Bust a Move/Puzzle Bobble FAQ v1.1

Compiled by Carl Chavez (forego19@nwlink.com)
Authored by:

Carl Chavez (forego19@nwlink.com)
Tiri (anastos@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE)
Rick Banghart (banghar4@studentb.msu.edu)
Matt Tom (dethwish@mit.edu)

Please e-mail corrections to forego19@nwlink.com.

This FAQ is also available at the Bub and Bob Page at

http://nwlink.com/~forego19/bb.html.

Please use this method of acquisition if possible instead of requesting
the FAQ through e-mail.

*** This FAQ is extremely long ***.

There are two other files which may include all the information you need:

Bust-A-Move MiniFAQ
Bust-A-Move Levels FAQ

Both files may be acquired from

Tiri (anastos@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE) or
http://nwlink.com/~forego19/bb.html.

Again I emphasize that the WWW page should be used as a primary source
instead of e-mail.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vocabulary:
launcher - the wooden catapult thing Bub and Bob use
pair - a pair of similar colors next to each other
triple - when three bubbles are put together and pop
quad - four bubbles popped together
quint - five bubbles popped together
hanging - connecting a bubble to a pair because there's no better place
to put it, in the hope that you can pop the pair and drop the extra
bubble with it

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: What are the controls?
A: The obvious controls are: Left turns the launcher left, right turns
the launcher right, and fire fires. :)
Less obvious, though, is that up centers the launcher, and down will bring
it further in the direction it is pointing. Holding it down will do
nothing if it is centered. (Banghart)

Q: How quickly does the screen drop?
A: It depends on how many colors are on the screen. If all eight colors are
on the playfield, the screen drops after a certain number of bubbles
("b") have been fired from the launcher. For each missing color, the
screen drops every b-missing colors bubbles. So if only red, green and
blue are on the screen (like round 13), the screen will drop every b-3
bubbles. Also, after a certain amount of bubbles have been fired the
level will drop anyway. This is easily observed on levels like 13 which
seems to drop after every fired bubble if you take too many shots to
finish it.

Q: How is scoring calculated when more than three bubbles of the same color
are popped?
A: Each bubble is worth 10 points. A triple is worth 30 points, a quad is
40, etc.

Q: How is scoring calculated when multiple bubbles drop?
A: The first bubble is 20, and each additional bubble scores double. Thus:
Bubbles dropped Score
1 20
2 40
3 80
4 160
5 320
6 640
7 1280
8 2560
9 5120
10 10240
11 20480
12 40960
13 81920
14 163840
15 327680
16 655360
17 or more 1310720

Q: What are some good techniques?
A: Here are some -

1. To figure out how a bubble will bounce, look at the background.
On some levels, you can count how many squares over and up a ball will go by
looking at the slope of the arrow. On others rounds, it may be zigzags
or diamonds. Look at the angle of the zigzag vs. angle of launcher to
figure out where the bubble will go.

2. If you're getting consecutive similarly-colored bubbles, try to leave
space so that you can pop more than three at once. This becomes critical
when only two colors are left, the ceiling is really low and making a
triple would actually hurt you. Example: (R - red G - green)

ceiling ------
RR G
? And how can I get lots of points?
A: Here are strategies for certain levels. If a level strategy is
missing, please submit one! Nicknames of levels are appreciated, too.

---

8: There are several strategies for beating this level. These are the
ones that have been submitted:

Pairs, pairs, pairs. I always make sure that the colors are paired
before I pop 'em. This way I rarely get stuck with a bubble that
can't go anywhere. Whenever I can, I try to make sure that I am
eliminating a triple that exposes an unpaired color. Because I form
pairs, it becomes easy to cope with the times when the same color appears
again and again because I can pop 4 or 5 of the same bubble at once. The
pairs technique also helps me to avoid having to hang unpaired bubbles
off a pair so that it would drop when I popped the pair. I hate 'hanging'
because it decreases the amount of space a fired bubble can manuever in.
(Chavez)

As mentioned above, try to keep one of every color exposed.
Attack the middle, and try to undermine rather than use a triple on the
left and right bubbles of the third row. This is especially true when all
you have on the left side is that purple hanging from a red hanging from
a purple. Slip a purple between the other two and the red falls. Attack
the purples in the corners from the outside. That first one should be up
against the wall, and the second one better hit it. If you go inside with
that purple, sometimes the computer will give you the wrong colors and
you'll end up trapping a blue or yellow in the middle. (Tiri)

9: (Orange Road) This can sometimes be nervewracking. If that left
overhang gets a little too close, one way of getting that million is to
kill it and dump random bubbles in the big cavity in the middle. Use that
line of orange on the left side as a target to finish the level. (Tom)

12: (Christmas Tree) Try working at the middle so the board looks
like an upside-down V, then pop off the arms. Whenever possible, attempt
bounce shots, aimed at the top of the tree, with red and green bubbles.

15: The most important thing to remember is that a shot to the tops of
any of the three stems is impossible. Attack the middle stalk so you can
get better aiming angles, or attack one of the sides so that you can get
better deflections.

16: It looks like round 8, but it is a bit harder because similar colors
are more spread out, thus making quads or quints harder. Attack that
yellow on the right from the outside. (Tiri)

17: There are only four colors, so the ceiling will drop a bit faster on
this one. Try to hollow out the sides of the bubble masses so that you
can pop the top of a mass all at once. (Chavez)

24: Like 17, but there's only one mass of bubbles instead of two. The
ceiling drops a bit faster than 17's also. Erode the bottom of the mass,
but use deflection shots to pop the side pairs whenever possible so you
can eventually drop many bubbles at once. (Chavez)

---

Q: How do I get lots of points? And what do the levels look like?
A: Thanks to Tiri, Bust-A-Move players now have ASCII diagrams of all the
levels, and an aid to getting huge points!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PUZZLE BOBBLE STAGES and their MILLIONS v1.0
.............................................
by
Anastos "Tiri" Sotiris

Preface
=======

The stages marked with 2xM and 3xM (2, 3 Millions) are confirmed. So if
you have lots of nerves, a little bit of luck and get all the possible
millions till stage 30, you should have a hiscore of appr. 30.000.000 (my
personal is currently at 25.152.280, stage 27 with 4 Millions missed).

Good Luck...

LEGEND:
-------
a-d: colours; usually these are "attack spots" for a Million
X: balls, where you should find an "attack spot" for a Million
O: ball of any colour
[1-3]xM: indicates how many "Millions" in the current stage are possible
survive: don't try any Millions, just survive

Note: You usually have to "unhang" one "attack spot" (e.g. Lvl3, Lvl10, Lvl5)

01: 1xM easy 02: 1xM easy 03: 2xM easy 04: 1xM
_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________
|a a b b c c d d| | a a | |O O| | a a b b |
| a a b b c c d | | O | | a O O O O O b | | O O |
|O O O O O O O O| | O | |O O| | O O |
| O O O O O O O | | O | | a O O O O O b | | O O |
| | | O | | O | | O O |
| | | O | | O | | O O |
| | | O | | O | | O O |
| | | O | | | | O O |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|_______________| |_______________| |_______________| |_______________|
|______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______|
4 colours 6 colours 5 colours 5 colours

05: 1xM risky 06: survive 07: 1xM 08: survive
_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________
| O O O O| |O O O O O O O O| | X X | |O O O O O O O O|
| O O d b | | O O O O | | X X X | | O O O O O O O |
|O O O O | | O O O O O O | | X X | |O O O O O O O O|
| O O O | | O O O | | O O O O | | O O O O O O O |
| O O O | | O O O O O O | | O O O O O O | | |
| c O | | O O O O | | O O O O | | |
| a | |O O O O O O O O| | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|_______________| |_______________| |_______________| |_______________|
|______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______|
6 colours 6 colours 6 colours 5 colours

09: 1xM 10: 3xM 11: 1xM 12: survive
_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________
|a a a a a a a a| |O O| | X X | | O O |
| a a | | a O O O O O b | | X X X | | O O O |
|a O O O O O| |O O| | O X X O | | O O O O |
| a O O O | | a O O O O O b | | O O O O O | | O O O O O |
|a O O| |O O| | O O O O | | O O O O O O |
| O O | | a O O O O O b | | O O O | | O O O O O O O |
|O O O O | | | | O O | |O O O O O O O O|
| O O O O O | | | | O | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|_______________| |_______________| |_______________| |_______________|
|______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______|
7 colours 7 colours 8 colours 3 colours

13: 2xM (2nd hard) 14: 1xM 15: survive 16: survive
_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________
|a a b O O b a a| |O O O O| |a a b b c c| |O O O O O O O O|
| O a b O b a O | | O O O O O | | O O O | | O O O O O O O |
|O O a b b a O O| | O O O O | |O O O | |O O O O O O O O|
| O O a b a O O | | O O O | | O O O | | O O O O O O O |
|O O O a a O O O| |O O O O O O| |O O O | | |
| O O O a O O O | | a O | | O O O | | |
|O O O O O O O O| | O O O O O O | |O O O | | |
| | | | | O O O | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|_______________| |_______________| |_______________| |_______________|
|______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______|
8 colours 7 colours 8 colours 7 colours

17: survive 18: 1xM 19: survive 20: survive
_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________
|O O O O O O| | a | |O O O O O O O O| |O O O O|
| O O O O | | a | | O O O O O O | | O O O O |
|O O O O O O| | O a O | | O O O O | |O O O O|
| O O O O | | O a O | | O O | | O O O O O |
|O O O O O O| | O a O | | O O O O | |O O O O|
| | | O a O | | O O O O O O | | O O O O |
| | | O O O O | |O O O O O O O O| |O O O O|
| | | | | | | O O |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|_______________| |_______________| |_______________| |_______________|
|______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______|
4 colours 7 colours 3 colours 7 colours

21: survive 22: 3xM (3rd hard) 23: 2xM (2nd risky) 24: survive
_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________
|O O O O O O O O| |c c c c c c c c| | b O | |O O O O |
| O O O O O O | | b | | a b c | | O O O |
| O O O O | | O O O O O O O| | O a c O | |O O O O |
| O O | | a | | O O O O | | O O O |
| O O O O | | O O O O O O| | O O O O | |O O O O |
| O O O O O O | | O | | O O O O | | O O O |
|O O O O O O O O| | O O O O O| |O O O O| | |
| | | | | O O | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|_______________| |_______________| |_______________| |_______________|
|______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______|
4 colours 6 colours 7 colours 7 colours

25: survive 26: survive 27: 1xM (risky) 28: survive
_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________
|a b| |O O O O O O O O| |a a a a a a| |O O O O O O O |
| a b | | O O O O O O O | | a a | | O O O O O O |
| O O O O O O | |O O O O O O O O| | O O O O | | O O O O O |
| O O | | O O O O O O O | | O O O | | O O O O |
| O O O O O O | | | | O O O O | | O O O |
| O O | | | | O O O | | O O |
| O O O O O O | | | | O O O O O O | | O |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
|_______________| |_______________| |_______________| |_______________|
|______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______| |______(|)______|
7 colours 8 colours 6 colours 6 colours

29: 1xM (risky) 30: survive
_______________ _______________
| a a | |O O O O |
| a a | | O O O O |
| a a | |O O O O |
| O O a O O | | O O O O |
| O O O O | |O O O O |
| O O O O O | | O O O O |
|O O O O| |O O O O |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
|_______________| |_______________|
|______(|)______| |______(|)______|
7 colours 8 colours

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: What is the ending to the 1-player game?
A: Spoiler follows:

The dinosaurs go home with their catapult, leaving behind a pile of depressed
bad guys. The camera pans to the stars which are displayed in levels 20-29.
Credits scroll, then contest information is displayed for a T-Shirt drawing.
Unfortunately, the contest ended 28 Feb 95. Many people are pissed,
having beaten the game after March...:(

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

History:

6 April 95 - v0.1 - first release
14 April 95 - v0.2 - first contributions sent in
- round order fixed (I hope)
21 April 95 - v1.0 - first full version
- strategy guide revamped
- ASCII diagrams by Tiri added
30 March 96 - v1.1 - e-mail address for Chavez changed

Thanks to:

Game Space - Seattle, WA - Bust-a-Move level 6
University of Washington Game Room (HUB) - Seattle, WA -
Bust-a-Move level 6
U-Ave Pool Hall - Seattle, WA - Bust-a-Move level unknown
Funplex - Seattle, WA - Bust-a-Move level 6

---"anti-EGM" copyright declaration, v1.0---

Copyright 1995 Carl Chavez and aforementioned contributors. This document
may not be reprinted or reproduced for sale or profit without permission
from ALL contributors. This document may be freely distributed via hard
copy, WWW link, or other electronic means, but all writers retain their
copyrights. Other restrictions may apply.

--translation for the lay person:
You can print this or send it to your friends for free, but don't sell
copies of it at the arcade or at school! And don't print it in your
commercial magazine (especially EGM...).

This "anti-EGM" work may be freely copied and used by all FAQ writers to
avoid copyright infringement by any publication. It is hoped that it is
legally binding (if you're a lawyer, help me out here!).

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