Spelunky!

[YellerDog]

Cool sandworm warp zone!

[James]

I've got the strategy down, it's the impatience I'm working on. Those damn arrow traps have killed me more than anything else, I think, primarily due to not paying attention. I can manage this, but I really need to slow down a bit and not go for every shiny thing just because it's there.

James

[YellerDog]

Pitching rocks down blindly helps catch a lot of arrow traps I'd stumble into, I find.

I don't like using the Jungle shortcut, I like having 6 hearts by the time I leave the mines.

[Pineapple]

Yeah that becomes my problem too. It really helps if you decide by the end of level 1-1 what you're trying to go for on THAT particular run. I strongly suggest NOT going for the high score on the same run you're trying to get 3 bombs to the tunnel man, there are so many different objectives to go for that each playthrough should have a certain goal, and really focus on that. If you're going to go for high score, then sure scour the levels for treasure and go for saving the damsels to give you health to keep going. If your goal is to get to the worm level, then once you see the sweaty rosebud on the wall focus only on finding the damsel and spending any ropes/bombs needed to get her back to the rosebud. The randomness of the levels does not help this, considering one wrong move at any time can result in 10 hearts going down the drain, but just take it slow, only really run when you're in an area you've cleared or you can see is pretty clear, you'll generally have way more time than you need to get to the exit. And if the ghost does come out, try to get him to move over a gem or 2, any gem he touches turns to diamond (worth ~5-6500 gold).

[Cowdisease]

This game is pretty sweet. Thanks for the tips, Pineapple!

[jyoung]

One weird thing I noticed last night: you can walk or run through spikes. They don't trigger a death animation unless you actually jump on them. Dunno if that's a glitch, or if it was an intentional part of the game's design.

Also, Pineapple, how have you not gotten a higher score playing all the way to level 3-4? Are you just taking the warps or playing super conservatively? It's pretty easy to get around 80,000-100,000 by the end of the first four levels.

I would have hit 10,000 last night, but the damn ghost showed up right as I was about to drop off a statue and collect the loot off two dead shopkeepers at the bottom of a level.

[YellerDog]

Running through spikes is VERY HELPFUL and seems totally intentional.

Killing the shopkeeper early is pretty rad, if you have a good deal of bombs on you. The game turns into GET MONEY KILL OLDIE at that point, and you get all the jetpacks.

[jyoung]

Protip: If you choose the hispanic character, it's easier to steal from the shops and kill the owners.

[Chux]

I have only succesfully murdered a shopkeep once. If the boulder comes down I'm usually called a terrorist and can survive as long as he's not near the exit.

[jyoung]

If you don't have the shotgun already, you can drop bombs from a ledge above the shopkeepers to kill them. Sometimes you can also take them out with boulders or get them to drop into spike traps.

If you don't have any weapons or bombs, you can jump on a shopkeeper's head and he'll drop his shotgun. Then you have to pick up the gun quick and start shooting him. Once you get in that first shot, he's done for.

Once you have the shotgun, you can take out any shopkeeper easily by just pumping them full of pellets from a distance.