Bumpers Cars
How to Steer Clear
by: stevex2

The newest game of Bumper Cars has become very popular, but when I play it, I find that most don't know the basic tricks to being successful, and for those of you having a hard time, I hope this helps you steer clear of attacks and obstacles and get in gear to do your own attacking!
First of all, it is very key to your succuss that you choose the right car. (I've found that the blue car is the best for it is easy to steer with the arrow keys.) Perhaps the worst cars to pick would be red and yellow, for both have a somewhat confusing combonation of keys, especially for beginners. How many times have I started a game and seen the red car repeatedly bump against the wall behind it until  it is nearly out of the game before it even really started because the player confused the keys?
If you do not choose red, I suggest setting your keyboard sideways a little so that you can lay your middle finger on the "s" key to go forward and so you can move it back to the "a" key to go backwards. Then put your ring finger on the "q" and your index finger on the "z" if you use your left hand. (If you use your right just switch the ring and index fingers in the above suggestion.)
When you choose blue I suggest following the same pattern- middle on the up, ring finger on the right, and index finger on the left. (For left hand see above.)
Finally, if you choose yellow, place your middle finger on the "5," index on the "3," and ring finger on the "9."
In the above methods for placing your fingers, your middle finger controls the forward movement, and it is important the you choose a finger that can press the forward and backward keys for a long time, for my next big tip is to ALWAYS KEEP MOVING! As long as you have momentum, your opponents cannot harm you very much. Even if they attack you, they are likely to get a damage of 8 and you will get a damage of 1 or 2.
in order to keep moving, I suggest moving in tight circles by pressing down your forward or backward key with your right or left key. When spinning in a controlled fashion, it makes it easier to fend off and recover from multiple attacks in a short amount of time. Usually, your opponents, when seeing that you are putting up a serious fight, will target someone else on hopes another will attack you and do their job for them.
Waiting for others to hit eachother to the point of being out of the game is another great tactic. If a particular player targets you, try to lead it between two other cars that are fighting fiercely or into a mine or oil slick. Doing such can be accomplished by driving to and turning closely around an obstacle and luring your attacker in.
Remember, this type of driving takes practice, but can be learned by anyone willing to try.
When on the offense (I make the switch from defense to offense when there is 1 or 2 cars left) it is very nice to have an engine or shield on your side. The engines speed you up so you can do more damage, and one time I got a glowing gold engine and did 14 damage to an opponent! Of course, blue engines speed you up less than silver ones, and silvers less than gold ones. The same goes for shields. If you get a shield, immediately start atacking your opponents for this is your chance to deal them damage and hit the walls and drive almost necessarily wild to win the round without sacrificing your own health. If you have to, however, the wrenches are great (yet fairly rare), and I urge you never to let the opportunity to get one pass you by, even if you are at full health. This is because what you get of the special things that pop up on the screen, your opponents do not! Also try to take time to gain momentum between attacks, for it is easy for an opponent to bump you back and deal you a meduim amount of damage.
Lastly, I want to say that I hope you do well in your games to come and that you have fun beating everyone else with these tips! Happy driving!

The Tricks to Bumper Cars
by: stingjc

Though it may seem that Bumper Cars is just a game of brawn, there are many tricks that can give you the highest score possible. To do this, you must be able to utilize the items and the disadvantages of the other cars.
First, let's go over the items. There are five different items I have seen, and they are all in different colours, exepct for the mine. The mine is more like an enemy than an item, however. Touch it, and you revieve twenty damage! That kind of pain can put you out of the game pretty soon.
Alos, you should avoid the oil slicks, which are in the form of gas cans. All they do is make your car spin 360's when you try to turn. They leave open to the other cars bashing you, and you miss the opportune times to bash the other cars.
Othere than those two items, everything else is great. The wrench repairs your car. I have seen yellow and gray wrenches, and the yellow seem to reduce the most damage. However, it is hard to tell when you are in the heat of the battle.
The engine speeds you up. This is a great tool to have when playing because your added causes more damage to the opposing cars. The gray engines seem to be the best because they can cause up to twelve damage to other cars if you hit them straight head-on.
Probably the greatest item, however, is the shield. These things give you invincibility for a short, but important, time. My advice is that if you manage to get one of these, go full speed into any of the cars that are still operational.
Now, for the more strategic of you, here are some of the best tips a fellow gamer can give you. First, pick your car wisely! i normally choose car number three, which is the blue one. This is a good car because the controls are easy to handle, and the red car (which is placed opposite to the blue one) normally gets off to a slow start. this way you can bash him into a wall.
Second, never hit a car from the back! if you do that, then the first thing the other car does is hit reverse, if it hits you then a small chain reaction of cars can occur rendering you helpless to be pummeled till your health meter is down to its last life.
Third, avoid getting hit on the sides. If you repeatedly get hit on the sides, steering gets a lot harder. You had might as well hit oil spills then let this happen.
Fourth, do not hit the walls or dead cars. You recieve five damage for every time you touch a wall and you recieve damage for hitting cars with smoke billowing out of thier hoods. You don't get points for hitting dead cars either. So don't do it!
Well, hose are the main tips. if you play it often enough, then you should pick up little hints for yourself. But, don't keep them bottled up. I wrote this guide for the Neopian Times to tell all of you the tips I have found.
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