aztcg7
Level: Master Delver

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So, what's your best optimization technique? It can be anything, from how you keep a specific move order in a part of a room, to the most efficient way to cut a 2x3 block of tar.

I now release this thread to roam, wherever other minds may take it.

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NiroZ
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As a general rule of thumb, it's best to move your body (and therefore, your sword) rather than wave your sword around.

calamarain
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When attacking hordes of incoming roaches, it's sometimes worth a few moves getting them to stack into 2-3 columns, so you can manage them better and in fewer turns.

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Tahnan
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Little things. Move diagonally around walls. Enter with your sword facing the direction you'll first need it. Things like that.

Also, when facing a horde or clearly tarstuff, try to kill a monster with every move.

Yellow_Mage
Level: Master Delver
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Lost of different things depedent of how you must approach a room.

NiroZ wrote:
As a general rule of thumb, it's best to move your body (and therefore, your sword) rather than wave your sword around.

I can agree with that. Few exceptions are like horde management which occasionally swinging your sword is the better option when you need to advance/charge a horde, so you'll get a single line of roaches in the end. Standing in the right place so they come in two rows (eg. if roaches are approaching you from a corner, stand one square away from the wall) so you can swing you sword and kill a roach each swing.

2x3 tar - stab it with your sword perpendicular. Sidestep to kill, backstep to kill, swing your sword OR diagonally back step to get a line of tar babies. Step forward 3 times.

For a 2x3 mud, just for information sake, you can destroy it one turn quicker than tar.

Can't tell you much about Gel.

3x5 tar 19 turns because you need to backstep, 3x5 mud 15 turns. 3x5 tar with a brain, 15 turns.

Rattlesnakes - have your sword diagonally.
Adders - have your sword diagonally pointing towards it. If you know serpent movement it changes its preferred direction every 5 turns so all you have to do is walk with it.

Can't think of anything else other that probably littles things that I don't think about. I'm not an optimizer.

____________________________
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Monkey
Level: Master Delver

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I know a way to remove tar and babies in 5 turns.Can shave a few turns off for optimizing.
Just my 2 cents.

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lurking

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[Last edited by Monkey at 08-02-2007 10:31 PM]

Yellow_Mage
Level: Master Delver
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6 Turns, and it puts you sideways and one step further back prior to the point of stabbing it. Using a extra turn to kill a 2x3 tar bit, you are two steps forward before initially stabbing the tar. Also the tar orientation does have a factor.

Depends which way you want to go afterwards, but the direction you are facing the tar popping isn't good either.

____________________________
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RoboBob3000
Level: Smitemaster

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My preferred method:



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http://beepsandbloops.wordpress.com/

Tahnan
Level: Smitemaster

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Consider leaving a brain alive so that monsters come to you rather than vice versa. Clearing a 3xn stretch of tar is also faster with a brain alive.

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
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Optimization? Why can't people just play for fun?

[EDIT]

Always figure out where you want to end up. With lots of roaches, this could either mean lining them up or side-swiping to stay put.

Queens are always catchable if your sword is diagnoally pointing in the direction they're moving along a given wall.

3-wide tar with mother should only be cut if there's at least 6 moves left before spawn.

Never attempt a room with gel in it.

Wraithwings are my favourite. They don't make sense. Kill them all.

You can only make a snake go left or down if it is at least 4 long, and then even with great timing (there are exceptions of course).

Always make rattle snakes go in a step ladder style. Best shape for cutting.

Play larrymurk's holds and apply the techniques. That's my best advice.

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[Last edited by Syntax at 08-03-2007 09:31 AM]

captainzakku
Level: Delver
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I don't think this technique has been mentioned yet: If there is a tar/mud/gel mother make sure you always time things so that you cut the tar/mud/gel on turn 1, as this limits further growth.

Another tar trick - if there are green doors, beat the room, then cut a piece of tar and back out through a previously closed door without killing the tar babies. You can now enter the room from a new, possibly much easier entrance.

Oh, and my general optimizing technique:

Step 1: Beat a room.
Step 2: Hit F6 to see how many moves it took the fastest person. I don't download demos, usually just by looking at the move count I can figure out whether I'm on the right track, or missing something big (like the tar trick above).
Step 3: Check to see if I'm #1. If yes, but I feel I could have done better, go to step 1. Otherwise go to step 4.
Step 4: Am I completely frustrated with the room/hold/Michthro/Syntax/Dolan42/Fratopea/Rabscuttle or any of the other usual suspects? If yes go to the next room. If not go back to Step 1 and try something slightly different.

____________________________
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Syntax
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My "only cut tarish stuff on turn 6" is based on that technique. Glad you mentioned it though

[EDIT]

That reminds me actually... we were having a #1 battle on TCB. Best check the latest news (guess I'm losing that one)

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[Last edited by Syntax at 08-03-2007 01:11 PM]

Tuttle
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RoboBob3000 wrote:
My preferred method:

Click here to view the secret text

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I seriously had to look at that twice to work out it was using actual game elements and not a raygun.

It's a little thing, but make sure you leave by the nearest exit. On the rare occasions I actually think I might have done alright on a room, I often mess up by charging ahead to the "proper" exit when I'm only a couple of steps away from where I entered the room.

Briareos
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Tuttle wrote:
It's a little thing, but make sure you leave by the nearest exit. On the rare occasions I actually think I might have done alright on a room, I often mess up by charging ahead to the "proper" exit when I'm only a couple of steps away from where I entered the room.

Feature request for mouse-controlled step counting between two points on the playfield, anyone?

np: Praxis - Broken/Fractal (Tennessee 2004)

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Tahnan
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Briareos wrote:
Feature request for mouse-controlled step counting between two points on the playfield, anyone?

Yes, yes, once again yes. (Also: this is one of the things that makes conquer tokens so very nice. If an architect puts a conquer token at the end of the player's path through the monsterful part of the room, then it doesn't matter which exit the player goes to.)

Additional optimization note: if the room is symmetric, try doing it again in the opposite direction (e.g., if the room is a three-square-wide east-west corridor, and you've conquered it by moving along the top edge, try doing it again along the bottom edge). Monster movement order may be such that one side is faster than the other by a few moves.

Briareos
Level: Smitemaster

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Tahnan wrote:

Briareos wrote:
Feature request for mouse-controlled step counting between two points on the playfield, anyone?

Yes, yes, once again yes.

Hmmm... how about dragging the mouse with the right button held down for an interface? And showing the distance in the tooltip while dragging?

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)