Part 6 – How to Clear Efficiently

Well then, this time I’ll be teaching you about “Efficient Clearing”.

In Zookeeper, if all you do is clear clearable panels, a stalemate situation is likely to occur.

And if you become trapped in a bad situation like that, it’s exceedingly difficult to go for an active chain.

“So what should I do to clear more efficiently?”

Let me introduce the basic pattern of vertical and horizontal matches.

Either way, if you do it right you create a 2-chain.

In this case however, there’s a difference between the vertical clear and the horizontal clear.

That difference is, for the horizontal line clear, you clear both lines no matter which one you choose first.

However, if your order is wrong on the vertical clear, the panel you need will move the wrong way and you’ll not only lose your active chain, but you’ll be unable to clear that part. Pay special attention to this!!

Well then, next time I’ll teach you yet another way to continue chains. Thanks for reading!

Part 5 – Unclearable Patterns

This time I’ll be introducing unclearable patterns.

“What? Why would I need to know something like that?”

You’re thinking about it the wrong way; if you know what unclearable patterns look like, you can take precautions to avoid making them yourself.

Furthermore, if you know the unclearable patterns, you can learn to pay less attention to those parts of the field.

Well then, let me introduce two patterns that appear to be clearable at first glance, but are actually unclearable (Figure 1).

How about that? Can’t clear them, can you?

The best countermeasure is to clear panels in a way such that you won’t create these patterns.

However, the second unclearable pattern type with the panels lined up diagonally is exceptionally difficult to recover from.

In this kind of situation where you have so few possible moves, you might as well try going for a NO MORE MOVE.

Well then, in the next article I’ll introduce a method to clear panels more efficiently.

Using this technique, you’ll be able to make your active chains even longer, so please look forward to it. Thanks for reading!

Part 4 – Clear Timing for Special Panels

This time I will explain how to deal with the special panels that pop up occasionally.

A properly used special panel can both tie together active chains (as discussed in the last article) and clear other panels more easily.

The special panels are Special, Bucket, Boss, Heart, and Binoculars.

In most situations, you will be at an advantage if you use them as listed below respectively:

Special – At the end of an active chain
Bucket – As soon as you see it
Boss – As soon as you see it
Heart – As soon as you see it
Binoculars – Any time at your discretion

There are a few points to be aware of for these timings.

First of all, these panels all have something in common.

Depending on whether or not you clear a special panel, the way other panels become lined up may be more difficult to clear.

Words can only explain so much, so it’s easier to understand if you take a look at the chart below (Figure 1).

This kind of thing doesn’t happen only with Special Panels either; it occurs pretty regularly during play.

An effective way to avoid this situation is to use the method I previously explained; pay attention and confirm before clearing.

Now, let me show you the opposite situation; these are recognizable arrangements that you can use to clear special panels in such a way that chains will occur (Figure 2).

In these situations, you can continue your active chain without interruption when clearing a special panel.

Therefore, you should use these situations with special panels as part of a chain, rather than clearing them immediately.

As for the binoculars, there are many different ways to use them.

They’re good both as a visual aid for chains as well as for not knowing where the clearable panels are.

However, bear in mind that if you activate the binoculars while there are lots of clearable panels, the field will actually be more difficult to see and you’ll have a harder time seeing the matches than you would normally.

By the way, ever had a situation where you used the binoculars only to see one or two clearable lines on the entire field?

Think maybe it’s because you just didn’t have many clearable panels before that?

Of course, that’s one possibility.

The other possibility is that, unwittingly, you created a field that gave yourself fewer clearable panel options.

On that note, in the next article I’ll be explaining unclearable patterns. Thanks for reading!

Part 3 – Active Chaining (Basic)

Last time, we discussed changing the ratio of your Attack and Defense. We also learned that the ability to execute active chains is a requirement for this.

This time, I will teach you an easy way that anyone can use to perform an active chain.

In addition to being easy, it’s a useful technique in every situation, so I use it all the time.

That technique is...

Stay calm, and find 2 or 3 clearable lines on the screen before capturing animals.

Zookeeper Battle is a game which consists of 30 second rounds, and in that short time you must fight by capturing as many animals as possible, so I understand the urge to clear lines of animals as soon as you see them.

But I’d like you to think about it.

Let’s say that in 5 seconds, you either clear 3 lines one at a time OR you look closely for 3 seconds, and in 2 seconds chain 3 lines together.

In both situations, the time passed is 5 seconds, and even though the number of panels you’ve cleared is the same, you definitely earn more points using the latter method.

The bigger and longer your active chain is, the more points you earn, so this strategy takes advantage of that system.

It’s an especially good idea not to rush yourself and use this method in the middle of the round when you feel like you can’t find any lines.

You’ll definitely be getting way more points this way than if you’re impatient and keep clearing one line at a time over and over.

By the way, in Zookeeper, you’ll occasionally encounter special panels that differ from the regular animal panels (SP, Bucket, Boss, and Heart), right?

In the next article, I’ll be explaining the best timing to clear these panels.

Part 2 – Raising your Defense

Last time, we determined that Defense is the most important thing in Zookeeper Battle.

Naturally, the next question is “how do we raise our Defense stat?”

Honestly, you can’t raise only your Defense stat.

Your next thought is probably “Wait a second! That’s different from what you’re saying.”

However, it is possible to change the ratio of your Attack and Defense stats.

In exchange for diminishing your Attack stat, you can raise your Defense stat.

The way you accomplish this is very simple. Knowing this alone, you will lose far fewer games.

The secret is...

As much as you can, capture Elephants, Hippos and the Lucky Animal for that turn at the end of chains.

Zookeeper Battle allows for “chains” – this effect happens when you capture animals consecutively in a short timespan.

And of course, the bigger and longer your chains are, the larger effect it has on your score.

In other words, you can influence your Defense stat by waiting to put Defense animals at the end of your chains, and as a result your battles will become harder to lose.

There’s just one thing you should be careful of.

Waiting for Defense animals to put on the end of chains isn’t your highest priority.

Which leads us to – while influencing your Attack and Defense stats is definitely important, there’s one more important thing.

That thing is the next possible clearable animals. Knowing this is much easier said than done, so I’d like to explain what I said earlier in a bit more detail first.

You can’t influence your Attack and Defense stats without chaining, specifically by maintaining an active chain.

So, in the next part I will explain how anyone can easily continue an active chain. Thanks for reading!

Part 1 - The Most Important Thing

I’ve noticed a lot of different things playing this game, but I’m going to tell you what the most important thing is right now.

...What? You’re asking if it’s alright for me to just come out and say it?!

Actually, it’s BECAUSE I feel it’s the most important thing that I’ve decided it needs to be pointed out first.

That thing is without a doubt !!

“Defense”!

“What?! Defense?” is probably what you’re thinking. Of course, you can’t win at this game without Attack.

Now please think about it the other way around.

Let’s say for example I have 1000 Attack. This number will definitely get my opponent’s life to “zero”, right? (By the way, I can’t get 1000 Attack very often).

But, if my Defense is only 10, the odds of my opponent depleting my life to 0 before I can do the same to him are unfortunately very high.

Of course, everyone understands that you can lose a close game if you don’t have enough life. I’ve lost more games than I can count because I didn’t have enough Defense.

“So how do I raise my Defense stat?”

That’s the next question you’ll be asking yourself if you’re reading this blog.

And that’s what I’ll be talking about in the next article. Thanks for reading!