Timewaster's Guide Archive

Games => Video Games => Topic started by: Eagle Prince on January 17, 2005, 07:10:44 AM

Title: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 17, 2005, 07:10:44 AM
I can't be the only person who plays this... oh, if you are wondering what I am talking about, this is a little puzzle game that comes with almost every version of windows.  So like anytime I am waiting for something at the computer, like the internet to connect or whatever, I always find myself throwing up a game of Minesweeper.

So here are my best times if you want to try beating them, and if you do throw up your time and I'll try to best it.

Beginner: 13 seconds (edit: 5)
Intermediate: 61 seconds
Expert: 245 seconds

Edit:

Hmmm... I just got 5 seconds on beginner.  So I did a search and found some websites with the best time, some people claiming to have beat it in 1 or 2 seconds... yeah, not sure if I'd believe 2 seconds.  The only way you could get that is if you only had to click 2 or 3 boxes, and if that's all it took then big deal... anyway, 5 seconds is my new record for beginner.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on January 17, 2005, 07:59:33 AM
heh, minesweeper rocks my face off!

my best times:
Beginner: 6 seconds
intermediate: 39 Seconds
Expert: 116 seconds

I'll have to check my work computer to see if there are better times there. I think there are.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 17, 2005, 08:08:31 AM
44 seconds on intermediate... that will be tough.  I don't think I could get that on expert w/o just getting real lucky.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on January 17, 2005, 09:02:19 AM
I edited to reflect better times on my work computer. My beginner time is worse there, but the other two are better. yay!
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 17, 2005, 09:34:34 AM
You are the minesweeper master, but now I got something to work towards.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 29, 2005, 04:26:48 AM
I got beginner in 3 seconds, but so far can't beat your other two times.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on January 29, 2005, 03:35:28 PM
You are the master of beginner. I can't even come close to 3 secs
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 29, 2005, 07:06:09 PM
Well it wasn't too impressive, considering I only had to click about 4 boxes.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Tekiel on January 31, 2005, 01:24:51 AM
My current best times:
Beginner: 7 seconds
intermediate: 43 seconds
Expert: 133 seconds

I've played better, but then I reformatted my computer.  I'm assuming you guys play so you can mark where the arrows are and then duel click to remove the numbers around that bomb.

Eagle, I have personally seen the 2 second best time on the beginner level.  My brother did it (no, not Tage) by clicking twice on the screen and finishing it.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 31, 2005, 01:27:50 AM
After getting 3 seconds, I can believe it now... but its all about getting that one luccky game.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 31, 2005, 01:29:44 AM
What's this double click thing, I don't know what you're talking about there.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Tekiel on January 31, 2005, 01:38:24 AM
It's where you mark a bomb by left clicking, then click both the left and right mouse buttons on one of the numbers around that bomb.  Say, if it's a 1, then clicking on that after marking a bomb will clear all the 'unknown' grey squares.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 31, 2005, 01:42:24 AM
Never knew that, should help shave off some time once I master it.  Thanks.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Tekiel on January 31, 2005, 01:45:53 AM
Wow!  I thought I was obsessed with Minesweeper, but you guys were getting those speeds by clicking every single square!  

I bow to your Minesweeping skill.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 31, 2005, 01:49:39 AM
Well I don't know about SE, he might have known that.  But I sure didn't.

Actually, it will take awhile to get used to that.  I was just starting to train myself to complete games w/o marking any bombs to help with the click time.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Tekiel on January 31, 2005, 02:01:18 AM
Doing it without marking the bombs really helps cause then you can find the rules.
For example a straight row of the numbers 1-2-1 means that the squares adjacent to the number 2 are not bombs - assuming there aren't numbers to the outside of the numbers 1.  Let me see if I can make a crude pic of it.
X X X A X X X
      1 2 1

The A isn't a bomb.

. . . . I need a life.  ;)
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on January 31, 2005, 02:03:09 AM
Yeah I get what you mean, after awhile it gets more and  more about pattern recognition more than figuring out each bomb.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on January 31, 2005, 09:28:16 AM
I thought the multiclick thing was cheating at first. But then I adopted it and loved it. Yes, that's part of how I get my times.

There are other more difficult patterns to recognize if you want to be fast.

E X X E
1 2 2 1

where the numbers equal numbers, the E represents an empty box and the X reepresents a bomb. THat will always be the case

The difficult thing about such patterns is reconizing how it fits a pattern even though the exact number isn't what you expect. To expand, using the previous pattern:

E X X E X X E
1 2 2 2 2 3 X

the first part fits the 1-2-2-1, but the fourth number isn't a 1, it's a 2. HOwever, if we already knew what mines were touching the fifth number, then we already know what one of hte mines touching the fourth number is, which means the mines left to discover will match a 1-2-2-1 pattern. Do I make sense?
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Eagle Prince on February 04, 2005, 02:56:14 AM
Wish I could say that new trick was helping me, but its only shaving off a few seconds.  It does make the average time I finish a game a lot quicker though.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on February 04, 2005, 02:07:56 PM
here's another illustration incase I wasn't clear before. Happened just now, which is why I thought of it.

2 1 2
2 F 3
3 2 3
F 1 1

the F is a mine I've flagged (correctly, I won this particular round) This is what I see. I'm working to the right, this is right at the top of the playing field. everything to the left is clear, but also doesn't bear on this example.

where are the mines? There are exactly two that you can find with that pattern.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on February 04, 2005, 02:09:19 PM
oh, and I got 4 seconds on beginner just now. I would have tied your 3, but I wasn't watching and I started flagging mines. I could have just clicked twice more and gotten it in 2 or 3. Curse my distracti on!
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Entsuropi on February 04, 2005, 02:22:34 PM
You strange people.
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: Tekiel on February 04, 2005, 10:11:27 PM
Hmmm, apparently I haven't played this as much as I thought.  You say you're working at the top and are heading right.  I only see one mine to the right:

2 1 2
2 F 3
3 2 3 F
F 1 1

Where's the other?
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on February 04, 2005, 10:21:21 PM
Right above it. This is an iteration of the 1-2-2-1 pattern in play. The top one needs shows 2, but it needs one more. The next two show three, but they both already border a one, so they each need 2. The last one is an actual one. So the solution is:

2 1 2  
2 F 3 F
3 2 3 F
F 1 1  
Title: Re: Minesweeper
Post by: MasterShake on February 08, 2005, 09:20:09 PM
 My current best times:  
Beginner: 6 seconds  
intermediate: 59 seconds  
Expert: 112 seconds  

Okay I kno these aren't the best of scores but hey I tried! :D