How to Conquer Line Terror

Tips and tricks on how to do the cabinet goals and achievement on what is possibly the hardest thing to do in Arcade Paradise...

Introduction

I want to write this guide to help others complete what I consider to be one of the hardest achievements in this game, clearing level 3 in Line Terror. I can say straight up that this is one of the most BRUTAL things I have done in a while, but thankfully I have some ideas on how to help. Attempting to do this, you will likely clear the goals for this game as well if you are aiming to do that also. Or, at the very least, get an idea on how this game works.


Line Terror is based off of Qix, a Taito game series where you draw boxes to claim territory for points. Any area you draw on and close off that isn't occupied by the Qix (the abstract moving line thing) will give you points. The key difference here in Arcade Paradise is you don't have two buttons for drawing fast or drawing slow for double points. Here, you move very slowly slow-ish (edit: a recent update in September 2022 sped up your movement speed a bit), as well as the Qix itself, all set to ominous music. All interaction is done with the direction inputs, no buttons. Both games are savage and will show no mercy.

Basic Strategy

Ideally, you would want to draw long vertical columns where you can section off places of the board to where the Qix (The abstract moving line thing, the Terror), can be coaxed into being boxed off. Easier said than done of course, because the Qix and its cohorts will mess with you on their whimsy. Keep a watchful eye on the Qix, especially if it is close to you.

The Sparx are probably the biggest actual threat (at least to me), because they will end you if you don't keep tabs on them. When you notice one approaching you, prepare to draw a box so you can dodge them. Exercise caution however, that whenever you happen box one in, they CAN reverse course and come right at you. They can have weird behavior from time to time.

As long as you keep moving when you're drawing, you should not have to deal with the fuse that follows and destroys you. However, thanks to the slower nature of Line Terror, you could take advantage of this. You can actually pause for a moment when drawing, then the fuse starts following your trail, continue drawing for a bit and pause again, then the fuse will take about a second to get back to its pursuit from where it was, buying you time. Doing this can be helpful in timing making boxes at just the right time to avoid getting hit by sparx. (This is similar the real Qix game, except the fuse would be MUCH faster and have zero delay in restarting its chase)

And of course, be careful when drawing because that is when the Qix will try to take a life off of you. And DON'T EVER DRAW IN A SPIRAL (You won't be able to get out of it and will lose a life to a fuse). Other than that, this is a very methodical type of game, where patience and intense concentration are required for success.

Here are some examples of this strategy in action, in original Qix
(VOLUME WARNING on the videos, because Qix is a very noisy game):

Notice in the videos that the Qix usually has trouble squeezing in between small gaps on the board. This is one way you can influence where it goes. The Qix in Line Terror will behave in a similar way, where if it feels a bump somewhere, it may change its path, or go back and forth. It actually is possible to get it stuck in a certain spot, which happens once in a blue moon, and I can't really explain how it happens except to show a picture of what that looked like later on. If you are able to get this to happen consistently, more power to you.

When playing this (and the original) in the right way, it will look like a Mondrian painting. Even more so if you have a friend by you to help. I'd imagine Co-op could make this challenge easier if your partner knows what to do along with you.

My "Trap" Strategy

In one of the Youtube videos about Qix, the one titled "QIX consecutive 99%red fills.wmv" shows a fancy technique that can actually help us some in Line Terror. In Qix, if you take too much time, more Sparx will spawn at the top of the board and later give an alert to when they become more aggressive. By making a "Sparx Trap" at the top, the additional sparx that spawn as time goes on will only circle around the inside of the trap, making fewer sparx that could chase you around. The player also happened to actually trap one of the already existing sparx as well!

How to do this in Line Terror? The idea is similar, but different. You can do this nearly anywhere. You draw a box somewhere on the border and wait for a sparx to go towards it and onto it. Then as the sparx is within the zone you are drawing over and then you close it off, there is the chance that it will be trapped in the box inside of a box making it motionless and unable to get to you. Do be careful though, as making this trap has a chance of not working. The sparx will have to be on the actual small box as you box it off (this is where you strategically pause to wait for it, while moving every so often to make sure the fuse doesn't get you). The timing is pretty tight, but this will be incredibly helpful on levels 2 and especially 3, where there are 3 and 4 sparx on the field respectively. Even if you don't get all the sparx trapped somehow, having less of them chase you around will make things *slightly* less stressful. I will show an example of this in my 3rd example game.

Example Game 1, Basic Strategy

If you are able to clear level 1, levels 2 and 3 shouldn't be that much more of a stretch. Well... it kinda is because you'd be dealing with more sparx but the basic strategy would always apply.

In the first picture, I show that I am waiting for the sparx to pass by before I complete my box. Also as a reminder that actually boxing in a sparx can make it do a double take and come right at you, so either be prepared for that or wait for it to get away from your box drawing. Notice the fuse that spawns at where I started the box. It will take a second before it starts chasing me. If you do movement every other half-second (I guess micro-tapping), then it wouldn't make much progress on you.


I had lost a life earlier, where if I were really trying for the achievement, I would have started over. Lives are incredibly valuable here, because you don't gain any more through points. You will only have 3.

Here I build a wall of small boxes. It prevents the Qix from going downward into the corner. I start building a vertical wall so that hopefully it stays around the same area. Remember that small boxes and walls are used and not mad dash lines so that the Qix won't take a life off of you.


Now I had been building small and skinny boxes along the way. I did make a nice corner on the top left the Qix could be in, but he ended up going around to the bottom-left. This is still a good opportunity. I make my way down to where I can close it off.

As a side note, if you ever have your movement stuck, it is because you made slightly uneven boxes to go along. Just make a box around where you can't go on if this comes up. There was one time I kinda did proper stuck with no movement at all in a skinny chasm, so be careful when lining up boxes.


Now, keeping a watchful eye on the Qix as I close the gap to make sure it doesn't try anything fancy... I was able to close it off! 83% Filled right there, and a ton of points. Getting 85% cleared is one of the goals for the machine if you want to aim for that.

Example Game 2, Accidentally Stuck

The Qix is hard to influence, but there are rare times when things will work in your favor. Like here in this image, the Qix is seemingly stuck. I do not have a good explanation for this other than it messed around and found out.


Then, seeing the opportunity, I took a chance and it closed off! What I did here was incredibly gutsy and risky, because it could have unhooked itself at anytime and took a life from me.

Example Game 3, Using Traps

Using the (unintended?) trick I found out, here is what a level 1 would look like with it:

At the start, I attempt to create sparx traps, by drawing small boxes, waiting for a sparx, then drawing around the smaller box as sparx approaches the small box. The sparx will not follow you on your drawing trail, only the fuze that will show up if you stop for a moment. Timing it just right, taking carefully timed pauses if you need to (watch out for the fuse!), close the box and be on alert to see if it worked or not. If it did, then awesome, the level is slightly easier now. If not... you can always try more boxes at a different part of the map.


Next, I carefully draw boxes so I can get towards the middle of the field, and attempt to make potential sections for the Qix to get stuck in. I also draw boxes around the sparx to dodge it. I notice the second sparx here actually got stuck on a very small uneven line. It can be tricky sometimes to line up your boxes evenly, but it looks like it worked in my favor here. I wonder if slightly askew lines can trap sparx consistently. Again, they can act weird sometimes.


I continue making boxes around my path, as a way to safely maneuver. I carefully watch for any potential areas to close the gap or sections. You'll make boxes as you edge closer towards the border. You'll want to make boxes and not make a mad dash with a single line for the border as the Qix will take a life from you if you do that. You'll want to make the closing line as short as possible to have the least amount of risk from dealing with the Qix.


Here I decided to close the bottom left area to go around and try to trap the Qix on the top left. I circle around and plan on bridging the gap by carefully drawing small boxes.


And here it is, the first level finished!


The next levels will have an additional sparx and a slightly higher target percentage. The strategy would still remain the same, just with it being a little more dangerous. Thankfully, no additional sparx spawn when you take your time, unlike original Qix, so do take your time if you can.

Conclusion

I wish you all luck in overcoming this achievement. It seriously is quite a feat! Even when you know what you are doing, this will take patience and lots of trial and error.

As a quick aside, this was done on the 08/17/2022 version of Arcade Paradise (the week two patch). I don't know if future patches will affect my "Trap" strategy at all, but at least the basic strategy and tips should still work.

[Gareth Scousegate]

dont think i couldve gotten this one without this guide. that game is the spawn of satan. my fingers hurt now since i played mostly on dpad with my arrow keys for doing the moving glitch someone mentioned in here already.

[The Great Linguini]

I can't emphasize enough how exceptionally helpful this guide was!

Line Terror really is a terrifying game...at least in the sense that it is stressful and playing it for this achievement was a great exercise in banging my head against the wall for hours!

It was still a significant challenge that just took more and more practice, but I can safely say that the trap techniques in this guide made things much, much less stressful overall.

Thanks a ton for making this guide!

[hohlagh]

Extremely helpful guide that allowed me to get the achievement. This technique works. It just takes practice and time.

[BlueReaper000]

I encountered something while playing this game, and I believe on the second or first level, I completed the 85% goal without knowing how; I was connecting the line to one of the ends, and it caused a vast takeover when I thought it would take over a small section, but it took a vast portion.

[Viera]

If you hold 2 buttons when drawing, like W and A, or D and S, you will move in place and not have to worry about the fuse chasing you down. Since, technically, you're moving and that keeps the fuse from triggering in the first place. It's extremely helpful in a pinch if you need to draw a short box to escape.