Here I go again with my obsession about the first 200 levels of Candy Crush. I don't even mean to run tests any more, just to collect some boosters ready for my regular games to get ready for All Stars.
But these first 200 levels tell us so much about how the AI runs the game and about the algorithms it creates, I feel the urge to share this.
This was my second new account in two days. The first was part of a different test group, for which levels up to 126 were very easy to pass. The second had some harder levels 50 -125. I did not run out of lives though: The app gave both new accounts a free gift of five lives the first time when running out of lives.
This morning I played the two episodes levels 126 - 155 and the pattern is as clear as can be: I am being trained to watch ads in this test group.
For the first of the two episodes I received a timed wrap + stripe from the daily treat machine. I think events like this control the game now and what we get as timed boosters is fine tuned to what the app wants us to achieve (or not achieve) in the coming levels. I believe we all play the same basic level algorithms now, but the first attempts are different boards for each test group and based on what starting boosters we have on our boards. This way the timed boosters we are given by the app can control outcome and our gameplay by picking a specific board for us on that first attempt based on the boosters the game knows we have (because it gave them to us).
The timed boosters allowed me to pass every level that episode just by following the hints.
The second episode started in a similar manner even though by that time I had no boosters to use. This is how it played out:
- Every easy (unmarked) level : These levels can all be passed by following the hints, i.e. by following these simple rules (which is what the game now hints): Make any combo of special candies you see, if there is no combo hit a special candy against a normal candy, if there is no special candy play a move to create one, if none of the above is possible make the lowest possible match on the board. This simple structure will lead to a pass in all the unmarked early levels of the game. Some levels this method may actually be so slow that the game finishes it off for you with a wild cascade on the last move (level 143 did this for me)
- The levels marked as hard or worse: The game hints will lead to either a pass if following the hints as above (50% of hard levels, sometimes on the second attempt), but you might need to find your own winning move, which quite frankly stares you in the face on these early levels. Some of the marked levels this method will leave us short: The hint moves lead us close enough for us to see that a few more moves will pass. This is where the ads feature suddenly appeared for me. In the episode 141-155 each time I was left one or two moves short the option to watch ads came up, and each time the level was then passed on the next move. This even applies to the Meltdown levels, which are full of luck at the pre 200 levels.
This account is obviously training me to watch ads.
The previous new account found levels 1-200 easier, but had no ads. Both of the accounts illustrate to me that this must be the drive by the game to recruit new players ready for All Stars. At which point, no doubt, the levels will get harder, the ads more scarce and boosters available from events will dry up.
Something else I noted:
Since these are mostly older levels from the human days, one or two of these levels still have an old fashioned lucky board algorithm. I found this for level 147, which is legendary. I spotted the old fashioned luck early on and avoided being trapped into failure. I avoided making any moves that involved jelly fish but used my older method to create special candies wherever I could see the chance and use my brain. When it came to the last five moves there were so many jelly fish on the board that they did finish it off for me though. This is the level for reference:
I have found this at other level ranges as well: the legendary levels can sometimes be passed if you avoid the hints, never create a jelly fish by a match 4, but use this older method:
- create any special candy (except fish!) when the opportunity arises (even if there are already special candies on the board, in fact often even if there is a combo available)
- Plan ahead to move combos down into the best position
- hit special candy combos where they can do most damage (wrap + stripe is good on the above level)
- if none of the above is possible make a match that will destroy the most blockers
- try to think of what the game wants us to do, so for example with the above level it might be to match three vertically to bring down one of the stripes from the dispenser
So I think this is a pattern that can help us play some of these older human written levels more effectively.
Interestingly all the end of episode Meltdown levels are particularly easy pre level 200. They often produce lucky boards, many finish the level for you just by following the hints, and so far are always passable on attempt one or two:
The game wants us to win these early episode races and earn some gold. When the game gets harder later on players will be trained to use that gold to get past the impossible levels, or to waste it all to try keep their super chargers when they approach level 300….
It's still possible to turn the gold into boosters and take those with you when you sign up into your existing King account. If it was possible to stop this method I'm sure King would have long put a stop to it, but I guess the basic app functions don't allow this.
It's not too late to start a new game ready for All Stars: I think early level players are being favoured by the game and I think that it may now be possible to use levels 500-2000 to win the event. I might give that a go myself. (one last test…)
