Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Board 118: Phoenix Roost

This picture is of a golden egg that glows as if red hot, sitting in a nest perched on a ledge overlooking what appears to be a volcanic crater.


Level 1 (Clear 25 red pegs from 90 total, with only 9 balls - Pro target 500k)

The first design is all single pegs. Diamond-shaped ones around the actual nest, and round ones elsewhere, but with no pegs over the egg itself.


Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 563,170 
  • These layouts with lots of loose round and diamond-shaped pegs are usually quite tough to accumulate big scores on. The score was indeed slow to come on this level, and I needed to avoid the 10k buket at the end.

Level 2 (Clear 30 red pegs from 98 total, with only 9 balls - Pro target 450k)

The second design features three concentric rings around the egg, plus a series of sloping and vertical straight lines to the left.


Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 440,780
  • I finished a little prematurely, taking out both the last two red pegs in the same shot. As a result I finished 10k points short of the pro target.

Attempt #2 - No power ups. Score: 418,890
  • I didn't manage to find a decent sweep around the inside of the loops, so I was struggling for points a bit more towards the end. I thought I had an easy catch off a purple peg, but the ball went right into the corner and bounced off the rim of the bucket.

Attempt #3 - No power ups. Score: 373,280
  • I got a good sweep around the outside loop, but didn't get enough catches thereafter. I was up to a 93% clearance at the end, and I only had one red peg left, but my score was still a little low.

Attempt #4 - No power ups. Score: 302,610
  • The worst yet. I didn't get a decent sweep, nor do I make many catches. Having come quite close a couple of times, I'm reluctant ti use a power up here. I'll give it another go or two first.

Attempt #5 - No power ups. Score: 406,760
  • I still can't quite get over the line on this one. I think I'd better use a laser ball or I could be here all night.

Attempt #6 - Laser Ball. Score: 763,300 
  • With the laser ball in play, the score came very easily. It was just a matter of clearing the red pegs, and that wasn't particularly difficult either.

Level 3 (Clear 30 red pegs from 101 total, with only 8 balls - Pro target 400k)

The third design follows the lines in the picture, particularly the cliff edge, the nest and the egg itself.


Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 348,390
  • I didn't get much luck by way of catches, but I was on target for a pro score, with three red pegs left.

Attempt #2 - No power ups. Score: 433,780
  • A better score, but five red pegs left this time. One more attempt before I call in the laser ball.

Attempt #3 - No power ups. Score: 271,880
  • Five reds left again. It's not working for me at the moment, so I'll get a laser ball on it.

Attempt #4 - Laser Ball. Score: 820,020 
  • The laser ball again made the difference. It staggers me when I read comments from experienced players who attack every level with two power ups from the word go. I just don't see where the challenge is in that. Each to their own, I suppose.

Level 4 (Clear 30 red pegs from 102 total, with only 8 balls - Pro target 450k)

The fourth design is of a phoenix rising up with wings outstretched.


Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 643,060 
  • I picked up enough bonuses and made enough catches to see me through all the way. I had to be quite careful as to how I finished off the last two or three pegs, as I had to clear the right blue pegs that allowed me access to the remaining reds with the least risk.

Level 5 (Clear 30 red pegs from 71 total, with only 9 balls - Pro target 450k)

The final design features a couple of large feathers as obstructions. Each feather has a solid line of pegs both above and below it, and there are more loose round pegs, quite a few of which are hidden beneath the feathers.


Attempt #1 - No power ups. Score: 376,570
  • Two red pegs left down the left-hand wall. This level is going to take a certain amount of working out of the angles, I suspect.

Attempt #2 - No power ups. Score: 376,530
  • My score was eerily close to me first attempt, but I did clear the reds this time. I'm not sure how much the laser ball would help me here. I think I'll try a Big Bounce first.

Attempt #3 - Big Bounce. Score: 596,900 
  • I got some good early sweeps, and the Big Bounce worked perfectly, clearing out all the red pegs under the left-hand feather. I had to restrain myself at the end from shooting the purple pegs until I was down to my last ball. I made sure I left myself two balls to get the last red as I needed to judge a rebound off a feather to get to it.

Level 6 (Clear ALL pegs - 30 red and 71 blue, with only 9 balls - Pro target 475k)

The same design as level 3, but with one more ball, 75k on the pro target, and a total clearance now required.

Attempt #1 - Laser Ball. Score: 924,860 
  • I got a decent rim bounce with the laser ball, and some good ricochets and catches afterwards. The pro target seems very low for an ALL level. I would have thought you'd struggle to get a total clearance without scoring that much.

Level 7 (Score 575k with 25 red pegs and 73 blue, with only 8 balls - Pro target 725k)

The same design as level 2, but with 5 less red pegs, one less ball, 275k on the pro target, but only a score as a target.

Attempt #1 - Laser Ball. Score: 665,600
  • The rim bounce only got me one extra peg, so that could have gone better. I did get a total clearance, but I was short of points and needed at leasy 150k from the final buckets, but could only manage 60k.

Attempt #2 - Laser Ball. Score: 388,540
  • I didn't get a good first ball and it took me a few shots to get through to the yellow peg. I didn't have enough balls left in the endgame.

Attempt #3 - Laser Ball. Score: 722,250
  • I just had to avoid the 20k final bonus, but that was all I could manage, so I missed the target by less than 3k.

Attempt #4 - Laser Ball. Score: 955,800 
  • I got the yellow peg with the first shot, and didn't bother with any attempted sweeps at all. I got quite a lot of points from the laser ball, so after that I just concentrated on scoring as many bonuses as I could, since I didn't have to worry about clearing the reds.

Level 8 (Clear ALL pegs - 30 red and 60 blue, with only 9 balls - Pro target 525k)

The same design as level 1, but with 5 more red pegs, 25k on the pro target, anda total clearance now required.

Attempt #1 - Laser Ball. Score: 472,780
  • Four red pegs left, so not too bad for a first attempt.

Attempt #2 - Laser Ball. Score: 889,830 
  • It still took a few balls to get to the yellow peg, and the laser ball was OK, but I did much better with my catches that time.

Level 9 (Clear 30 red pegs from 71 total, with only 8 balls - Pro target 600k)

The same design as level 5, but with one less ball, and 150k on the pro target.

Attempt #1 - Big Bounce. Score: 429,010
  • The Big Bounce got trapped in the bottom right corner, and then it took me too many balls to clear the reds from the bottom left.

Attempt #2 - Big Bounce. Score: 617,630
  • I got stuck with one red peg left against the left-hand wall. A shame because I'd been going great guns up until then. The Big Bounce did wonderfully well taking out practically every red on the level except that one annoying one that I couldn't find an angle for.

Attempt #3 - Big Bounce. Score: 457,790
  • The yellow peg was stuck under the left-hand feather, so I wasted several balls trying to get to it. I then ran out of balls before I could finish clearing the reds.

Attempt #4 - Big Bounce. Score: 517,630
  • A 99% clearance, but the single red peg that was left was in the ungettable position against the left-hand wall, so I had no chance once all the pegs around it had gone.

Attempt #5 - Big Bounce. Score: 562,020
  • Again, I got stuck with the ungettable peg against the left-hand wall. It does annoy me when they put a peg in that cannot be got on its own.

Attempt #6 - Big Bounce & Gravity Ball. Score: 623,280 
  • I added the Split Ball, but gained nothing from it. I found a good angle for the first ball which takes out the lower left-hand curve in its entirety. The awkward peg against the left-hand wall was blue for a change, although I did get it off another peg as it happened. The final red peg was one against the left-hand wall, but it was a slightly higher one which I knew I could get.

Level 10 (Clear ALL pegs - 35 red and 67 blue, with only 6 balls and a 3s shot-clock - Pro target 700k)

The same design as level 4, but with 5 more red pegs, two less balls, 250k on the pro target, a three second shot-clock, and all pegs now required.

Attempt #1 - Laser Ball. Score: 579,450
  • Only an 88% clearance, despite getting at the yellow peg on the first ball and finding a decent laser ball. I'll add a Big Bounce.

Attempt #2 - Laser Ball & Big Bounce. Score: 943,550 
  • The Big Bounce may have made the difference there I think. I found a path through to the yellow peg with the first ball again and then found a good route for the laser ball, despite having to shoot right instead of left because of the shot-clock. The Big Bounce then went pretty well, and there wasn't actually that much left to do afterwards.

SUMMARY


Level
Reds
Pegs
Target
Balls
Clock
Pro
Attempts
Record
Average
Video
1
25
90
Reds
9
-
500k
1
563,170
563,170
2
30
98
Reds
9
-
450k
6
763,300
450,936
3
30
101
Reds
8
-
400k
4
820,020
468,517
4
30
102
Reds
8
-
450k
1
643,060
643,060
5
30
71
Reds
9
-
450k
3
596,900
450,000
6
30
101
All
9
-
475k
1
924,860
924,860
7
25
98
575k
8
-
725k
4
955,800
683,047
8
30
90
All
9
-
525k
2
889,830
681,305
9
30
71
Reds
8
-
600k
6
623,280
534,560
10
35
102
All
6
3s
700k
2
943,550
761,500

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