Continuing e-mail correspondence with Finger Arts
The
purpose of this e-mail, as all my e-mails have been, is to better understand
Sudoku2. I want to know if I will ever be a high scorer. Either I don't have the
brain power, or dexterity required, or I don't understand the way scoring is
done.
These
comments are based on the fact that the highest score that I have achieved,
without cheating is 82540 in 8.58 minutes.
The
second highest score is 82276 in 10.38 minutes. These two facts alone could be
the basis of the lack of knowledge as to how the scoring of the game is done.
Your explanation of scoring does not explain this kind of
difference.
After a
number of questions about the game, you finally revealed that there are bonus
points added under certain conditions. I
have found no way to apply this knowledge, because I haven't been able to figure
out how and when it happens, so that I can manipulate the score.
I had
figured out how the penalties are done by watching a broken game reset the
multiplier significantly. Apparently a
penalty is in place for the next game,
because of the broken game. I have not
been able to verify this.
Because
you claim to have no knowledge, that you would share about the time it takes for
someone to finish a high (100,000)
scored game, or any game. I have no way to know if my average game that takes
10.59 minutes, and average score of 79113 is pretty good, or is the reason that
I will never score a high game. With
knowing the time it takes to score 100,000, I will never figure out, what I am
doing wrong.
If
everyone that plays the game enters candidates, it requires a certain amount of
time to do that. Dexterity is required. If numbers are found that can be placed,
during this time, points are scored. But at some point you must enter all the
candidates, and you are running the clock during all this. There is a large amount of time flying by
where you are not scoring any points, thus reducing the multiplier and receiving
lower points when you finally can start solving the puzzle. Regardless of how
fast a person can enter candidates, it could never happen in 2 minutes… or 3
minutes…. or 4 minutes. It just isn't possible. Each candidate placement
requires a taping on the screen in two places. There is a minimum time
required.
My
fasted time to place all the candidates is 6.14 minutes, but it resulted in a
low scoring game. Average time placing
candidates is in the high 7 minutes. In one game I had scored 38737 points in
8.09 minutes at the time all the
candidates had been entered, but only resulted in an end score of 81187 in 10.18
minutes. Now the difference in time
between candidates and the final solution of the game is 2.09 minutes. In this 2.09 minutes the majority of the
points were scored. I suppose that whoever is playing the game must go thru the
same steps. Setting candidates, solving the game.
In relationship to my comment on cheating, let
me explain. I did this two times.
I took
a picture of a beginning screen, and in a program I found, I entered the numbers
from the screen, and the program solved the puzzle for me. I then entered the
solved puzzle numbers into the game.
The
first game was solved in 2.41 minutes
for a score of 83747, with the multiplier ending at x151. In entering the numbers, I filled in all the
blank numbers on line 1, followed by 2… 3 so on. I was not concerned which
numbers had the highest value. This score is recorded in open feint. And Is
recorded in my screen as my highest score and time.
I thought that it would score higher if when I
was entering the numbers, I would fill in all the 9's first, followed by all the
8's and so forth. The results were
astounding, I finished in 8.57 minutes
and scored 74588 with the multiplier at x140. The reason it took so long was
that when I took the picture of the starting screen, I didn't stop the game
immediately and it takes longer to enter the higher number on each line
first.
I have
scored above 80000 many times, and because of these games being a representation
of my skill, I will use their scores as an example of the problems of my
understanding scoring.
The
relationship between score and time, as you will see, and my ability to
understand why it differs so widely could only be explained by some unknown
scoring factors, like the bonus you described, or other factors that are not explained.
Because
I maintain a list of scores and times of games played, I can give you some
examples of scores that I can't explain. Of games played that resulted in scores
above 80,000, the times have ranged from 8.58 minutes to 12.26
minutes.
Of
games that have been played in under 10 minutes, they have resulted in scores
82540 to 76858.
It will
probably never happen, but I would like, perhaps another version of Sudoku2, to
play that contained no hidden scoring features. That way when I finished one
game I could compare it with the last game and know why the score was higher or
lower. I could identify my weak points.
And after I had worked to make them less weak, I could finally know, if I was a
dunce, pretty good at playing the game .
Some
questions, please, if you could answer:
1.
Is
there any way to find out some times that other Sudoku2 players are scoring? It
would be logical to assume that you play, or some else in your office. Could
they share? I would suppose that the person that designed the program and who
would know all of the hidden features, scoring, would play the game fairly well.
Meaning, high scores.
2.
My
definition of another version of Sudoku2, Is it probable?
3.
Is my
problem, not in the time of the game, but perhaps, a strategy that is not
related to the rules you use to define scoring?
4.
Perhaps
there is someone else that has as many question I have. If so is there a way
that you could set up, to share e-mail addresses?
