Geometry Wars Strategy

[BoyVsCar]

I am swallowing my pride on this... as I usually go it alone... but I would like to hear about the general geometry wars strategy others are using. I am hooked but am having trouble getting my score above ~350,000... heck, I have yet to survive 250,000. :(

My biggest problem comes from the jacks [that's what my wife and I think the swarm of tiny enemies that always generate from the corners look like]... I have no good strategy to defeat them while being chased by other enemies.

I generally circle strafe, taking out what is in front of me and then following up with what is in pursuit when the coast is clear. Are my reflexes just slow...

I am looking towards Cuddly for some help here! :) [I hope I didn't annoy you with the Live messages the other day... just wanted to say hey and give you props for your prowess based on your Geometry Wars score! I appreciated the immediate offer of help!]

[Cuddly Knife]

Is it ever an annoyance to talk to someone on your friends list? Never has been for me...:)

1. I find it easier to circle clock-wise about three inches away from the edge of the screen, making sure to not get close to the edge because they(the Geometrites, as I like to call the race of shapes) spawn-trap you more often.

2. I also prefer the slower spread-shot over the machine gun-triple, because it does more damage in a concentrated and ranged area. It's also easier to take out the black holes with it.

3. It's a good idea to try and clear enemies in the spot that you plan on being at in one second. I usually keep my guns shooting in a "wave" type pattern. Especially handy with the little buggetrites(jacks) that spawn from the corners of the wall and the snaketrite guys.

4. Collision detection is your best friend in this game. You can get insanely close to enemies without them hitting you, so take advantage of the ability to create tight squeezes.

5. It's better to Rush 'N Attack then to try and run from enemies while attacking them from behind your ship, if that made sense. Especially if things are going crazy.

6. You get more out of your bullets if you shoot while backing up, and then move foward while still shooting. Does wonders for the snakes and the enemies that break into smaller pieces.

Here's a tip I figured out for the jacks. When they first start coming at you from the corners, be near one of them and start shooting one edge until the others get about 10 ship-lengths to you, and then you aim opposite of the corner you were shooting and start blasting at those enemies while slowly moving towards them. The trick is to keep the enemies you're not shooting right behind you. Don't worry about killing them yet, because you get your chance as you circle around. When your shooting at the enemies you're going towards, try to aim for the area where they spawn from, because if you can keep a coupla inches clear, you'll be able to slide right on through(you also kill more enemies in the small area that they spawn from, so you actually get a few shots that you can throw at enemies behind you, to keep your space), and begin working on the next corner. I usually circle clockwise, and stay a few inches away from the edges. Always try and do the wavy spray.

Egg, just wait until you get to where all of the enemies are spawning at once. You better have at least, um, all of your bombs for that area.

Good luck!!!