LaserAge Strategies

GENERAL
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SECTION 2
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SECTION 4
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General Strategies

Don't get hit!  This sounds obvious, but I find it critical to stay at the maximum power level for the wave I'm playing.  This way I can kill aliens faster and am much more likely to make it through the crux waves.  Doing this requires a slower, more conservative technique but seems to get me further.  Even losing a power level or two can be deadly.

Generally this means that I try NOT to grab the power-up at the beginning of the wave, but rather the end when it is less likely to fall surrounded by bombs and when I'm not being attacked. When trying to grab the power-up in this situation I find I usually lose two or three power levels just to grab the one power pack - a big net loss!  With confidence, I find I can sometimes grab the power-up early on, but rarely do so when learning a wave.

Conservative play also means avoiding getting trapped by sheets of alien bombs.  Stay away from the sides, shoot to create large holes or tunnels of bomb-free zones that provide safety zones. Starting with wave 8?, try to look not at all the alien bombs in motion, but rather the holes or safety zones where they're not.

Try to start most rounds about two thirds of the way towards the left.  I generally find this to be the safest place until you know the rounds well enough to anticipate where to start.

Learn for each round the general sequence of play.  Most waves don't change much from game to game - there's not much random behavior, so consequently one can learn strategies on a wave by wave basic simply by rote.

Generally go for the predictable moving, most aggressive aliens first, then pick off the slower, more erratic aliens next.

From the great LaserAge Strategy web site, I heard that going for the Power-up Early in a wave - before shooting down any aliens - nets one more points.

Cheater Mode

Although I've certainly never used it much, cheater mode is essential for learning how certain aliens behave or for figuring out how to work through tough waves that take forever just to get to.

Simply enter your name as "cheater" and the following keys become available:

The only real cheat I've found is to use a seriously old or overtasked computer. Alien bombs fall really slowly providing one lots of time to react and scheme. Unlike the sanctioned cheater mode, it doesn't do much to improve one's real skill though - just your score.

Develop Skills

FEDERATION SHIP
- Use up & down, not just right & left
- Learn size of openings one can squeeze through

POWER-UPS

Taking advantage of the various power levels: 

1- 

4- You now have one (and soon two) side rockets that auto-fire periodically.  Make sure they don't accidentally trigger a power-up drop when you weren't ready for it!

6 - Green Ball 'o Fire - 

7- as with 6, but now you can fire faster!

8 - Brown/redish bubble

9 - Green sword of "the force" - strobes on & off- learn to use this.

15 - Now the force also throws bombs, so once again you can lead where the actual bombs go.

Max frequency

Stops on contact/diffuses/pierces upper levels

Miscellaneous

Look up once every five minutes or so and focus on something at least 50 feet away to give your eyes a break.  Flap your hands around to rest yer poor fingers.

Running on a full sized screen gives you better visualization of bombs and how close they really are.

I suspect the mouse is much better than playing using keystrokes.  I suppose this is a religious issue though.

Playing the sound can reinforce what is going on.  At one I learned my bombs didn't always cause damage to alien ships which only became apparent to me via sound.

LaserAche can eat up your life.  Don't neglect your family and loved ones, nor your kayak, mountain bike and skis.

Low Key Suggestions

Flash of white means you are hit

Brownish-yellow red means they're hit - not always when you think they shoudl have been 
(esp w/ large expando bubble bombs)