Viper
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 33
Registered: 11-13-2003
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I hate tar.

Can anyone explain how it works? How do you know how tar is going to expand with a Tar Mother around, and more importantly when it will expand as opposed to producing a tar baby on the spawn move.

Why is it so horrible?

zex20913
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1721
Registered: 02-04-2003
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A good suggestion would be to look at the tips page on drod.net.

But, I'll still answer it here.

Tar expands the turn after the mother closes her eyes, what we term "blinking". When they open, the tar has expanded.

Noting expansions. Pretend there was nothing hindering the tar's growth, at all. That is how it would expand. Now, put in things that the tar can not grow on (walls, orbs, scrolls, etc.) Then, if there is any bit of the tar that would have expanded, but is now only one column or one row in size, that will make a tar baby.

Beethro counts as a thing the tar can't grow over, but the sword does not. A tar baby can not be formed on the sword however.

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DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
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Also, you might want to count the number of turns between expansions. It's always the same number

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The_Red_Hawk
Level: Smitemaster
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Yes, counting is very important. Most people need it to solve the three-mother room on level 8.

But that's about it.

Except you guys left out the fact that tar can be covering walls when you enter the room.

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zex20913
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1721
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Or, if counting gets far too dull, and you have some version of Caravel DROD AE, maybe even Caravel, you can hit enter and see the spawn count.

A nifty tool at many times, especially in user holds.

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DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
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Playing Webfoot I had to play the 3 mother room so many times that I just ended up memorizing the keystrokes and the safe spots, and didn't have to count at all by the end of it. Quirky little side-effect of not having waypoints.

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The_Red_Hawk
Level: Smitemaster
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I didn't play it that long, but I think I was pretty close.

____________________________
Slashing, whirling, diving, twirling,
Snapping, turning, rising, swirling,
Screeching, flipping, gliding, sliding,
The red hawk's dance of death.

.....the king of the skies.....

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
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DiMono wrote:
Playing Webfoot I had to play the 3 mother room so many times that I just ended up memorizing the keystrokes and the safe spots, and didn't have to count at all by the end of it. Quirky little side-effect of not having waypoints.

That's so scary...

Wow! I could never do that, not even if it was the 100th time I had re-started the room. In fact, even now I still can't do that.

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DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
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Well it's not something I planned on, it just sort of... happened. I just got really used to running specific patterns on the keyboard in that room, because they reliably worked.

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Viper
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 33
Registered: 11-13-2003
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Thanks a lot for all your help guys. I'd rumbled the 30 move expansion and the blinking but I was getting a bit confused about how babies vs more tar came, and precisely how much it expanded.

About the 3 mother room not sure if I've done it yet. Thought I had but restore wont show the mothers of course and I can't quite remember. Don't think I have glancing through the restore.

eytanz
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agaricus5 wrote:

DiMono wrote:
Playing Webfoot I had to play the 3 mother room so many times that I just ended up memorizing the keystrokes and the safe spots, and didn't have to count at all by the end of it. Quirky little side-effect of not having waypoints.

That's so scary...

Wow! I could never do that, not even if it was the 100th time I had re-started the room. In fact, even now I still can't do that.

I can do it now - I can consistently solve this room without dying, and without using the counters, because I've solved it so often (it's my favourite room in Dugan's, and I often play it to unwind whenever I'm stuck in a hold). Back in Webfoot days, I could more or less do this in the beginning of the room - but then I ended up using a macro recorder for the rest of it, so I never bothered memorizing the keypresses.

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dividendD
Level: Delver
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Registered: 12-06-2003
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zex20913 wrote:
Noting expansions. Pretend there was nothing hindering the tar's growth, at all. That is how it would expand. Now, put in things that the tar can not grow on (walls, orbs, scrolls, etc.)

Have You Played Level 11? Remember, Tar can grow on walls, but this only happen if that is the way the room was like when you entered it

krammer
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 904
Registered: 02-12-2003
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Please, will people stop digging up these old hint threads? There's no need for it.

And no, tar cannot ever grow on walls. If you cut it back it will grow round them, but it can only start on walls.

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joker5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 607
Registered: 11-25-2003
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I've got a timing-sense in that I can accurately predict when the tar will grow, and I don't count. I've simply learned when and how the tar will grow and get to a safe spot.

~joker5

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