2018-07-06 03:47:28

Ugh, I hate the sticks game too. Luckily it's not necessary to win it, at least not that I'm aware of.

The game that's making me want to tear my hair out at the moment is the one in the volcano where you need to find the bridges and cross them. I think it's called Across the Lava? Anyway, how the heck do you pass that? I also have major trouble with Destroy Walking Bombs, so I was sincerely hoping I would be able to beat Across the Lava so I wouldn't have to deal with it. Any thoughts?

The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's just holding half the amount it can potentially hold.

2018-07-06 08:55:56

well, as for the sticks game, its a pretty easy inductive type math pattern. This will be short, I promise.

If we start with 1 stick, the game is pretty silly: Player One takes the stick and loses.  Suppose the players start with 2 sticks instead of 21.  Then, Player One clearly wins: she chooses 1 stick, and Player Two loses.  Player One also wins if they start with 3 or with 4 sticks. 
However, if there are 5 sticks, then Player One must leave Player Two with either 2, 3, or 4 sticks.  We’ve already seen that whoever draws first when there are 2, 3, or 4 sticks left wins.  So, Player Two will win no matter what Player One chooses from the initial 5 sticks. If we start with 6, 7, or 8 sticks, Player One can leave Player Two with 5 sticks.  We’ve already seen that whoever must draw from 5 sticks will lose.  So, if Player Two is forced to draw from 5 sticks, he loses.  Since Player One can force Player Two to choose from 5 sticks if the game starts with 6, 7, or 8 sticks, we know that Player One wins in all three cases.
But what if we start with 9 sticks?  After Player One chooses from 9 sticks, Player Two will be left with 6, 7, or 8 sticks.  We’ve already seen that whoever chooses from 6, 7, or 8 sticks wins, so if Player One chooses from 9 sticks, we know that Player Two will win.
Combining this with our earlier observations, we now see that Player Two wins if we start with 1, 5, or 9 sticks.  Continuing our reasoning from above, we find that Player One wins if we start with 10, 11, or 12 sticks, but Player Two wins if we start with 13. 
Hmmm. . . Player Two wins if we start with 1, 5, 9, or 13 sticks.  Otherwise, Player One wins.  Aha!  We see a pattern.  Each number is 4 more than the number before it.
We’re not finished – we have to prove our pattern works.  We use our experimentation as a guide.  Once a player (who we’ll call Loser) is forced to choose from a number of sticks that is 1 more than a multiple of 4, then the other player (Winner) can force Loser to always choose from a number of sticks that is 1 more than a multiple of 4.  Whenever Loser chooses n sticks, Winner chooses 4-n sticks (Loser chooses 1, Winner chooses 3; Loser chooses 2, Winner chooses 2; Loser chooses 3, Winner chooses 1).  The result: after Loser and Winner both choose, there are 4 fewer sticks, and the number left is still 1 more than a multiple of 4.  Eventually, Loser will get down to just 1 stick, since 1 is 1 more than a multiple of 4.  Then, Loser loses.
So, now we have a strategy: Always force the other player to choose from a number of sticks that is 1 more than a multiple of 4.

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…

2018-07-06 10:50:51

Across the lava can be difficult if you get a funky path, but try searching along the edges of each island for bridges. I believe it almost always wants you to end up going north, but that doesn't seem to be the case each time.

I did finally manage to beat the destroying walking bombs game.

Also if you think the lava game is bad... dragon scales is much, much worse. Baby dragons are freaking evil and the scales are almost always extremely far from one another. I still have yet to beat it. I think the trick to that is to wait until the dragons are away from you since they don't wander beyond where they patrol, then hope you don't run into a new patrol. The time limit is one of the biggest problems in that game.

2018-07-06 11:35:10

Hi.
Well, I do have my favorites and the things i hate in that game.
The factory is a world which i always hate when I arive there, the biggest problems for me are the robot cave and the swimming pool where you have to avoid the robots and waves, even though I think I have a strategy to beat that level.
Are there any hints on that hammering game in the circus level? I always seam to hammer the thing in to much.

Greetings Moritz.

Hail the unholy church of Satan, go share it's greatness.

2018-07-06 21:10:36

re: hammering the nail game, I think the longest press of the f key nails it by about 4.5 or so cm. so Try to get it so that your opponent hammers it when it s about 6.5 cm and do really soft hammers until you have about 4.5 or so of cm left and that's it.

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…

2018-07-07 02:02:30

I haven't been able to unlock the city because I can never get that last mosquito. Do you have to unlock it in the castle world or can you play it from the rewards room until you get 20?

2018-07-07 02:26:44

Oh does the circus path wrap around to one path rather than open two worlds, I forget.

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2018-07-07 02:43:58

You have to get 20 on it in the castle itself.

2018-07-07 04:52:23

@1413 thanks but I still couldn't get it, I suck at math, and I hate that game, I will get past it using cheat engine lol.

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2018-07-08 00:58:01

Agreed, that explanation made my head hurt, but I truly appreciate you taking the time to try. As for opening the city, I'll definitely see what I can do about that, I've never gotten a perfect 20 in the mosquito game, but the castle happens to be my favorite world, so I don't think I'll mind grinding away at it until I can figure it out.

The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's just holding half the amount it can potentially hold.

2018-07-08 15:13:25

there are actually several games after the mosquito game in the castle before you get to the city exit. Most of them are pretty easy except the castle walls thing is a bit of a pain, though not as bad as the flying boat or underground facility. or boreal forest.

2018-07-08 22:53:50

it would be nice if in next version you could have more then 80 cards per deck, then you'd be able to integrate 3 o4 of a specific decks type instead having to include less of some and more of another

2018-07-09 00:04:21

I've only played the boreal forest in a board game, and I agree, that thing sucks. I haven't managed to get more than a few steps usually. The underground facility actually isn't so bad once you've experienced some of the games in the volcano. Some of those lava pits make the underground facility look like a walk in the park.

The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's just holding half the amount it can potentially hold.

2018-07-09 02:36:12

I don't mind the boreal forest, the only reason the mosquito one frustrates me is I need a perfect 20. The forest is one of the more unlucky games like the polar bear hunt but stil able to be finished.

2018-07-09 03:20:08

Yeah I can't really unlock more worlds atm.

Facts with Tom MacDonald, Adam Calhoun, and Dax
End racism
End division
Become united

2018-07-09 04:46:42

I have 11 worlds unlocked, but I'm getting restless. I'm trying to hone my skills at some of the games I already have unlocked, but now that I know where the city is, I want to get to it. I actually suck at the mosquitoes game in general, I usually don't score above 8 for some reason. I think the highest I managed was 11, so I have no clue how I'll get a perfect score.

The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's just holding half the amount it can potentially hold.

2018-07-09 07:11:20

I think I've unlocked every world now after finally getting a score of 4 in that dang dragon scales game. Heh.

2018-07-09 16:17:19

I noticed an issue. The changelog says that the mental arithmetic games are set on a timer and not a rhythm. The actual games are set on a rhythm and not a timer. What is this?

Phoenix

2018-07-09 18:41:51

Well finally finished the plane, albeit certainly not all of the games, oddly enough I did better at the dice sliding game than the magic flowers one lol, though still no chance with the Rainbow tower.

Some very interesting games in there, albeit some tough ones, and some that probably could do with a bit more by way of instructions, I lost twice at the dice game before  I realised what was going on.
To answer a few points I've seen, with many side scrolling games like boreal forest remember that whilst your on a ladder enemies can't get you, you don't have to climb, just as long as you've pressed up arrow once on a ladder anything will just zoom straight past.
So, all you need to do with the elk is just wait until they're going right, run right until you reach a ladder, climb it a rung, wait until they run left past you, then run right until you get to the next ladder, rinse and repeat. This works for quite a few games, albeit others like the flying boat are still difficult, and don't get me started on that bouncy penguins minigame in the ice, God I've died to that one so many times its not funny.

With the lava bridges in the volcano, and indeed with dragon scale hunting and several other games with lava, one important thing to remember, is that before you hit lava, you'll hear a stepping on mud sound, so when you hear that you'll know your next step will drop you in the drink.

For the game where  your crossing on the small islands, each island is square and linked by at least two metal bridges. So, to begin I go north until I hit the mud sound, then track east or west until I hear myself  stepping on the first northward bridge.
Once I'm on the first island, I take one step forward onto the stone, then go north until I hear the mud sound again. I then alternate taking one step east or west, then one step back onto the stone center of the island. If I'm lucky I find another metal bridge on the north side, if I'm not lucky, when I take a step back I hear another mud sound meaning I'm at the top corner of the island.
In this case, I repeat the process for the east or west side, one step south, then one step back east or west onto the stone until I find the bridge which I can cross to the next island, then I go to the north side and repeat the process.
This isn't as long winded as it sounds and I can usually get 20 points, unless the random generator is against me.

Generally speaking the random generation usually goes bridge north, then bridge east or west, then bridge north, though not always.

The lava mud sound is also useful in the dragon scales game, though with that one its harder since you need to stop instantly when you hear the mud. Usually I try to make dashes north to a scale if I can, and try not to take too many risks, but I'll agree that one is  tough.

With the mosquitoes, the best tactic I've found is to run around the outside corridor using diagonal runs left or right to grab mosquitoes as I pass, and making sure not to miss one. Usually running around the outside saves time getting lost and most mosquitoes movements take them to the outside more often. I can usually guarantee to get 17 or so doing this, though to get all twenty still takes a wee bit of luck.

Lastly with the sticks game, basically the rule to remember is simply to make sure your opponent always has a multiple of four sticks plus one and you'll win, so aim to always give your opponent 21, 17, 13 9 or 5 sticks.

hth.

I'm now up to 169 minigames and 14 worlds, though there are still plenty I haven't done and some like cursed field which I still have no idea about (I gather that one is echo location, but it seems pretty damn random and usually I can only do it by trial and error).

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2018-07-09 20:22:50

Okay just been through the desert. Some very cool games there once I got through the date palms, though yee gods I'm not sure which I hate more, the slabs or the hidden palace.
For the palace, there really should be an indication of when a crossbow is going to fire, same as with the cannons, given how fast the arrows are, often I got killed just coming up a ladder, or because a crossbow shot and I didn't have time to jump, indeed it seems the only way to survive is hammer space like a demon and hope you get lucky and that's not really on.
Similarly, with the slide puzzle, this probably wouldn't be as bad if I were better at slide puzzles myself big_smile.
Still since the objective is to have everything in as correct a place as possible with points for correctness its not as bad as it sounds, also, don't make the same mistake I did and assume that 8 goes on the top right big_smile.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2018-07-10 20:32:17

for the dragon scales game is it luck where the scales are placed?

2018-07-10 21:13:31

just first I'd like to say I haven't gotten to the sliding puzzle game. Second, is anyone ON EARTh good at sliding puzzles? They are a tool of the devil.

2018-07-10 22:49:16

I've seen scales placed pretty far from each other, near each other, far from the south side of the map, close to the south side of the map, etc. So yes, it's kind of random. Same with the dragons. sometimes a dragon will be really close to the south side of the map and you really have to wait for it to move to the corner.

2018-07-10 23:08:38

for me on average the scales tend to be more commonly in the centre of the map than at the sides, the problem tends to be either that I'm waiting for a dragon to move for a long time before picking a scale up, or that I am running flat out away from a dragon and miss the mud footstep sound so wind up in the lava.

I've just tried the bombs arena game too, since I think when I went through the volcano before that one wasn't there, and no idea on that one either, also is it me or has the fire game changed? the one just at the start of the  where you have to press the up and down arrow keys.
Previously I could complete it by hammering both keys together as fast as possible, now I seem to be dying at minus 10 points which is weird.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2018-07-10 23:41:26

@Dark - where is the Cursed Field? Neve even heard of that one before!