Hello!

I've made this guide for you to understand the basics of KarmaZoo.

The main goal is to have fun and make sure that everyone else is having fun. The other main goal is to make sure you don't annoy other players (that's the opposite of what we want).

However, the level design and the mechanics are often built to make sure new players are annoying by not fully explaining the system. Ending the level quickly is not good karma. Leaving other players behind is not good karma.

Generally speaking, working together, exploring, and finding ways to earn karma within the time limit are your best hope for gaining karma.

Let's begin.

Karma loot boxes are the main source of karma in karmazoo. They're presented as special hidden boxes with hearts which you can reach by solving their puzzles. They're often on hidden paths and can be found by using a lantern or a teapot.

Karma loot boxes are always in the same place in their respective levels. Sometimes you will not have all the characters you need to reach a karma loot box. When this happens and someone recognises it, to tell everyone else they'll do the heartbreak emote. When you can't solve it, it's time to carry on - there's nothing you can do to reach the karma box.

Remember how a karma loot box was solved, and show other players when you see them again. It's important to spread knowledge.

The point of KarmaZoo is to earn karma. This, and helping your team, should be your priority in every level. Usually they are the same task.

When you complete the loop, individual karma is shared between the team. If you can give other people karma, you are giving yourself karma.

• Kissing. This is such an obvious one. Send karma to the other players as soon as it's charged. Be careful to aim your karma so it doesn't fall into the blocks. Do this at the start of the level and keep doing it throughout.
  
  
• Holding doors open. This is so important. When you open a door, the people who pass through that door send you karma automatically. If you pass through a door, you should stand on the switch for the people behind you. Multiple people can stand on one switch and they all get given individual karma. Remember: pass through a door and wait for your team to catch up. If there are people behind you, join the others standing on the switch.
  
  If ten people are playing, the minimum amount of karma the team receives is 18. The maximum is 81.
  
  
• Some characters get karma when their tombstones are used. Characters like the wolf, the spinning top and the clover are examples of this. You will notice that they kill themselves more often than other users. They want you to stand on their tombstones, so do.
  
  
• When voice blocks are activated, the character activating it gets karma when you stand on the block. Stand on them where you can.
  
  
• When plant blocks are activated, characters get karma. If you're waiting for something, take turns activating a plant block and climbing the ladder. There is a cooldown between activations, so find other tasks to do as well.
  
  
• Characters with special lifting abilities like the plant, the whale, the alien, the spring and the clam get karma when you stand on their platform. When they offer their services, use them, even if you don't need them.
  
  
• The spider has a web that it can hang from to make a ladder for other players. Even if you don't need it, use it so the spider receives karma.

Fruits do one thing: help you get bonuses for the next round. Generally speaking, most players want to get all the fruits so they can have a better chance at good bonuses the next round.

However, even though these fruits are like coins in a Mario game, they are not that important, and unless you have the fruits=karma bonus, they won't earn you karma.

Remember to focus on the things that do earn karma, like opening doors, supporting your team with all the tools available, and sending karma kisses.

Don't be too upset if you don't find all the fruits.

As mentioned in the chapter above, fruits don't earn you karma. The reward in the Secret Treasure Room is... fruit. There are ways to earn karma in these levels, and every treasure room has a karma loot box, but realistically these levels are no better than the usual levels.

Focus on finding the karma loot box while other players rush to solve the treasure chests. When you find it, inform the other players.

Remember that the end karma score is calculated as the sum of the individual karma scores. If you play a game where you get a 100 karma card, that's a final total of 400 karma for four players and 1000 karma for ten players.

When the servers are busy, wait for the full group to arrive to get maximum karma.

That said, if you wait too long on a slow server day you may find that people get bored and leave, so if there's just the five of you for ten minutes maybe just head into the game.

After all, it's more fun to play the game than to wait around in a lobby for the evening, and more profitable to play four games with a small team than no games at all.

Static karma bonuses are rarely better than their counterparts. Remaining seconds=karma or fruits=karma are usually much better rewards than 5, 10 or 25 karma, and sometimes better than 100 karma cards, if the level generation is kind.

Boomerang kisses bring your kiss back to you. Triple kisses send out three kisses, and quadruple kisses send out four. When you have multiple kisses, you should get as close as you can to other players and shoot directly into them - this means they collide almost immediately. Aim it a little upwards so if the shot misses you can grab them out of the air.

Remember that karma kisses increase the score of other players, and at the end when you complete the loop all the player scores are added together. This makes it a very valuable resource for karma - certainly more than the five karma card.

So consider this when picking cards: will the other players use enough of their kisses and get more value than the card?

The only exception to this rule is karma cards worth 100 and up, or when the alternatives all suck. If in doubt, let other people vote.

It helps to know the individual constellation achievements people are trying to gain. Things like the elephant trying to get everyone to stand on their blocks, the camel carrying five keys, or the corgi needing to break five voice blocks. Some of these are very difficult without help, and they require lucky level generation.

If you manage to help players trying to get these achievements they will be very grateful and more susceptible to helping you.

Remember what you had to go through when unlocking constellations, and strive to help others do the same.

You should know what your character can do. If you don't know, practice when you're in the level. There are some actions which only your character can do, and if you don't use them the loop may be impassable.

The levels generate based on which skills the team has. Being able to glide further or jump higher means that you, and only you, can solve that particular puzzle for everyone.

This also means if you are the only character of your type you shouldn't hang behind grinding. There might be some puzzle far ahead which needs your abilities.

Watch also for others emoting at you. They might be trying to give you hints on what you should do.

The aim of the game is not a speed run*. You are given an amount of time to complete the level, but you should not go through the portal as soon as possible. There is no reward for doing this. Make sure you have completed all the tasks in the level, and look to see if there are any other ways to gain karma near the portal before you enter.

If other players are not at the portal, do not finish the level. They're probably finishing another task, and you will really annoy your team mates if you end the game early. Players on your team will show a red hand if they don't want you to finish, or point in a direction which suggests where they want to go.

When the counter reaches zero, that's not the end of the level. A sandstorm will start. You then have roughly ten seconds before the game is over. Don't give up while a sandstorm is happening if there's a chance of finishing the level.

* If the level starts with a card which converts leftover time into karma, then it's best to finish the level promptly, but not immediately. Remember that you must gather the karma boxes and help your teammates accomplish their tasks.

If you are carrying a key, you are in charge of the party's destination. If you don't know where to go, explore and look around. Look for the other players trying to guide you.

If you can't get past a particular obstacle and you're carrying a key, let someone else take over. You drop keys by dying, and other players can grab the keys in the air. If you don't know what to do, throw your character onto spikes while someone else is nearby to grab the key.

Note that some levels make you travel through obstacles to finally use the key at the end to reach the karma loot box. Be patient.

If someone is hogging a key and not allowing the team to continue, a common solution is to kick them - but be patient, the character may be lost.

Ghosts are REALLY useful characters. You can become a ghost by isolating yourself. If you become a ghost (either accidentally or on purpose), you should help your team. You can help by:

• Sending karma kisses. You can still send kisses as a ghost.
  
• Explore and let other players know where the fruit and karma boxes are.
  
• Keep the team up-to-date on what is happening with the other players, especially those who are stuck.
  
• If players are lost, help guide them with directions.
  
• Depending on which bonuses are activated, you might also be able to help collect fruit or key items. This is a vastly over-powered bonus card that rarely ever gets selected.

The best meta technique for karma so far is grinding clover boxes. It's usually defeated by impatient new players ending the game early.

The clovers throw themselves on spikes, people stand on the boxes, and karma comes out.

If you're a clover
Find a place where you respawn very close to spikes or acid. Throw yourself onto the hazard and respawn. Hope that someone comes and stands on your box. Repeat this until your boxes cover the hazard - or, if you're lucky, a blowfish or a bell will be nearby to break the box so you can repeat forever.

If there is another clover, you can solve each other's boxes. If there is a breaking character (i.e. blowfish, bell) It's possible for multiple clovers to leave multiple boxes in the same place. Both clovers respawn and stand over the same spike. As their invincibility wears off, they fall onto the spike below, leaving a box in the same place. The clovers respawn and stand on their boxes. The boxes are then solved and then broken by the breaking character. The clover will respawn on top of the destroyed box, allowing them to fall back into position. This increases the productivity of the clover boxes.

If you're a general character
Make sure that you're not needed for solving the level. If you are needed, wait until the portal is opened before grinding, and maybe do a little grinding with a clover on the way. Find a clover using spikes and help them solve their boxes - they can't solve their own.

If you're a breaking character
Make sure you're not needed for solving the level. Frequently breaking characters are required for reaching Karma boxes.

When the portal is found, find a place where clovers are grinding and help them break their boxes. This combination is one of the best sources of karma. Break the clover boxes with your smashing ability so the clovers have access to spikes again. See above (if you're a clover) for advanced techniques.



Remember that grinding karma comes secondary to finding the karma loot box. Once you've found it, grind the karma until the final bell.

The level designers have put a lot of karma boxes right at the end of the final levels, beyond the reward plinths. The first thing any new player does is races to the plinth and presses W to end the level.

DO NOT DO THIS.

It's one of the most frustrating parts of the game. Usually there will be a player or two who stand in front of the plinths and put up a red hand and point away from the plinth. This is because they want people to explore the plinths, or go back into the level to find the karma loot box.

The karma boxes are sometimes suspended above the tallest plinth, or off the screen in a hidden passage.

Even if you are convinced there is nothing beyond the plinths or above them, let the other players investigate for themselves.

In summary,

• Don't end the level early
  
• Finding the Karma loot boxes is the first best source of karma
  
• Helping other players is the second best source of karma
  
• Don't end the level early
  
• Stand on the door switches with everyone else and gain karma
  
• Fruits only help unlock bonus cards, nothing else
  
• It's not a speed run
  
• Don't end the level early