User blog:Shnopp.shniederheimer/Tricks and Tips - Clash of Clones 2014 Event

Hey guys, been a long while since my last blog post, a bit over a month, so for anyone that actually enjoyed reading them, I apologize, but I am back, hopefully on a more consistent basis this time, with some more blog posts. Now that we have just got a new update in our little games, I guess it's time to introduce a new blog series, which I will be calling "Tricks and Tips". It's basically what it sounds like, I will be giving advice on little things that you can do to help maximize your game play time for those that are still playing the game on a pretty consistent basis. Now before I get into this blog post, per the usual, you can check out any of my other blog posts here. Feel free to read, comment, and suggest what could be done better or request if you want anything reviewed specifically. Besides that, also a reminder that the ''FXX Every. Simpsons. Ever.'' Marathon started today, August 21. So for all of you die hard Simpsons fans that want to catch some of your favorite episodes on TV, the schedule for the whole 12 days can be found here. Anyways back to Clash of Clans, err- I mean Tapped Out.

So as you all may have noticed, our game got a Clash of Clans type update parodying one of the most popular mobile games on both the iOS and Android markets. And at first glance, if you haven't played Clash of Clans (I have, but not as much as I have Tapped Out) then this the update might seem a little confusing, so these tips and tricks I have put together are here to help you out. I'm going to try to break down the Event as best I can without making this post too long of a read and boring. If need be though, I'll split this into two different blog posts. So let's get started:

Currency
So the first topic I want to talk about is the currency that was released during the event. (Feel free the check out the articles for a more specific break down)

Elixir
Now the Elixir is the main currency you will be using to buy things during the event, and can be collected various different ways. First, there's completing the main quest lines. Like all the other Events, after completing the parts of the quests, you are rewarded with a certain amount of that Event-specific currency. In this case the amount is 10 Elixir after every part of the quest is completed. Another way to collect Elixir is by completing buildings, in which case you also get 10 Elixir, and Elixir can also be obtained as a Personal Prize, unlocked by collecting Gold, which I will explain how that works in a minute as well. Elixir can also be obtained by attacking Neighbors' Towns and defending your own. (I will explain both concepts soon) Elixir was also obtained as income from jobs of specific characters. (List farther below). The final way to collect Elixir is by buying it in the store with Donuts, the thing this time though, is that Elixir is only available for purchase in the store on Wednesdays, for the duration of the event, for a 24 hour period. Once that time frame is over, the Elixir will become unavailable until the following Wednesday for, again, a limited time, 24 hour period and so on until the end of the Event. The Donut prices can be found on the Elixir article.

Gold
Gold is the second form of "currency" in this event, and I put currency in quotations because unlike the Elixir, you do not spend the Gold, just collect it, and as you reach certain amounts, prizes and upgrades are unlocked. Similar to the Gift Cards from the Christmas 2013 Event. Now you obtain Gold in a couple of ways as well. One way is by attacking Neighbors' Towns and whether the attack is successful or not determines the amount of Gold you get. Gold is also obtained from defending your own town when it's under attack. As opposed to Elixir, Gold is not available for purchase in the store at all.

Nerds
Nerds are the third form of "currency" in the Event, though they are used to attack Neighbors' Towns. Nerds could be obtained as Income from Castles or purchased in the store. The Donut prices for the Nerds can be found on the Nerds article.

Cheaters 20s
The last type of currency, which isn't really a currency at all are the Cheaters 20s. These could be obtained one of two ways: 1) Once the player collects 800 Gold, they become available for purchase in the store, again, prices can be found on the Cheaters 20s article. Once they are available for purchase, they also have a small chance of dropping randomly while defending your Town. Now the Cheaters 20s can do a couple of things. They can instantly destroy a building (without using Nerds) in a Neighbors' Town, they can defend your own buildings all at once, and they can instantly repair all damages in your town from attacks (also will be explained soon).

Upgrades
In the Event they also introduced a new system of upgrades. Castles (Barbarian Castle, Castle Recycle, and Boxingham Palace) and characters (Barbarian Homer, Wizard Marge, Goblin Bart, and Archer Lisa) could be upgraded respectively. Castles were upgraded with Elixir, which means that for every new upgrade for a castle, it cost Elixir. The upgrades to the castles increased the production of Nerds per the 2 hour collection time, and also increased the Town Shield. Each castle has to be upgraded on its own as well. Characters were upgraded with Gold. So, opposed to the castles, since the Gold doesn't decrease, they were upgraded after a certain number of Gold was collected. The characters could be upgraded at the castles once they were unlocked, and upgrades resulted in more Elixir income from their jobs respectively.

Attacking
Now as mentioned before, Nerds are used for attacking your neighbors town to earn Elixir and Gold. Also as mentioned, Nerds can be collected as income from Castles or bought in the store. As the castles are upgraded, Nerd production increased per Castle, and also as the castles are upgraded, your Max Nerd limit in your town is increased. (It starts with a base of 40 Nerds). Now for the actual attacking part: ''Note: Once Nerds are sent out to attack Neighboring Towns they cannot be used again. The only way to get more is to collect them from your castles.'' Now similar to when you visit your Neighbors for the three daily actions, you can also attack your Neighbors. When you enter their towns, tap on the Axe and Sword Icon, and select the amount of Nerds to attack the selected building. Each building has a certain amount of time needed for the attack to complete. The more Nerds used per building, the less time an attack takes. An attack ends on a Neighbors' building when the attack time is up, or when a Neighbor defends the building. If your Neighbor does defend his/her building, then the Gold and Elixir income is significantly less than a successful attack's income. You can also attack complete strangers. When your in your own Springfield, in the top right hand corner the Axe and Sword Icon can be clicked on, and will take you to a random stranger's Town, where you can attack. Attacks work exactly the same as they do in your Neighbors' Towns, except income from successful stranger attacks is way more than Neighbor attack income. (A complete list of incomes from random attacks and Neighbor attacks can be found on the Nerds article. Also, as mentioned before, using Cheaters 20s instantly destroys any players buildings.

Defending
Since you can attack other players' Towns, it's obvious they can attack yours too. But there are ways of defending. The first and probably most obvious way is to tap on the Shield icon in your own town. The Shield Icon means that the building is under attack, wither by a Neighbor or Random Player. Simply tapping on the building successfully defends it. By successfully defending your Town, the income is more than if you weren't able to defend your building. If you were unsuccessful in defending your buildings, then they will be destroyed. And the build icon (similar to when completing buildings) will appear to insta-repair your building, and you get less income from destroyed buildings. Another way to defend your town is by leveling up your castles, which besides increasing Nerd production and capacity, also increases the Town Shield, which is basically the amount of time it takes for other players to destroy your buildings. The higher level the castle, the higher level the Town Shield, which means the longer it takes for your buildings to be destroyed. Finally, using Cheaters 20s insta-defends every building in your Town as well as repair any destroyed buildings at the same time. But that pretty much sums up this Event of ours. If you have any unanswered questions though, please ask them in the comments and I will gladly try to answer them as best I can, or feel free to check out the articles for the specific items to get a more detailed look at them. But I want to know, how do you feel about this Event? Too confusing, not what you expected after such a long drought of updates? Let me know in the comments below. Also, feel free to suggest anything you think I could have done better, or anything you want reviewed in the future.

Also, again, feel free to check out any of my other blogs here. Read, comment, suggest, all that good stuff.

Until next time, - shnopp.shniederheimer