EAB/Lemon Super League 2012: Round 11 - Gem'X

[Graham Humphrey]

EAB/Lemon Super League 2012: Round 11 - Gem'X

Starts: 00:01 September 9 Finishes: 23:59 September 29

Rules

Post a picture of your score here with the score written underneath. Enter as often as you like. Only scores achieved during the round's time frame count.

No cheating of any kind (including score leeching) - this includes save states. No continues/passwords allowed. If you suspect anyone of cheating please let us know in private - anyone found guilty will be banned for the entire season.

Remember, anyone can join in at any time. Have fun and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Downloads

- ADF
- WHDLoad-installed

Extras

- Full rules and FAQ (incorporating the Hall of Fame)
- Results and Standings
- Lemon thread

Final Scores: - EAB, Lemon

1. Harry - 203,645
2. Lonewolf10 - 186,725
3. Biscuit - 165,095
4. premmisseth - 150,980
5. Ze Emulatron - 143,865
6. ChrisN82 - 96,295
7. Simon Humphrey - 95,245
8. LinesMachine - 79,735
9. TurricanX - 68,095
10. Graham Humphrey - 63,155
11. dirk_the_daring - 59,100
12. mihcael - 50,770
13. lifeschool - 44,780
14. Chuckles - 41,230
15. mailman - 36,670
16. eMTe - 24,160

EAB (109,859) vs Lemon (130,296)

[john1979]

Something which I was thinking about and just noticed lifeschool mentioned over on lemon too is that if you see a walkthrough vid on youtube the game is essentially cheated.

[Harry]

203.645

That was my 4th Amiga game I bought, and I played it to death (ah, those memories...).

To achieve a real high score, you must not only solve enough levels, but also use up your retries for more points (each click scores points, even if it does not solve the level), and in doing so solve the levels which have a high time and take the others to use up your retries, so you get more bonus at the stage selections.

I also recommend mouse control, press return in the title to change that.

[Graham Humphrey]

I didn't even know there was a walkthrough video until today. I suppose you can never really stop people watching them even though it's more of a problem than it is for other games as at least on shooters or platformers it's still difficult to go and do it all yourself. But the levels are in a random order each time which might keep things a little interesting.



32,765

[Harry]

As some players on Lemon asked how to play this game, here is a technical hint:

Look out where boundaries are between gems which are the same on both sides, and those which dont match. In the simple case that no gems must be imploded and the outer shape of right and left side match, if a gem on the right is one step lower than on the left, a gem adjacent to it must have been clicked. Look out which one it could be - it must one that is two or more steps lower on the right side than on the left (by steps I refer to the order in the middle, from red to yellow). With that hint you can solve most of the easy levels in the first 3 stages.
If a gem next to an unmodified gem is 2 steps lower as goal, 2 clicks must be performed next to the transformed gem - it cannot be the gem itself because that would transform its neighbours too.
If gems have to be imploded to reach the right shape, also look for gems which have to be transformed only once. If for example three gems in a row have been transformed by one step and in the middle column below of them the gem has been transformed by 2 steps, then clearly they have been transformed first, and then a lower located gem has been imploded, and the middle column fell down. Look out which upper part of the column is shifted only and otherwise identical, so you find the place where a gem has to be imploded. (That can be done by either clicking on the gem itself or on a neighbouring gem.)

For levels with many missing gems you need a bit experience, but if you have a gem transformed by one step above an untransformed gem, the transformation is likely to have been carried out above the transformed gem.

Good luck!

[Lonewolf10]

Originally Posted by Graham Humphrey

I didn't even know there was a walkthrough video until today. I suppose you can never really stop people watching them even though it's more of a problem than it is for other games as at least on shooters or platformers it's still difficult to go and do it all yourself. But the levels are in a random order each time which might keep things a little interesting.

Each area (A to Z) appears to have 10 to 15 each - that's over 300 levels. Unless we have someone with photographic memory amongst us, it won't be a huge advantage to any cheaters.


77,260

[Harry]

Each stage has 16 levels, that are 416 total.

But since there are only 7 stages until completion, you need to know only 112 levels...

[lifeschool]

I had an odd thing happen to me the other day. I got to level D. Got a high score. Restarted the game, and the A stage only gave me two levels... I did both levels in seconds as they were both very easy levels, and then it took me to the map again for the B stages. Do players get less levels if they complete the earlier ones very quickly, or was this just a bug?

[Graham Humphrey]

I've never seen that happen before. I would guess that's a bug.

[Ze Emulatron]

From the game manual at http://amiga-manuals.xiik.net/



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so I wouldn't say it was a bug, it is part of the game.

[Graham Humphrey]

63,155

[mailman]

36,670

[Anakirob]

The WHD version does not want to run for me, I get the "I live you" sample, and then a blank screen. I've tried all the usual tooltypes, any ideas as to how I can get it working?

[Graham Humphrey]

I sometimes get this - it even occasionally happens before the high score table is due to appear, much to my annoyance - but other times it works. If it is failing every time then I have no idea why that is.

[Graham Humphrey]

I've uploaded my own version to the Zone - I can't remember where I got it from but it wasn't WHDownload, someone else might have uploaded it here ages ago. Nocache is already set as a tooltype. If you're still having problems there's no harm giving this one a go.

[Lonewolf10]

With the ADF version, I have had the copperlist become corrupt (copper bar effect on colour 0) after completing a level once and the game froze

[Graham Humphrey]

It does seem pretty unstable generally... there must be some good versions out there somewhere.

[lifeschool]

Originally Posted by Anakirob

The WHD version does not want to run for me. I've tried all the usual tooltypes, any ideas as to how I can get it working?

Bugs? In the Super League?

My usual trick is to go back to version 16.2 of the WHDLoad executable and put NOCACHE and NOMMU in the tooltypes. Otherwise, try a different version of the WinUAE executable. I'm still using 2.0.1 - which runs very solidly in all my tests.

[dirk_the_daring]

Wow! Never noticed there was a back move button (and works with 2 button josticks!!!)

[Lonewolf10]

Originally Posted by dirk_the_daring

Wow! Never noticed there was a back move button (and works with 2 button josticks!!!)

Yes, it's very useful having that back button. I come across a few puzzles that I know how to solve the moment I see them, but sometimes accidentally move the pointer too far across, or not far enough, and used to botch a puzzle up. Since hearing about the back button I can undo those mistakes and solve the puzzle

I have bettered my current score, but only by 100 points or so
If I don't beat it this week I'll upload it on Friday.