Last week I wrote about the current state of my Clash of Clans… clan, and wondered how best to run things given the usual casual/hardcore divide that most online group usually runs into. I believe I have part of the answer; Boom Beach.
Boom Beach is made by SuperCell, the makers of CoC. Basically, its a more casual-friendly CoC. You still build buildings, train troops, research upgrades, and attack to get more resources, but everything is a little… easier (dumbed down if you will). For instance, bases don’t have walls, and traps (mines) are visible, so attacking and defending (base setup) is easier. Troop selection is also smaller, flying doesn’t exist, and troops/defenses don’t have targeting preferences.
The game starts painfully simple. Like “insult to your intelligence” simple. Power through that part. Once you hit level 15 or so, attacking gets a bit more interesting, designing your base kinda starts to matter, and some of the unique stuff like statues and resource bases kick in. Much like CoC, the higher you go the deeper the depth gets, just with BB you start in a puddle rather than the kiddie pool of CoC. Plus like CoC, the whole game is very polished and is overall well designed.
Now, the reason I think BB will really work as a more casual clan is the clan-wide activity. Rather than clan wars like in CoC, where you face other players, in BB you tackle NPC bases together, each attack chipping away at the defenses. I’ve only done a few with the random clan I’m in now, but they seem pretty interesting, and there are a number of options you can select in terms of difficulty. Plus with BB simpler attacks, I think even the most casual player can throw an army at the event, do whatever damage, and contribute.
The Task Force is called “Hardcore Casual” (Tag is #CQULQR2), so if you are playing or willing to get into it, apply and just mention the blog.
Hardcore Casual 
Sure. I’m in.
You playing BB but not CoC is so Zubon it hurts :)
I really didn’t feel like jumping into the game with a bunch of max level folks. But if you prefer, I can just not play BB either.
Haha no no, the comment was more because you’re recent posts have hinted at going more casual in your gaming, so you joining us in BB aligns with that. Rereading my first comment it might not read like that outside my own head though.
As an aside, I’ve been seeing ads on TV lately, over here in Australia, for both Clash of Clans and Boom Beach. Blew my mind, and it really brings home what serious business mobile games are these days. I mean, it’s always been reasonably uncommon to even see ads for big expensive buy-the-box-down-at-your-local-games-shop console and PC games.
(they’re actually quite cute, funny and well-produced ads, too)
Yea those ads are all over TV here in the States too. The amount of money SuperCell makes per day off their mobile games is WoW-level money if I remember reading it correctly.
I kinda like the ways Boom Beach is different from CoC. I feel like its Supercell experimenting with different ideas. In some ways it is simplified, sure, but in other ways, it’s really not. Take the HQ. In CoC, It’s important, but you might also leave it out for a free shield to protect your resources. In Boom Beach, it’s the whole game. And while there are no walls or fliers, you have to take that into account, when attacking or defending, since you actually can control your troops with flares. You have to look and see if it is possible to ring around your base and get taken out behind defenses.
Yea, BB is a good bit more than CoC with guns, which is also why its fun for me and not a full repeat of CoC.