Turret Enemies in Games: How Fixed Guns Work

Turret enemies in games are enemies that stay in one place and shoot. This guide looks at turret enemies in games from the player's side. You will learn what to watch, how to count the timing, and where the safe gaps are. It ends with a worked example from the cryptominer turret in Tank City Zero Day, a browser tank game inspired by the 8-bit tank classics of the Family Computer.

What turret enemies in games are

A turret is a fixed gun. It does not chase you. It sits on one spot and fires.

That changes how you think about it. With a moving enemy, you ask where it will go next. With a turret, you already know where it is. The questions are different. When does it fire? Where do the shots go? Where is the gap?

So a turret is less like a rival and more like a hazard you can study. You can stand back, watch it, and plan. The work is in reading it well.

The three things to watch on any turret

When you meet a turret, look at three things before you get close.

• Where it sits. Its spot decides what it covers. Note the space around it and where you can stand.
• Where its shots go. Count the shots in each volley. Note the angles between them. The space between two shots is a gap you can use.
• When it fires. Count the time between volleys. That time is your window to move or to attack.

Also watch the first volley. If a turret waits a moment after it appears before it fires, that wait is your first window.

Last, check how many hits it takes. If you know the number, you know how long you need to stay in line with it.

How a ring of shots works

A ring is a set of shots fired out in every direction at once, spread evenly around a circle. A full circle is 360 degrees. If a ring has 8 shots, each one is 45 degrees from the next, because 360 divided by 8 is 45.

Between each pair of shots there is a gap. Close to the turret, the gaps are narrow. Farther out, the shots spread apart and the gaps get wider. So distance helps you when you want to slip between shots.

A ring that never changes is easy to beat. You find a gap and stay in it. Turning each new ring a little stops that. If the second ring is turned by half the spacing, its shots fly right down the old gaps. The safe lane moves every time.

Reading the timing of a turret

Timing is the other half. A turret that fires on a steady beat is easy to plan around once you count it.

1. Stand out of range.
2. Wait for a volley.
3. Count until the next one.
4. Do it again to be sure the beat is steady.

Now you know your window. Right after a volley leaves is the longest safe stretch. That is when you move in, line up and fire.

If the beat gets shorter on later rounds, count again. A plan that worked early may be too slow later.

The cryptominer: a turret in Tank City Zero Day

Tank City Reboot has two tank games that play in your browser. The first game has no turrets. The second, Tank City Zero Day, has one: the cryptominer.

Its card on the page gives the real idea behind the name: "A cryptominer secretly uses your processor to earn cryptocurrency for someone else." If you want the real-world side, read what cryptojacking is.

Here is how the turret works, taken from the game's code.

• It does not move.
• It can appear from wave 4.
• A wave has at most 1 cryptominer, plus one more for every 6 waves.
• It fires its first ring 1.6 seconds after it enters.
• After that it fires a ring every 3.2 seconds, divided by the wave's speed factor.
• The speed factor is 1 plus 0.03 times the wave number, and it stops growing at wave 15.
• Each ring is 8 shots, 45 degrees apart.
• Every other ring is turned 22.5 degrees, so the gaps move.
• It takes 5 hits to destroy.
• It is worth 250 points, times your chain multiplier.

That 22.5 degree turn is half of 45. So each turned ring sends its shots straight down the gaps of the ring before. You cannot park in one gap and wait. The safe lane swaps every ring.

Two rings of 8 shots, the second turned 22.5 degrees, and the ring timing at wave 4.

Worked example: a cryptominer on wave 4

Say you reach wave 4 and a cryptominer enters. Let us work out the numbers.

How many can appear? The cap is 1 plus one per 6 waves. Wave 4 has not reached 6, so you face at most 1.

When is the first ring? 1.6 seconds after it enters. That is your first window. Use it to get in line.

How fast are the later rings? The speed factor at wave 4 is 1 plus 0.03 times 4, which is 1.12. Then 3.2 divided by 1.12 is about 2.86. So after the first ring, a new ring comes about every 2.86 seconds.

Where are the gaps? The first ring has 8 shots, 45 degrees apart. The next ring is turned 22.5 degrees. Its shots pass through the gaps you saw before. So after each ring, move to the new gap, not the old one.

How long must you stay in line? It takes 5 hits. Plan to land them across one or two windows, moving between rings.

What is it worth? 250 points, times your chain multiplier. A higher multiplier makes it worth more.

Each hit takes one of its 5 hit points. If that idea is new to you, read what hit points are.

Now look at a later wave. At wave 15 the speed factor is 1 plus 0.03 times 15, which is 1.45. Then 3.2 divided by 1.45 is about 2.2 seconds. After wave 15 the factor stops growing, so the beat stays there. The cap also grows on later waves, so you may meet more than one.

Simple tactics for beating turrets

1. Watch one full cycle first. Count the time between rings and note the gaps.
2. Use the first wait. On the cryptominer you have 1.6 seconds before the first ring. Get in line.
3. Move after each ring. When rings turn, the gap moves. Shift to the new one.
4. Use distance. Gaps are wider farther out. Back off if the shots feel too close.
5. Count your hits. Know how many it takes. For the cryptominer, that is 5.
6. Recount on later waves. The beat gets shorter as waves go up, until wave 15.

Frequently asked questions

Can turret enemies move?

A turret stays in one place, and that is what makes it a turret. In Tank City Zero Day the cryptominer does not move.

When do turrets appear in Tank City Zero Day?

The cryptominer can appear from wave 4. The first game has no turrets.

How many hits does the cryptominer take?

It takes 5 hits. It is worth 250 points, times your chain multiplier.

Why do the gaps in its ring move?

Every other ring is turned 22.5 degrees, which is half the 45 degree spacing. So each new ring fires down the old gaps.

Get started

Open Tank City Reboot and pick Tank City Zero Day. When a cryptominer appears, watch one ring, count the beat, and find the gap. Then see how fast you can land five hits.