Getting Flash Game Avatars with your Trackpad

The flash game avatars can be tough - that's no secret. You don't have to go far on the Neoboards to see people pulling their hair out trying to get the high scores necessary for those snazzy avatars. If you use a trackpad for your gaming, you probably feel you're at a disadvantage. Trackpads are not always the best option for gaming.

I can see you now, sitting in the Games Room and banging your head on your keyboard, shouting at your computer, "But TNT, I can't move as quickly! I can't be as accurate! My trackpad is too small! I'll never get these avatars!" Well, lower your voice. Today, I'm going to tell you why you're wrong (in the nicest way that I can). It is possible - nay, it is EASY - to get flash game avatars using a trackpad. Well, what are you waiting for? Keep reading and get some shiny new avatars!

Sutek's Tomb

Let's start with an easy one. In my opinion, this game gives one of the cutest avatars. The little Geb with his little arms! But I digress. This game does require lots of clicking and is time sensitive, but there is not much aiming involved and you can click at your own pace. As soon as you see a combination of three (or more) symbols in a row, just double click on one of them. They will remove themselves, giving you time to find and click on another combination.

However, you get the most points from bonuses. As the tiles fall down and create new combinations, it causes a domino effect which will give you LOTS of points. I find it helps to find combinations toward the bottom of the board - this way, there are more squares falling and the possibility for bonuses is increased.

A good way to achieve this avatar is to practice on zen mode. Zen mode has the exact same board as hard mode. Take some time playing zen mode, become a pro, then switch to hard mode. You earn points the fastest in hard mode and it won't take long to get the avatar score.

Now, some helpful hints to get this avatar easily. Typing "plzsutekcanihavemoretime" will give you a time bonus of 60 seconds. Make sure you use this at the last possible second when running out of time - this way, you can maximize your bonus! Typing "pyramibread" will give you a little hint if you get stuck and this has unlimited use. Be careful with this one though - if you click a combination of only 3 symbols, it reduces your time by a small amount. Like I said, you want to get those bonuses.

Working on a trackpad gives you no disadvantage with this game, since you're required to spend time thinking about combinations and possible bonuses, which gives you lots of time to aim and click. You and your trackpad should have this cute little avatar in no time!

Meepit Juice Break

This is a pretty straight forward game: connect the pipes to let the juice flow to the Meepits before time runs out. But just because it's straightforward doesn't mean it's easy. The pipe parts each have four positions which you can rotate through by clicking on them. This game consists of a lot of clicking on these small pipes, but there is some room for error since the pipes just keep rotating their position every time you click them. So if you click something mistakenly, you can just click three more times until it corrects itself. Get those fingers ready!

In the early levels when you've got more time for each Meepit, there are a few things you can do to boost your score. Try and connect as many extra pipes as you can to your main sequence that don't lead anywhere. You get an extra 50 points if you can connect all the pipes and clear the board to feed the Meepit.

Throughout the game, you'll want to feed the Meepit the same juice color as it's painted often as possible. This earns you two points per pipe connected, instead of just one. This can be tough, since usually you'll have to mix two colours together (or even three - the dreaded Pink Meepit!).

You may find it easier to work backwards, from the Meepit to the juice starting point. You've got to watch out for items on the pipes too. Some will get you point bonuses, others... not so much. If you see a rotten apple core, avoid it at all costs. This pesky piece of pipe will take 10 points off you're score and you definitely don't want that.

Don't forget: typing "meepits" will give you an extra life and "juice-o-matic" will reset all the Meepits' timers. Both of these are one use only, and are invaluable for achieving the avatar point score. Make sure to reset the Meepits' timers only if absolutely necessary, like if all three are about to fall off the tree. Your game can end very suddenly if you aren't paying close attention to those timers!

This game avatar is achievable, but it will take some practice. You've got to click fast and click often, but because of the rotating pipes, precision isn't as necessary. Once you get the hang of it, this game with a trackpad is a breeze!

Gourmet Club Bowls

The rules of this game are pretty simple. You start with 4 bowls. There is a white ball placed at the end of the green called the jack. The object of the game is to get as many of your bowls as close as you can to the jack. But beware, your opponent has their own bowls and can knock yours away from the jack, causing you to lose. Dun dun duuuuuunnnnnn!

This game is easy to play with a trackpad. All you have to do is click, drag and aim. This can all be done slowly, meaning you've got lots of time to aim your bowl towards the jack. When you get to the higher levels you need to use a spin option, which is done using the arrow keys. Be careful to avoid banana peels and Symol holes! They'll eat your bowl or make it bounce a different way. The easiest way to win rounds in the game is to try and position all your bowls directly in front of the jack. This means there will be less of a chance your opponent can hit them out of the way.

Some hints for this one: you can use the Cybunny's ears to judge how far to throw. If you're past its ears you'll be throwing too hard! I like to pull back about ¾ the length of the ear - that seems to be a sweet spot. Plus, if your opponent knocks the jack out of bounds (past the end of the green to where the game screen ends), you automatically get 2 points.

If you're going for the avatar (which you are, or you wouldn't be reading this), you can type "shepherd" on the instruction screen to double your points for the whole game. Who needs a mouse?! Even without this extra help, it's still very possible to achieve enough points for this avatar with a trackpad. It may take a little practice but this game is pretty straight forward and requires minimal clicking. Take your time and show that Mr. Bluster who's boss!

Potato Counter

This game is perhaps the easiest one to play using a trackpad - you don't need the mouse function at all! Well, except to click "Next Level" after each level. But that's not really key to the game play. I mean, yeah, you have to do it to play the game, but ... Okay, you know what I mean. Basically, you only need to use your trackpad between levels to click to advance to the next!

For the rest of the game, as the name suggests, you simply have to count potatoes. They fly across your screen at increasing speeds and all you have to do is type in how many you counted on that level. Make sure you're only counting potatoes though. The other veggies that fly through don't count.

A good way to do this is to stare in the centre of the screen. try and use your peripheral vision to count the potatoes. Eliminate ALL distractions, particularly the music for this game. Mute is a must!

Using a mouse or a trackpad makes no difference in this game, so those with a trackpad need not feel disadvantaged here. The only ones at a disadvantage are those who can't count potatoes by the dozens in ten seconds as they whiz across your screen at lightspeed. But that's a whole different problem.

Volcano Run

In Volcano Run, you have to control Glubgar as he flies through a volcano. Easy, right? But don't forget about the fiery debris blocking his way, lava shooting out of the floor, and lava rocks falling from the sky. It's no easy feat to get the points needed for this avatar. You control Glubgar by clicking to maintain his flight height. "Clicking on what?" I can hear you asking. Simply by clicking on the game screen anywhere! No aim at all required - perfect for a trackpad.

Every time you click and hold, your character is propelled upwards. Release the hold and the character falls downwards. The tough part is clicking 'strategically'. Hold the trackpad for too long and Glubgar hits the ceiling (ouch). Don't hold it long enough and Glubgar falls to the floor (double ouch). Although you have three lives, your score is determined by your longest flight plus your bonus received from collecting gems.

On your first run, try and go as far as possible - over 1200 meters to be safe. With your remaining lives, collect as many bonus gems as possible. There's a maximum of 450 points you can receive from the gems, though, so once you've hit that, gems will no longer appear. Of course, don't forget to type "glubgar" to get an extra life. This will help with the gem collecting.

Making your way through the ever-changing size of the tunnels while maneuvering around obstacles can prove to be tough, but like I said, you're just clicking. No aim is required, no quick movements - just perfect timing. This makes it an ideal game for using a trackpad.

The Buzzer Game

Now, this game takes a lot of time and also a lot of patience. And I mean, A LOT. There is no time limit for each level, you can move as slowly and as carefully as you want. Perfect for a trackpad. To win this game, all you have to do is move your hoop from one end of the wire to the other, while keeping the hoop from touching the wire. Should be simple enough.

Well see, if you don't know how to track your mouse it can be pretty difficult. Your cursor disappears once you click on the wire, but have no fear. Type "cheese" as soon as you start to bring your cursor back to life! This makes the game infinitely easier.

I would argue that this game is perhaps easier with a trackpad than with a mouse. Because the length of the wire is long, it's often necessary to take your finger off your trackpad or mouse to make sure you've got enough work space to move. So, when you lift your finger off your trackpad, the cursor stays put. With a mouse, there's always that chance that you may move it slightly when you let go, causing you to lose a life. So there you go, a game where you're at an advantage with a trackpad!

To beat the game and get this avatar, keep the top point of your mouse in the middle of the black wire at all times. There is one piece of advice that is crucial for this game. Take. Your. Time. I can't stress this enough. Don't worry about the time bonus because you can achieve avatar score without getting any bonuses. Plus, the odds of you making it from one end of the line to the other in the bonus time are super duper slim, particularly in the upper levels. I'm pretty sure you'd have to be some sort of Nimmo Ninja to be able to make the bonus time, and most of us are not Nimmo Ninjas. Yet.

Eyes getting sore? Take lots of breaks! As I've said, there is no time limit for this game so if you need to take a break, go right ahead. I had to take probably a dozen breaks while playing this game because I was concentrating so hard I wasn't blinking. Patience and time is all you need for this game. As long as you move slowly, using a trackpad makes no difference in your ability to get this avatar and maybe even puts you at an advantage. Stretch those eyes and get that avatar!

Advert Attack

Now, hear me out with this one. Yes, Advert Attack requires a lot of clicking in small, particular places and you need great aim and to be super quick. But a score of 700 points is not as hard to achieve as you may think.

In this game, you're racing a spaceship. Fun, right? You have to click the small 'Go!' sign as it pops up. Each time you click it, your spaceship moves forward. Click it fast enough and enough times, and you win the race! But that evil Dr. Sloth makes it more difficult. He's placed pop up ads all over the page, making it difficult to hit 'Go!'. We've got to use our trackpad to get around these ads, click the button, and win the race!

Firstly, it's important to remember that you don't have to remove the ads to get points. You just have to finish the race as quickly as possible. To make it easier with a trackpad, ignore all the ads that pop up that don't completely block the screen. Of course, many that pop up will be blocking the screen, so you can just click the 'Close' or 'X' button in the corner to remove them. With a trackpad, aiming for these small buttons can be difficult, so it's often easier to simply drag and drop the ads to the side or bottom of the screen. If you play in a small game window, it's not too difficult to use the trackpad to do this since you aren't moving the ads very far.

Playing in a small gaming window also ensures that the 'Go!' button appears in a smaller space, making it easier to click. The faster you finish the race, the more bonus points you get. You want to aim for above 32-35 extra seconds per round in order to get the avatar by the end. This one seems like a trackpad puts you at a disadvantage, but I promise it does not. Click as fast as you can and it's all yours!

Feeling more confident in using your trackpad to get flash game avatars? After all these excellent tips, you should. With some practice, these seven avatars can be achieved without using a mouse and without too much of a headache. No need to feel disadvantaged if you only use a trackpad for Neopets. Unless, of course, they release an avatar for Zurroball. Then all us trackpad users would have a LOT of practicing to do.