AR2_A_004_Flipster (Ends 30/09 @ 15:00 GMT)

[V4nKw15h]

Welcome to the 4th AR2 A league contest: Flipster
(This competition uses AR2beta1)

Rules:
The cheapest solution wins. Only one medal.
Jackhammers are banned. (They would spoil this level)
Other dark structures are okay. Hopefully there is nothing that would seriously spoil this level.

Notes:
When I originally asked Peter to allow us to change the prices of materials etc, it was for the reasons you will find in this level.
When you first look at it you will likely think it's more like a B league level. Don't be so sure. The price of tension and timers is considerably lower along with other items like rockets.
I always felt we only played with half of the things that AR had to offer, this level allows nearly anything to be of use. I've tried to balance the prices so it's interesting to try everything and experiment with materials and functions that are usually ignored.
It's time to think differently. No need for pulleys here.

Submissions by PM

Naming convention is:
[DollarsRemaining]-[YourFourmName]-[SolutionName]

Example:
800-peterstock-mysolution

GMT Time link: http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/

HAVE FUN!

[ioncorpse]

I "complete" level (dillo is in the portal) with 333$++

Question: WHERE ARE OTHER 5 If you'll open level in editor - you will see that this level asks for 6 ARs!!!
Probably this is a bug, which should be fixed. Number of ARs, wich required to complete level can't be more then number of ARs on the level.

[V4nKw15h]

Yikes, that's a bug for sure. There are no secret Dillo's. I'll have a look to see if there is anything I can do to fix that and repost the level.

Edit: Okay, I have updated the lvl file so now you can complete the level with the one dillo in the level. It says now 1/6 in the bottom corner. Just ignore it. Get the dillo in the portal and it works.
However, don't worry if you have a solution with the old file and need to submit it. As long as the dillo is clearly in the portal it will be accepted. Nothing else on the level has changed.

Hopefully we caught it early enough for everyone to switch over to the new file.


Notes for Peter to help bug fix this: While creating this level I was experimenting with AR2 level building. I did accidentally keep adding new dillos and deleting them while I was getting used to the buttons. However, often a dillo would be visible on the screen but I couldn't select it to delete it. I found the only way to remove it was to use undo. Obviously that is a bug itself, but maybe also the undo code isn't working as it should and updating the dillo count. Also as I was adding these extra dillos by mistake they were all yellow (just info incase it helps bug fixing). Sometimes I had 3 or 4 yellow dillos on screen while I was trying to work out how to delete them.
Oh, and Peter, can you confirm you have seen this message or if you would like all bug information reported in another way?

[markmadras]

I am glad it's not just me with a solution that won't complete, funny thing is the other league's new contest is exactly the same.

This problem of not being able to delete Dillo's was reported to Peter and he was aware of this bug, but the Dillo count, which may or may not be connected, should be brought to his attention. All reports are best placed in the AR2 section, viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2328, or PM'd straight to Peter.

[V4nKw15h]

I should point out that the 850+ tip is only to land in that V shape. It's not a final score tip. I don't want to freak people out and put them off playing.

The idea was for the level to be won or lost on the solution after that point. I suspect after some experimentation more than one person will get to that V with identical scores.

I am glad it's not just me with a solution that won't complete, funny thing is the other league's new contest is exactly the same.

Redownload the file for a version that will complete if you start a new solution. It's fixed now.

[ioncorpse]

333+ as I said before...

And Yes, I was scarying by 850+ tip....

[V4nKw15h]

And Yes, I was scarying by 850+ tip....

There is no guarantee anyone will find it of course.

Remember the last time I did a tips level with "sub 60" right at the start? It wasn't until a few hours before the end of the competition that Cresta discovered how. However, this time it's nowhere near as hard to do.

I simply didn't want people wasting huge ammounts of time on solutions that cost way more. It's A league. It's not meant to take masses of tweaking and complex constructions, and it doesn't. It just looks like it does with the AR1 mindset.

[markmadras]

350++

[V4nKw15h]

Not much action here yet. I know it's still early in the comp but only two players posting scores is a bit

Post up some raises guys or let me know if it's not appealing. Really, it's not anything like as hard as it looks. The winning score will be using alot of tension because it's so cheap. That was the idea. So it's alot easier to get around than the AR1 mindset would make you believe.

[ioncorpse]

I'm not happy with my solution, but lets rise to 404+

[peterstock]

V4nKw15h - thanks for pointing out this bug. I noticed it in one of Votart's levels earlier and had it on my list to investigate.

Your explanation of how to re-create it is great though - it's definitely related to the undo function. Silly me!

[V4nKw15h]

Your explanation of how to re-create it is great though - it's definitely related to the undo function. Silly me!

Ah good. I've done my fair share of programming so it's more obvious to me maybe where the likely cause of the bug is.


And, where is Votart. Aren't you meant to be saying 950+ by now?


Edit: @Peter. Using undo to remove dillos isn't the exact cause of the problem. If the dillos select properly, the undo function doesn't cause the bug. The bug happens when a dillo is on screen that will not select properly and then undo is used to remove it. I can't seem to recreate the unselectable dillo problem though. I'll keep trying.
And here is a seriously bugged out level with like 10 unselectable dillos and very strange behaviour when trying to add new ones. It happened while trying to recreate the unselectable dillo problem. They were all selectable and then suddenly when I tried to add another this happened. I'm still trying to find the cause of why this happens but this saved level might help you to understand. If you select the dillo icon immediately after loading this level you can't add more, or select an existing dillo until you right click in empty space. Then they all come to life.

Edit2: Ah, so simple. To create an unselectable dillo. Select the dillo icon in the toolbar, point at a dillo so it is selected and has the green outline, and right click it. That's it. It instantly becomes unselectable. Then use undo to remove it and the dillo count bug happens.

[markmadras]

This below is Peters description of how you get an undeletable Dillo. This is from the AR2 thread in General.

The other bug you mention is caused by right-clicking (to change size) but not moving the mouse before releasing the mouse button. Apologies for this - it will be fixed in the next version.

Lets try 450++

[V4nKw15h]

Oh yeah, I discovered it for myself and posted an edit just before you posted it.

[ioncorpse]

500+