I think you should make it easier and faster to get to that point in the game. Maybe if you decrease the difficulty a little by increasing your firepower and making bubble-loss less permanent. But I think what would help the most is making it easier and _faster_ to pick up all the bubbles you leave lying around.
I found myself pressing too hard on the keyboard trying to get myself going the right way. Maybe if the bubbles have a slight attraction towards your tank, or at least decrease the maximum speed or increase the starting speed to reduce the amount of backpedaling necessary (I found myself doing that a lot).
Hope you found these suggestions helpful. :)
Actually, the sound isn't too abrasive, it's too percussive. And when you pick up several at once it gets loud. Maybe do a stop() before the start() when you play the sound.
Anyway, now that I've played a bit more I can offer some gameplay suggestions. I started to get bored, so I ventured down to the harder levels to see what else there was. I really liked seeing all the cool and elaborate tanks that lurk further down.
I can definitely see the connection to flOW here. The WASD controls I think were a bit too sensitive - maybe a slight gravitational force towards the center of each bubble might give it a lighter, more floaty feel.
I didn't like the bubble-get sound effect though. It might be more pleasant if you use a few different tones based on the music or the game, like flOw does. Or just pick a less abrasive sound effect.
Overall, nice game. :)
You have to hit your opponent's body or head with the end points of your arms or legs to do damage. Basically, poking at high speed gives the best results. :p
I do agree that Kongregate users seem a lot more patient and forgiving than those on Newgrounds (thanks!).
But I should clear something up. When I submitted this game to Newgrounds, it was an earlier version, without the fancy graphics or decent in-game instructions. And it was a few tenths of a point short of being blammed - I removed the game myself. But yeah, I wouldn't submit it to Newgrounds even now!
Thanks for the support on Kongregate. :)
The presentation is good, but the gameplay needs more depth. Right now there isn't much interesting variation or choice involved in the fighting. There is only one attack. I'd suggest you take a look at how Electricman 2 HS has different attacks with different effects and how that controls the flow of the fights.