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Club Pogo Battleship is an easy game to win 50% of the time; all things being equal the player that goes first tends to triumph.
However, to keep up a winning percentage of 55% or even 60% over hundreds of games against other players (and not the computer) calls for some careful strategic and tactical thinking.
Our aim here is to give you some good tips, tricks and advice on how to get the most fun out of Battleship on Pogo while retaining that competetive winning edge. Battleship is a free browser game open to non-members.
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Game Choices |
Battleship Rules Variations |
| Classic Rules |
These rules may be classic, but they are more plodding than good fun. Basically you have one shot each turn and turn about. The only good variation allowed is the 'Target Plus One' option which is ONLY available in single shot mode whatever rules you are playing. Target Plus One means that if you hit, you keep on firing your single shot until you miss. This can make for a reasonably tense game, especially in the absence of the 'Announce sunken Ships' option but a better mix of options are available via the custom tables and you'll be hard pushed to find someone else to play you other than a pre-arranged match with a friend.
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| Pogo Rules |
These are the rules to play, in our opinion, and Pogo players seem to agree because most choose to play under these rules and it is quite easy to find opponents. Powerups are ON, Mission Type and Shots per Turn are set to SALVO. This means that you get only as many shots per turn as you have remaining ships and also means the Target Plus One option is unavailable so you will be slugging it out broadside to broadside.
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| Speedy Rules |
With Speedy rules. Powerups are ON and shots per turn is set at 4. This means that you get 4 shots no matter how many ships you have which is what speeds the game up. This does tend to make for brutally ruthless finishes with little tension involved. More people tend to play this option than the basic rules where almost no one plays, so you may find a willing opponent at busier times.
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| Custom Rules |
These can be used to make up some interesting alternate rules. Probably the best is Shots Per Turn set to 1 with Target Plus One ON and Powerups ON. Try experimenting, although you will probably find that powerups ON is present in all the best mixes. You will also find some set-ups require you to think differently about how you place your ships at the start of the game and also the worth of some powerups will change. More of that later.
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From this point on, unless otherwise stated, we're going to assume that you are playing Pogo Rules with all the twists, turns and mayhem that powerups and salvo fire bring.
In fact, powerups are so key to elevating Pogo Battleship above and beyond the classic game. we're dedicating the next section to a brief description of powerups and tips on using them to their greatest advantage - and how to avoid damage when they're turned on you.
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Powerup |
Pogo Battleship Powerup Tips |
| Powerup Grids |
At the start of a game, 6 powerup grids are parachuted onto yours and your opponents grids at random - as can be seen above. Each grid is a 2x2 square of green asterix-like buoys. Just one of those 4 buoys in each grid hides a powerup which will be released when you hit it. However, you don't know which one, so chance is a factor here unless you use 4 shots to completely obliterate a powerup grid. This is not usually a good idea, as we shall see. Powerup grids attract enemy fire in a big way so you will be praying that they don't straddle your ships on landing. Other than the fact that powerup grids are never in contact with each other, there is nothing you can do to avoid them as they only appear once you have placed your fleet and started the game.
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| What Are Powerups? |
There are a total of ten powerups available in Battleships. All powerups are automatically used. You do not need to activate them. Most powerups are used the turn after you get them and involve a 'heavy shot' of some type. Two powerups (Reinforcements and Counter Attack) are used the same turn you get them.
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| What Powerups Are Available? |
Before level 5 six of the ten powerups are available, in other words right from your very first go at Battleships you can gain most of the powerups. At level 5 you gain a powerup which hits a 2x2 grid with one shot. At level 15 the attack squadron powerup are fast jets which add two shots to your salvo. Level 25 brings the harpoon missile powerup which fires 5 shots in the shape of an 'x'. The tomahawk powerup gained at an advanced level is a super-devestating 3x3 grid hit.
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| The First 6 powerups |
Heavy Shot Powerup - This powerup shoots 5 shots at once in a plus (+) pattern and is often most efficiently deployed to 'clear-out' a corner of your opponents grid.
Torpedo Powerup - This powerup shoots from the left to the right and hits the first ship it finds. Top Tip: When seeking powerups early on, aim for the right-most green grid squares. If you get a Torpedo powerup, chances are you'll still be wanting to aim for more powerups, and the left-most grids are most vulnerable to the torpedo because of its direction of travel.
Sinking Ships Powerup - If you hit with this powerup active, the entire ship will sink instantly.
Reinforcements Powerup - This powerup awards an extra Battleship that automatically arrives at the end of this turn in a random location. You are more likely to get this powerup when you're losing, or when you have few ships left. It will add one to your salvo next turn. More on gaining reinforcements below.
Counter Attack Powerup - This powerup steals your opponent's powerup at the end of this turn. You can only get this powerup while your opponent has one to steal.
Heat Seekers - Enormously powerful and will often place you in a game winning position ... see more below
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| Heat Seeking Missiles |
If you get more than one powerup per turn, they turn into heat seeking missiles, one for each powerup gained. A minimum of two and a maximum of six. These powerups are often absolutely key to winning your battleship game as they not only offer you one extra shot per missile prior to your salvo, they also are guaranteed to hit and may well seek out otherwise well hidden ships that you weren't yet hunting. Top Tip: These missiles are so powerful, you may want to leave at least two powerups un-activated until towards the end of the game. For example, if the opponent only has a PT boat remaining, activating two missiles guarantees a kill on your next shot. Without this boon, you may spend the next few minutes firing off salvos into empty water hunting this tiny boat.
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| Opponent of Inferior Rank |
When playing a player of inferior rank, say 10 or more ranks beneath you, then be very careful about gaining your powerups early. Pogo Battleship has a nasty habit of evening up the odds by giving your opponent the counter-attack powerup, also known as steal arrows - and there is nothing worse than seeing 3 heat seekers sucked over to a level 1 player! Play it clever and let them use up their powerups before you start to hit yours too heavily. its a tricky balance - but just one more thing sent to test us in this intriguing game.
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| Custom Rules Powerup Worth |
When playing a custom game option that is set-up as one shot and with powerups ON then powerups that can stretch across two or more powerup squares can be very valuable as the only means to potentially gain heat seekers. Reinforcements are of lesser value as they do not provide an extra shot and the single shot nature of the game means that both sides are likely to end up with the extra ship.
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The following are some hints and tips to help you get the most fun and wins from your Battleship playing experience.
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Description |
Pogo Battleship General Tips |
| AI Difficulty Level |
Unless you are an absolute beginner, you should have this option set to HARD. The computer will give you a decent workout on this setting and will even beat you from time to time. Cheat: If you're really desperate to get your level up, turn the setting to easy, quickly sink all but one of the computer's fleet, then use up your 5 shots per salvo until you have filled your opponent's grid then finish him off.
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| Computer Opponent |
When placing your fleet against a computer player, be aware that the AI will tend to aim its first salvos toward the middle of the grid. On HARD level, once it has a hit it will hunt your ship down until it is sunk.
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| Survival By Reinforcement |
Reinforcements can come at any time during the battle, but are more likely to come when you are losing. Remember, when your last ship is pinned down and defeat is imminent, forget that last desperate shot to sink one more of the opposition - if you have one or more powerups left then go for the reinforcement by aiming for the powerup grid that has the least green markers remaining. This gives you the best chance of gaining a powerup, and consequently the best chance of a reinforcement. If you're in this desperate position and have two shots remaining, use them both! Sometimes that extra ship is all you need to stay alive long enough to turn the tables.
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| Opponents Reinforcements |
When your opponent gains a reinforcement (essentially a second battleship 4 grid spaces in length) it is placed randomly on their grid. However, it has come to our notice that reinforcemnets tend to be placed along the outside edge of the grid and searching shots, placed 4 grid squares apart, along row A and J, column 1 and 10, will pay a quick dividend more often than not.
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| Human Opponents |
Human Opponents will always give you a better game than a computer in almost any game you can name, and Battleship is no exception. A series of games against a stranger will provide a lot of fun. After the first game, carefully note the position of their fleet and then see if they repeat similar patterns. Very often by game 3 or 4 you will start to get a feel for where their ships are likely to be in relation to each other and the grid .... but don't make it too obvious that you have them out-thought if you want to keep your advantage! Remember, an experienced player is very likely summing you up in the same way and you will both soon be drawn into a fascinating game of bluff and counter-bluff.
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Battleship custom options allow for many variations on the standard rules, as well as some unique options of its own.
Carefully selected combinations can make for some fine strategic games, but can also end up being little more than a joke. Trial and error will soon lead you to a set of rules you like.
For completeness, here is a list of the combinations you can juggle with:
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Pogo Battleship Custom Options |
- Turn Timer
- Game Turn Limit 20/30/45/1 min/2 min
- Start With These Rules
- Select One - All Battleship options are open at this point unless you select one of the below
- Pogo Rules
- Classic Rules
- Speedy Rules
- Mission Type
- Shots Per Turn (Basic Mission Only)
- AI Difficulty Level
- Other Options
- Target Plus One: Yes/No Only
- Announce Sunken Ships Yes/No
- Powerups Yes/No
- Table Options:
- Allow players to replace computer player once game starts: Yes/No
- Allow players to watch game: Yes/No
- Mute All Watchers: Yes/No
- Allow Watchers To See A Players Hand: Yes/No
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