Best Atomica Strategies

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(This post was originally by lesliefranke)
Seeing Had\'s post about best Bejeweled strategies leads me to ask this question. Does anyone have any good Atomica strategies? I am stuck in the easy mode with a score in the low to mid 6000s. I would be curious to know anyone else\'s tips.

Leslie

[Unregistered]

I'm don't think I'm that good but I usually make it past level 10, so here some of the strategies I use:

First recognize that there are several puzzle types that you have to learn to deal with.
The most common and most challenging that I have found so far is the regular make X number of molecules, with biohazards. (Some levels don't have them.)
Then you also have radiation rounds, magnet rounds, and hotspot rounds.
There may be more but these are the ones I've seen.

Regular rounds:
Survival is first priority, not combos, and definitely not special molecules.
In fact, I usually don't make special molecules, they are usually not worth it.
So your basic challenge is to make a 2x2 of the same color (w or w/o chromiums).

In strategy, your knowledge of the next three atoms, and their locations, is very important. So take your time!
Consider the following:
GG______YR__
G_________3_
____RG______
____12______
Where 1=Incoming Green 2=Incoming Red 3=Incoming Yellow

If you don't use incomings to your advantage, you might be tempted to go ahead and complete upper-left green, giving you:
________YR__
__________3_
____R_______
____12______

Which is not a bad position, but what if you had moved the upper right red into 1's spot. (Replacing the incoming atom with one already there.)
GG______Y___
G_________Y_
____RG______
____RR______

This is a stronger position because the green blocking red molecule can have the spot in the green molecule, and then red only needs one to complete. Later on, this becomes important because it means one less molecule warping in. The more you can advantageously do this, the more it adds up.

From here, I would consider the incoming molecules again, and also how busy the board was. If the board is fairly empty, then don't finish green yet, move other things into position. If the board is getting a little too crowded, go ahead and complete green if it makes you more comfortable.

Especially in the early levels, you usually have a choice between grouping and completing. For example, in the example above, say that, oddly, three blues were coming in out of the way (meaning nothing that affects groups I already have). So should I complete Green? In this case, I wouldn't. I would move the rightmost Yellow into Red's old spot, or some similar move.

Then I have a 3G group, a 3R group blocked by G, and a 2Y group.
This is stronger than a 3R group, and 2 stray Y.

In the early levels, grouping vs completing is the key to setting up combos. It is not uncommon for me to finish one of the early levels in the third step of a five or six molecule combo just because I'm so used to it.

Don't use your atomic bomb unless you absolutely 100% are going to die unless you do. It is a last resort. Use combos in the early levels to fill it to
max because you will need all the help you can get later.

If you want some more strategies, you can gmail/gtalk me at dark***xillusion@gmail.com.

Good luck!