They Are Billions Tips For Beginners
Swarms of zombie storms: Your steampunk paradise is in for a surprise
So, your base has been swarmed by zombies again, and all of your citizens have succumbed to the virus? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. They Are Billions is a tough game, and it takes some serious strategy to succeed in this new indie survival game. Here are the best tips to help you overcome the billions in They Are Billions.
Use the Spacebar
They Are Billions offers a unique RTS-experience by allowing you to pause the game at any point you’d like by hitting the spacebar. This is hugely important. Without it, you can get quickly overwhelmed by the onslaught of the undead.
While the game is paused, you can access the action and get a bird’s eye view across your map. Additionally, you can put in build and/or troop orders. This allows you to maximize your efficiency, which matters the most in the game, other than, you know, staying alive. Remember, it’s only a matter of time before those zombie hordes come your way, don’t let them breakthrough your stronghold!
Consider Your Starting Conditions
They Are Billions allows you to modify the difficulty of the game when you first start. I hate to tell you, but no matter what settings you choose, this game is hard! That being said, you can make it more tolerable by adjusting the population of zombies and the amount of time in between waves. Adjusting these variables will change your Score Factor, which is basically a multiplier. The harder the game settings, the higher the score multiplier, and the bigger payout you get from your end game score.
In order to unlock new map types, you have to win the game with certain conditions. For example, to unlock the second map type (“The Peaceful Lowlands”), you have to win a survival game on the first map with a Score Factor of 20% or more. Go ahead and set your difficulty so that your Score Factor is around 20%. There’s no reason for it to be harder initially.
Use Terrain to Your Advantage
One of the main activities in They Are Billions is building protection for your town. When thousands of zombies come rushing at you, you’ll want something between you and them! You’ll use different types of walls, but all of them can be broken down in time.
This is why you should also use the terrain to help protect yourself. Where you can, use a forest or a lake as an indestructible wall. Zombies can’t get past them, plus they’ll never break.
Environmentally friendly: The landscape is one of your best resource, be sure to use it to your advantage for the most successful gameplay.
Use the Right Troops
There are many different types of troops in They Are Billions. Your three primary types are Rangers, Soldiers, and Snipers. Once you have built some of the advanced structures, you can make advanced troops that launch rockets and breath fire. Each of the troop types is very good at one thing, but majority are still well rounded.
The Rangers are fast, silent, but weak. They are okay for exploring the map. They are also good at taking out small packs of zombies silently. Use them in the early game to uncover the map.
The Soldiers are generalists. They move at a medium speed and do medium damage. They are great for taking out large packs of zombies or for putting into a tower to defend your base.
Snipers have high damage output, but are slow shooters and movers. They one-hit normal zombies, and they are great for taking down Fatties and other types of zombie that take a lot of damage. Stick them in a tower for maximum range and safety. You can go exploring with these guys.
Your first line of defense: Troops left to right are Ranger, Titan, Soldier and Sniper.
Build Double Walls
You’re going to want a lot of walls in They Are Billions to keep the zombies at bay. However, single walls are easily beaten down. That’s why you need double walls. Always plan accordingly; make sure there’s room to put down two gates and two layers of wall. Two layers is the maximum that the game allows.
Choose Your Turrets
There are several styles of turret in They Are Billions. You will want to be familiar with them all. Turrets are super important for hosing down zombies as they approach your walls.
The Ballista does heavy damage to small targets. Sometimes it will only hit one zombie per arrow, sometimes it will hit a few. It’s a good initial turret to have for the first 1-4 waves. It can be upgraded to the Executioner.
The Executioner is a heavy hitter. It does a lot of damage to single targets and to small groups, much like the Ballista. It has higher damage output and a higher rate of fire, however, and requires electricity and more people to direct it. You’ll want Executioners at all of your walls by mid-game for those tough targets.
The Shocking Tower does massive AOE damage. It can wipe out tens of zombies all at once. It is a fantastic tower for taking out huge bites of incoming hordes. It doesn’t do a lot of single target damage, however. It’s not very good at taking down Fatties and the like. You’ll want at least one of these for each wall by late game.
One Zombie Can Ruin Your Day
It only takes one zombie to wreck your entire town. If one zombie manages to destroy a building, all of the workers/occupants of that building then become zombies. You very quickly get a horde of zombies spawning right in the middle of your settlement.
The solution? Make sure your boundaries are guarded! You can do this by using walls and by using patrolling troops. This is especially important early game. You’ll want to use your rangers and your soldier to patrol your boundaries as soon as you’re done with the exploratory phase.
A city in ruins: Overcome by zombie hoards, your town will lie in ruins much faster if you don’t check out our tips.
Exploratory Phase
When you first start a new map, it’s the best time to explore! Use your rangers to explore the map in concentric circles, starting close to your base and working your way out. If your rangers run into any small packs of zombies, let them clear them out. That’s less zombies you have to deal with later. If you find large packs, do like Monty Python and RUN AWAY.
Zombies can chase after you if you get their attention and lead an entire hoard directly to your not yet furnished base, dinner for them but a bad time for you. That’s why it’s important to run away from your base if you start getting chased. Go a different direction and stay ahead of the zombies. Eventually you’ll outrun them.
While exploring, make sure you gather the free resources that you might see lying on the ground. You can get free wood, stone, iron, gold, and even power and oil. All you have to do to collect them is run over them with your units. These make for a nice little boost in the early game.
Pick a Good Map
When you first start playing They Are Billions, you want to make life as easy as possible. Like a scorned lover, this game is unforgiving. Therefore, start out on the right foot.
When you first load a map and you start exploring, be on the lookout for important features. These include good natural defenses and access to water, wood, stone, iron, and oil. If all of those things are within easy reach, you’ve got a good map. If not, ditch it and start over!
Diversify Your Efforts
When you first start out on a map, you may be tempted to go all in on using your resources or growing your population. Don’t! The best way to play is to slowly advance on all fronts. Build a few tents, build a fishing shack, build a wood mill, etc. If you try to do too much of any one thing, you’ll find yourself stuck eventually, and it can be hard to get unstuck.
Allocate Your Workers
I didn’t realize this when I first started playing They Are Billions, but you can actually pause different production sites (such as a fishing shack or a stone quarry) to free up the workers. As a new player, you will realize very early on that workers are what pace the whole game. Without them, you can’t build anything or make military units. Therefore, always make sure you’re adding new residence buildings. If you find that you’re stuck and you need to build something like a power mill, pause workers that you don’t need and use them elsewhere.
Relax. Breath. Restart.
Perhaps the biggest tip for playing They Are Billions is to relax and have fun. You are going to die many many times. You will have lots of failed settlements. You will dine on failure and dismay while the zombies feast on your people’s flesh. That’s OK, though, because it’s the process that counts. Have fun trying different maps and different strategies. When the inevitable failure happens, enjoy the show as zombies overrun your settlement, and then start over. Maybe you’ll get a higher score next time!
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