Kongregate Brag Board

[Flandre Scarlet]

Just got the 5 days or fewer badge in Hedgehog Launch, got into space on the 5th day. =)

[Commandersa1]

hi



Level 75.

[smartdude1212]

heh nice... I was hoping to finish GemCraft tonight but I went to work an hour early and stayed two hours later, so I probably won't... I take it everything is extremely easy after you reach Wizard level 40?

[Tasselfoot]

Finished GemCraft also. Literally spent my entire day doing it... with a few breaks here and there. Probably 14 hours or so. Less than Balloon Invasion. And slightly more enjoyable.

Level 90 though. I can get points better than Commander.

[Commandersa1]

Originally Posted by Tasselfoot

Level 90 though. I can get points better than Commander.

Psh, at least I killed the last boss in the second run, and not the third while being 15 levels under you.

Also, where is that screenshot you took?

Edit: Oh, got all glowing frames:

[Xandertrax]

How do you maximize your score in GemCraft? I can't get a glowing frame for the life of me.

[sjoecool1991]

Originally Posted by Xandertrax

How do you maximize your score in GemCraft? I can't get a glowing frame for the life of me.

I just started getting glowing frames.
Send at least 10 waves at a time, and create as many grade 1 gems as possible (hold ctrl).
Use lots and lots of gem bombs.

[MrMagic5239]

I found all hidden coins on Terrascape, woot for me

[Tasselfoot]

joe: that is a really bad strategy down the road... trust me.


Best way for glowing frames on GemCraft: don't bother about glowing frames until level 40+. At which point, max our pure gem mastery, max lower creation cost of gems, max mana given from monsters... put all the rest into number of big & beefy starter gems, continue putting in there until that is max'd. Then go back to the easiest levels and own them with your mass amounts of level 6+ gems from the start.

Also, make sure to boost your mana pool to 10k+ as fast as possible. You'll want to upgrade mana pool almost exclusively. With a few trenches and extra towers built for fortification purposes... then throw your extra level 5-6 gems into those towers. You should be able to start with at least 5 towers from really early, with at least 1-2 level 7s or 1 level 8 + level 5s and 6s. Once you reach 10k+ mana (or 20k, whatever)... then start buying a few more towers and level 6s gems.... this is only on the later levels. Easier levels, you won't ever need to buy more gems.

By boosting your mana pool early, you're boosting your score. Also, make sure to built your fortified area right near the start. Just like in Balloon Invasion, the longer it takes you to kill the guys, the less points you get for them.


Once I hit 40+, I rarely rarely used gem bombs. Only when I started having extra skill points and got starting medium gems.... then if I sent too many armored waves at once, I'd use a few of the level 3/4 gems to clear them out. So, don't worry about boosting gem bomb power until you have other skills max'd, as you really won't need it at all... and only use it as a luxury on some of the really late levels.

[Commandersa1]

I maxed out 'high level starter gems, the increase in mana, gem bomb power, low cost in creating gems, low cost for towers, and switched between pure/dual gem mastery depending on the level. My strategy was totally different from Tass, but I am pretty sure his way was better since I almost/did die on a lot of maps. I kept my mana pool at 4000+ to buy the grade 6 gem at most. No higher.

[smartdude1212]

I've sent 17 gem bombs total and I only have to beat 11 more levels (9 normal, 2 hidden) for both badges now. Whee.

[Tasselfoot]

my method will completely dominate every map.... the ONLY tiny trouble i had was with the final boss. but 2 level 6 reduce armor gems and 3 laps of the track were enough. i made sure i had 14k+ mana stored so he could do those 3 laps.

my method will also level you up really quickly.... since boosting mana pool early gets you more points and more mana per monster kill. also make sure to keep sending wave after wave. you don't ever want a complete lull. slow a bit as you reach harder levels, or big boss levels, so that you don't have a big backup behind them and let some escape.

[Ponygonpwns]

Thanks Tass for the Hedgehog Guide. Got in space in 3 days! My 7th (I think) hard badge.

[Tasselfoot]

If anyone wants guides for specific badges, let me know... I've done a decent number for Kongreguide, and I can easily write up more for specific games if needed.

[Ponygonpwns]

Kongreguide doesn't work for me. :P

[sjoecool1991]

Well, I got 8 glowing frames with my method at level 14.

[Tasselfoot]

yea. it'll work early. have you tried that method vs even the epic 1 level? it won't work. i know firsthand.

[rushyrulz]

I'm really bad at the gem game. I can't even figure out how to do it. I'm trying really hard for the hedgehog 5 days badge, but I still haven't gotten it. You prolly just have to get lucky with yellow platforms.

[Tasselfoot]

read my guide.

[smartdude1212]

rofl I beat the final boss on GemCraft in 1.1 run-throughs with 6 gems, only one of them being a grade 7 armour reduction, and without using a single gem bomb... and I prepared myself for that boss by having 19k mana >_>

got him from 146k to just over 18k health, and his armour level was around 14, after the banish