apterous.org

Notes from the organizer: We now head up a rung on the overall ladder to our first numbers level. After some absolutely thrilling extensive testing of both this and junior, I've gone with nice.

As ever, your standard points on the intermediary ladder are:
Points are as follows:
0 - Didn't play
1 - Beat Prune
2 - Beat Nude
3 - Beat Waldorf
4 - Beat Plum
5 - Beat Caesar
6 - Beat Velvet
7 - Beat Prime
And the bonuses:
1 - Easy: Max a game with maximum efficiency*
1 - Medium: Max a game with 1s rounds
1 - Hard: Take Rex beyond 200 rounds

*Maximum efficiency means using the minimum number of operations each round.
E.g. 50 7 4 9 8 1 -> 71
Efficient: 9*8 -1 or 7*9 +8
Inefficient: 50 +7*(4-1) [or anything else!]
One nuance of this format is that you'll only ever require up to 5 of the numbers to solve, so if you use 6, you've definitely gone wrong.

So, for this round, for maximum points, you'll need:
1) Max game against Prime using 1s rounds & the most efficient solution every round.
2) A NA against Rex where you score at least 2000points. Time control here can be 30s or less.

This second part mirrors the Long Jump event in my upcoming Aptolympics, which I'm sure you can agree I'm plugging really subtly: https://www.apterous.org/to_tourney.php?tourney=2725. If this is your kinda thing, you're more than welcome to sign up to just one event.

Right. So, why is this format "easy"?
Every round is maxable. Just click the target or use ctrl+space to quickly set the target in 1s rounds.
Why is max game & efficiency "easy"?
With 30s, most rounds are pretty straightforward.
Why is max game & 1s rounds "medium"?
There are usually a few toughies, so an instant solve can be tough.
Why is scoring 2000 against Rex "hard"?
10 consecutive max games... need I say more?

TIP: The bots are surprisingly weak with 1s time constraints, e.g. Prime averaged around 90 in testing. If you're struggling to beat Prime in a normal game (where he can hit 180-200), you may be better off earning 7 points in a 1s game.

Scores will be regularly updated here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Uqa7W-5bYxb2P18IQw-FUAYlEa7jHeO3keCFjw99gGY/edit#gid=0

Good luck! Our first conundrum level will follow next Monday (22nd)

Ran from: 15 – 28 June 2020. Format: Nice Numbers Attack. Matches: One-off. Approved.

Fixtures: 29. Completed: 29.

Results and fixtures

Key. Green: winner. Red: loser. Grey: tie. (Stripes: provisional, match in progress.)