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Summer Meltdown level analysis

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christinewupp
christinewupp Posts: 13,340
edited July 23 in Discussions

Both my games get the same levels, so I'm looking at analysing them to see if they play the same for both games. I had win streak plus all three starting boosters for both.

This is the second Meltdown level:

IMG_9286.png IMG_3433.png

The two starting boards look very similar. Both have no way to create a double colour bomb combo and both have a wrap/stripe combo. I choose to play the combo in both games with this outcome:

IMG_9287.png IMG_3434.png

Note that the first game has two more moves due to win streak boosters. I play the suggested moves, which for the second game is to create a second colour bomb.

IMG_9288.png IMG_3435.png

For both games I now choose to use hand switches to create a double colour bomb combo.

IMG_9289.png IMG_3436.png

This is the result:

IMG_9290.png IMG_3437.png

Now I notice that the count of toffees needed is very different even though I played practically identical games. This must be because of the first move I played above, the wrap/stripe combo being in a much better position on my starting board.

The easier version is over pretty soon:

IMG_3438.png

Although the board is still full of toffee I only need one more here.

The harder version I get to a tricky place on my last move. I may have a winning move here, but I didn't see it and played the wrong match leading me to be one toffee short. I think though if I had played the move indicated by the arrow then I could have passed:

IMG_9292.jpeg

Unfortunately I matched the other orange candy which created a fish to block the space where the green candy should have dropped.

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  • christinewupp
    christinewupp Posts: 13,340

    Second attempt, same level (I quit so that I could retry both accounts)

    IMG_9300.png IMG_3439.png

    I played identical first two moves again (the match 4 orange to create two orange stripes to the left and right).

    Then made the best moves I could see and the outcome is quite different again, but this time the other game gets the easier board:

    IMG_9303.png

    One paint brush short above.

    Below I'm way short:

    IMG_3442.png

    There are clearly diverging algorithms here. One is to remain so far short you must quit and replay, the other is you get close enough to clinch the level with one booster or perhaps by making the ideal last few moves.

  • christinewupp
    christinewupp Posts: 13,340
    edited July 23

    I continued to play both devices with no starting boosters. No luck up to attempt 5. Attempt 5 left me 20/21 toffee short both games by the game creating its own cascades in the last three moves. Probably a UFO would have clinched it.

    I continued playing no boosters and got nowhere in either game up to the +135 moves offered point, when I got pretty close on both: one UFO probably would have clinched it again.

    I decided to try using starting colour bomb and wrap/stripe now: I got a lucky board on my game at level 3725 on that next attempt while the other game failed badly. However the game at level 9425 got its lucky board on the next attempt, so there really wasn't much difference between the two. This would have been the +145/ +155 moves offered, which I think is the 15th and 16th attempt respectively.

    The entire episode up to level 3725 had been ludicrously easy. I mean a pre school child would have passed many of those levels since following the hints was enough to pass those ridiculously easy levels, so a 4 year old could do that. I assume the purpose of the Meltdown event is to bring some difficulty to all level ranges, even those that are otherwise really easy.

  • christinewupp
    christinewupp Posts: 13,340

    Next level.

    IMG_9335.png IMG_3463.png

    At level 9440 I had to play a hand switch to create the double colour bomb combo, at level 3740 I got it presented on a silver platter. Apart from this there is not much difference. I did not use the timed boosters you see, as this was a test. It did get close near the end but I passed here with my next move. It's not clear how and I can't remember which move I made, but it just happened :

    IMG_3465.png

    The other game had to work a little harder. I played one hand switch to pass here:

    IMG_9336.png

    I created the colour bomb with the reds using a hand switch and could destroy all three toffees by hitting green with it here:

    IMG_9338.png

    So two hand switches needed in total to pass this level with maximum win streak plus starting boosters.

Hey! Would you like to give us your opinion?