Author Topic: Question about Level 39  (Read 4922 times)

Offline Fiskbit

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Re: Question about Level 39
« Reply #15 on: July 23, 2010, 01:35:59 am »
Keith, that comparison is really spot on. I couldn't have said it any better, myself.

Somenetguy: Well, the goal behind this level isn't to confuse the player. I really think this level is just as valid as any other, with the caveat that it requires grasping the distinction between depth of a combo (those numbers that show up when a chain clears) and the total number of chains in a combo. Deeper combos typically give more points than shallower combos (refer to http://www.arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Tidalis_-_Scoring_Calculations if you'd like more info on that), so the skill of making shallow many-chain combos can be useful in situations where you want to clear a lot of blocks quickly without accumulating many points (as well as in many other objective combinations that aren't present in the adventure mode, to my recollection). Setting up those shallow combos and making sure they don't go deeper can be rather challenging. You have to find or set up blocks so that the first chain can spawn two more chains, and you need to make sure that neither of those chains lead to more chains. There is a wide range of skills (searching for chains, setting combos up, looking ahead, and preventing combos from getting too deep) required for completing this stage.

So, I think there's a lot gained in learning how to complete this level. The skills required here are necessary (though not necessarily in this same combination) all throughout the adventure mode. There are things we can do (perhaps adding in another basic tutorial, or having text in the level itself) to make the objective more clear, which I think is a better solution than just scrapping the level, given the merits it has. We don't want to confuse players; that feedback is definitely noted and appreciated. :)
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Offline SmileyFace

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Re: Question about Level 39
« Reply #16 on: July 26, 2010, 09:46:47 am »
Well, you only need to start 2 with your first chain, making a total of 3 in the combo. But yes, you've the right idea. :) There are objectives for how deep a combo gets, the total number of chains in a combo, and the total number of blocks in a combo.
Ahhh, so that's how this level works! I just won it after losing a few times but I had no idea how I did it! The wording is confusing because it's the first time that depth and # of combos are differentiated and on top of this, the two separate conditions are used in the same puzzle. That had me scratching my head - I kept thinking they were the same condition.

I think the level is fine for adventure mode but needs a better description (somehow).

Offline x4000

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Re: Question about Level 39
« Reply #17 on: July 26, 2010, 03:14:44 pm »
Okay, in the next patch this is the new in-game text for this level:

Quote
The difference between "a combo of 3 chains and 2 depth" and "a combo of 3 chains and 3 depth" is the difference between "having two children" and "having one child and one grandchild".

So, in this specific level you want three different combos with each having two children, while avoiding having three combos with any grandchildren.

Hopefully will make things a lot more clear, but feel free to make any suggestions. :)
« Last Edit: July 26, 2010, 03:19:21 pm by x4000 »
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Offline keith.lamothe

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Re: Question about Level 39
« Reply #18 on: July 26, 2010, 03:16:58 pm »
Well, on the second line the "three children" might be a little misleading, as what you want is one parent and two children, rather than one parent, one child, and one grandchild. :)
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Offline x4000

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Re: Question about Level 39
« Reply #19 on: July 26, 2010, 03:17:53 pm »
Good point, that's now fixed. :)
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