Pmetrics Returns

Performancing Metrics (PMetrics (aff)) has returned after dying an uncertain death months ago when they 'went under' for lack of funds. I'm glad to see they're back because they give you something that others just don't.


I use several different tracking programs, from analytics to mybloglog and none of them give me all that I want. I'm a stats junkie and I just can't help myself. So, I use them all in the hopes that I can get something different from each one.

So, I'm glad to see PMetrics back up and running because I enjoyed the previous version. I'm really glad to see this version is even better. The interface is clean and powerful, but even better it's running in real time. So, I can see what's happening almost instantaneously on my site.

They have several different stats to watch, but the unique ones (for me) is visitor tracking and spy. I like to see where each person is coming from and where they go from there. I want to know what you, the visitor, are interested in. I want to help you find it. If I can't help you, then you won't keep coming back. And PMetrics has helped me do that over the past two days.

Any 'action' you take is recorded while you are here. A lot of people are using the label 'walkthrough' for instance, which is fantastic. I'm excited to see people looking around at all the games I've reviewed and all the walkthroughs I've written. It's almost hypnotic to watch people do things using the spy category. Each action that occurs is written to this page. As I get two to three hundred visitors a day at the moment, something happens fairly often.

Anyways, more on PMetrics (aff). According to their site:

Performancing Metrics is available for FREE to all users with sites that average less than 1,000 page views per day, which is the vast majority of blogs and web sites out there. We also have a premium service that is required for sites with higher traffic levels, but, it also gives you access to a few of our very best features such as RSS and Spy. When you first register, you get a free 21 day trial of premium, after which you are downgraded to the free plan if you have not paid the extremely reasonable price of just $14.99/year. You can upgrade to premium at any time, before or after your trial ends. Simply go to this page to sign up.

The $14.99/year (or $1.99/month if you choose) covers any site that has up to 10,000 average daily page views, which is 99% of the sites that use our service. Sites with higher traffic levels are priced at $1 per year per one thousand daily average page views. Example: A site with 50,000 daily page views would be $50/year.

So, to make a long story short, they're back and I'm happy to say they're better. Take a look if you'd like. The links here are affiliate links, which means if you pay for the service, I'll get something back. But as they point out, most people won't need to pay.

Get the Glass

Get the glass is a graphically intense (for a flash game) teaser for milk. Your job is to help the milk deprived Adachis 'get the glass' that's held at fort fridge . This whole game reminds me of the board game life.

Roll the dice and move forward. At each stop, you get a fortune, misfortune or mastermind card. The fortune cards move you forward, the misfortune cards move you back. Answer the trivia questions correctly and the mastermind cards move you forwards. But the cops are after you, and they always seem to be one step behind you. If they catch you, you'll be sent to milkatraz.

There are also some mini-games, but you should be able to beat them with a few tries.

Tips and Hints: The final lock combination is found on the top right. You've been collecting the numbers in each of the mini-games. Also, the final message is: can I please get the glass.

You should play this game just for the graphics. But don't do it unless you have a strong connection. Waiting time could be a killer.

I found this game via JIG.

Play Get the Glass at gettheglass.

Bubble Tanks

Bubble Tanks is an interesting idea. The graphics are really good for flash and the sound effects are decent. But without any real objectives or difficulty, it just isn't a lot of fun to keep playing.

Travel from bubble to bubble destroying all the other bubble tanks in each bubble. Pick up bubbles to power up. The bubble shield seems to be the final power-up(see the image). There are no bosses, although some tanks are bigger, and so take longer to destroy.

Suggested improvements include:

• An objective. Traveling from bubble to bubble is fun to watch, but with no goal in mind, it's mindless.
• Other/choice in upgrades would be nice. I happened to like the multiple shots, rather than the big shot. Also, since the other tanks get heat seekers, why don't I?
• Some more difficulty. It wasn't that hard to kill everything. I was never in any danger. After I had traveled through 10 bubbles, I felt like I had seen it all.
• A map. I managed to make it to the edge of the world, but I have no idea how many bubbles I had missed along the way.
• Stats. This ties in with the whole objective thing. How many bubbles cleared? How many enemies? etc...
  

At the end of the day, I'm glad I saw this game. I enjoyed playing it once. I won't be back until there's improvements or a sequel.

Play Bubble Tanks at armorgames.

BoomShine

Boomshine is a nice, relaxing game that can help you get through hump day. There's no skill involved, unless you're one of those rare people who can track 60 balls that start off in random directions.

Click anywhere on the playing field to set off a chain reaction of exploding balls. Each level has a particular goal. Blow one ball on level 1, 2 on level 2 and so on until you get to level 12 when you need to blow 55 out of the 60 balls floating around.

Boomshine refers to those lucky few times (and I mean very few times) that you clear the whole screen.

No noisy explosions, just calm soothing music. If you're one of the uber-competitive, this is not the game for you, since you'll start throwing things on the last level. If you just want to relax, enjoy the music and the show, then play boomshine at k2xl.

Flash Circle TD

Flash Circle TD is another Tower Defense game from the same creator of Flash Element TD. This time, the weapons are a lot more balanced, and the objective has changed. Before, you had to defend the castle from invasion. Now, your objective is just to keep the number of creeps down below a certain limit (100 in normal, 80 in hard). The graphics have improved and so has the sound. But the game has become too balanced.

The problem is the upgrades just aren't a lot of help. The game has become too balanced. Each upgrade gives your gun turrets the ability to do more damage, but since with each upgrade, your increase in damage goes down and the cost goes up, the increased range just doesn't help out more.

So, either make more level 0 turrets, or upgrade the ones you've got to get as far as you can. And unless you just build Fast Towers, it doesn't seem to matter which tower you choose to use. Whether splash towers coupled with slow to spread your damage around or damage towers with their massive amounts of damage per shot, as long as you have a couple of air towers in the center to take care of the flyers, you should get into the low 70's.

Play Flash Circle TD at candystand.

What's your best strategy?

Update: Tip: (or should I call it a walkthrough?) I was able to get to level 103, score of 2878 using the following strategy. Build 4 splash towers (then upgrade) in the upper (middle-ring, as opposed to the center and outer rings) right hand, with slow towers nearby. As the creeps come in on the right, click on the front creep to target him. As he falls back into the crowd, click on the next creep to come to the front, thereby bunching them up. This allows you to maximize the splash affect.

Build some slow towers on the left side, to automatically bunch up the creeps as they come in the left.

Once your four splash towers have been upgraded, build some more.

Also, build some air towers in the center to take care of the flyers as needed.

The only issue with this strategy is the massive amount of clicking you need to do. Fast creeps can ruin this, as well as too many flyers left circling around. They just get in the way.

Update Again
Flash Circle TD was updated to include interest payments. You get 5% back at the start of each wave for whatever money you have in the bank. You've also lost the ability to target creeps, so the above strategy no longer works.

Current Strategy: you should allow the creeps to build up as much as you can stand in order to take advantage of the interest payments. In other words, don't build more towers unless you need to. Build one fast tower, then let the creeps come. When you feel like you're about to be overrun, build a damage tower in the center block (along the edge). Let it go again. When you feel like you're in danger again, build another damage tower. Let the creeps keep coming. When needed, add an air tower. When you feel like it, upgrade. Repeat...

As long as you keep building up a money supply, you're interest payments will allow you to stay ahead of the creeps. By doing this, I put over $9 million in the bank on level 207. The hard part is not building at the beginning. If you're a gamer, your first response is to act, not wait. I assume I would still get overrun eventually, since I should run out of building space. But by level 150, if you're not bored, you need to get out more. ;-)

Gateway II Walkthrough

Gateway II is a great puzzle game submitted to JIG for their latest contest. Like the first Gateway, you need to solve the puzzles in order to move your robot character through the 3D world. While none of the puzzles are particularly tricky, it can take a while to figure anything out. I'll post a walkthrough in the comments below.

You can do the whole thing in a fairly short time. I liked Sprout better than Gateway II, and it seems JIG agrees with me. ;-)

Play Gateway II at one of the mirrors.

Desktop Tower Defense

Desktop Tower Defense is another tower defense game, but with more freedom. You can place your towers anywhere you like. Otherwise, it's more of the same. You get five choices for towers, each with their own strengths and limitations. Upgrade them (one fully upgraded tower is worth more than just about any amount of level one towers), then let the creeps come at them.

Basically, you have a gentleman's agreement with the creeps. They can't attack your towers, but you can't completely block their passage through.

I have to say, finding a good arrangement for my towers was a challenge. At first, I tried to build up the pellet guns as far as possible, figuring that was a cheap way to go. But the pellet guns, despite their phenomenal range once upgraded, were just too slow, even when I built up a maze that had the creeps on screen for a long time. Eventually, the maze would get overwhelmed with too many creeps on screen. So, a flyer would come on, while I was still trying to get rid of the creeps on the ground. And I would lose on level 47 or 48 (there are 49).

Instead, I came up with this '2' maze, with the squirt towers built up as much as possible in the middle. By getting the creeps to circle around the center, I'm able to keep up the maximum amount of firepower on them for just long enough. I still have trouble with the last flying group, though. I win on 'normal', but about a dozen creeps do manage to get through. It's frustrating to say the least to see the flying boss (level 42), in particular, to fly right by.

Feel free to let me know about your best strategy for defeating the creeps.

Play Desktop Tower Defense at handdrawngames.

Other Tower Defense games:
Flash Element Tower Defense - TD
Tower Defence
Imminent

Update: I was able to kill all on normal level using a circle defense: See the map That's a swarm tower surrounded by squirt towers. Frost towers line the circle to slow them down. Score 6352.

Sprout Walkthrough

Sprout is a beautiful new point and click puzzle game submitted to be part of JIGs new competition. Your mission is to help the seed to travel across the ocean, over hills and through deserts to get to the forest, where it's dream of becoming an acorn (actually, it's great-great-great grandchild can become an acorn) can come true.

While not difficult to figure out, I'll leave a walkthrough in the comments section for anyone who gets stuck. Each time your seed stops, you click on one of the choices presented. The seed will grow into that object, then deteriorate back into a seed. Just like a real seed you will need to have your fruit eaten in order to travel, other times, you can float on the air. Sometimes, you will get to learn a new trick (i.e. a new plant you can grow into).

All in all, a fun, short diversion.

Play sprout at fizzlebot.

Spamalot, the game

Spamalot lets you pick. Shall you choose the English or the stinky French? Defend your castle from attack by flinging whatever comes to hand, whether it be a cow, a chicken, shrubbery, or a rabbit with a vicious streak.

With not much else to recommend this game, if you like to go around saying "none shall pass", or "bring out yer dead" or even "Some call me Tim", you'll like this game. Otherwise, you'll get quite sick of "spam, spam, spam, ..." over and over again, so just "run away!"

Categorize this under: Defend Your Castle

Play Spamalot at addictinggames.