Hello there! My name is Goatpeople, and I am here to teach you the basics of this fun and exciting browser game: Slither.io. It has started to grow in popularity really since (about) March, and the community for it has been quite amazing. I have seen many YouTubers post gameplay and a short informational video showcasing the game, so I am here to give you guys my knowledge of the game. If you already know everything to the game, then you may leave. However, if you are willing to keep an open mind to my experiences, then I invite you to stay. So, let us continue.
Terminology:
Big-Game- Snakes that are much larger than you, but, not always, on the leaderboard or
Crowned- The #1 snake, based on Score
Score- The number value of how many dots you have in your snake
Basics
Controls
The way you play this game is move your cursor around, and your snake will follow. If you press and hold the left, or right, mouse button, your snake will ‘boost.’ Stop holding the mouse buttons to stop your boost.
Interface
At the bottom left corner, you will see your Score and Rank. Your score increases based on how many dots you collect. The bigger the dot is, the more score you will receive from it. Your rank tells you how big you are (based on score) compared to other players on your server.
Minimap
In the bottom, right corner, you will see the minimap. The white marks (hard to see, I know) are the positions of other snakes. They stretch proportionally to how long the snake is. However, if there is a clump of snakes, it will show as a jumble of white marks. The bigger circle amongst the white dots is your position.
The edges of the map are off-limits. Once you get close, you will see a red outline. Any snake that attempts to cross it will be erased from the game. Their whole snake will disappear and no mass will drop.
Leaderboard
In the top, right hand corner, you will see the leaderboard. This shows you the snake’s name and their current score.The leaderboard is refreshed about every 5 seconds. (No, the minimap does not show their position)
Skins
You do have the option to change your snake’s skin color. At the main menu (slither.io), you will see the option to share on Facebook and Twitter. Click the Facebook, and it will bring up a popup. You may choose to share, or you may just ‘X’ out. This will register that you have, indeed, gone to their Facebook page, so you will have access to the different skins. (This is a trick you can use for most games)
Stages of the Game
Start/Spawn
Once you start out in the circle of Slither.io, you will be met with many foes, most of them bigger than you. There are many strategies to collecting dots, each with their advantages and disadvantages. I will go over tactics in a later section, but for now, your goal is to scavenge the map for dots. You are not big enough to encircle others, so you will primarily be cutting small snakes off in order to collect enough Score to advance to ‘Mid Game.’
Mid Game
This is the point where you are no longer interested in fresh-spawn snakes, but you may choose to contest with the Big-Game. A primary way of advancing into late-game is by scavenging the death of Big-Game, or by encircling much smaller snakes. This stage of the game gives you the most options, as you still have the short turning radius, but you are long enough to encircle.
Late Game
By the late game, you are contesting for the Leaderboard, and eventually, the Crown. When you are just securing your Leaderboard spot, encircling smaller snakes is a good way to do so. However, if you plan on contesting spots and bringing down the snakes on the Leaderboard, you will start entering the world of tactics and strategy.
Crowned
After you have secured the #1 spot on the leaderboard, your primary objective is to survive as long as possible. Due to being the biggest snake, the biggest flaw in your armor would be your turning radius. You will start to turn like a semi carrying 4 trailers in a roundabout (Americans, sorry most of you won’t get this analogy, but look up what a roundabout is). Any small compact car that cuts you off will ensure a violent crash.
For the Americans out there, it will be like brake-checking a semi, big rig, whatever you want to call a truck.
The outer edges of the map are usually traveled by the leaderboard, as this is the safest. Most small snakes will run toward the center for some action, so you will be able to survive a lot easier on the outer rim.
Strategies:
These are some strategies that I have developed over my time playing. Some are more effective than others, but all of these are situational. You may adapt these to your playstyle as you gain more experience.
Baiting
When a snake dies (especially a Big-Game), their mass becomes a feeding frenzy. This is when you, the smart whale, uses this as your advantage. Leave a few bits of mass, and wait for your prey. You can attract many people with this, so incorporate it into other strategies for maximum effectiveness.
Big-Game Hunting
This is a strategy in which you take advantage of the bigger snake’s weakness: their turns. I would recommend having at least 500 score, enough so you can boost for a long amount of time. You will want to position yourself close to the bigger snake. Most people will turn when being hunted, so they will avoid you at all costs. Bait them and wait for them to collect the mass. You will then run along their side while boosting, and cut them off. This is a risky strategy, but the reward of taking down a Big-Game so early in the game will boost your score tremendously.
Big-Game Chasing
This is more of a waiting game. You choose a big snake to follow, and you do just that. I have found rare success with this strategy, so I would not recommend it. You are just hoping that the big snake makes a mistake, at which you will collect. This is a more passive approach that does take a lot of patience for a questionable reward.
Battle Scavenger
This is the riskiest strategy out there. Usually there is a feeding frenzy in the middle of the map, in which you will charge into. There are so many casualties that it attracts many snakes. However, once you collect a few bodies of Big-Game, you will start to find spaces get smaller and smaller. Many fresh spawns will overthrow you quite quickly, but this is the quickest way to achieve mass at a wonderful pace.
Cutting Off
The basic strategy of this is to boost and position your body in front of your foe’s head. I commonly use this at the very start of the game and then at the end. This is how many Leaderboarders will fight. It is the battle of who can obstruct the path of the other. It usually takes a lot of boost and quite a bit of time in the big leagues, but you are just waiting for a mistake to happen. To feign a move, many people will make a swerving motion. Unpredictability is key to this game, as it throws off patterns that people can adapt to.
Encirclement
This is usually what I do during the mid game. When i am long enough, usually around 1500+, I start to wrap myself around smaller snakes. I usually use bait for this, as it makes attraction a lot easier. You wrap yourself around until your head is basically right next to or on top of your tail. Then, you just continue chasing your body. Your coils automatically shrink over time, so just follow your body. If they leave a space open, then cut the circle smaller. Their direction is shown by which way their head is going, so gauge your risks carefully. Encircling is one of the best ways to collect mass, but if you make a mistake, it will cost you your life. However, be careful of your surroundings. When you encircle someone, your chances of getting circled grow and grow. If someone begins their circle, abandon your victim and try to cut off your hunter. (I usually like waiting until they complete half a circle, then cut them off as they try to complete the circle.)
Counter; There are many options to counter this strategy. One of them is to boost constantly, as it reduces the mass they would get from you. Might as well just run into their side if you choose to do this. (Another option) The best strategy I have found is to go in the opposite direction they are going, and outline their side. This creates uncertainty, as their head will be close to yours. However, this is the best way to waste time. You are just waiting for one of you to make a mistake first.
Greed
This is the best strategy I have found while playing this game. No, I am not instructing you to become greedy, but I am instructing you on using greed to your advantage. A few of my friends and I have come up with a theory: When mass is exposed, especially one of Big-Game, instincts take over and people are more willing to make rash decisions. Use this to your advantage. This is the concept behind the bait. If you want a chance to become Crowned, let alone be on the Leaderboard, your #1 goal should be to survive. If there is a feeding frenzy, take part of it. PART of it. Go in, take some mass, and get out. You do not want to overstay your visit, as you will lose the mass you just gained. Continue to do this, and be happy with what you have gained, not what you could have gotten. Greed is something you need to pardon within yourself. Do not let it take a grasp of your play. Be patient, and you will climb the Leaderboard. This is the best strategy I have come up with.
Well, I guess this is goodbye. I hope you have learned a thing or two about the game, and if you believe I need to add, remove, or change something, please leave a comment. I hope to see you on the Leaderboard!
No comments:
Post a Comment