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Part I: General Questions
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Q: I'm having trouble getting used to the rear-firing stinger. Can you help me?
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A: Don't try to aim accurately. Hold down the "shoot" key and turn frequently;
your stingers will fan-out and do their thing. Running away from attackers, if
there's room, is usually a good idea. When you run away, your stingers fly toward
whatever is chasing you!
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Q: Can't I just fly in a circle and hold down the shoot key?
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A: It seems like it should work, but it's an illusion. Sometimes circling is good
idea in crowded swarms, but you don't have enough stingers to create an impenetrable
shield.
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Q: What's the best way to deal with hornets?
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A: Shoot them when they're green, if at all possible. Note that they usually hang
around the corners of the screen. When they're red, the "run away" trick works well.
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Q: And what about the spiders?
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A: You have to break the "turn frequently" rule to deal with the spiders.
Point your backside at a spider and hold your course, pumping him full of stingers.
If the screen is busy, brief volleys of shots are better than sporadic hits.
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Q: Why do the daisies go all psychedelic?
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A: That's one of the events caused by picking up special honey: the flower magnet.
It causes all the flowers on the screen to flash wildly and fly toward your bee.
This can result in Big Points, but they can also block your shots.
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Q: Can an insect crawl out of a hole when I'm over it?
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A: No. The "insect generator" tries hard to be fair. Likewise, a hornet or moth
will never fly onto the screen right next to you.
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Q: It sure looked like the minibees threw an orb at me. Did this really happen?
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A: Probably, unless it only happened after drinking a dozen cups of coffee.
When an orb is hit by a stinger or a minibee, it moves away from the item that hit
it and it speeds up. So if you shoot an orb five times it zips off the screen
at high velocity. Every once in a blue moon--especially if an orb is nearby when the
minibees are released--an orb can bounce back and forth in a group of minibees.
After some of the minibees die, the charged-up and dangerous orb is set free.
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Q: Is is possible to get all the daisies in a bonus swarm?
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A: Usually, no. Pick up as many as you can for points, but don't worry if you miss a bunch.
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Q: Are there any cheats?
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A: Hold down "help" when you start a game. This makes you invincible, but prevents
you from getting a high score. Powerbook owners can use F12 instead of help.
This doesn't work in the demo. Playing in invincible mode can be fun and opens up
the game to folks who normally can't play (like three-year-olds).
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Q: Can I switch to the Finder during a game?
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A: Press command-w at any time to switch to the Finder. You can return to Bumbler
using the application menu at the right end of the menu bar. If you were in the
middle of a game, you will automatically be paused when you return.
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Part II: Swarm-Specific Questions
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Q: How do I survive swarm 18: the centipede in a field of orbs?
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A: Concentrate more on getting rid of orbs and dodging the centipede than actually
doing significant damage. When the centipede gets close, turn away from it and let it
roar past. After a few passes, most of the orbs will be gone and the centipede can
easily be finished off, just like swarm 10.
Warning: If you stay in the same place while the centipede is turning, it could double
back on top of itself, catching you by surprise. If you move away during the turn,
this won't happen.
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Q: How do I survive swarm 19: the two approaching walls of ladybugs?
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A: Look for a hole in one of the walls, or try to quickly make one. Fly through the
hole and shoot like crazy from the outside.
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Q: What about swarm 23, the one with lots of spider eggs?
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A: Pick off as many eggs as you can before they hatch, and stay on your toes when
the screen starts filling with baby spiders. Sometimes you can defend yourself best
from a corner; spiders will only come at you from three directions.
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Q: What about the swarm with twin centipedes?
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A: This is tricky. Your best bet is to concentrate your fire on one centipede,
and dodge between them before they converge on you. Because the centipedes
are shorter than those in previous swarms, they don't require as many hits. When
only one is left, finishing the level is easy.
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