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[Grujah]

I only managed to get from 6 to 5 in #17

[Tables]

I did 53 in 72 tiles, it was about as hard as I imagined using custom tiles.
54 does indeed look easy compared to the ones that have just gone.

[Grujah]

I did 53 in 72 tiles, it was about as hard as I imagined using custom tiles.
54 does indeed look easy compared to the ones that have just gone.

I have done it in 209. Mostly cuz I have 2 general custom tiles, both copied 4 times with slight changes for each color. Sigh.

[Tables]

Mind showing me your solution? I can PM you mine if you want.

[Grujah]

Mind showing me your solution? I can PM you mine if you want.

Sure, send away.

[-Stef-]

I'd also love to see some machines other people built. Especially if you consider them beautiful, funny, or somehow interesting.

I don't want to spoil any complex problems for anyone, but here are a few that won't do too much damage I think.

• Split Left (lvl 26) is one I've been trying to improve upon for a long time. 15 just feels like a lot, given that half the problem is solvable in 4. Anyway, in my search I found no such thing but a lot of beautiful solutions that use 16 tiles. This one and this one are two examples I wanted to share.
• Color alternate (lvl 41) is more of an introduction than a real challenge, and the 8-tile solution for 3 stars seems rather straight forward here. However, I got very close to finding a 7-tile solution, if only I could get the timing right. But I can't. Which resulted in a rather unusual reason to use a custom tile. If you can fix it, your reward is 4 stars

And two more that actually may do damage, so don't read it if you don't want anything spoiled.

Memory (lvl 50) is actually a real level and the solution I'm posting here is pretty good, only one tile too much for 3 stars.
But it's so nice, much prettier and completely different from my 14-tile solution that I'm posting it anyway.

And for those who do hunt stars among us:
This is a 6-tile solution to Ups & Downs.
However, it's really close to a 3-star solution. In fact, you can just replace two tiles by one other one.
Which will lead to a very useful trick on many other levels for optimizations.

[eHalcyon]

I'm too lazy to go make nice links, so if you are curious you can copy+paste.

This is my solution to Storage:

http://xorballs.dskl.net/#3,queue1,[0,main:22723724725726132H33G34J35I41B42a243a244a245a246052D53C54F55E617629639649659],[2,switch:13014A18L24L25226445048753B56K732740835]

The main solution is really neat and ordered, I think.  It's not optimal because my switch is not optimal, though even fixing that might not bring it down enough.

[jonts26]

I got sick of Stef beating my high scores. So let's see him beat this: http://tinyurl.com/cgdnuxh

Also if you replace one tile you get an infinite but entertaining design: http://tinyurl.com/ctnk7e6

[eHalcyon]

I got sick of Stef beating my high scores. So let's see him beat this: http://tinyurl.com/cgdnuxh

Also if you replace one tile you get an infinite but entertaining design: http://tinyurl.com/ctnk7e6

In the solution, you technically don't need that second arrow, do you?

[jonts26]

I got sick of Stef beating my high scores. So let's see him beat this: http://tinyurl.com/cgdnuxh

Also if you replace one tile you get an infinite but entertaining design: http://tinyurl.com/ctnk7e6

In the solution, you technically don't need that second arrow, do you?

I don't need most of those tiles. That's sort of the point.

[eHalcyon]

I got sick of Stef beating my high scores. So let's see him beat this: http://tinyurl.com/cgdnuxh

Also if you replace one tile you get an infinite but entertaining design: http://tinyurl.com/ctnk7e6

In the solution, you technically don't need that second arrow, do you?

I don't need most of those tiles. That's sort of the point.

I mean, it doesn't serve a function?  All the other tiles are "necessary" and they all get hit.  If you removed a tile, the solution shouldn't work anymore, right?  But that final arrow could be removed and the solution would still work, right?  I mean, I could just fill a space with a bunch of tiles that never get used...

[jonts26]

Well, it's fairly trivial to make it "necessary". For example, We can change a couple tiles to make the top ball do the bottom ball path before leaving. http://tinyurl.com/bpgegsy

EDIT: wait that makes the up arrow near the exit removable. Try this one instead. Though it loses a little symmetry. http://tinyurl.com/c4fl7wk

[eHalcyon]

Well, it's fairly trivial to make it "necessary". For example, We can change a couple tiles to make the top ball do the bottom ball path before leaving. http://tinyurl.com/bpgegsy

Touche.

[DStu]

I've two 4 tile solutions for 47 (init), and one of them almost solves 48 (reset init), but best I can do for 48 is 18 tiles....

[eHalcyon]

I've two 4 tile solutions for 47 (init), and one of them almost solves 48 (reset init), but best I can do for 48 is 18 tiles....

I know how you feel.  My best for 48 is 11 tiles, but the high score is 6!  And it actually matters quite a bit to me, because I use that solution as a custom tile in many subsequent solutions.

What is your second 4 tile solution to 47?  The one I have uses spinner, alternating spinner and two arrows, one of which could be a spinner or a diagonal just to get the ball moving up..

[DStu]

I've two 4 tile solutions for 47 (init), and one of them almost solves 48 (reset init), but best I can do for 48 is 18 tiles....

I know how you feel.  My best for 48 is 11 tiles, but the high score is 6!  And it actually matters quite a bit to me, because I use that solution as a custom tile in many subsequent solutions.

What is your second 4 tile solution to 47?  The one I have uses spinner, alternating spinner and two arrows, one of which could be a spinner or a diagonal just to get the ball moving up..

yeah, that's one of them. The other one is spinner one below the middle with arrow below it, and arrow + diagonal at entrance

[eHalcyon]

I've two 4 tile solutions for 47 (init), and one of them almost solves 48 (reset init), but best I can do for 48 is 18 tiles....

I know how you feel.  My best for 48 is 11 tiles, but the high score is 6!  And it actually matters quite a bit to me, because I use that solution as a custom tile in many subsequent solutions.

What is your second 4 tile solution to 47?  The one I have uses spinner, alternating spinner and two arrows, one of which could be a spinner or a diagonal just to get the ball moving up..

yeah, that's one of them. The other one is spinner one below the middle with arrow below it, and arrow + diagonal at entrance

No alternator?  Or no fixed spinner?

[jonts26]

I've two 4 tile solutions for 47 (init), and one of them almost solves 48 (reset init), but best I can do for 48 is 18 tiles....

I know how you feel.  My best for 48 is 11 tiles, but the high score is 6!  And it actually matters quite a bit to me, because I use that solution as a custom tile in many subsequent solutions.

What is your second 4 tile solution to 47?  The one I have uses spinner, alternating spinner and two arrows, one of which could be a spinner or a diagonal just to get the ball moving up..

yeah, that's one of them. The other one is spinner one below the middle with arrow below it, and arrow + diagonal at entrance

No alternator?  Or no fixed spinner?

He means this .

[eHalcyon]

Yeah that's what I thought.

I'm not sure if this helps... hm.  My trouble with the reset is that two consecutive up balls should not reset the reset.  Most of my extra tiles are for preventing that case.  Hm.

[jonts26]

Yeah that's what I thought.

I'm not sure if this helps... hm.  My trouble with the reset is that two consecutive up balls should not reset the reset.  Most of my extra tiles are for preventing that case.  Hm.

Well I dont want to give it away. But I will say the 3 star solution I got is a slight variant of the design I just linked. For an extra hint it uses 2 alternators.

[eHalcyon]

Yeah that's what I thought.

I'm not sure if this helps... hm.  My trouble with the reset is that two consecutive up balls should not reset the reset.  Most of my extra tiles are for preventing that case.  Hm.

Well I dont want to give it away. But I will say the 3 star solution I got is a slight variant of the design I just linked. For an extra hint it uses 2 alternators.

My current inefficient solution for the reset uses two as well, and I know it has to... hm.  Gotta take a break.  Thanks!

[David]

My current inefficient solution for the reset uses two as well, and I know it has to... hm.  Gotta take a break.  Thanks!

Why does it have to?

[-Stef-]

I'm too lazy to go make nice links, so if you are curious you can copy+paste.

This is my solution to Storage:

http://xorballs.dskl.net/#3,queue1,[0,main:22723724725726132H33G34J35I41B42a243a244a245a246052D53C54F55E617629639649659],[2,switch:13014A18L24L25226445048753B56K732740835]

The main solution is really neat and ordered, I think.  It's not optimal because my switch is not optimal, though even fixing that might not bring it down enough.

Your main is better then you think. I had exactly this before getting my last improvement from 28 to 27, but that's just a silly tiny reordering. Your sub-machine is - as you say - not very optimal. Although using reset-init here as a submachine will do the trick, that is in fact too powerful. You need less functionality (no need to be able to reset an already reset machine) and thus can use a much simpler solution. I just tried replacing your custom tile by a 4-tile machine and it still worked.

[-Stef-]

I got sick of Stef beating my high scores. So let's see him beat this: http://tinyurl.com/cgdnuxh

Also if you replace one tile you get an infinite but entertaining design: http://tinyurl.com/ctnk7e6

No, I can't beat that.

[eHalcyon]

My current inefficient solution for the reset uses two as well, and I know it has to... hm.  Gotta take a break.  Thanks!

Why does it have to?

Because otherwise how do I stop a second reset from unresetting it? 

I'm too lazy to go make nice links, so if you are curious you can copy+paste.

This is my solution to Storage:

http://xorballs.dskl.net/#3,queue1,[0,main:22723724725726132H33G34J35I41B42a243a244a245a246052D53C54F55E617629639649659],[2,switch:13014A18L24L25226445048753B56K732740835]

The main solution is really neat and ordered, I think.  It's not optimal because my switch is not optimal, though even fixing that might not bring it down enough.

Your main is better then you think. I had exactly this before getting my last improvement from 28 to 27, but that's just a silly tiny reordering. Your sub-machine is - as you say - not very optimal. Although using reset-init here as a submachine will do the trick, that is in fact too powerful. You need less functionality (no need to be able to reset an already reset machine) and thus can use a much simpler solution. I just tried replacing your custom tile by a 4-tile machine and it still worked.

Ahhhhhh, I see.  Thanks, got the 28.  Will try to figure out the 27 later.  I have an idea.