Knuckle Cracker

I find that maps with non-standard gravity are fun, because the way they are played can be quite different then "normal" maps. So this weeks theme is Gravity.
The numbers after the map are simply there to get a map with a gravity to go with the name :)

Best of luck to you all!



   
   
   
   
   
   

Map Name:	Size:	Complexity:
Downwards Gravity 2	Large	Low
Upwards Gravity 2	Small	High
Right Gravity 28	Large	Medium
No Gravity 16	Medium	High
Left Gravity 34	Medium	Medium

A few useful links:
All Tournaments (http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=7410.0)
Code Map Scoreboard (http://knucklecracker.com/creeperworld2/viewscores.php)
Tournament Score Tool (http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=7477.0)

Oh my, 11 scores posted allready. Looks to be a interesting week.
Results Per Player


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Rank	Name	Downwards Gravity 2	Upwards Gravity 2	Right Gravity 28	No Gravity 16	Left Gravity 34	Total Score	Total Time
1	Atomicfrog	11647	11020	11294			33961
2	ctuna	11536		11307			22843
3	Sushiman118	8311			10057		18368
4	TheSmileyCoder					12097	12097
5	Helper	11915					11915
6	Ronini	11506					11506
7	inept_celt	11321					11321

Scores recorded at 2012-11-19 14:32:46 forum time.

Tuesday's updates:
Results Per Player


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Rank	Name	Downwards Gravity 2	Upwards Gravity 2	Right Gravity 28	No Gravity 16	Left Gravity 34	Total Score	Total Time
1	Helper	11915	11323	11466	11370	11901	57975	34:49
2	Atomicfrog	11647	11020	11294	10770	11418	56149	42:07
3	inept_celt	11431	9762		10045	10995	42233
4	TheSmileyCoder	12035			11639	12097	35771
5	ctuna	11536		11307	10794		33637
6	Sushiman118	8311			10057		18368
7	mopa42	11897					11897
8	Ronini	11506					11506

Scores recorded at 2012-11-20 01:53:04 forum time.

Smiley & Mopa -
My exports of Detailed Results have started showing up with bold blue for the high score and I don't know why.

Smiley - What settings are you using to get the graph you're posting?
Thanks.

********************
Results Per Player


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Rank	Name	Downwards Gravity 2	Upwards Gravity 2	Right Gravity 28	No Gravity 16	Left Gravity 34	Total Score	Total Time
1	Helper	11915	11323	11466	11370	11901	57975	34:49
2	Atomicfrog	11647	11020	11294	10770	11418	56149	42:07
3	TheSmileyCoder	12035	11788		11639	12097	47559
4	inept_celt	11431	9762		10045	10995	42233
5	ctuna	11536		11307	10794		33637
6	Sushiman118	8311			10057		18368
7	mopa42	11897					11897
8	Ronini	11506					11506

Scores recorded at 2012-11-20 05:58:40 forum time.

Edit to show that I actually figured out my mistake - this is how it should look

I noticed that, but thought you were manually changing it, because you disliked the colour.

I use version 6, "Copy Detailed Results as BB table", "Bold Colors" Checked, "Top 3 per map" Checked

<Insert rude words!>

Bingo!

When you posted "Bold Colors", I realized what I had done.
The old shortcut to V.5 was still on my desktop and I started using that (for some unknown reason).

Do you know what "PICNIC" or PEBCAC" means?

I recall having heard "PEBCAC" before, but don't recall its meaning. It what I like to call an error 40. 40 being the average distance in cm between the user and the monitor.

PERBCAK.

Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard - or user error, in short.

EDIT: To forestall the inevitable question, PICNIC = Problem In Chair Not In Computer.

My favorite was always the ID Ten-T error, or the 'Ten -T,' though.

;)
id10t - which would apply to my misspelling of PEBCAK. I guess I was thinking of '...Between Chair and Computer' (not Keyboard).

Not a big deal - PEBCAC, PEBCAK, and PEBKAC variations are common.  Intel ran a PEBKAC advertising campaign once, but to what evidence people smarter than be could gather (who would have thought Etymologists worked with geek slang?) PEBCAK is the first documented use.

Excellent idea for the theme.

Hope to get a few scores posted, but it will be a busy week!

A fresh set of scores this wednesday morning. 32 scores have now been submitted. I have been beaten by Helper on the first map, and I see that Wheatmidge has supplied a very impressive time on map 4.
Results Per Player


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Rank	Name	Downwards Gravity 2	Upwards Gravity 2	Right Gravity 28	No Gravity 16	Left Gravity 34	Total Score	Total Time
1	Helper	12072	11424	11466	11370	11901	58233	32:58
2	Atomicfrog	11647	11020	11294	10770	11418	56149	42:07
3	TheSmileyCoder	12035	11788		11639	12097	47559
4	Ronini	11506	10124	9913		11154	42697
5	inept_celt	11431	9762		10045	10995	42233
6	ctuna	11536		11307	11476		34319
7	rob3k	11670	10166			11447	33283
8	Sushiman118	8311			10057		18368
9	Wheatmidge				11904		11904
10	mopa42	11897					11897

Scores recorded at 2012-11-21 03:31:36 forum time.

Another set of scores this thursday morning. I see that Wheatmidge has really decided to move in for the kill. Will he break the winning streak? It certainly gets interesting!!
Results Per Player


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Rank	Name	Downwards Gravity 2	Upwards Gravity 2	Right Gravity 28	No Gravity 16	Left Gravity 34	Total Score	Total Time
1	Wheatmidge	11987	11821	11590	11904	12121	59423	24:12
2	Helper	12072	11606	11466	11496	12043	58683	28:51
3	Atomicfrog	11647	11020	11294	10770	11418	56149	42:07
4	inept_celt	11431	9762	10216	10346	10995	52750	78:53
5	TheSmileyCoder	12035	11792		11639	12176	47642
6	ctuna	11536		11307	11476	11925	46244
7	rob3k	11670	10166	10380		11447	43663
8	Ronini	11506	10124	9913		11154	42697
9	Amram	11852	11399				23251
10	Sushiman118	8311			10057		18368
11	mopa42	11897					11897

Scores recorded at 2012-11-22 05:16:37 forum time.

Great to see all the new faces (names) this week.

No one needs to replay game #1.
:)

LOL!
I just real carefully re-played #3 and managed to beat Wheatmidge's time...unfortunately, Smiley was playing at the same time.
Great score.

Quote from: Helper on November 22, 2012, 04:25:54 PM
LOL!
I just real carefully re-played #3 and managed to beat Wheatmidge's time...unfortunately, Smiley was playing at the same time.
Great score.

Sorry!

Results Per Player


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Rank	Name	Downwards Gravity 2	Upwards Gravity 2	Right Gravity 28	No Gravity 16	Left Gravity 34	Total Score	Total Time
1	TheSmileyCoder	12035	11792	11739	11884	12176	59626	22:46
2	Wheatmidge	11987	11821	11590	11904	12121	59423	24:12
3	Helper	12072	11606	11642	11496	12043	58859	27:33
4	ctuna	11816	11559	11307	11476	11925	58083	33:55
5	Atomicfrog	11647	11020	11294	10770	11418	56149	42:07
6	inept_celt	11431	9762	10399	10346	11241	53179	74:53
7	rob3k	11670	10166	10380		11447	43663
8	Ronini	11506	10124	9913		11154	42697
9	Amram	11852	11399				23251
10	Sushiman118	8311			10057		18368
11	mopa42	11897					11897

Scores recorded at 2012-11-22 16:45:48 forum time.

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 22, 2012, 04:47:09 PM
Sorry!

Not a problem - until I learn how to play with Experimentals, I'll never win one of these. Something about 'Magic Mirrors' is eluding me.
:)

The key to magic mirrors is off course the correct placement, but also do use the frame key "n" to sometimes step through the game frame by frame, as this allows you to control the beam without creeper slipping through the cracks.

I hope that wheatmidge will make a renewed appearance. His/her scores this week is very impressive, and I must admit to feeling threatened!

So, I am off for the weekend. If wheatmidge can rake up a few hundred more points he might take the lead this week. (Thats a challenge for you!)

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 23, 2012, 05:13:01 AM
The key to magic mirrors is off course the correct placement, but also do use the frame key "n" to sometimes step through the game frame by frame, as this allows you to control the beam without creeper slipping through the cracks.

I've struggled with mirror placement - it seems to take many more mirrors than it "should" to give me any satisfactory results. Also, I've tried the frame key, without seeing much benefit. Thanks to several helpful hints in the past, I've been able to improve, but obviously there's room for more. I wouldn't mind a short example of either, if anyone has the time.

Quote from: Helper on November 22, 2012, 05:04:26 PM

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 22, 2012, 04:47:09 PM
Sorry!

Not a problem - until I learn how to play with Experimentals, I'll never win one of these. Something about 'Magic Mirrors' is eluding me.
:)

For my time on No Gravity I didn't use a dark beam. So mirrors weren't an issue.

Whoa Nellie!
That picture is just flat amazing...
I might have to give it another go.

Thanks for posting.

Congratulations to Wheatmidge who managed to squeze past me!
Results Per Player


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Rank	Name	Downwards Gravity 2	Upwards Gravity 2	Right Gravity 28	No Gravity 16	Left Gravity 34	Total Score	Total Time
1	Wheatmidge	12039	11821	11767	11904	12121	59652	22:35
2	TheSmileyCoder	12047	11792	11739	11884	12176	59638	22:26
3	Helper	12072	11606	11677	11609	12043	59007	27:12
4	mopa42	11897	11494	11644	11498	12000	58533	30:35
5	ctuna	11996	11559	11307	11476	11925	58263	32:41
6	Atomicfrog	11918	11020	11337	10770	11418	56463	41:38
7	inept_celt	11461	10173	10399	10346	11241	53620	71:52
8	UoADeadeye	11374	10556	10287	10013	10752	52982	76:58
9	Ronini	11506	10124	9913	9988	11154	52685	77:11
10	rob3k	11670	10166	10380		11447	43663
11	Amram	11852	11399				23251
12	Sushiman118	8311			10057		18368

Scores recorded at 2012-11-26 01:46:52 forum time.

Congratulations to you both.

A 9 second overall time win for you and a 14 point game win for him. Has to be one of the closest ever.

@Wheatmidge - I tried to duplicate the screen capture you posted (No Gravity) and can't begin to get there. Now that the game is over, would you mind posting a couple more - say at about 00:15 and 00:30?

Looking forward to your game selection this week.

I will take my revenge in this life or the next! muhahah evil laugh and all that.

Yup, looking forward to the next batch.

Quote from: Helper on November 26, 2012, 08:02:23 AM
Congratulations to you both.

A 9 second overall time win for you and a 14 point game win for him. Has to be one of the closest ever.

@Wheatmidge - I tried to duplicate the screen capture you posted (No Gravity) and can't begin to get there. Now that the game is over, would you mind posting a couple more - say at about 00:15 and 00:30?

Looking forward to your game selection this week.

I'd love to see those as well. Truth be told, I didn't get very close to beating this map no matter what I tried over a dozen or so attempts.

Quote from: rob3k on November 26, 2012, 12:04:23 PM

Quote from: Helper on November 26, 2012, 08:02:23 AM
Congratulations to you both.

A 9 second overall time win for you and a 14 point game win for him. Has to be one of the closest ever.

@Wheatmidge - I tried to duplicate the screen capture you posted (No Gravity) and can't begin to get there. Now that the game is over, would you mind posting a couple more - say at about 00:15 and 00:30?

Looking forward to your game selection this week.

I'd love to see those as well. Truth be told, I didn't get very close to beating this map no matter what I tried over a dozen or so attempts.

I had the same problem, until I realised I could build experimentals on this one (thanks to your mirror discussion ^^). Still took me three more tries, but I finally managed to beat it.

Quote from: Ronini on November 26, 2012, 12:11:23 PM

Quote from: rob3k on November 26, 2012, 12:04:23 PM

Quote from: Helper on November 26, 2012, 08:02:23 AM
Congratulations to you both.

A 9 second overall time win for you and a 14 point game win for him. Has to be one of the closest ever.

@Wheatmidge - I tried to duplicate the screen capture you posted (No Gravity) and can't begin to get there. Now that the game is over, would you mind posting a couple more - say at about 00:15 and 00:30?

Looking forward to your game selection this week.

I'd love to see those as well. Truth be told, I didn't get very close to beating this map no matter what I tried over a dozen or so attempts.

I had the same problem, until I realised I could build experimentals on this one (thanks to your mirror discussion ^^). Still took me three more tries, but I finally managed to beat it.

I kept getting overrun even with the dark beam. Couldn't get enough reactors up to keep it running. I only played around with mirrors on one of the attempts, so I guess that was where I blew it.

What did you use to keep the creeper and drones at bay while building up to the dark beam? I used shields and some blasters and experimented with anywhere from 0 to 5 or 6 repulsors.

Quote from: rob3k on November 26, 2012, 12:19:52 PM
What did you use to keep the creeper and drones at bay while building up to the dark beam? I used shields and some blasters and experimented with anywhere from 0 to 5 or 6 repulsors.

There most certainly are better ways:
I started with digging for the green and white crystal (those close together), moved the ship back to dig for the other green one and the technytes. Built four blaster, reactors and the dark beam and some mirrors. I let the beam fire upwards, then turn it to the left, then down and then to the left again, so it would cut through the creeper right above the three holes. Gradually kept on building more reactors, but slowly. Kept the dark beam running all the time so it would go on and off, but keep firing for longer spells as I added more reactors. The blaster took care of the creeper above the beam, keeping it at bay. Dug for the ore deposit, built a miner and a maker. By then the beam was firing continously. Then proceeded from there.

This is the start to my version. At about 2:09 I was able to start the DB full time. 4-5 Blasters will keep the Drones and Creeper at bay.

Gee, looks like I chose a bad week to be out of town. Seems like a great competition.  Looking forward to the next one...

It was a barn burner all the way.

Can't wait to see what Wheatmidge comes up with (but wish he would hurry).
:)

Sorry was at work all day. I'll post the new challenge right away. Sorry for the delay.

Thanks!  The withdrawal pains are coming closer together :)

And I don't have my save files for No gravity so I can't post more pictures. I did take one picture from up gravity though.

In general drone evasion allows you to save energy by not having to build blasters or spend energy shooting the drones, but it's very labour intensive to keep up for a long period of time.

Interesting. Fascinating to see the various levels this game is played on.

I gave No Gravity another try, but looking at Helper's screen again I had my blasters too far to the left when the ground crumbled and I was toast. I also am likely too laid back with my build up. I do a bit of pausing, but then some seconds will run by and I'll realize I was watching a blaster or something and I could have built a reactor.

I agree. Its impressive that what is essentially a simple game, has a very large degree of replay-ability and variety.

Personally I don't like doing the drone evasion thing, unless the map absolutely requires it (can't be done without) although it can be a very energy-saving technique, especially if the drones have high health. For maps with low health (normal) drones shields can be quite effective if the path of the drones can be somewhat controlled. Maybe I will find the time to do a video of the map showing how I played it.

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 27, 2012, 05:07:33 AM
Maybe I will find the time to do a video of the map showing how I played it.

Many of us would benefit from that, SC. You've helped me quite a bit with some previous videos.

As promised, a video of how to use shields against drones in No Gravity 16:
http://youtu.be/XeAShWHXZ24

*sits here shaking his head*

That whole activating/deactivating Mirrors trick is some good stuff!
I was able to get the DB running at the same time (2:09) but slogged through the rest of the game building one Mirror at a time.

Great play!

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 28, 2012, 07:10:20 AM
As promised, a video of how to use shields against drones in No Gravity 16:
http://youtu.be/XeAShWHXZ24

Wow! Even after watching I'm not sure I can reproduce that build up and advanced DB juggling. Also great to see a clean strategy for building reactors when all 4 build directions are allowed. I sometimes flounder around with weird digs, but I think doing double rows looks like it keeps things simple, minimizes wasted digs, and allows for a good density of reactors.

Why did you push the LS into the underground as you cleared creeper away? I would think the DB would be the most packet intensive unit so staying proximal to it would be ideal. This is certainly no criticism of your play, just curious on the thought process.

@Rob3K there are no stupid questions. If we don't ask questions (or react to constructive criticism) we can never move forward. Asking questions shows interest.

The reason for taking the LS into the hole was to reach the bottom left, which couldn't be reached by just using beacons. I needed to get to the bottom left ore deposit for the points. When I first did that map I believe I ended up finished the map just before getting the ore, thus loosing out on 100 points.

There is a layout that allows you to pack reactors even closer, but it takes alot of time to implement. Keeping it to double width rows keeps it simple. An important focus is to not dig when it doesn't give you space for a reactor.

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
@Rob3K there are no stupid questions. If we don't ask questions (or react to constructive criticism) we can never move forward. Asking questions shows interest.

The reason for taking the LS into the hole was to reach the bottom left, which couldn't be reached by just using beacons. I needed to get to the bottom left ore deposit for the points. When I first did that map I believe I ended up finished the map just before getting the ore, thus loosing out on 100 points.

There is a layout that allows you to pack reactors even closer, but it takes alot of time to implement. Keeping it to double width rows keeps it simple. An important focus is to not dig when it doesn't give you space for a reactor.

Ah!

Yeah, I penciled out a crude grid on a slip of paper and worked out what (I think) would be the ideal dig for reactor placement with all 4 directions allowed, but it gets tricky when you are on an actual map with some infinite grids and higher value grids to also factor into the equation.

Concur with what SC said. There are always members around who are glad to share their techniques.

Regardless of your level, there are some you can help learn and some from whom you can learn. Getting the higher level players to post screen shots/videos is always great.

Quote from: rob3k on November 26, 2012, 07:40:13 PM
..., but then some seconds will run by and I'll realize I was watching a blaster or something and I could have built a reactor.

I can't begin to count the number of times I've done the same thing. Sit there watching Drones get chewed up and not realize I'm not building/deploying pieces  :-[

Quote from: Helper on November 28, 2012, 11:34:15 AMI can't begin to count the number of times I've done the same thing. Sit there watching Drones get chewed up and not realize I'm not building/deploying pieces  :-[

Don't be disheartened - all it means is you picked the right game to play. So engrossing you can forget why you started.  :)

Quote from: lurkily on November 28, 2012, 12:26:36 PM
So engrossing you can forget why you started.  :)

LOL!
Killin' Creepers and Big Drones...and with CW3, killing whatever bad stuff Virgil comes up with over there.
(Ima KeyboardKommando)

Quote from: Helper on November 28, 2012, 01:44:11 PM(Ima KeyboardKommando)

. . . so your keyboard isn't wearing underwear?

Quote from: lurkily on November 28, 2012, 02:19:56 PM

Quote from: Helper on November 28, 2012, 01:44:11 PM(Ima KeyboardKommando)

. . . so your keyboard isn't wearing underwear?

At first it struck me as weird...then I realised the implicit undertone that your keyboard is wearing underwear which is just so much more freaky.,.,.,.,.

So you DON'T put underwear on your keyboard?

. . . . . . . .

Weirdo.

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 28, 2012, 02:27:17 PM

Quote from: lurkily on November 28, 2012, 02:19:56 PM

Quote from: Helper on November 28, 2012, 01:44:11 PM(Ima KeyboardKommando)

. . . so your keyboard isn't wearing underwear?

At first it struck me as weird...then I realised the implicit undertone that your keyboard is wearing underwear which is just so much more freaky.,.,.,.,.

Thanks to all for the video, analysis, and keyboard discussion (based on the above I thought I should be brief).

Quote from: ctuna on November 28, 2012, 09:31:13 PM. . . I thought I should be brief

So you aspire to become underwear?