforms to play on and the landforms are generated differently most of the time. Almost every shot you take, excluding things such as the Tracer, Super Tracer and Sniper Rifle, all take a chunk out of the land you are currently playing on. The terrain can, with the right weapons, be completely destoryed at the end of a battle. ******************************************************************************* VI. VERSIONS AND EXPANSIONS ---------------------------- There are two versions of the game and many, many expansion packs. Each upgrade/expansion only adds to the fun and each one includes it's own unique variety of weapons. ************* Game Versions ************* POCKET TANKS ++++++++++++ Number of Weapons: 30 Pocket Tanks is the original version of the game, as the name suggests. It was released in 2001 on the PC. POCKET TANKS DELUXE +++++++++++++++++++ Number of Weapons: 30 This was released later the same year as Pocket Tanks, 2001, and the only difference between it and the original is that Deluxe featured 30 more weapons. In total, Pocket Tanks Deluxe has 60 weapons, combining those from the original with it's own. There is really no reason to purchase Pocket Tanks since this is the exact same game with double the weapons. *************** Game Expansions *************** Take note that these expansions only work with Pocket Tanks Deluxe, which is another reason to get that version. AMBUSH PACK +++++++++++ Number of Weapons: 15 The Ambush Pack is an expansion to Pocket Tanks Deluxe and features 15 additional weapons, the theme here being multiple-shot weapons. A great expansion to the game, Ambush has many cool weapons that make the game much more interesting. CHAOS +++++ Number of Weapons: 5 Chaos is a small addtion to the game, but a fun one nonetheless. It features a mere 5 new weapons, but each one is very unique and the one that is most notable is the Chaos Grenade, which lauches random weapons. The theme here is random explosions and, well, chaos! FLAMETHROWER ++++++++++++ Number of Weapons: 5 Flamethrower is one of the weaker expansions, and is not widely considered to be that cool. It has 5 more weapons on it, but they don't seem to do enough damage or are too hard to hit with. The theme here is fire. NUKE ++++ Number of Weapons: 5 The Nuke Pack features one of the most famous weapons: Mega Nuke. The Mega Nuke actually doesn't do that much damage, but it sure is a huge explosion and clears away a LOT of land. The Nuke is a great expansion and is well worth the money. The theme here is terrain destruction, if you couldn't tell. METEOR ++++++ Number of Weapons: 15 The Meteor pack is one of the better expansion, because it features many effective weapons and each one does a good amount of damage. The theme in the Meteor Pack is weapons that rain down on your opponent. POWER +++++ Number of Weapons: 15 The only other 15 weapon expansion, the Power Pack features multiple hard hitting weapons and unique weapons for a little twist. Theme here is... you guessed it... power. In all, a total of 120 weapons. This makes for exciting, yet strategic, gameplay, and tons of fun because you hardly ever get the same weapon twice. ******************************************************************************* VII. WEAPON LIST ----------------- Index of weapons, including description of each weapon, effectiveness, and what expansion/version of the game it was originally introduced in. This is the setup for the index: NAME ---- Game/Expansion: What game or expansion the weapon was introduced in. Effectiveness: Tells how useful or effective a weapon is. Weapons will be ranked on a scale from 1-10, 1 being the weakest and most useless, 10 being the most powerful. An N/A rating means that the weapon does not cause any damage. Description: A little info on the weapon. *NOTE* The Explosion Size may have an effect on the total damage that a weapon does. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 SHOT ------ Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 6 Description: The 3 Shot is three missiles that launch all at once at an arc and rain down on the opponent. Covers a wide range/area, making it more effective than it's weaker predecessor, Single Shot. 5 SHOT ------ Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 6 Description: This weapon is a combination of 5 missiles that are launched at the same time and then fall ruthlessly onto the opponent. Covers a very wide range and is even stronger than it's predecessor, 3 Shot. ACID RAIN --------- Expansion: Chaos Effectiveness: 3 Description: A cloud forms over the opponents tank and proceeds to pelt it with bullets. A definite hit, but not too much damage, only in the 20's. AMBUSH ------ Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 9 Description: Ambush is a very unique weapon. It is made up of 10 Cruisers that come in from both sides and bomb the enemy. The maximum damage that can be dealt from Ambush is 100, very powerful. A direct hit is landed when 5 Cruisers land on each side of the tank and then roll on into it. ANVIL ----- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: Anvils drop from above the opposing tank and hit them, smashing them down into the ground. BACKFIRE -------- Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: N/A Description: A weapon that does not do damage, Backfire sends you straight up in the air and then shoots you off in a crazy direction. BAZOOKA ------- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: Supposedly, the Bazooka is a weapon like the Laser, where there is no missile and it does not lob. Instead, it shoots straight forward. Unlike the missile, this causes huge damage and a huge explosion. BEEHIVE ------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 4 Description: The Beehive ususally does between 30-50 damage, but not with a direct hit. If an opponent is in a little valley, shoot the missile a little bit in front of where they are positioned. This will cause the bees (1 point per bee) to bounce around, hitting the tank. The weapon is hard to judge; many times it's effective, while other times it sucks. BIG DIRTBALL ------------ Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: N/A Description: Twice as big as a Dirtball, the Big Dirtball is a dirt weapon that covers a good-sized area. Good defensive weapon. BIG SHOT -------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 5 Description: A Single Shot with a bigger explosion, Big Shot causes less damage than the Single Shot, but covers a wider area. 30 damage with a direct hit. BLAST OFF --------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: N/A Description: Blast off is a jumping utility that clears some of the dirt around you before sending you off in the direction you pointed. Useful if you are under a mound of dirt and don't want to blast yourself. BOOMERANG --------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 6 Description: The Boomerang is a unique cruiser weapon that, when it lands, comes back in the direction of the tank who shot it until it either hits the other tank or makes it all the way back to the tank that launched it. The unique thing about this weapon is that it will not blow up until it reaches a tank. It's either hittin' your tank or his. A direct hit does 40 damage, but the longer the Boomerang rolls, the less damage it does. The trick to using the Boomerang effectively is to overshoot your target just a little to ensure that you hit it while doing maximum damage. Better to be safe than sorry. BOUNCY BOMB ----------- Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: 2 Description: Shot off like a normal missile, the Bouncy Bomb does very little damage, 10 with a direct hit, and the area in explosion is covered with Bouncy Dirt. BOUNCY DIRT ----------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: N/A Description: A layer of dirt that rebounds any missiles that come in contact with it. It can only cover terrain, not bare ground. Overall, not very effective, but some weapons come packed with some Bouncy Dirt, adding a nice touch. BOUNCY WALL ----------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: N/A Description: The Bouncy Wall is a tall, thin layer of Bouncy Dirt. It is exactly the same as the Magic Wall, only made of Bouncy Dirt instead of terrain. Much more effective than the Magic Wall and Magic Forest. Can cause a glitch to occur. See section IX for details. BUCKSHOT -------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 2 Description: The Buckshot is composed of little bullets that are shot out at the same time in a compressed group. Each bullet directly landed deals a mere 5 damage, and you usually only land 6 at best. BUZZSAW ------- Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: 3 Description: A buzzsaw that bounces around on the terrain (if you miss the tank) until it hits the opponent. At best about 20 damage. CANNON BALL ----------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 9 Description: The Cannon Ball is an upgraded version of the Sniper Rifle. It is a single missile that does not cause an explosion, but when landed on an opponent directly, causes 100 points worth of damage. More effective than the Sniper Rifle because it is a bit bigger, making it easier to hit with. CARPET BOMB ----------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 3 Description: It's very hard to miss with the Carpet Bomb, as it is a layer of bullets that cover a very, very large area. But, on the downside, these bullets deal very little damage apiece, that number being 10, making it not a very effective weapon. The only reason it's little more than a 2 is because it covers a wide range, making it an easy hit. CHAIN REACTION -------------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 9 Description: Whenever the Chain Reaction missile lands, it starts a series of rather powerful explosions that happen one after the other. A direct hit can often score points over 100, but even if you don't land a direct hit, the damage is still devastating. CHAOS GRENADE ------------- Expansion: Chaos Effectiveness: 10 Description: A grenade that is lauched like normal missiles at an arc, when this baby lands all hell breaks loose. Random bombs, dirt, and missiles are fired off in every direction (more at the opponent, or course). This can cause over 200 damage and completely cover your opponent in layer upon layers of dirt, leaving them virtually in a death trap. The ULTIMATE weapon. *NOTE* As it does fire completely random weapons, the effect and damage is not always the same. CLAYMORE -------- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: Supposed to be like the Scatter Shot, were sharpnel will burst out from the area where the missile landed. It is also supposed to be pretty powerful as it is in the Power Pack. COLOR BOMB ---------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 7 Description: The Color Bomb's missile looks like that of the Cannon Ball. It stops in midair after traveling for a second or so, and then unleashes an array of multi-colored bullets that spread out in all directions. Most useful when it stops over an enemy who is in a little pit or valley, that way the bullets are more likely to hit the enemy. 5 points per pellet landed. COMET ----- Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: 9 Description: When the missile lands, it breaks into several bouncing balls that dance around until they hit something or explodes. While the explosions are small, the damage is amazing. Each it (including a direct hit from the launch) is 20 points. CRATER MAKER ------------ Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 4 Description: Clears a good deal of land while damaging the enemy, even if not much damage does occur. The Crater Maker is identical to the Mountain Mover, only it is red in color and does 30 damage for a direct hit instead of no damage at all. CRAZY IVAN ---------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 4 Description: When the Crazy Ivan comes close to a tank, it explodes into many smaller yellow bullets that spray everywhere and each one can cause up to 10 damage points apiece, but not often. CRUBALL ------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: N/A Description: A cruiser-dirt weapon. The Cruball covers the land with the same amount of dirt as the Dirtball, only it is also a cruiser. Still no damage to be done, though. CRUISER ------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 4 Description: When the Cruiser lands, it rolls in the direction you shot it (right or left) for about three seconds, then it explodes. Or, when it rolls into a tank it will explode. A direct hit (from the volley or rolling) deals 20 damage. DIGGER ------ Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: N/A Description: The Digger clears a very small portion of land in the area that you direct it. Not very useful considering there are bigger and better dirt-clearing weapons available. DIRTBALL -------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: N/A Description: A ball of dirt that encloses an enemy when it comes in contact with them. No damage is done, but usually the opponent is forced to hurt themselves, as with most dirt weapons. DIRT MOVER ---------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: N/A Description: Clears a good-sized area around you from dirt. Does not do any damage, and out of all of the dirt clearing weapons available it's puny, but it is good if you don't want to clear a whole lot of terrain. DIRT SLINGER ------------ Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: N/A Description: The Dirt Slinger forms into a large, triangle shaped pile of dirt wherever it lands and covers the opponent, forcing them to blow themselves up. Pretty useful as far as dirt weapons go. DOME PROTECT ------------ Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: N/A Description: A dome of dirt that surrounds your tank. Not very effective because the dome is so small, it will only protect you for about one turn, and even if the opponent misses, what are you going to shoot now that won't hurt you in the process? More of an annoyance than anything. EARTH MOVER ----------- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: A much bigger version of the Mountain Mover, the Earth Mover is supposed to clear a huge amount of dirt, bigger than the Mega Nuke with large explosions. FIRE & ICE ---------- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: A combination of fire and ice attacks that bounce. Sounds like it does some serious damage, but I can't be for sure. FIRE BOLT --------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 7 Description: Very similar to the Napalm, the Fire Bolt is a glob of fire that sits on an opponent, slowly building up points. For every half a second or so that it sits on the tank, 10 points are earned. 5 points extra for a direct hit. Maximum damage is about 65. FIRE IN THE HOLE ---------------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 10 Description: An awesome, awesome weapon. Fire in the Hole is a Napalm that clears the area around the tank it lands on, burns for a few seconds doing massive damage, then covers the enemy with a mound of dirt, continuing to burn. Damage can reach to 150 or more, not to mention the dirt that hinders the opponent's next move. FIRE STORM ---------- Expansion: Flamethrower Effectiveness: 3 Description: A small series of explosions that end in a thin layer of fire covering the opponent. I didn't see a storm. No, it was more like a light shower. Anyways, weak compared to other, more destructive fire weapons. FIRECRACKER ----------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 5 Description: The Firecraker can do damage in the 40's at best, but it covers a broad area, making it more useful. When the Firecraker lands, tiny explosions soar out left and right from where it landed, hitting the opposition even if you were far from a direct hit. FISSION BOMB ------------ Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 10 Description: Another simply awesome weapon, the Fission Bomb not only covers a wide area, but it deals a lot of damage to boot. A direct hit usually results in an even 100 damage points, but even without one, the damage is great. FLAK ---- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: An arc of Flak that soars toward your opponent. Not to many details at the moment. FLAMETHROWER ------------ Expansion: Flamethrower Effectiveness: 1 Description: For the theme of the pack, this weapon plain sucks. The Flamethrower is like the Napalm, only much, much weaker. A direct hit results in about 20-25 damage at best. I just don't get why they named the pack after such a weak weapon. FLARE ----- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: Three missiles that break off from the parent missile when it begins to drop. FLASH BLAST ----------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 5 Description: Although not extremely effective, the Flash Blast does something that most other explosive weapons don't. Instead of tearing up the terrain, it chars the land, giving it a blackened look while still doing damage. FLYING DIGGER ------------- Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: 5 Description: Direct hit does 10 damage, but the Flying Digger also carves through the terrain wherever it hits, sometimes leaving your opponent in a sticky situation. FLOWER POWER ------------ Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: 10 Description: A missile that looks like a Cruiser, Flower Power cuts through the terrain if it lands on it, then starts spouting off pellet- like bombs in all directions, but within a short distance. With a direct hit on a tank with no terrain underneath it, Flower Power can cause over 120 damage points! FRACTURE -------- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: Creates several holes in the ground, and the point of the weapon is to leave the opponent in a bad spot. GLUE BOMB --------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: N/A Description: Covers the ground in a layer of glue, and it's only purpose is to stop cruiser-based weapons from gliding along the terrain to reach their target. Not very useful, really, but if you know your opponent has a bunch of Cruisers and the like, I guess it can be somewhat handy. GROUND HOG ---------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 6 Description: Essentially the same as the Worm and Homing Worm, the Ground Hog can be volleyed or shot through the ground to the other side. In order to shoot it through the ground in an attempt to thwart the opposition, your turret must be touching the terrain. If not, the Ground Hog will simply explode when it hits the land. 50 points for a direct hit. GROUND SHOCKER -------------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 3 Description: A direct hit makes this weapon less cool. The Ground Shocker, when landed on terrain, creates a barrage of missiles that soar through the dirt in all directions, but each bullet does only 5 damage. A direct hit does 30 damage, and although it's not the coolest effect of the weapon, it's the easiest way to deal any damage. HAIL STORM ---------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 5 Description: When the Hail Storm missile lands, it busts into tons of hail balls that roll around on the ground, hitting the opponent as they flow. The attack is much like the Napalm, but weaker. HEATSEEKER ---------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 7 Description: The Heatseeker is very effective because as long as you shoot in the general area of the opposition, the missile takes care of the rest by homing in on the tank. 40 damage with direct hit. HEAVY ROLLER ------------ Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 5 Description: A cruiser that deals 40 damage on contact, the Heavy Roller is not really any different than it's counterpart, the Roller, except that it does a bit more damage. HOMING MISSILE -------------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 5 Description: Although the Heatseeker is much better, the Homing Missile is also basically a guaranteed hit. When the missile gets close to an opponent, it homes in on them, dealing 20 damage. HOMING WORM ----------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 4 Description: A missile that can be sent underground or volleyed to the opponent. When shot underground, whenever it nears the vicinity of the other tank it will home in on it. The maximum damage it can do is 30. HOT FOOT -------- Expansion: Nuke Effectiveness: 6 Description: Hot Foot is a weapon that burrows beneath the terrain if you happen to miss the opponent, and then sends three missiles back to the surface in different directions to attempt to hit the tank again. Each missile does 20 damage, and a direct hit deals 60. JACKHAMMER ---------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 6 Description: The Jackhammer does 50 damage with a direct hit. It is fired like normal weapons, but when it lands, the missile jumps straight up and then comes back down wherever it landed. It repeats this four more times, and each hit on the opponent causes about 10 damage points. JUMP JETS --------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: N/A Description: Jump Jets allow you to move to another area by "jumping" to that spot. You are shot at the angle and with the power you have selected. LASER ----- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 6 Description: The Laser is a very unique weapon that is not volleyed like most other weapons. Instead, it is shot straight ahead, and it goes on until it either hits something or flies off the screen. Damage for a hit is 70 points. LASER BATTERY ------------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 9 Description: A direct hit with the Laser Battery can do over 100 damage if you are on the bottom of the ground (not on terrain). It is a series of lasers that circle around the opponent, targeting them like the Zapper. Even if the other tank is on terrain and each laser only does 5 damage, prepare for some destruction. LATE BLOOMER ------------ Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 9 Description: A direct hit with the Late Bloomer results in 100 points. Besides that, it doesn't do much damage because it cuts through the terrain. But, if you have a friend stuck under dirt, it could become very deadly... LIGHTNING STRIKE ---------------- Expansion: Chaos Effectiveness: 4 Description: Whenever the missile comes within range of a tank, it explodes into bolts of lightning that spread out everywhere. It sounds pretty effective, but only about two of the bolts hit the opponent and each only causing about 15 damage. It does, however, destroy quite a bit of land surrounding the opposition. LOB-O-MATIC ----------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 6 Description: The Lob-O-Matic is a missile that leaves a trail of bullets behind it, covering more land. The Lob-O-Matic missile itself does 40 damage with a direct hit, while it's bullets do 10. LODESTONES ---------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 7 Description: Lodestones is a bunch of little magnetized bullets that shoot out all at once and basically home in on the opponent. Each bullet does about 4 damage, and hitting the tank with most of them results in about 50-60 damage. Also known to cause a glitch or two. LUCKY SHOT ---------- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: Lucky Shot clears a path before it launches several heatseeking missiles towards the opponent. Could be serious damage... MAGIC FOREST ------------ Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: N/A Description: Magic Forest is a missile that sprouts a lot of smaller Magic Walls. Not very useful or effective, as they are not tall enough to help evade any damage, Magic Forest is practically useless. MAGIC WALL ---------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: N/A Description: Creates a tall, thin wall of dirt wherever it lands that stands straight up. Not very useful or effetive, the Magic Wall is more of a dud than anything. MEGA CRUISER ------------ Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 4 Description: A cruiser that lands you about 30 points with a direct hit. Nothing to gawk at, really. MEGA NUKE --------- Expansion: Nuke Effectiveness: 8 Description: Known to be one of the biggest explosions in the entire game, Mega Nuke does moderate damage while clearing a LOT of land away at the same time. With large explosions turned on, this can clear nearly a fourth of the land! A direct hit results in 30 damage, and each "wave" of the resulting explosion that hits the tank does extra damage. On average, a direct hit will earn you 75 points (combined with the extra damage). METEOR SHOWER ------------- Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: 9 Description: Around the area that the missile lands, a shower of meteors will rain down on the opponent, doing significant damage. Even if it's not a direct hit, it covers a little area outside where the bullet lands. MINIGUN ------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 5 Description: A smaller version of the Tommy Gun, Minigun does some damage, but not a whole lot. It is made up of several bullets that are shot around the same time, and each bullet landed does 10 damage with a direct hit. MOUNTAIN MOVER -------------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: N/A Description: The Mountain Mover clears away land around the area the missile lands. A huge circular area around the landing spot is cleared away, but it does no damage. MUD PIE ------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: N/A Description: If it had to be rated, easily the best of the dirt weapons that don't do any damage. It covers the largest area with the most dirt, so if your trying to win defenseively, this is your weapon. The Mud Pie sprouts up after it lands, and then the dirt bullets that rain down all turn into Dirtballs when they hit the ground. MYSTERY BOMBS ------------- Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: 1 Description: Four missiles that are launched at the same time, and they seem to fly at almost random targets, not the settings you have chosen. Really hard to hit your opponent with, and even with a hit, the damage isn't much. NAPALM ------ Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 8 Description: A ball of fire that is lauched towards the opponent. When the Napalm hits a wall, it spreads into a vast sea of fire below the area where it hit. If some of the fire covers the opponent, it can do significant damage. With a direct hit, points can get into the 100's. NUKE ---- Expansion: Nuke Effectiveness: 7 Description: A smaller version of Mega Nuke, the Nuke is a rather large explosion that does 40 damage with a direct hit, plus a certain amount of points for each "wave" of the explosion that hits the tank afterward. As it is the main theme of the weapon pack, Nuke is fairly effective and pretty powerful. OLD FAITHFUL ------------ Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: 8 Description: Old Faithful closely resembles the Hail Storm. Their bullets look the same, the missile looks the same, and the effect is similar. But, whenever Old Faithful hits the ground, it spouts up like a geyser and then rains down on the area it landed. 60 damage with a direct hit on average, but sometimes you can get over 100... PARTICLE BOMB ------------- Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 8 Description: The Particle Bomb is a missile that explodes into about ten sharpnel as soon as it gets close to the opponent. Each bullet that hits the opponent does 10 damage for a direct hit, and since you cannot land an actual direct hit with the missile, try landing it a little in front of the opposition. It seems that more particles hit them this way. PEDISTAL -------- Expansion: Flamethrower Effectiveness: N/A Description: The Pedistal creates a tower of dirt under where you are positioned. This gray mound of dirt can help throw off the opponent by making them have to adjust their angle/power. A unique weapon that is mediocre at best. PHANTOM ------- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: The Phatom creates a swarm of supposedly unstoppable bullets that hit the opposing tank from just about anywhere on the screen. PILE DRIVER ----------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 4 Description: The Pile Driver does 20 damage with a direct hit, and puts a steep hole in the terrain, leaving your opponent with a pretty rough shot. PILLOW FIGHT ------------ Expansion: Nuke Effectiveness: 7 Description: A pillow that is launched from your tank that turns into feathers after it hits the ground/tank. The feathers that spread out in all directions and then fall to the ground are also explosives. The pillow itself is does 40 damage for a direct hit and the feathers do between 1 and 5 each. PIN CUSHION ----------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 8 Description: The Pin Cushion is yet another bomb that, when it approaches the opponent, bursts into smaller bullets. But, the differnce between Pin Cushion and other missiles that do that is the bullets from this one turn into homing lasers. That is, when the bullets come close to a tank, they zap the tank, like the Zapper and Super Zapper. 10 points per laser. PINEAPPLE --------- Game: Pocket Tanks Effectiveness: 7 Description: The Pineapple is much like the Porcupine, but it seems to be a lot better and more accurate. Before the missile lands on (or near) the opponent, it explodes into smaller bullets that spray out in a circle. Each bullet landed can be between 10-30 points apiece, and with enough hits it can be pretty powerful. POPCORN ------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 9 Description: The trick to using Popcorn effectively is to land it on flat terrain, causing it to explode and bounce all over the place. Each bullet does 20 damage, but a direct hit only does 20! So, avoid direct hits and land the missile a little ways from the opponent, but not too far. You have to hit him with the majority of the bullets! PORCUPINE --------- Expansion: Meteor Effectiveness: 2 Description: When the missile closes in on the opponent, it explodes into pieces that fly in a every direction, forming a circle. Only one or two of the bullets actually hits the other tanks, doing 10 damage apiece. POTHOLES -------- Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe Effectiveness: 6 Description: Potholes sends out numerous purple missiles that do 5 damage apiece with a direct hit, and each one creates a small explosion that eventually adds up to a pretty steep hole or basin. POWER GRID ---------- Expansion: Power Effectiveness: ? Description: A grid of electricity that shocks the tank around the edges(?) Sounds pretty cool as there aren't many electric weapons. QUAD MISSILE ------------ Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: 7 Description: The Quad Missile's actual missile breaks off into four homing missiles just a little bit before it reaches the opponent. These homing missiles do 20 damage per direct hit. RAINBOW DIRT ------------ Expansion: Ambush Effectiveness: N/A Description: A layer of dirt that covers the opponent and a wide area around them, Rainbow Dirt is simply a dirt weapon made of multi-color dirt. The bright colors add a nice touch to the normal brown dirt 
             weapon, and it's a pretty good weapon, too.
RIPTIDE
-------
Expansion: Meteor
Effectiveness: 4
Description: A missile that breaks into many bouncing pieces on contact, 
             Riptide doesn't do a lot of damage per hit (3), so even if most 
             of the pieces hit the opposing tanks, the damage is minimal.
ROLLER
------
Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe
Effectiveness: 4
Description: A cruiser that deals 30 damage on contact, the Roller is not any 
             different than it's counterpart, the Heavy Roller, except that 
             the Heavy Roller does 10 more damage.
ROMAN CANDLE
------------
Expansion: Meteor
Effectiveness: 7
Description: About six different colored missiles are shot at the opponent, 
             in the same fashion as a Single Shot, but with no explosions. 
             Considerate damage.
SCATTER SHOT
------------
Game: Pocket Tanks
Effectiveness: 7
Description: Scatter Shots cover a wide area and deal a good amount of damage 
             at the same time. When the missile lands, five bullets spout 
             upward going in different directions to ensure at least one hit 
             every time. Each bullet is does 10 damage and a direct hit just 
             accounts for all five bullets, 50 points.
SHADOW BLAST
------------
Expansion: Power
Effectiveness: ?
Description: The Shadow Blast does some damage while charring the ground black 
             like the Flash Blast.
SHELTER
-------
Expansion: Power
Effectiveness: ?
Description: A dome of dirt that surrounds you, Shelter does the same thing 
             as Dome Protect, but it adds a something new. The weapon creates 
             a small tunnel for you to shoot through while you are being 
             protected at the same time! Sounds like a very useful tool.
SINGLE SHOT
-----------
Game: Pocket Tanks
Effectiveness: 6
Description: The most basic weapon in the game, the Single Shot flies at an 
             arc towards the opponent, like almost every other weapon, then 
             causes a small explosion where it lands. It can do up to 59 
             damage points; considerably powerful.
SINK AND SWIM
-------------
Expansion: Nuke
Effectiveness: 5
Description: Sink and Swim blows a hole in the ground where it lands and then 
             proceeds to shower the opponent with hail. A direct hit with the 
             S&S missile is 10 points, and the hail deals random damage 
             depending on how concentrated the hail is.
SKIMMER
-------
Expansion: Flamethrower
Effectiveness: 4
Description: The Skimmer missile divides into two missiles when it lands, each 
             turning into a skipper and going opposite directions. Each 
             submissile deals 20 damage.
SKIPPER
-------
Game: Pocket Tanks
Effectiveness: 5
Description: The basic skipper weapon, Skipper bounces three time after 
             landing on the ground, and it explodes before the forth bounce. 
             40 damage for a direct hit.
SNIPER RIFLE
------------
Game: Pocket Tanks
Effectiveness: 8
Description: The Sniper Rifle is similar to the Single Shot except that is 
             doesn't make an explosion. Instead, it does an incredible 
             amount of damage. It must be a direct hit in order to get the 
             points, and when the bullet hits the tank, you are awarded 100 
             points and depending on the Explosion Size setting you have on, 
             the tank will be blasted far away from it's current position.
SPIDER
------
Game: Pocket Tanks
Effectiveness: 5
Description: Like the Crazy Ivan, Spider splits into smaller bullets when it 
             comes close to the opposition. But, the Spider's bullets shoot 
             straight towards the opponent, making it a bit more effective 
             than the Crazy Ivan. When the Spider doesn't even come close to 
             an opponent and it hits the terrain, it doesn't split into 
             smaller pieces. Instead, it acts like dirt-removing weapons and 
             clears away some land.
SPINKLER
--------
Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe
Effectiveness: 8
Description: The Sprinkler works like the Pineapple, but much better. As the 
             missile travels along, it sends out bursts of bullets that look 
             like the Pineapples main blast. Then, if you land a direct hit, 
             it is worth 59 more points! Each bullet landed is does 10 damage, 
             but the only downside to the Sprinkler is that it is very, very 
             easy to hit yourself with, and each bullet takes off 10 for you, 
             so the Sprinkler is deadly two ways.
SUNBURN
-------
Expansion: Meteor
Effectiveness: 6
Description: The missile breaks off right before it hits the opponent and 
             spreads into nearly 50 missiles that go off in every direction. 
             Although it covers a wide area, many shots miss the opponent. 
             Each hit does about 20 damage, and if your opponent happens to 
             be in a hole and you land a direct hit... >:)
SUPER FLARE
-----------
Expansion: Power
Effectiveness: ?
Description: A stronger and upgraded version of Flare, Super Flare consists of 
             five missiles instead of three.
SUPER LASER
-----------
Expansion: Ambush
Effectiveness: 8
Description: The Super Laser is exactly the same as the laser. Same hit 
             points, same shot type. But, Super Lasers can cut through terrain 
             making them much more versitile than the normal Laser.
SUPER SKIPPER
-------------
Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe
Effectiveness: 6
Description: A more powerful version of the Skipper, Super Skipper bounces six 
             times instead of only three and the damage for a direct hit is 
             raised from 40 to 50. A bit more useful, but not much of an 
             upgrade.
SUPER TRACER
------------
Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe
Effectiveness: N/A
Description: Same as the Tracer except that is has a few additional readings, 
             -20, -15, +15, +20. Even more useful than the regular Tracer, but 
             it still deals no damage.
SUPER ZAPPER
------------
Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe
Effectiveness: 6
Description: Almost identical to it's counterpart, the Super Zapper is a 
             missile that, when close to the opponent, sends out a homing 
             laser that zaps the opponent for a quick 40 points. The laser on 
             the Super Zapper extends a bit more than the Zapper.
STATIC BALL
-----------
Expansion: Meteor
Effectiveness: 4
Description: A ball that starts spouting off little lasers as it closes in on 
             the opponent. Only does about 30 damage, even with a direct hit.
TAR BALL
--------
Expansion: Chaos
Effectiveness: 5
Description: Like a Dirt Ball except black. Especially useful when an 
             opponent is at a higher elevation and the background is black, 
             the Tar Ball will blend in perfectly with the background. Also, 
             it does about 10 damage with a direct hit, and usually causes an 
             opponent to have to blast themselves out.
TOMMY GUN
---------
Game: Pocket Tanks
Effectiveness: 7
Description: Around 10 bullets are fired into the air and targeted towards 
             your opponent. Each shot directly landed is 20 points, and the 
             Tommy Gun is relatively easy to use, as far as multiple-shot 
             weapons are concerned.
TRACER
------
Game: Pocket Tanks
Effectiveness: N/A
Description: The Tracer is not a missile that causes damage, it simply tells 
             you where your next shot is going to land from the position you 
             are in and what angle and power setting you have chosen. It 
             shows five readings: +10, +5, 0, -5, and -10. What it means is 
             wherever the +10 reading is shown, if you were to add 10 degrees 
             to your angle setting that's where the missile would land. For 
             the - readings, if you were to take away however many degrees, 
             that's where the missile would land. The 0 reading means that's 
             where the missile will land, as long as your tank is not 
             disturbed between now and your next shot. A very useful weapon.
TURN AND BURN
-------------
Expansion: Meteor
Effectiveness: 6
Description: Only useful if you and your opponent are literally right next to 
             each other, and that's why it's not that effective. But, if you 
             happen to be in that situation (or can get yourself in it), a 
             direct hit causes 100 damage.
VOLCANO
-------
Expansion: Flamethrower
Effectiveness: 6
Description: When the Volcano missile lands, it immediately starts to spark, 
             creating the effect of a volcano. Soon, the sparking area erupts 
             into fire and dirt, covering the surrounding area with both. With 
             a direct hit, the player is damaged 30, and then the fire 
             covering them does additional damage. Does 50 to 70 damage on 
             average, but there isn't much dirt, so that seems almost 
             pointless.
WACKY TANK
----------
Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe
Effectiveness: 7
Description: Wacky Tank is a very unique weapon that does a good amount of 
             damage (direct hit = 40), but it is better known for it's side 
             effects. Whenever the Wacky Tank hits a tank, it screws up it's 
             power and angle set that it had had the previous shot. This makes 
             it harder for the opposition to hit you.
WELL DIGGER
-----------
Game: Pocket Tanks Deluxe
Effectiveness: N/A
Description: Well Digger is a dirt-removing weapon that clears any dirt 
             around you, then moves upward until it reaches the top of the 
             screen to stop any dirt that may be above you from sliding down 
             and covering you.
WORM
----
Game: Pocket Tanks
Effectiveness: 6
Description: Essentially the same as the Ground Hog and Homing Worm, the Worm
             can be volleyed or shot through the ground to the other side. In 
             order to shoot it through the ground in an attempt to thwart the 
             opposition, your turret must be touching the terrain. If not, 
             the Worm will simply explode when it hits the land. 50 points 
             for a direct hit.
X-RAY CANNON
------------
Expansion: Power
Effectiveness: ?
Description: The X-Ray Cannon is a spread-shot of lasers that cut through 
             terrain.
ZAPPER
------
Game: Pocket Tanks
Effectiveness: 6
Description: A missile that turns into a homing laser whenever it reaches an 
             opponent, the Zapper is quite effective because as long as your 
             missile comes near the vicinity of the other tank, the Zapper 
             becomes a laser that immediately strikes the tank for a quick 40 
             points.

*NOTE* Weapons with a ? by their effectiveness are in the Power Pack, 
something that I have yet to purchase. The synopsis for each of those weapons 
is based solely from what I found at www.blitwise.com. Any extra information 
regarding these weapons would be greatly appreciated. 

*******************************************************************************

VIII.  STRATEGIES
-----------------

There are two main strategies that you can use. You can choose to play mainly 
defense or mainly offense. They both work quite well, and a description of 
what weapons to use and how the strategy works is found below.

*NOTE* The best way to play using a certain strategy is to pick your weapons 
manually. If you choose randomly, the opportunity to use just dirt/defense 
weapons or explosive/offense weapons is basically pointless.

DEFENSE - Down and Dirty
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Playing defense means using mostly dirt weapons, for example, Dirtball. By 
playing this way, scoring is not as prevalent as it is when you play 
offensively.

As you probably know, dirt weapons cover your opponent in a mound or layer of 
dirt. When this occurs, the opponent is forced to dig themselves out, usually 
by means of explosives. The explosive weapons they use will hurt them, taking 
points away from their score. There are also weapons that counter dirt 
weapons, which will be refered to as dirt-clearing weapons. If the opponent 
has many of these, your strategy is almost hopeless if you plan on defeating 
them (That should be your game plan).

The best weapon to have handy if you plan on using the defense strategy is the 
Chaos Grenade. Not only does this weapon cover the opposition in massive 
amounts of dirt, it does a lot of damage at the same time. With this, you'll 
be able to damage your opponent with the strategy talked about and earn some 
points for yourself, securing that if you can keep your opponent buried, you 
can win.

Here's a basic defensive lineup, in case you're playing the original Pocket 
Tanks:

Dirt Slinger
Zapper
Homing Worm
Dirtball
Worm
Ground Hog
Mountain Mover
Magic Wall
Dirt Mover
Firecracker

10 weapons from from the basic version of Pocket Tanks. There are only two 
actual dirt weapons in the game, and although it may not seem that the others 
are part of the strategy, they are. Let's take a closer look at this lineup.

DIRT SLINGER
::::::::::::
Of course, playing defense means using dirt weapons, and this is a pretty 
useful one at that. The Dirt Slinger covers your enemy in dirt, forcing them 
to blow themselves up with there own weapons.

ZAPPER
::::::
The Zapper is probably the most random out of the bunch, but it serves it's 
purpose. You can use it before you throw your first dirt weapon, scoring you 
some points before you bury them, or you can save it for when they do dig 
themselves out of there grave for an easy 40 points.

HOMING WORM
:::::::::::
This weapon serves two purposes. One, the Homing Worm allows you to hit the 
opponent without disturbing the mound of dirt atop him. You can score points 
while not uncovering them. Two, this further forces the opponent to dig out 
from the mound because he has no other means of hitting you, because you have 
one of the few weapons that can travel through ground.

DIRTBALL
::::::::
You'll probably want to make sure you get a direct hit with this one, because 
it unleashes only a sparse amount of dirt. Nonetheless, it covers the opponent 
up, cranking up the usefulness of your strategy.

WORM
::::
One of the other weapons that can travel underground, having the Worm in your 
possession stops your opponent from attacking you. It is also means of 
scoring without assisting in the removal of dirt.

GROUND HOG
::::::::::
The last underground weapon. Having this plus the two Worms allows you to have 
complete control of the underground.

MOUNTAIN MOVER
::::::::::::::
Thinking outside the box, having the Mountain Mover is actually a good thing. 
Keep in mind that you do not have to shoot it at your opponent, you can launch 
it right off the screen. Having it prevents the opposition from easily digging 
themselves out from your trap without hurting themselves.

MAGIC WALL
::::::::::
It's not even cool to consider this a dirt weapon because it's practically 
useless. But, if you can manage to land it directly in front of your opponent 
(covered or not), it can stop them from hitting you.

DIRT MOVER
::::::::::
Like the Mountain Mover, the only reason to have this weapon is so your 
opponent doesn't. Having it prevents them from digging out easily.

FIRECRACKER
:::::::::::
Actually, as opposed to what was said earlier about the Zapper, this may very 
well be the most randomly picked weapons. It doesn't cause a whole lot of 
destruction, although it does cause some, and it does damage. One of your 
offensive weapons in the lot.

Like I said, the above is just an example, but I showed how it can work for 
you if you choose to play defense.

There are many, many combinations you can use if you play with Pocket Tanks 
Deluxe and various expansions. There are more that can be made with the later 
version of the game that are a lot more effective. Here are some of the most 
useful defensive weapons in the entire game (all 120 weapons):

Chaos Grenade
Mud Pie
Tar Ball
Shelter
Fire in the Hole
Big Dirtball
Super Laser
Rainbow Dirt
Dirt Slinger
Flower Power

That lineup is probably the best defensive lineup in the game, if all of those 
were to come up and you somehow got away with picking all of them. Of course, 
you can mix and match to make your own list of weapons, maybe throwing in some 
more explosives or even a few more dirt weapons. Who knows. Making your own 
list and using what works for you is half the fun, though, so go crazy with 
it. :)

OFFENSE - Shock & Awe
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A little bit of a reference to a certain war campaign there ;) The offensive 
strategy is probably the more popular method out of the two, because people 
tend to lean towards big explosions and damage.

Playing offense is, as you have probably guessed, using weapons that do 
devastating damage consistently. Take note, however, that using this method of 
attack does not mean choosing weapons primarily because they cause huge 
explosions and remove a lot of land. It's about using weapons that cause 
damage that can mount into the 100's.

Here's an offensive lineup for the original Pocket Tanks game:

Single Shot
5 Shot
Jackhammer
Heatseeker
Sniper Rifle
Napalm
Chain Reaction
Tommy Gun
Scatter Shot 
Cruiser

10 weapons from the basic game of Pocket Tanks. Taking a closer look at this 
lineup, you find that each one serves a purpose and was chosen for a reason.

SINGLE SHOT
:::::::::::
Although it seems like it would be the weakest weapon in the game, Single 
Shots are actually quite powerful. Dealing 59 damage for a direct hit, the 
Single Shot is a good choice for powerful weapon out of the bunch and has an 
average explosion size.

5 SHOT
::::::
Albeit weaker than the Single Shot, the 5 Shot does 20 damage per missile hit 
while ensuring that at least one missile hits.

JACKHAMMER
::::::::::
The Jackhammer is quite a powerful weapon. It bounces up and down, pounding 
the opponent into the ground. 10 damage is dealt per direct hit.

HEATSEEKER
::::::::::
The Heatseeker is good to have in your arsenal because it's almost a 
guarenteed hit if you shoot somewhere in the area of the opponent. It is twice 
as powerful as the Homing Missile, and is easy to hit with.

SNIPER RIFLE
::::::::::::
The most powerful weapon among the Pocket Tanks weapons, the Sniper Rifle does 
100 damage with a hit, and blasts the opponent far away. Although it does not 
cause any kind of explosion, the Sniper Rifle is a very effective tool.

NAPALM
::::::
Among the most powerful of the flame/fire weapons in the entire series, the 
Napalm is an obvious choice as it takes off about 20 points per half second it 
sits on the opponent.

CHAIN REACTION
::::::::::::::
The Chain Reaction causes a series of powerful explosions that drain a 
significant amount of damage from the opposition. No offensive lineup would be 
complete without it.

TOMMY GUN
:::::::::
A barrage of bullets that rain down on the opponent causing massive damage. It 
is among the most powerful of the basic Pocket Tanks weapons.

SCATTER SHOT
::::::::::::
The Scatter Shot breaks into five missiles when it lands, almost positively 
ensuring that you get at least one hit in.

CRUISER
:::::::
Having one Cruiser in the offensive lineup is always a good idea, and the 
Cruiser does it's job fair enough. Although it doesn't do massive damage, the 
Cruiser is an easy way to get a hit in, making it a good choice.

As far as playing the original Pocket Tanks goes, the above is a pretty good 
setup. But, with all the expansions and Pocket Tanks Deluxe, there's no limit 
to what you can combine to assemble a great offensive attack.

Here are some of the best offensive weapons in the game:

Sniper Rifle
Chain Reaction
Cannon Ball
Flower Power
Chaos Grenade
Color Bomb
Ambush
Fire in the Hole
Meteor Shower
Comet

This is probably the best offensive weapon list that you could ever hope to 
obtain. It's really not probable that you would ever get this, these are among 
the most powerful offensive weapons, and are there to help you choose what you 
think should be implemented into your list.

You'll notice that Mega Nuke is not listed. Although it causes what is 
probably the biggest explosion in the game, it is not even close to being one 
of the more powerful weapons. It's just there for show.

Playing offense and defense are both fun and strategies every so often adds to 
the enjoyment. Develop your own strategy for Pocket Tanks, that's half the 
fun; this is just here to nudge you along the way.

*******************************************************************************

IX.  GLITCHES
-------------

A list of glitches that I have found while playing the game, and some that I 
found on the GameFAQs message boards.

SHELTER/BOUNCY WALL GLITCH
##########################
If you fire one of the following weapons, they will become stuck and you must 
restart the game:

Lucky Shot
Lodestones
Homing Missile
Heatseeker
Beehive

The reason the missiles become stuck for the Homing Missile, Heatseeker and 
Lodestones is that they are all missiles that home in on the opponent. If the 
opponent is protected by Shelter or right next to a Bouncy Wall, the missiles 
are constantly trying to get through to the tank, and since they never blow up 
without coming in contact with a tank or the terrain, the game never ends and 
you must restart.

As for the Beehive and Lucky Shot, I'm not sure as to why this happens.

Any more glitches that you find, send them to me at kader3@msn.com. I'll be 
sure to add them in the next update and credit you with the info.

*******************************************************************************

X.  CREDITS AND LEGAL STUFF
---------------------------

This document is copyright Pegboy (Derek Kader) 2003 and should not be copied, 
in whole or in part, changed in any way, shape or form, stolen from, or any 
other illegal crap that you might try to pull. If you'd like to use part of it 
or post it on your website, e-mail me at kader3@msn.com. Also, if you see it 
on any other site besides GameFAQs, e-mail me so I can take care of the 
problem.

If you have anything to add, be it strategies, tips, tricks, e-mail me at 
kader3@msn.com. I will credit you with the info in the next update.

I'd like to thank the following people/sites/corporations:

GameFAQs - For hosting this and all of my other FAQs.
CJayC - For posting my stuff.
Blitwise - For creating this game and all of it's updates and expansions.
www.blitwise.com - I got the info on the Power Pack from this website, so 
thanks go out to them.
GameFAQs Message Boards - I found some of the game glitches on the MBs so 
thanks to the people who posted those glitches.
Anybody who helped me develop my writing ability or got me into writing this 
stuff, thanks.

The newest version of this guide can always be found at www.gamefaqs.com.

Have fun playing Pocket Tanks and have a great day!

(c) Pegboy 2003