Minesweeper (seriously)

[Hellkyte]

Yeah, that game. Its definitely a gradpa guitar and does not require DX10. For anyone who likes puzzles or math or probability or whatnot, this game is remarkably fun.

It's also taking over my life a bit. I don't know if anyone else out there is a minesweeper fanatic but I am quickly becoming one. I already have put together a playbook of some of the less obvious patterns.

I can finish most intermediate maps in 2-3 minutes or so, and I'm getting to the point where I should be able to beat expert level games, but I usually get down to the last 10 mines and encounter a mine that can only be guessed, or (this happens a lot) I misclick.

People may assume that since this is a game that is included with Windows its not particularly interesting, but this is one of the most challenging logic puzzle games I have ever encountered.

Anyone else play? If so it could be cool to post some best times for maps etc. Obviously I don't trust anyone here to be remotely honest at measuring their own logi-peen so I believe there's a webapp called Minesweeper X that keeps you from cheating.

[Tellenta]

I used to, it's not that it is challenging it's just logic and guess based. When you're sitting with a 3 and only 4 boxes to pick from it comes down to dumb luck most of the time. My all time favorite time waster game is still solitaire.

[Daneel Trevize]

The bundled games for desktop Linux distros have it licked (the mentioned dumb luck final steps can just be a downer), KNetwalk is similarly simple, grid-based but timed & addictive, that and incarnations of SameGame, such as the crack that was Klickety, and then there's KBlackbox, KBounce for something more dynamic and then Chromium (but that's an arcade scrolling spaceship shooter with badass sound rather than logic puzzles).
Hmm, must resist KDE-on-Windows port/installer...

[LarkinAlpha]

I play a bunch while thinking about something else, talking to people on the phone/vent/skype. The most annoying part is the random 50/50 choice bit, and I'd say it's in 9/10 games.

[LoudSpeakly]

...but I usually get down to the last 10 mines and encounter a mine that can only be guessed, or (this happens a lot) I misclick.

I use the flag mine, then dual-click method to reduce those mistakes. Someone once mentioned that was cheating which left me scratching my head. I think I remember a port which bragged that it generated fields that never had those guessing game conditions... but I could have been imagining that as well.

In the end, if you're doing it right, it becomes a game of speed pattern-matching and once you've figured them out the rest is just accuracy and reflexes.

It's fun though, once you 'get' it.

[Hellkyte]

When it comes down to the guessing, I found this article which was like "oh wow this is a game for overly analytic nerds"

http://nothings.org/games/minesweeper/

[Pacefalm]

[ValorousBob]

Is it just me, or is college humor usually actually highschool level humor?



(although i did like the minesweeper one)

[dpidcoe]

Is it just me, or is college humor usually actually highschool level humor?

Yeah, but then college is just a repeat of highschool right?

although iirc they used to be a lot funnier years ago.

on topic edit: I never found minesweeper to be all that challenging. If you have 1st grade math skills you can solve it (unless it comes down to a retarded 50-50 condition at the end). Come to think of it, I bet it wouldn't be too hard to write a program to solve minesweeper puzzles. Test the algorithm out using some pre-made 2d arrays and then step it up to use some image recognition.

[shoki]

i swear to god, i still don't know how to play the damn thing
i know the idea behind it, but fuck me if i can win even the smallest and easyest field

[sahtila]

Unfortunataly there is far too often place where you have to take random guess 50/50 chance. Especially corners are bad, so easier just start by clicking 4 corners open rather than wasting time doing whole map and then ending 2 corners where you have to take random guess.

PS: Minesweeper is excellent mouse speed/accuracy test. Any lag or inaccuracy (like old wireless mouses) and making good time is impossible.

[Pacefalm]

Unfortunataly there is far too often place where you have to take random guess 50/50 chance. Especially corners are bad, so easier just start by clicking 4 corners open rather than wasting time doing whole map and then ending 2 corners where you have to take random guess.

PS: Minesweeper is excellent mouse speed/accuracy test. Any lag or inaccuracy (like old wireless mouses) and making good time is impossible.

You can set it so the sides of the field "wrap around" making it less likely that the corners will be an issue. 50/50 are not that common, I get one maybe once every 3 or 4 games.