Hoops Tips: Power, Aim and the Clock

How a round works

The clock starts at sixty seconds and never stops while you play. A basket from inside the arc is worth two points; from beyond it, where the spot on the floor turns gold, it is worth three. After every basket the spot moves to a new place round the arc and usually a little further out, so the round gets harder the better you shoot. After a miss you stay where you are and try again.

A ball already in the air when the clock reaches zero still counts, so a shot released in the last second is never wasted.

The power meter

When you put your finger or the mouse on the court and drag up, a meter appears at the side with a green band in it. The length of your drag moves the marker: a short drag is a soft shot, a long drag a hard one. Let go with the marker in the green band and the ball has exactly the speed it needs to drop through the middle of the rim.

The important detail is that the green band is in the same place from every spot. The game works out the speed each distance needs, so a close shot and a long three need the same drag. Once your hand knows that length, it works everywhere on the court. Learn it in easy mode, where the band is wider and a dotted arc shows where the ball will go before you let go.

• Short of the band and the ball hits the front of the rim or falls short.
• Past the band and it hits the back of the rim or the glass. A little past the band can still bank in, but it is a gamble.
• Slow down near the end of the drag. It is easier to stop in the band than to hit it at speed.

Aiming straight

The direction of your drag turns the shot. Straight up the screen sends the ball straight at the hoop, and the game ignores a small wobble, but a deliberate sideways lean turns the shot, more the further you lean. From close range a slight turn may still go in; from a three-point spot, a few degrees is the whole width of the rim.

On a keyboard, the left and right arrow keys turn the aim a little at a time and Space works the meter: hold it down, watch the marker climb and fall, and let go in the band.

Wind in the daily challenge

The daily challenge has wind, shown by an arrow and a number at the top left. The same wind blows for everyone that day. It pushes the ball sideways while it flies, so turn the shot slightly into the wind: if the arrow points right, aim a little left. The further the spot, the longer the ball is in the air and the more the wind moves it. In free play the wind arrives after your third basket, and in easy mode there is none at all.

Streaks, swishes and the clock

The biggest scores come from staying on fire. After three baskets in a row the ball glows and every basket counts double, so a run of five threes on fire is worth thirty points. That changes how you should shoot once you are on fire: take a moment longer over each shot, because a miss costs you the doubling as well as the basket.

Swishes are the other lever. A ball that drops through without touching the rim or the glass adds two seconds, which is roughly one more shot at the end of the round. You cannot aim for a swish directly, but the green band and a straight drag give you the clean centre of the rim most of the time.

• Do not rush the first shots. The early spots are close and easy; make them all and the fire starts early.
• Keep a rhythm. A steady drag, the same length every time, beats a quick flick.
• Watch the clock in the last ten seconds. The big number at the top counts down; release your last shot before it reaches zero.

The sliding hoop

From the seventh basket the hoop slides slowly from side to side. The ball is aimed where the hoop is when you let go, and it takes about a second to arrive, so the easiest moment to shoot is when the hoop is at one end of its slide, turning round: for a moment it barely moves. Shooting while it crosses the middle at full speed is possible, but it needs a lead you will only learn with practice.

Modes and records

The daily challenge gives everyone the same spots and the same wind, so it is the round to compare with friends. Free play deals new spots every round. Easy mode has no wind, a wider green band and the dotted arc, and it is the place to learn the power. Your personal best for each mode and your ten best rounds with their dates are kept in the High scores box under the game, in your browser only.