C is for Clash of Clans

Ok so back to more normal topics today - games & gaming. I'm currently playing Clash of Clans on my iPad and loving it. It's a 'build a base then attack others' kind of strategy game but without the frantic quality so many games have these days. It's also free to play although as usual, there are ways to pay the developers real cash and I'm pretty sure most people do at some point! How much you pay over is down to your own patience & will power though! It's available on iPhone, iPad & some Android devices although sadly my phone is too old to run it.

I've joined the EGP clan and am currently sitting in 2nd place behind Cold (of Cold's Gold Factory) for number of trophies although I am quite a ways behind him. I'm at Town Hall level 7 which means that improving any of my weapons or defenses usually takes about 3-4 days each and a whole bucket load of elixir or gold, the two main resources in game.

It's one of those games you can play for just 2 minutes at a time - pop in, collect your resources and pop out again. Or of course, you can stay in game for much longer - working out great layouts for your base, developing a build strategy or building different kinds of armies to go raiding with.

If you get attacked and enough of your base is destroyed, the game gives you a shield too so it's not so bad if you are just getting everything built - you're not going to be constantly under attack by higher level players which is a relief - I have to admit to being fed up with the constant ganking that new players get in almost any game!

One of the achievements available in game is to reach 1250 trophies - this is a main achievement to aim for because it awards 450 green gems - the ones you normally have to buy with real cash! It's extra desirable because to get a 3rd builder costs 500 green gems which is almost a must have element. There is a way to get green gems in game without spending real cash - you just chop down trees, dig up stones & dead tree trunks that appear each day on your land area - unfortunately, those only drop 1-5 green gems and then only if you're lucky!

As a newbie to the game, my advice would be

• Don't spend all your green gems just to speed up building stuff, you'll need them even more later on. 
• Try to keep things fairly balanced between defence, attack and building upgrades - don't spend all your resources on upgrading your army and forget about your walls - keep them balanced!
• You don't have to clear all the obstacles around your base, like rocks & trees. They can give green gems but they can also be expensive to remove.
• Play some of the solo missions against the goblins - that will give you an idea of what you may come across in raiding later
• Join a clan once you have your Clan Castle built. You can request troops to help with attacks or defence but don't get too greedy when asking, donate some to help clan mates out too!
• Most of all? Have fun!

I'm pretty sure this game doesn't really need an in-depth explanation but if you find you want more information, there is a FREE walk through video guide available on Amazon and I'm sure there are others available too. Or if you want, you can ask questions here in the comments and I'll try and help :)

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