UNOFFICIAL CONTEST RESULTS

[Zag24]

Stickywulf,

Thanks a lot for showing your progression on all of the designs. Just putting that note together was a pretty huge amount of work! Although I don't think anyone was questioning your integrity, that certainly put to rest any doubts anyone might have had. I really appreciated it because it let me see a little into your thought process as you improved your designs.

** To the contest creators **
Thanks for a fun contest! The mix of puzzles was interesting, highlighting some different skills. Only one puzzle was what I would call 'just luck' which is stumbling on a 2-blue-rod Displacement. I knew one was possible, but my friends and I must have spent 5 hours total trying to find one and never did. We were close with a number of designs, but could never tweak it in.

However, the one skill that you didn't require was a complex design, something that can't be solved without lots of pieces. Lots of us like to make vehicles, but anyone making a vehicle for any of these puzzles immediately lost. In your next competition, I'd really like to see these:

1. Moonscape. A really wide puzzle with the build area all the way on the left and the goal area on the right, with lots of difficult terrain in the middle. It should be too far for any sort of catapult solution: a multi-terrain vehicle is the only option. I don't know if you can control gravity with your engine, but it would be really cool if you can make the terrain so that it is a large circle with gravity always pointing towards the center, as if you're on the opposite side of the moon from the goal.

2. Pass it. Think of the letter E back to back with a mirror image of itself. The upper right quadrant is the goal, and all three other quadrants are build areas. The target starts outside the upper left build area, about to fall off the board. Player will have to catch the target before it falls away, then pass it either over or under the E's and get it to the goal.

Thanks for listening. :D

[crazyryguy9]

Hey guys I thought I'd throw my contraptions out there. I didn't think I was gonna win with a 24 point total but I thought I'd be closer than like 40 point off. Anyway I was pretty proud of all mine at least.

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6690936 8 points, 216 ticks, clean

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6690431 4 points, 58 ticks, champ

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6690237 -3 points, 93 ticks, champ

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6690190 -5 points, 162 ticks, clean, champ

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6588638 20 points ouch

[compscure]

Stickywulf,

I'm an asshat and you're a world-class contraptioneer. Thanks for sharing those. Enjoy your well-earned Ipod and I'll just slink off and listen to some Scorpions on my cassette walkman.

I have zero doubt that your submissions are your work and sorry for dragging you into the .net BS.

[GaminKWB]

I also deleted most of my 'works in progress' because they were cluttering up my 'My Designs' page. I literally had about 80-90 works in progress. Many solved, but were eventually tweaked down. I am not sure if they are still a part of the database. I was kind of hoping they were removed from there in order to prevent 'design mining', but I have a feeling 'deleting' them just removes them from your interface. I hope there is still some link between creator and design. Just in case they need to be restored for some reason.

[compscure]

I know deleting them doesn't remove them from the database--at least not quickly. I don't save anything long term, but if you go click on an old contest entry from the boards, it still works.

That said, I know I came across some dead links in old Hap contest threads. So I think eventually they may fall off the earth.

No idea if they can still link them to the creator.

[Afronanny]

Deleting does not delete from database. First, because you can access levels/designs that have been deleted from the My Levels/Designs page of their creator. Second, Weasel was kind enough to dig out a level accidentally deleted for me.

[wackz]

I have to say that I am impressed with the solutions the winners came up with. I had a 7-piece Canyon solution, but it used two powered wheels so my score was 22. I didn't think Canyon could be done unpowered but I really underestimated the ingenuity of the FCers. Myself, I couldn't even come up with any efficient solution for Displacement. That just shows I have a long way to go in considering unpowered/green solutions!

I have seen a couple of people show off 6-piece Canyon solutions. I believe it can be done in 5. Anyone trying for 4?

[Coopzila]

...
1. Moonscape. A really wide puzzle with the build area all the way on the left and the goal area on the right, with lots of difficult terrain in the middle. It should be too far for any sort of catapult solution: a multi-terrain vehicle is the only option. I don't know if you can control gravity with your engine, but it would be really cool if you can make the terrain so that it is a large circle with gravity always pointing towards the center, as if you're on the opposite side of the moon from the goal.

2. Pass it. Think of the letter E back to back with a mirror image of itself. The upper right quadrant is the goal, and all three other quadrants are build areas. The target starts outside the upper left build area, about to fall off the board. Player will have to catch the target before it falls away, then pass it either over or under the E's and get it to the goal...

I like the idea! It would be tough designing a comp that requires actual contraptions. The scoring system would be need to be tweaked.

[Max_C]

Hey guys I thought I'd throw my contraptions out there. I didn't think I was gonna win with a 24 point total but I thought I'd be closer than like 40 point off. Anyway I was pretty proud of all mine at least.

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6690936 8 points, 216 ticks, clean

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6690431 4 points, 58 ticks, champ

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6690237 -3 points, 93 ticks, champ

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6690190 -5 points, 162 ticks, clean, champ

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6588638 20 points ouch

Dude, Open Da Gate was awesome! I think that's the best solution I've seen yet. Great job!

Max.

[Iliketoplay2]

This was my first contest! So fun! Thanks again, Weasel!
I must admit, I thought I had a chance at the treasure. So, sad...
But, for posterity, here are mine:

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6746015
Canyon 19 HO Monkey & Crane
http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6746026
Gate Keeper 1 HO,CH,BR Tigress
http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6746050
Be A Champ 5 CL,BR Viper
http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6746085
Stuck -2 HO,CH,BR Po
http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6746095
Displacement 4 HO,CH,CL,BR Mantis

28pts total.
Perhaps I'll get a consolation prize for a clever naming scheme...

Enjoy!

[compscure]

I-- those are really slick. Coolest champ catcher on stuck I've seen.

[cooljenny]

Had a great time with the competition. Never intended to submit until I was egged on by my kids. Didn't read the scoring rules in the beginning so I didn't realize until later that if you so much as think about a powered disc your score is through the roof. Anyway someone asked to see my first crack at gate keeper.

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6829945

Came up with this very quickly (before I read the scoring rules) and declared victory. It was only when I read the rules and couldn't get my ticks below 100 (that extra tick was costing me 1 point) that I scrapped and went to a brown stick solution using one of the orange balls on the side. I gained a few points but my ticks were 233 - I didn't tweak very much.

I do want to say that after looking at the ingenious designs I enjoy the four blue rod solutions for champ, the unpowered solutions for the second pit in canyon, and the rods-only solutions to stuck the most. I'm sorry but as far as the balls-only solutions to stuck - while I can only imagine how long it took to tweak those in - I just don't appreciate them as much. From a scoring standpoint it doesn't seem consistent that everything else being equal (ticks, etc.) a solution using 3 rods only gets the same score as one using 8 or 10 blue balls (or whatever makes that break even).

My suggestion for future scoring would be to make the hands-off badge more points and don't weigh the balls-only solution so much. Also, (I don't know how hard it would be to design and control something like this) but what about a contest where you get a certain amount of time per quest (an hour or two) and no more and then the amount of time you took less than that would earn you bonus points as well as simplicity, badges, and ticks.

As far as cheating. Cheaters will cheat at anything. I do want to say that when I first looked at garmin's displacement I thought I had opened one of my saved (and discarded efforts) for two blue rods. It looked identical - I just couldn't tweak it in - so it wasn't. I spent probably half of my total time of the competition on trying to tweak in my displacement and I didn't. If I had been a micron over one way or the other it might have worked and then it would have been identical. In that particular scenario, once you realize that the big ball will balance on a blue rod and try to win the level with a second blue rod you will tend to a very limited number of solutions.

Signing off until the next email inviting me to another contest.

[LTLFTC]

; Design: Gate Keeper (#6878122)
; Author unknown
; Exported by FC Resource (http://fc.therisenrealm.com)

@name Gate Keeper
@description

; Build and goal areas
BuildArea (15.55, 17.6), (698.2, 244.3), 0
GoalArea (14.3, 338.65), (100, 100), 0

; Level objects
StaticRect (-174.2, 232.85), (349.5, 112.7), 0
StaticRect (203.35, 232.85), (352.4, 112.7), 0
StaticRect (-53.45, 321.55), (40.4, 152.9), 0
StaticRect (82.75, 337.55), (40.3, 122.6), 0
StaticRect (14.6, 403.9), (176.4, 37), 0
StaticRect (-335.55, 118.65), (27.5, 172.6), 0
StaticRect (365.55, 113.7), (27.5, 160.8), 0
DynamicCircle (367.2, 12.7), (39.2, 39.2), 0
DynamicCircle (-335.05, 13.6), (39.2, 39.2), 25.5138704275

; Goal and design objects
GoalRect#0 (15.8, 163.55), (25.4, 84.6), 90.1612334451
UnpowWheel#1 (-26.2, -75.75), (40, 40), 0
UnpowWheel#2 (-74.6, -80.85), (40, 40), 0
UnpowWheel#3 (-26.2, -35.75), (40, 40), 0
UnpowWheel#4 (-134.3, 120.9), (40, 40), 0
UnpowWheel#5 (-126.75, 81.35), (40, 40), 0

Quick question for the powers that be that know more about this than I do.
Forgetting that the two designs were identical. If you look at the design itself. Two of the unpowered wheels #1 and #3 (the two at the top of the deign) are precisely lined up in the vertical plane and 40 (i assume pixels) apart in the horizontal plane.
I have been trying to duplicate this design for my own satisfaction for hours. For the life of me it will not let me put two wheels exactly lined up in the vertical plane 40 pixels or whatever they are in the horizontal plane apart I can only get 40.05 pixels apart and let me tell you that makes all the difference. Is my screen not high enough resolution or should I be using some technical "assistance" to do it??

[GaminKWB]

; Design: Gate Keeper (#6878122)
; Author unknown
; Exported by FC Resource (http://fc.therisenrealm.com)

@name Gate Keeper
@description

; Build and goal areas
BuildArea (15.55, 17.6), (698.2, 244.3), 0
GoalArea (14.3, 338.65), (100, 100), 0

; Level objects
StaticRect (-174.2, 232.85), (349.5, 112.7), 0
StaticRect (203.35, 232.85), (352.4, 112.7), 0
StaticRect (-53.45, 321.55), (40.4, 152.9), 0
StaticRect (82.75, 337.55), (40.3, 122.6), 0
StaticRect (14.6, 403.9), (176.4, 37), 0
StaticRect (-335.55, 118.65), (27.5, 172.6), 0
StaticRect (365.55, 113.7), (27.5, 160.8), 0
DynamicCircle (367.2, 12.7), (39.2, 39.2), 0
DynamicCircle (-335.05, 13.6), (39.2, 39.2), 25.5138704275

; Goal and design objects
GoalRect#0 (15.8, 163.55), (25.4, 84.6), 90.1612334451
UnpowWheel#1 (-26.2, -75.75), (40, 40), 0
UnpowWheel#2 (-74.6, -80.85), (40, 40), 0
UnpowWheel#3 (-26.2, -35.75), (40, 40), 0
UnpowWheel#4 (-134.3, 120.9), (40, 40), 0
UnpowWheel#5 (-126.75, 81.35), (40, 40), 0

Quick question for the powers that be that know more about this than I do.
Forgetting that the two designs were identical. If you look at the design itself. Two of the unpowered wheels #1 and #3 (the two at the top of the deign) are precisely lined up in the vertical plane and 40 (i assume pixels) apart in the horizontal plane.
I have been trying to duplicate this design for my own satisfaction for hours. For the life of me it will not let me put two wheels exactly lined up in the vertical plane 40 pixels or whatever they are in the horizontal plane apart I can only get 40.05 pixels apart and let me tell you that makes all the difference. Is my screen not high enough resolution or should I be using some technical "assistance" to do it??

The hardest part about tweaking is the fact that when you move a piece, it moves a certain amount based on how far zoomed in you are. So say you are zoomed all the way in. And it is moving by .3 each 'pixel'. Well if you are on plane 41.0. Then you will hit 40.7, 40.4, 40.1, 39.8 ... etc. Never reaching 40.0. If you zoom out a couple levels, you might be moving it by .7 each 'pixel'. So you can go from 41.0 to 40.3. Then zoom all the way back in, and you are moving by .3 which gives you completely new points to test. Including that elusive 40.0.

The numbers above are made up for reference only, I do not know exactly how much it moves for each zoom level. But I have proven through trial and error that the above scenario is true. I learned this on my Canyon solve. I would move the contraption one pixel left - test - left - test - left - test. Then zoom out - move right - zoom in - test - move left - test - left - test. Etc.

[Dr. Phil]

I never entered because I have an ipod and didnt want to waste time trying to get something I already had. But here was a fun Be a Champ solve I had.

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6795746

[Dad_1006]

One quick question before this whole thing winds down. A couple of folks have mentioned that they got emails from FC about the contest. I payed and registered back in October and have never received any emails from FC. Just wondering why I didn't get the email and what I need to do to get on 'the list'. Thanks all

[Stickywulf]

One quick question before this whole thing winds down. A couple of folks have mentioned that they got emails from FC about the contest. I payed and registered back in October and have never received any emails from FC. Just wondering why I didn't get the email and what I need to do to get on 'the list'. Thanks all

You can subscribe to the sparkworkz newsletter here: http://sparkworkz.com/lists/?p=subscribe

[Dad_1006]

Thank you very much sir! And congratulations again for your awesome -17.

[shoeshineboy]

I played, but didn't submit... i thought i had some good ideas but turned out i thought too much! anyway contrats on the winners it was just as much fun watching the winners as it was playing! I ended up right around 66 i believe but gave up all attempts when people started posting scores in the negatives!
i like watching my solution to stuck and displaced though
http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6644615
http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=6614745

[kdausman]

For grins, my solutions were:

Displacement Ticks=160 Score=-4
Stuck Ticks=63 Score=-5
Be a Champ Ticks=217 Score=2
Gate Keeper Ticks=97 Score=-2
Canyon Ticks=299 Score=17

Total Score=8

Oh well... back to long-way-around, I suppose. That's more up my alley.