Terminate Typing Terror Trouble

Step One:

Choose a beverage from the refrigerator with a reasonable amount of caffeine (hey, it's going to be a long day! NeoCola is an effective choice).

Step Two:

Place yourself comfortably in your computer chair, with your eyes fixed zombie-like onto the computer screen. Then, open the game Typing Terror.

Now that the easy part is accomplished, it's time to get to work. Typing Terror may primarily be a game of luck, but there is also a reasonable amount of skill involved. Those of you who are exceptional typists won't have a problem getting a reasonable score in this game. However, those of you who are not have a fair bit of work ahead of you.

Basic Information About Typing Terror:

There are six levels in this game - five of which are very similar. Robots will come onto the screen with a word in the middle of them. You are required to type each word as it appears. If you fail to type a word before it comes too close, it will crash into the screen and you will lose a life. At the end of the game, each life you have remaining is worth 100 points, so try not to lose them. :) The first five levels are in this format and increase in difficulty each time. In the last level you have to face THE BOSS! But do not be afraid - he doesn't bite. :) On this level you are required to type 25 eight-letter words in under sixty seconds. If you fail, or type too slowly, it is GAME OVER for you. :(

The Levels:

Level 1 - Type 12 three-letter words (not timed)

Level 2 - Type 14 four-letter words (not timed)

Level 3 - Type 16 five-letter words (not timed)

Level 4 - Type 18 six-letter words (not timed)

Level 5 - Type 20 seven-letter words (not timed)

The Boss - Type 25 eight-letter words (60 seconds)

Accuracy:

After each of the first five levels, you get bonus points depending upon how accurate you were in your typing. You start off with 100% accuracy in the first five levels (which is worth 200 bonus points), but for every percentage point you lose, you lose two points. For the boss level, you get a maximum of 300 bonus points for accuracy. Therefore, for each percentage point you lose, you lose 3 points. Accuracy is very important and can determine the difference between a high score and a low score; so you want to type fast, but not so fast that you lose your concentration and become careless.

The Point Break-Down:

For each word you successfully type, you get a certain amount of points:

Yellow robots - 5 points

Red robots (with upside-down words) - 20 points

Broken robots - 100 points

Possible Bonus Points

Maximum of 200 points for accuracy for levels 1-5

Maximum of 300 points for accuracy for the boss level

300 points for completing the boss level

100 points for each life you have remaining at the end of the game

Strategy:

Favour Red and Broken Robots:

Like every game, there is a strategy. In Typing Terror, it is fairly simple: favour the red and broken robots over the yellow robots. By this I mean, if a yellow robot comes onto the screen, do not type the word right away. Instead, wait a few seconds until it's closer to you, to see if a red or broken robot will come up behind it. This way you have a greater chance of earning more points. If you agree to take on this plan of action, DO NOT sacrifice any lives to type a word on a red robot over a yellow robot. If you lose a life in attempting to do so, you lose a 100 point bonus for that life at the end of the game - not worth it!!

Sometimes it helps if you count the number of words you type (as long as it doesn't break your concentration). That way, if you're reaching the end and only need to type two or three more words, you can wait for the yellow robots to get very close to try and snag two more red or broken ones.

The red robots, whose words appear upside down, may take a while to read and type. That is why you want to try to clear these robots off before the others.

Points:

If you're aiming for a high score, you'll need to manage your score appropriately. Let's say your goal is 3600 points. In order to achieve this score, you will need to gain around 500 points per level. Assuming you complete the boss with 100% accuracy, you'll need a score of at least 2500 by the end of level five, because upon completion of the boss (with 100% accuracy) you will receive a 1100 point bonus... and 2500 + 1100 = 3600. I would recommend the following points after each level if you are aiming for a high score:

Level 1: 400 - 500 points

Level 2: 900 - 1000 points

Level 3: 1300 - 1500 points

Level 4: 1900 - 2000 points

Level 5: 2500 points

After the first level, I would strongly recommend restarting the game if you don't have over 350 points. However, you don't necessarily have to restart the game on any given level if you don't meet my recommendations. You never know how many broken robots may be in store for you later on!

Zen Mode:

No points, no lives, no stress. This pretty much sums up zen mode. Due to the fact that you do not receive points in Zen Mode, you cannot compete in World Challenges or receive neopoints. This may be good for typing practice, but I personally would not recommend it. You can use normal mode for practicing just as easily, and in addition to working on your typing skills, you also get practice with typing fast and managing points. But if you're just in the mood to kick back, relax and sip your neocola, then Zen Mode might be fore you!

To Sum it All Up:

As you may have noticed, luck plays an immense role in scoring highly in Typing Terror. But with enough relaxation, rehearsal and stress recovery (the three Rs!), you will be able to use strategy and insane typing skills to finally achieve the score you've always dreamed of! ...maybe even become the best Typing Terrorer in Neopia! But if you fail at first, do not throw your keyboard to the ground, and give into the wrath of the robots. You must practice, practice, practice in order to master the art of terminating your Typing Terror trouble!