How to Play Yahoo! Towers Online

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Yahoo! Towers is a game of strategy, skill and quick wit. Towers is also a game where slight luck that might mean the game. The tower is made up of a grand total of 78 squares in a rectangular grid. The object of the game is to keep your tower under the top grid line while using offensive and defensive power-ups and something called a "yahoo!" (or hoo) to bring your opponent's tower over the top of his grid.

Instructions

1. Towers can be played alone or with a partner. If a partner is chosen, the two of you must work as a team to defeat the other players. This includes using your own defensive power-ups on your partner if the occasion calls. There are six possible opponents in the game of Towers.

2. When a game starts there will be three blocks falling down the screen to work with. Press the down arrow to make the blocks fall faster and the up arrow to change the placement of the three blocks that are currently falling down the screen. Of course, press the left and right arrows to make the blocks go left or right, respectively. Three blocks of the same color need to touch to "break." When broken, the blocks will disappear. The objective is to break as many blocks as quickly as possible. The faster the blocks are broken, the faster you will receive power-ups and be able to move on to stronger power-ups. There are three power-up stages: minor, average, and mega. To achieve mega, break pieces as quickly as possible. This is usually achieved for the average gamer after approximately two and a half minutes of game play.

3. 

   Power-ups are defensive and offensive tools that help you throughout the game. They will appear on the left-hand side of the tower. The offensive power-up is shown as a block that has lightning around it, and the defensive power-up is shown as a block that is rotating. All of the power-ups have special effects depending on their color, and they are as follows:Offensive power-ups:Grey Y: send a random row of blocks to an opponent's tower.Green A: Randomly change the order of an opponents blocks around.Blue H: Send random stones to an opponent's tower.Purple O: Remove the purple clump from an opponent's tower, which prevents him from effectively using their purple defensive power-up.Beige O: Send a three-block Medusa piece of stone to an opponent's tower. Orange !: Remove a certain number of power-ups from an opponent.The defensive power-ups are as follows:Grey Y: Remove a row from your tower.Green A: Randomly clumps the order of the blocks in your favor, making it easier to find matches.Blue H: Remove stones from your tower in a random order.Purple O: Turns non-matches into a group of purple blocks which break and go away.Beige O: Sends a color plague to your board, enabling you to put it around a series of non-matches and make them all beige.Orange !: Moves blocks around so they are automatically paired up. Also randomly takes blocks away.

4. 

   At any time during game play you may create what is called a "yahoo!" or a more common name for it while playing, "hoo." This is done by spelling out "yahoo!" horizontally, diagonally, vertically, or in any combination of the three. When successfully spelled, your user name goes red and you can send any matches made after your user name goes red to your all of your opponents boards. If "yahoo!" is successfully spelled out once and then you spell "yahoo!" once again while your user name is red, you send out what is called a "rainbow" or "rain" to all of the opponent's boards. Depending on how complex the "yahoo!" is, a player can have anywhere from one chance to over thirty chances to send blocks to an opponent's board.

5. The last thing anyone masters is how to keep track of not only your own tower, but your partner's tower as well. This is crucial; if a partner dies in an-all partnered game it is extremely difficult to win. Your board reaches over across your opponents board, and vice versa, almost as if they are connected. This means that it is possible to break your partner's blocks in his tower. Partnered "yahoo!"s are also possible, if done correctly.Communication with a partner is key. Ask your partner if she would like to make a "yahoo!" If so, be careful to not break it for her.

Tips & Warnings

• Every time a new power-up level is achieved, the special cells will become available. New power-up levels are achieved after breaking exactly four of each color. There are three special cells, each with a special ability. The first is a diamond with two lightning bolts surrounding it. It increases the speed of an opponent's fall rate. The speed is seen to be about four or five times faster than the regular fall rate. The second special cell looks exactly the same as the first, but has one less lightning bolt. It removes all power-ups from an opponent's tower. The third and best special cell is a diamond without any lightning bolts around it. It has the ability to remove every single stone from your screen. Use all of these extremely wisely, but especially the last one, use it only as a last resort.

• After achieving the mega power-up stage, things start to get more difficult because you will no longer receive defensive power-ups. Only power-ups that are used to attack will be available.

• There are many different strategies to playing this game well. One is to spell "yahoo!" frequently and then right after spelling it, send a whole fleet of offensive power-ups to your opponent's board. The easiest in-game "yahoo!" to spell is the vertical "yahoo!"

• To target a certain opponent that is obviously better than everyone else, note his position on the board and then press the corresponding number on you keyboard to send offensive power-ups to him and him only. For example, every position on the game board has a number easily seen if you look at each tower. Note yours, and your partner's before the game starts, so if you must send defensive power-ups to your partner, precious moments will not be wasted looking for your partner's number. If someone has a high rating, note their number, (say it's five), and press five on the keyboard to send as many of your offensive power-ups as needed. Be careful not to send that player defensive power-ups, because that is possible, and it is a very easy mistake to make.

• Targeting more advanced players is sometimes seen as unfair gaming and can result in getting booted from games by the table host.

• Remember to pair up with a partner that is at your skill level. Pairing up with someone who is much better may also get you booted from the table.

Resources

• Helpful website with strategy guide, pictures of towers, backdoors and more