Action guide
Base Defense Shooter Tips: 15 Runs at Level 1
Key takeaways
- With no input level 1 was lost after 16 seconds in all three runs.
- Random clicks lasted 15 to 16 seconds and brought down none of the 9 enemies in wave 1.
- Clicking on visible enemies lasted 24 to 25 seconds and brought down 5 of the 9 in every run, with or without reloading.
- No run cleared the first wave: the green aliens on the ground reached the soldier each time.
The first base defense shooter tip is to aim at the enemies from the first second: in Bunkerbolt, doing nothing lost level 1 after 16 seconds, random clicks brought down none of the 9 enemies in wave 1, and clicking on the enemies brought down 5. Even that was not enough: none of our 15 runs cleared the first wave.
How Bunkerbolt works
Bunkerbolt is a cartoon base-defense shooter. A small soldier stands in front of his stone fort, green aliens crawl in along the ground, and alien ships and robots follow. You click or tap where you want to shoot. A bullet count shows next to the soldier and a Reload button sits on the left; three power-up buttons on the right cost 20, 50 and 80 blue energy. There are 30 levels, each split into waves, and level 1 has three waves with nine enemies in the first.
What we measured
We played level 1 in a test browser at 1080 by 720 pixels with software rendering, which is slow. A small script started the level through the real menus, clicked on the screen and read the game’s own counters until the “Level failed” screen appeared. We tried five habits, three runs each: no input; random clicks in the middle of the field; clicking on the visible enemies; the same with a Reload press every twelve shots; and clicking the enemy nearest the fort first. The script never used the power-ups. It is not a person, so the numbers show what each habit does, not what a skilled player can reach.
| Method | Runs | Seconds until lost | Enemies down (of 9) |
|---|---|---|---|
| No input | 3 | 16, 16, 16 | 0 |
| Random clicks | 3 | 15, 16, 16 | 0 |
| Click on visible enemies | 3 | 25, 25, 25 | 5 |
| Same, plus Reload | 3 | 25, 25, 25 | 5 |
| Nearest enemy first | 3 | 25, 25, 24 | 5 |
15 runs in one test browser with slow software rendering, clicks made by a script, not by people. The runs were almost identical, so level 1 plays out the same way each time. We did not test the power-ups or the shop upgrades.
Aimed clicks buy time
Random clicks did no better than no clicks at all: both lost in about 16 seconds without bringing anyone down. Clicking on the enemies stretched the level to about 25 seconds and brought down 5 of the 9. Reloading and picking the nearest enemy first did not change those numbers in our runs.
The ground aliens decide it
In every lost run the green aliens had reached the soldier and piled on top of him. Our script clicked on whatever enemy it found first and did not hold them back for long enough. A player can do what the script did not: use the power-ups as soon as the aliens bunch up, and buy upgrades in the shop between attempts.
4 tips that follow from the numbers
- Shoot from the first second. Doing nothing lost in 16 seconds.
- Aim, do not spray. Random clicks brought down no one; aimed clicks brought down five.
- Use the power-ups. Our script never did and never cleared wave 1.
- Spend coins in the shop. Upgrades are there for exactly this kind of wall.
Where to try it
Try it yourself in Bunkerbolt. For more action, Shambleshot is a cartoon zombie shooter, and Treadstorm is a tank battle game.
Frequently asked questions
How do you shoot in Bunkerbolt?
Click or tap where you want to hit; the soldier aims and fires at that spot.
What happens if you do nothing?
In our test the level was lost after 16 seconds in all three runs.
Do random clicks work?
No. Three runs of random clicks lasted 15 to 16 seconds and brought down no enemies.
How many enemies are in the first wave?
Nine, and level 1 has three waves. Clicking on the enemies brought down five before the level was lost.
What should you try next?
The power-up buttons on the right, which cost 20, 50 and 80 blue energy. Our script did not use them.
Is this how people play?
No. A script clicked on enemies it could see, so the numbers show what those habits do, not what a skilled player can reach.