Battleship is officially in production.
Rank 10 Excellent Ensign Badge
Rank 20 Loyal Lieutenant Badge
Rank 30 Clever Commander Badge
Rank 40 Capable Captain Badge
Rank 50 Astounding Admiral Badge
Battleship Bomber Badge
Sink 2500 Battleships to earn this badge.
Terrifically Tenacious Badge
Miss 50000 times to earn this badge.
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The Basics
In BATTLESHIP, your goal is to find and sink your opponent's ships before all your ships are sunk. The game is divided into two phases:
Fleet Deployment phase
At the beginning of the game, each player secretly deploys their ships onto the 10x10 game board. You can use the Auto-Deploy button, or manually place your ships. You can right-click to rotate your ships. If you don't place all your ships when the timer runs out, they will be placed randomly for you.
Naval Battle phase
After both players deploy their ships, players alternate turns taking shots at their opponent's ships. Each shot will either be a miss (no enemy ship present in that square) or a hit (an enemy ship is present in the square.)
When you win a game, you win a spin.
Gameplay
Your goal is to sink all of your opponent's ships before they sink all of your ships. The game is divided into two phases:
Fleet Deployment phase
At the beginning of the game, each player secretly deploys their ships onto the 10x10 game board. You can use the Auto-Deploy button, or manually place your ships. You can right-click to rotate your ships. If you don't place all your ships when the timer runs out, they will be placed randomly for you.
Naval Battle phase
After both players deploy their ships, players alternate turns taking shots at their opponent's ships. Each shot will either be a miss (no enemy ship present in that square) or a hit (an enemy ship is present in the square.)
There are several game modes for you to play and enjoy:
Salvo
Each turn, a player gets shots equal to the number of ships they have afloat. Salvo mode is included in the default Pogo tab.
Basic
In Basic mode, players get 1-4 shots per turn. In the Classic tab, Basic mode includes 1 shot per turn. In the Speedy tab, Basic mode includes 4 shots per turn.
Powerups
At the beginning of the Naval Battle phase, each grid will get 6 powerup pods randomly distributed. Powerup pods might be over enemy ships, and they might not. Players will find exactly 1 powerup within each powerup pod. Powerups are included in the default Pogo tab, as well as the Speedy tab.
Target Plus One
Target Plus One is an option that's only available for Basic mode with 1 shot per turn (on the Classic tab.) If this option is turned on, whenever a player gets a hit, they get to take another turn.
Announce Sunk Ships
If Announce Sunk Ships is turned on, the player will be notified whenever they sink a ship. If this option is turned off, players won't know when ships are sunk. This option is turned on by default in all tabs.
Powerups Explained
There are a total of 10 powerups available in BATTLESHIP, explained below. All powerups are automatically used. You do not need to activate them, since they will activate automatically. Most powerups are used the turn after you get them, and two powerups (Reinforcements and Counter Attack) are used the same turn you get them.
Heavy Shot Powerup - This powerup shoots 5 shots at once in a plus (+) pattern.
Torpedo Powerup - This powerup shoots from the left to the right and hits the first ship it finds.
Sinking Ships Powerup - If you hit with this powerup active, the entire ship will sink instantly.
Reinforcements Powerup - This powerup awards an extra Battleship that automatically arrives at the end of this turn in a random location. You are more likely to get this powerup when you're losing, or when you have few ships left.
Counter Attack Powerup - This powerup steals your opponent's powerup at the end of this turn. You can only get this powerup while your opponent has one to steal.
Harpoon Powerup - This powerup shoots 5 shots at once in an X pattern. Only Club Pogo players can get this powerup, though it can be stolen with the Counter Attack.
Attack Squadrons Powerup - This powerup gives you two extra shots. Only Club Pogo players can get this powerup, though it can be stolen with the Counter Attack.
Skipper Powerup - This powerup shoots 4 shots at once in a 2x2 area. Only Club Pogo players can get this powerup, though it can be stolen with the Counter Attack.
Tomahawk Powerup - This powerful powerup shoots 9 shots in a 3x3 area. You can only get this powerup when you have very few ships remaining. Only Club Pogo players can get this powerup, though it can be stolen with the Counter Attack.
Heat Seeking Missiles - If you get 2 or more powerups in the same turn, they will combine to give you Heat Seeking Missiles (one missile for each powerup combined.) Heat Seeking Missiles automatically hit your opponent's ships at the beginning of next turn, and then you get to take your turn normally.
In the upper part of the screen, you will notice the My Fleet and Enemy Fleet areas. These areas give you information about the status of the fleets. You will see more detailed information about your fleet than the enemy fleet, which is intentional and fair. In the upper right and upper left, you can see any powerups that are currently earned or active. If you mouse-over these powerups, you can get information about what they will do.
Scoring
There are lots of ways to earn tokens in BATTLESHIP! Here is the complete list:
You earn tokens for every shot that you fire, hit or miss.
You earn tokens for every enemy ship that you sink.
You earn tokens for every ship that you have afloat at the end of the game.
You earn tokens if you have an unused powerup at the end of the game.
You earn tokens from a spin if you win a game.
Tips and FAQ
The smallest ship is 2 squares long. Use that information to search the grid efficiently.
The only way to get the Unused Powerup bonus is to sink your opponent's last ship on the same turn as you acquire a powerup.
You only get the Counter Attack (steal) powerup when your opponent has a powerup. If you want to have a chance to steal a powerup, wait to get your powerups until your opponent has one.
Four powerups are restricted to Club Pogo players only, but anyone can steal them using the Counter Attack (steal) powerup!
In Salvo mode, it's a good idea to sink your opponent's ships as soon as possible, so they get fewer shots per turn.
It's good to get powerups early in the game, so you can quickly find and sink your opponent's ships.
It's good to get powerups late in the game, since more powerful powerups are more likely if you have fewer ships (like Reinforcements or Tomahawk.)
The Torpedo powerup ignores any existing hits or misses, so you can choose to pick a row that already has hits and misses in it, if you want.
A powerup pod covers 4 squares, and the actual powerup is randomly hidden in exactly one of those squares. Once you've found the powerup, the powerup pod will disappear.
For a big challenge when playing against the computer, the Hard difficulty mode is very hard!
Even if you don't win a particular game, you can earn tokens just by playing.
If you are losing or get off to a bad start, remember that it's possible to catch up. The powerups are usually slightly better for the person who is losing. Also, it's good sportsmanship to finish any game that you start (they're pretty quick!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can you explain the powerup pods?
A: Powerup pods appear randomly around the board at the start of the Naval Battle phase. Each pod is a 2x2 square containing exactly one powerup. Once that powerup is acquired, the powerup pod disappears. Powerup pods can appear above a ship or not; it's completely random.
Skill Levels
Changing the Skill Level changes the difficulty of the game only when playing against the computer. You can select the difficulty mode when you first sit down at the table. If you select Hard difficulty, be prepared for a challenge!
Ranks
BATTLESHIP has 50 ranks that you can earn as you progress through the game. For Club Pogo players, your rank is shown on the upper left. Also, at ranks 5, 15, 25, and 35, you unlock access to a new powerup, which are only available to Club Pogo players. You earn rank progress by firing shots. You can play in any game mode, win or lose, and make rank progress at approximately the same speed, so play using whatever mode you like best.
There are 5 rank badges you can win in BATTLESHIP. The badges are given out when you achieve ranks 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. There are also two secret badges, which we won't write about here, because then they wouldn't be secret!
Note: To make rank progress, you do not need to win the game. You simply need fire shots.
Prizes
BATTLESHIP is a "no-risk" game because it is completely free, yet you can win great prizes just by playing the game. We are able to offer games like these because our games are supported by advertising. It works out to be a great deal for you!
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