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Level 8466: boosters locked and a chance to test some theories

I came across this level today, and couldn't help myself. It was the first level of the episode and had boosters locked. No win streak or starting boosters allowed.

Far too few moves. Note we have to bring down three dragons and it's pretty well impossible to bring down the first within the given 18 moves. The other dragons will not drop until the first is gone.

It was rated "super hard".

I set out to test how many attempts it would take me to get a lucky board. There are few possible moves early on, so it's easy to spot the best possible move and easy for me to make the correct moves to achieve the best possible outcome for each board.

Welcome! 👋

Comments

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3341660#Comment_3341660

Thank you, yes that was very helpful. I had written a different more detailed answer which went for approval (I think I know now which word it was that caused it) and I'll see if it appears later before I write it all again.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3341660#Comment_3341660

Thanks, yes, it's really helpful and does illustrate how ads can really help here and how the algorithm has taken this into account. Be warned that a lot of first levels are similar from here on. You do lose the super charger if you have it on such levels if you fail, so beware of that.

These episodes have been nerfed to be extra hard and extract our gold @zeus77 . This may change in the next few weeks, but at the moment be careful you drain your gold reserve too much. I think King are trying to crack down on players in this mid range. I guess there are too many of us who aren't spending money.

Good luck!

zeus77

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/500453/level-8466-boosters-locked-and-a-chance-to-test-some-theories

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339576#Comment_3339576

Hello. Today while starting an episode i had a similar one as yours though my level was 8421 not 8466. Boosters locked, won't affect win streak. I don't know if it is luck or not but I had ads to play on, so I watched an ads and got 3 extra moves

This was my board after watching ads

After some moves this was my board 👇

With just 4 moves I thought I'm gonna fail.

This was my board after final move. I had the option to watch ads for 2+3 moves. I watched ads and won this level.

As you say king CONTROLS everything is a fact. Since my memory is not great i don't remember if I had play on in pre level and also got extra moves when about to fail a level. If not for extra ads then this level is sure failure for me. I was quiet surprised to win this level. I don't know if this will help you in anyway to understand the game algorithm, just putting it out here.

I will see what I get on level 8466.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339654#Comment_3339654

Yes, that was my thought exactly when I discovered this: What use is it for us to check levels out for those who are stuck at them? What use is it for those players to check up the YouTube videos? We all play a different algorithm entirely. Time to retire.

MannyFae

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339637#Comment_3339637

Thank you very much for testing this. It was my suspicion that the first levels of each episode are rigged in a very special way. For a long time, I spent 10 gold on nearly every starting episode level, usually on my first attempt, knowing that if I didn't, I would have to do it anyway, but after a struggle. It probably started somewhere around level 7000 and went away after 12000 or so, or at least it is not as noticeable now. Skull levels at the beginning of an episode still don't bode well, though.

And unfortunately, this serves to confirm yet again that if we scroll down to check the level and manage to win, it doesn't mean anything. We get a lucky board, but players who are stuck may not have the same luck. Wishing them luck is all that is left to do.

christinewupp

So I did scroll back to try the same level on my Poppy account.

Well, I must say this: We knew that we all play a different game, but THIS still surprised me! I am speechless at how different the algorithms for the same level with the same number of moves and the same lack of any boosters were:

I was getting only old-fashioned lucky boards. A single booster played on my first three attempts would have passed the level easily. The first dragon was always saved easily, the other two would have been saved easily with a single paintbrush. My first attempt I would have passed had it not been for the glitch that caused my dragon to get stuck over the chocolate dispenser:

I think I probably was meant to pass here, but it was a glitch.

The next two attempts I got very close. There were fish spawning all over the place helping me, wrapped and striped candies forming, wrap/stripe combos etc. The fourth attempt was just impossible to fail, the game just finished the level for me. Compare that to the struggle I had as a new player on my Cornflower account above. It is really unbelievable and blatantly not down to luck or skill but down to what the developers have input for the AI to give us. If ever I needed proof that we are just puppets playing this game, this is it.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339595#Comment_3339595

I made notes @zeus77 ! I need to make notes, my memory is pretty poor these days.

How do I articulate well? That's a sweet question, thank you! I guess the main two reasons may be that I learned English as a second language, so I learned it properly, and also because I am from a scientific background, so I learned how to express myself accurately through that. I also reread and edit my posts a lot! You will rarely see a post I write that has not been edited, for I always find some error that I feel I need to correct.

zeus77

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339576#Comment_3339576

Hello Christine. May I ask a question. Umm how do you articulate so well. And how do you remember the level you played with how many moves left , the colour bomb, boosters and all that the moves you made and so on. Do you take notes side by side or you have super memory power. All you test theories or post on the test run are thorough.

christinewupp

It turned out that this level was a wonderful way to experience King's manipulation tactics first hand.

Attempts:

way off the mark, no chance
+ 3 moves from friends, pretty far off, +15 moves offered for 10 gold
pretty far off, +25 moves and UFO offered for 10 gold
Colour bomb dropped with 6 moves left, +35 moves offered for 10 gold
double colour bomb combo with 3 moves left, still pretty far off, +45 moves offered for 10 gold

Fishing boat showed up as I used my 5 lives: This one offered me all three starting boosters plus 2 lives. Not much use as starting boosters were locked for this level! Does the game know what I am doing is it trying to nudge me into spending gold on this level so I don't waste this generous offer?

6. 2 colour bombs dropped with one move left, +55 moves offered for 10 gold

Don't Feed the Troll arrives! Now I really am being nudged to get on with it and start this episode race! How dare I waste time replaying this level while I am wasting half hour timed boosters and the troll clock is running down (do I care? No!)

7. chance to make a colour bomb on my first move, colour bombs drop with 13 moves left and explodes, Colour bomb+stripe combo with 3 moves left, 2 colour bombs on board with 2 moves left, 1st time I removed dragon no.1 with one move left, +65 plus UFO offered for 10 gold

8. not remarkable, colour bomb fish combo with 0 moves left, +75 moves offered for 10 gold

9. colour bomb drop with 7 moves left, 2 colour bombs on board with 1 move left, colour bomb+stripe with 0 moves left, +85 moves plus UFO offered for 10 gold

10. not close + 95 moves offered for 10 gold

11. colour bomb+ wrap at 10 moves left, colour bomb + stripe combo with 9 moves left, 1st dragon saved with 2 moves left, colour bomb + stripe combo with 1 move left, 105 moves plus UFO offered for 10 gold

Lives refilled from friends.

12. lots of wrapped and striped candies dropping with 5 moves left, cascades, 1st dragon saved with 3 moves left, +115 moves offered for 10 gold

13. way off , +125 moves plus UFO offered for 10 gold

14. unremarkable, way off, colour bomb with one move left, +135 moves offered for 10 gold

15. unremarkable, way off, + 145 moves plus UFO offered for 10 gold

16. colour bomb + stripe combo with 3 moves left, 3 more colour bombs drop and 1st dragon saved with 1 move left, +155 moves offered

Lives refilled from friends.

17. stripe+stripe combo with 12 moves left, colour bomb with 11 moves left, new colour bomb + stripe combo at 10 moves left, colour bomb + fish combo at 5 moves left, 1st dragon saved with 3 moves left, 2nd dragon on board and double colour bomb combo with 1 move left and this combo passes the level with both remaining dragons dropping

If I can be bothered I might scroll back and try the same level on my other account, and see if it plays differently for other players.

Comments

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3341660#Comment_3341660

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3341660#Comment_3341660

Good luck!

zeus77

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/500453/level-8466-boosters-locked-and-a-chance-to-test-some-theories

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339576#Comment_3339576

This was my board after watching ads

After some moves this was my board 👇

With just 4 moves I thought I'm gonna fail.

This was my board after final move. I had the option to watch ads for 2+3 moves. I watched ads and won this level.

I will see what I get on level 8466.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339654#Comment_3339654

MannyFae

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339637#Comment_3339637

christinewupp

So I did scroll back to try the same level on my Poppy account.

I think I probably was meant to pass here, but it was a glitch.

christinewupp

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339595#Comment_3339595

I made notes @zeus77 ! I need to make notes, my memory is pretty poor these days.

zeus77

https://community.king.com/en/candy-crush-saga/discussion/comment/3339576#Comment_3339576

christinewupp

It turned out that this level was a wonderful way to experience King's manipulation tactics first hand.

Attempts:

way off the mark, no chance
+ 3 moves from friends, pretty far off, +15 moves offered for 10 gold
pretty far off, +25 moves and UFO offered for 10 gold
Colour bomb dropped with 6 moves left, +35 moves offered for 10 gold
double colour bomb combo with 3 moves left, still pretty far off, +45 moves offered for 10 gold

6. 2 colour bombs dropped with one move left, +55 moves offered for 10 gold

8. not remarkable, colour bomb fish combo with 0 moves left, +75 moves offered for 10 gold

9. colour bomb drop with 7 moves left, 2 colour bombs on board with 1 move left, colour bomb+stripe with 0 moves left, +85 moves plus UFO offered for 10 gold

10. not close + 95 moves offered for 10 gold

Lives refilled from friends.

12. lots of wrapped and striped candies dropping with 5 moves left, cascades, 1st dragon saved with 3 moves left, +115 moves offered for 10 gold

13. way off , +125 moves plus UFO offered for 10 gold

14. unremarkable, way off, colour bomb with one move left, +135 moves offered for 10 gold

15. unremarkable, way off, + 145 moves plus UFO offered for 10 gold

16. colour bomb + stripe combo with 3 moves left, 3 more colour bombs drop and 1st dragon saved with 1 move left, +155 moves offered

Lives refilled from friends.

If I can be bothered I might scroll back and try the same level on my other account, and see if it plays differently for other players.

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Discussions
Chat about Candy Crush Saga, share thoughts, news, or anything sweet!
Support
Stuck or having trouble with Candy Crush Saga? Ask your question here and get help from others.
Contests
Enter for a chance to win Gold Bars and sweet in-game rewards in Candy Crush Saga!
Ideas
Have a sweet suggestion? Share your ideas to help improve Candy Crush Saga.
Off-Topic
This is your chill zone! Talk about anything that’s not Candy-related with other Candy players!.