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Post by harry817 on Oct 5, 2008 7:02:32 GMT -5
Good question. But if you get up to 170 resources of a type and do that 50-60 times, you won't bet on keepin playing, would you ? Sure, the advices here are good, but shouldn't a game be solvable even for people who do not read here ?
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Post by burtosis on Oct 5, 2008 21:21:56 GMT -5
I still play quite a bit, even though I have gone through the levels 2 times so far. I like this particular type of puzzle game because it is fun - especially so when you develop a well working strategy.
I learned so much because of exposure to many other people and saw what thier tactics were. This helped me to know what was possible without having to discover it all.
I think that this is where the MMO feature comes in. What has been the longest attention holder for me is to be able to play people with about my skill level head to head. Though I guess this is probably more fun if you are in the same room I think the multiplayer aspect of this game will make an already super fun game redefine what is super fun. Of course, the game could go in other directions as well including some kind of world to explore or creatures to beat. So far I think this is one of the best games out and I can't believe it was free.
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Post by davidmwilliams on Oct 13, 2008 5:25:36 GMT -5
Great post, very helpful - thanks !
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shokk
New Member
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Post by shokk on Oct 14, 2008 20:55:47 GMT -5
Anyone have a video of this in action? I would love to see a camera focused on the iPhone screen while someone is getting these combos and chains. That would ultimately be the best way to demonstrate these techniques.
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Post by swansuite on Oct 15, 2008 17:07:34 GMT -5
Look, I really appreciate your sharing strategy and all, but I think that you're not getting something.... I read your strategy through at least 10x and have no idea what the heck you are talking about. If the game requires strings to complete, then it is a puzzle game for those with advanced puzzle skills and much higher IQs than me. I don't have those skills and I'm of very average inteliigence, so the game is a total waste...... for me. A good game provides a way through for ALL gamers no matter their skill level. This game feels very elitist to me. That's coming from a guy who has been playing games for 20 years and never failed to get through a single one of them.
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Post by deviladv on Oct 15, 2008 17:46:27 GMT -5
Hello all. I must say the moment I saw AF in the app store I was taken and I did love the game... that is... I used to. I came to the site when I found it was nearly impossible for me to get the top level blueprints. I discovered that strategy where you brush your hand all over the screen to quickly build up random chains, but then that was "fixed." To all those who have the right kind of brain for this kind of game, that's great, I applaud you. This is a game for you, and it's a well crafted game. Prior to 1.1, the game definitely was too easy. I could just sit there and keep working at it levelling over and over with no real thought or strategy. My favorite were the tower puzzles. I never needed a cheat for those, even when there was supposedly a bug in one of them when it was "too hard." I'd like to think I too have a logical mind like many other people. And I do. At my job, which requires a great deal of troubleshooting and critical thinking, I'm paid very well and the best of everyone in my department. I can to a hard Sudoku on paper in under ten minutes. But my brain has difficulty quickly adapting to the strategies required now. You don't just need logic, you need adaptable creativity and to be able to visualize patterns quickly. That's true in all block games like this. I've tried at speed 0 to come up with some basic combos... lets just say I really suck at it now The bar has been set a bit high now. There are a large number of players here who enjoy where the bar is, and quite honestly, watching the evolution of the game, it should go in this direction. However, I want to set the expectation that a percentage of gamers can no longer play this game. The average quality of players remaining will improve and they can and should be catered to when the game is finished and the developers decide to look at a pay model. You can work to get to level 7 on all the blueprints without too much trouble, which is good and means you can get some enjoyment out of the game. The last blueprint will require the strategies. I'm stuck... I can't adapt. It's also a dramatic shift when you go thru the game to go from easy blueprints to suddenly very dramatically hard ones. I've never come close. This doesn't mean it's a bad game, it also doesn't mean the people who can't play the game are stupid. It just means you reduced the number of people who can play the game effectively. If you plan on charging for the game up front, it's frustrating to be unable to finish the last levels. If you plan on a subscription format, then when people hit level 8, they will drop off the subscriptions. I've unfortunately lost interest. Besides, on my iphone, I have no time to sit down and try to teach myself the strategies. Games on my iphone are for distraction when I'm in line or waiting for something, not for playing hours on end. That's what my Mac is for. I'm hoping this change won't narrow the user base too much because despite my inability to play any more, the developers deserve reward in the end for their hard work on this game.
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Post by burtosis on Oct 17, 2008 8:12:30 GMT -5
Don't get discouraged by thnking the game is too hard. There are tons of ways to score points in this game that will take you far, and you really don't have to be some kinda combination o' chuck norris and albert eienstien. aurorafeint.proboards100.com/index.cgi?board=world&action=display&thread=1294 I tried the simply compact the stack and push up while vigorously swiping method. Works great and here I had been using it for just a backup in case I couldn't continue a chain. You will get to x5 and higher by just randomly swiping rows as long as the screen is chock full of bricks. I also tried tilting the device if it looked like matches were difficult to make or sometimes when the screen gets too filled with exploding stuff. If you want to practice chains, probably the easiest way is to get to a x5 using this method. I bet with about 10min practice, anyone can beat lev 6-7 blueprints with that method with ease and it will probably work, with luck, on level 8 prints because I got my multiplier up to x12 with lots of combos going off, through luck alone. Youtube vid here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPYsRJQMCGY
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Post by burtosis on Oct 17, 2008 8:38:10 GMT -5
shokk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxwebOx9SWYDo a google or youtube video search for crack or tetris attack videos. There are tons of people doing chains there. The strategy is similar enough to transfer, at least in terms of arranging blocks. The timing and nuances of what works/dosent is different though. In the video above, if I have followed correctly, the strategies listed as above in this thread would go- (h for horizontal chain, V for vertical) First chain: Compact stack and push up! V,V,H push!,V,V,V Push!,V,H,H,H,H,H,H,H,H,H,H,H and done. Combos are thrown in for good measure, but that person could have gotten more points (that version prevents you from pushing up during a chain) if they omitted doing any combos because each additional x gets you insane points eventually.
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Post by swansuite on Oct 17, 2008 15:42:04 GMT -5
I had thought that the finger swiping method of playing was fixed in the past update, but I went ahead and tried it anyway, after both reading the original thread AND watching the video. If it works, it doesn't work on my iPhone. Yup, I got a couple of strings, but I also had the game continually admonish me for not getting the blocks cleared in time.
Bottomline: doesn't work for me and I find it hard to believe it's working for anyone else.
My advice is to put difficulty settings in and on the easy setting, lower the amount of elements you need each time there is a failure. Keep it going down until they get the blueprint. On all other settings, take this away. The challenge remains for those who have a high level of skill/IQ and works for dunderheads like me who just want to spend their money to have some damned fun.
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Post by burtosis on Oct 17, 2008 16:02:01 GMT -5
Perhaps you are not pushing up enough or swiping enough rows? For this to work well, you need 85% of the screen covered in bricks. compact your stack and push up to the top. Try going 1 row at a time as you swipe up and down the stack. If you see tools, swipe at those first when mining. In a blueprint, a well placed tool might net you a x2, which then lets you use the swipe more easily. You may even want to try and make a match on purpose, if you see it, but 100% random works too. If you go random, swipe slightly more at the bottom than top. Again, any time you can push up you should push up. Failing to push up makes this technique fail.
I tried it for about 10 minutes last night and today with AF version 1.1.0.1 (the current release) and with 10 min practice got results that can probably pass a level 8 print with enough tries and luck.
Your problem might be scoring a x2 multiplier in the first place. Don't give up - it can take up to 1-2 minutes (though usually much faster!) before getting a x2 with this method. Once you hit a x2, getting up in the multipliers is very simple and easy, even in the latest release. So, as part of a strategy, you might want to try to set up a x2 chain right away, then use this strategy. Or rely on luck to get started - that works too.
I guess it depends on what you call fun as many complain that this method becomes boring.
I would take a hybrid approach and use it go get to just x3 to x5 and then start planning what to do. It becomes easier after x5 because the lag becomes very long - about 7 seconds or so.
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shokk
New Member
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Post by shokk on Oct 19, 2008 15:34:20 GMT -5
Thanks for the video link. To those that are hating on the game because they think it takes a brainiac to get it, I consider myself a little slow, and I'm not crying about it. The suggestion at the beginning of the thread is right on for getting big points and practice will get you a little quicker so that you can get the chains going.
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Post by theconfuzed1 on Oct 19, 2008 20:59:39 GMT -5
I'll see about getting a video camera and filming myself, playing this game. The problem is that my old camera has quit working, and at some point got stashed away somewhere, on a dusty shelf that no one can recall! The only working video camera that I currently have, is... well... an app on my iPhone! Obviously, that isn't going to work for this. Heh... I'll see what I can come up with.
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Post by burtosis on Oct 20, 2008 13:38:16 GMT -5
@confused That would make a sweet video - I would totally want to check it out. If you get a chance you should make it.
Also, I found out why the swipe method does not work as well to get multiplier started. To get to a x2 you need to have the blocks matching for the x2 to have previously touched an exploding block. After you get to x2, then any time a falling block creates a match (with an exception to 2 or more horizontal chains aligned vertically - see the fast one post) you get a multiplier increase.
This means that after you get started with at least a x2, swiping will work much better.
In fact, to start practicing large chains, it helps to get to x5 - then the timing is easiest. After you get at least a x2, the swiping method is still probably the easiest and most guarenteed way to get to x5. However, it is not as fast as planning.
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eve
New Member
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Post by eve on Oct 23, 2008 5:30:04 GMT -5
I notice in this discussion that people who say they want an easier game for whatever reason are either being ignored or told even more strategies on how to get to the goal . Please accept that there are people around who came to Aurora because it was the way it was and they are put off now because it evolved into the game it is now.
I work with strategies all day long. I play to distract myself, not to continue my work. The first version of this game was superb for that and I enjoyed it very much; now it is too much like my real work and I don't need a game that is like that...
I am attracted to a game because it appeals to me and the first version of Aurora did, very much so. When it evolves into something that reminds me of my work, I stop playing. I don't feel the need to work out strategies, etc. to advance...if I did that I might just as well do some work instead of playing a game....
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Post by burtosis on Oct 23, 2008 8:03:57 GMT -5
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