NationStates Jolt Archive

Has anyone ever beaten this game? I've been trying to beat it, and I've looked up ways to beat it, but so far I've gotten like six mines on beginners before blowing up. Any hints or tips. Also share your minesweeper experiences :)

you mean you have NEVER found all the mines?

Really? I thought it was piss-easy to beat - I think my record's like 110 seconds on Expert (on YouTube, there's a 37 second one!).

you mean you have NEVER found all the mines?

Sad...I know

I have never even tried to beat Minesweeper. I've never even looked up the How To Play. I only ever played Minesweeper at work, on days when the job was especially grinding and horrible and I was sunk into a funk of depression and bitterness. I would play Minesweeper, fantasizing about sending a little Minesweeper guy running blindly into a minefield, hoping at least to get his legs blown off because then, maybe, just maybe, they'd let him go home.

To me, Minesweeper is the most depressing computer game ever.

Sad...I know
you must not have played many times. its a matter of figuring out those spots where the mines HAVE to be--there are a few types of setups that become obvious as you play many games--and being lucky now and then when you have to make an educated guess.

i havent played in years but i used to love that game 5 or 6 (maybe more?) years ago.

I usually start in the corners.

You realize you can mark the mines with the right mouse button, right?

That is a bit sad. :tongue:

My best times used to be 4, 26, and 69, IIRC. They got lost when I changed computers some years back. I hardly ever play anymore now & I lost the times again last October when re-formating the laptop. Currently they're at *checks* 4, 27, 88.

I almost exclusively played the big one, not a big fan of the small & medium ones.

i used to love clicking a non-mine spot and having bunches of other tiles change over.

Skill at minesweeper is the sign of a misspent puberty.

Skill at minesweeper is the sign of a misspent puberty.
Lies. I acquired all my skill at Minesweeper during long, hard hours of procrastination while not writing university papers.

I usually start in the corners.

You realize you can mark the mines with the right mouse button, right?

If you want to play for speed, don't. I've managed a run of something like 12 seconds that way.

Lies. I acquired all my skill at Minesweeper during long, hard hours of procrastination while not writing university papers.
I assure you that the time would have been better spent furtively masturbating in the corner. Mine was.

I assure you that the time would have been better spent furtively masturbating in the corner. Mine was.
You need only one hand to play Minesweeper. Multitask.

You need only one hand to play Minesweeper. Multitask.
I haven't got three hands, though.

I haven't got three hands, though.
Two dicks or just clumsy?

Who used to go into all the computer stores and beat Minesweeper on the demo machines at record times?

I know some people have.

Two dicks or just clumsy?
I'm just a very thorough person, that's all. What's the point in playing if you're only going to half-ass it?

I'm just a very thorough person, that's all. What's the point in playing if you're only going to half-ass it?Nice choice of words. :tongue:

Has anyone ever beaten this game? I've been trying to beat it, and I've looked up ways to beat it, but so far I've gotten like six mines on beginners before blowing up. Any hints or tips. Also share your minesweeper experiences :)

You're kidding, right? I first beat that game when I was 8 I believe. Then I got bored with it by the time I was 9.

Uh.... do you... actually know how to play? That's a pretty big step in winning the game.

After that, especially on easy, the game isn't hard at all. If it's giving you problems, then go slow. Also, on those tricky spots you sometimes get near the end where the last mine could be in one of two places... after a while, you start seeing patterns of where the game places these.

And, if that fails, you could always go into customize in the game options, and build the biggest field of all with the least number of bombs. You can pretty much click anywhere on that fucker and win.

Anyway... I beat beginner in 12 seconds and intermediate in 124.

My best time for Beginner was 14 seconds, I believe. I don't remember my best time on Intermediate; I was at a different computer. Once you can recognize patterns, it's no trouble at all.

Now Solitaire, that game sucks. I'm reasonably good at it, but I have the worst luck with it. Nothing sucks more than having to restart a game that was going well because the specific cards you need to progress are trapped under a card you can't move.

...you're kidding, right? How would one even have "tips" for Minesweeper beyond "click the squares that you know don't have mines"?

Minesweeper: The Movie (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1770138) might give you some hints

Minesweeper: The Movie (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1770138) might give you some hints

That's just twisted, and definitely way better than any of Toilet Boll's profanities.

I just beat the biggest one in 4 minutes 33 seconds :)

Really? I thought it was piss-easy to beat - I think my record's like 110 seconds on Expert (on YouTube, there's a 37 second one!).

37, damn that is good my best is 150 seconds on expert 64 on intermediate and 5 on easy.

Wilgrove sorry, mate but I can't wipe the smile off my face, I know someone else who has no idea how to play either.

The only tip I can give you is this, in regards to help improve your game, but I am sure you already know this. The numbers on the screen mean that there is the same number of bombs surrounding that number so if it says 1, that means that only one of the at maximum 8 squares that surround that number contains a mine, now the trick is to see what numbers are on the adjacent squares, this will give you a clue as to what squares have mines in them.

Just talking about this has anyone ever had an 8? I have heard of it but I have never seen it, despite the number of games I have played.

I found all the mines alright.

I hit em.

how do you define beating it?

on a 24x32 board, at least i think that's what i'm using, its not one of the boring standard ones, finding all 32 of them in under 39 seconds is still my personal best.

one problem is that if i try to go to fast my mouse bounces and slips, so i have to be very careful with it, as well as my reasoning. i would definately need a better mouse/pointing device if i was ever going to seriously attempt to do better.

minesweeper is an easy game if you go through slowly and logically. On expert there may be a few cases with a 50:50 option but overall it is easy if you dont click randomly and actually consider every move.

I usually start in the corners.

Near the corners, I say.

Corner has only three neighbours.

In one and one, one and two, or two and two, in from the edges at the corner.. If no "breakthrough' (certain next moves), go a second near-corner.

I'm pissed if I ever have to guess (it's about one in four games). Worst of all is having to guess for the last mine. That should be a gimme.

37, damn that is good
Yeah. I always thought I was pretty good until I saw those high scores... I browsed a site once that had a bunch of "pro tips" and they do some crazy stuff with the way they click or hold the mouse buttons that allows you to move much faster. I never managed to get the hang of it.

Just talking about this has anyone ever had an 8? I have heard of it but I have never seen it, despite the number of games I have played.
Yeah, but they're very rare.

minesweeper is an easy game if you go through slowly and logically. On expert there may be a few cases with a 50:50 option but overall it is easy if you dont click randomly and actually consider every move.
^ that. Eventually you'll get the hang of it and start recognizing constellations without having to think about them and thus automatically move faster.

Near the corners, I say.

Corner has only three neighbours.

In one and one, one and two, or two and two, in from the edges at the corner.. If no "breakthrough' (certain next moves), go a second near-corner.

I'm pissed if I ever have to guess (it's about one in four games). Worst of all is having to guess for the last mine. That should be a gimme.
The faster you get the less you can afford to start in the corners, I've found, because the precision that would be needed in the beginning slows you down too much. You want a big panel of fields "flipping over" at once and, importantly, as quickly as possible so what you do is just make lots of very fast clicks randomly all over the board - which also means that the vast majority of games I start are over in all of a second because I hit a mine.
Even on the games that actually take off I get blown up a lot because the "need for speed" means you just simply make accidental wrong clicks and you can't afford to spend much time on guesses in the guessing situations and just have to take your chances.

So yeah, I've found that at a certain point, it's either try to play as fast as possible or try to finish as many games as possible. And since you already know that you can finish, it automatically goes to speed.

My best time on beginner was something like 7 seconds or so, and I can't recall my best times on Intermediate or Expert, but they were pretty decent-- back in my senior year of high school, I had a lot of spare time on my computer for my first class, so I had gotten quite good.

If you want to play for speed, don't. I've managed a run of something like 12 seconds that way.Huh? Right-clicking and shift-clicking is the only way to go...

37, damn that is good my best is 150 seconds on expert 64 on intermediate and 5 on easy.I got 3 seconds on easy once. It was over in two clicks or something.

Just talking about this has anyone ever had an 8? I have heard of it but I have never seen it, despite the number of games I have played.I've seen an 8 on a custom board. As the game forces you to always start on an empty square then if you fill the field with as many mines as possible on a custom game then you should see one fairly quickly.

This is the moment of truth:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/Aelosia/Dibujo.jpg

DO YA FEEL LUCKY, PUNK?

I wasn't that lucky...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/Aelosia/Dibujo2.jpg
It happens...

http://generalitemafia.ipbfree.com/uploads/ipbfree.com/generalitemafia/emo-lolani.gif

If you want to play for speed, don't. I've managed a run of something like 12 seconds that way.

Huh? Right-clicking and shift-clicking is the only way to go...
I don't get neither of those...
How do you play without marking where the mines are?
And what's shift-clicking?

:$

I don't get neither of those...
How do you play without marking where the mines are?
And what's shift-clicking?

:$This.

The click is on the 1 immediately below the mine. It basically it presses all the squares around the pressed square if, and only if, the square as the correct number of mines marked next to it. If one of the mines is marked in correctly then you lose the game

Has anyone tried solving it with a trackball instead of using a mouse? I think it's disproportionally hard.

I got halfway through once before I hit a mine. Thats my best...yeh, I'm not quite a world-class player.

This.

The click is on the 1 immediately below the mine. It basically it presses all the squares around the pressed square if, and only if, the square as the correct number of mines marked next to it. If one of the mines is marked in correctly then you lose the game
Oh.

D'oh.

I didn't actually know that (even though it's even mentioned under Tips & Tricks in the Help, as I just noticed. Except there they do it by clicking both mouse buttons simultaneously*).

Hm. I'll have to practice that, it should save time if I'll ever get it down to automated perfection. :P
I can't believe I've played this thing for years and never even knew that. Typical.


*unless that's what you meant by "shift-clicking" anyway <<
Edit: Nvm, you meant shift -clicking. (didn't work for me at first for some reason, now does. Duh.)

I don't get neither of those...
How do you play without marking where the mines are?
And what's shift-clicking?

:$

If you click every square but the ones with the mines, it automatically marks them all and you win.

If you click every square but the ones with the mines, it automatically marks them all and you win.
:eek2::tongue:

If you click every square but the ones with the mines, it automatically marks them all and you win.I played an Apple minesweeper once where you also won if you correctly marked out all the mines, but didn't lose you the game if you marked them all out wrong. It meant you could finish a game with a 50:50 in it without resorting to chance. That was cool. As is seeing all the flags suddenly appear.

Oh.

D'oh.

I didn't actually know that (even though it's even mentioned under Tips & Tricks in the Help, as I just noticed. Except there they do it by clicking both mouse buttons simultaneously*).

Hm. I'll have to practice that, it should save time if I'll ever get it down to automated perfection. :P
I can't believe I've played this thing for years and never even knew that. Typical.


*unless that's what you meant by "shift-clicking" anyway <<Cool, glad to be of service. When I first mentioned it to one of my friends back in school he called it cheating. :eek:

I meant holding down the shift button whilst clicking... but it does the same thing anyway as pressing both mouse buttons, so meh. I think holding down shift is faster though, because you can still mark mines with a right click with the shift key held down. I find pressing both mouse buttons down at the same time quickly quite tricky.

I got 3 seconds on easy once. It was over in two clicks or something.

Yeah damn my 5 second one was something like that too.

I've seen an 8 on a custom board. As the game forces you to always start on an empty square then if you fill the field with as many mines as possible on a custom game then you should see one fairly quickly.

Yeah for sure I suppose that is the easiest way to see it.

If you click every square but the ones with the mines, it automatically marks them all and you win.

Yes this certainly saves a lot of time also, I employ this tactic in beginner and intermediate, some of an expert game I will have some sections left free but I find I have to do it to help me count which ones a mines.

Yes this certainly saves a lot of time also, I employ this tactic in beginner and intermediate, some of an expert game I will have some sections left free but I find I have to do it to help me count which ones a mines.
You mean... he was being serious? Man, am I being thick today.
But come on, there's no way one can play an expert game like that. Personally, I'd be hard pressed to finish half a beginners game like that but then I only just tried it for the first time. But an expert game or even just an intermediate? Really?

I meant holding down the shift button whilst clicking... but it does the same thing anyway as pressing both mouse buttons, so meh. I think holding down shift is faster though, because you can still mark mines with a right click with the shift key held down. I find pressing both mouse buttons down at the same time quickly quite tricky.
Very tricky indeed.
I'm trying out my newfound knowledge right now, with the shift key. It's going quite slowly still. My main peeve is that since I'm used to click all the fields by hand I always want to click only the un-opened fields and not a stupid number that has already been uncovered.
I'll clearly have to spend some more hours practicing instead of cleaning my apartment today.

You mean... he was being serious? Man, am I being thick today.
But come on, there's no way one can play an expert game like that. Personally, I'd be hard pressed to finish half a beginners game like that but then I only just tried it for the first time. But an expert game or even just an intermediate? Really?

Yes he was being serious, No I can't play a full expert game like that some sections of the field I am able to as sometimes i may be cut off from the rest and serves as a small field in which to operate, intermediate I am able to usually but not always. Beginner yes definitely it is a matter of counting and moving your way through the field so there may be 1,2,1 and you know the one in the middle is the blank one and you just click on it and continue moving along the numbers.

As you say you have only just begun playing it and as you gain skills you begin to find your own little tricks and ways of going faster.

I think someone is going to have to explain the Shift right click thingy again to me because I am just trying it and I dont understand what it is meant to do.

I think someone is going to have to explain the Shift right click thingy again to me because I am just trying it and I dont understand what it is meant to do.
It relieves you from needing to uncover all the number tiles by hand.

Instead of planting a flag and then clicking on all the unopened fields around the flag to open them and see their numbers you plant a flag (or several) and then put your cursor on the number in the field you just flagged for and press the right mouse button plus the shift key and it'll open all the unopened fields around that field automatically. Which means you don't have to go around clicking them open one by one by one.

It's very counterintuitive for me still because it screws with the sequence of things as I've usually done them. I'm super slow trying it right now but done well it should speed you up, I'd think.

It relieves you from needing to uncover all the number tiles by hand.

Instead of planting a flag and then clicking on all the unopened fields around the flag to open them and see their numbers you plant a flag (or several) and then put your cursor on the number in the field you just flagged for and press the right mouse button plus the shift key and it'll open all the unopened fields around that field automatically. Which means you don't have to go around clicking them open one by one by one.

It's very counterintuitive for me still because it screws with the sequence of things as I've usually done them. I'm super slow trying it right now but done well it should speed you up, I'd think.

Sorry its still not working, all it does is for a moment show all tiles open but the moment I let go then it disappears.

Sorry its still not working, all it does is for a moment show all tiles open but the moment I let go then it disappears.
Does it really show them open (as in, can you see the numbers on them) or does it just show them highlighted in some way (e.g. like someone presses them down)?

Does it really show them open (as in, can you see the numbers on them) or does it just show them highlighted in some way (e.g. like someone presses them down)?

I can't see the numbers or anything it clears the space as if the tiles had been clicked on and nothing was underneath one.

And brand new personal best for intermediate 50 seconds, just wiped off 14 seconds

I can't see the numbers or anything it clears the space as if the tiles had been clicked on and nothing was underneath one.

And brand new personal best for intermediate 50 seconds, just wiped off 14 seconds

i.e. all the mines around the square you were clicked hadn't been marked?

i.e. all the mines around the square you were clicked hadn't been marked?

No mines non-mines (tiles which should have numbers) were blank when I held down the shift button and left clicked. The squares I had marked with a flag even if they were right or not remained anyway.

I can't see the numbers or anything it clears the space as if the tiles had been clicked on and nothing was underneath one.
That's what I meant with the second option. That means you haven't planted all the flags yet.

You have to plant the flags first for it to work. I.e. if you have a situation with a 1, put the flag where the mine would be, as usual. Then do the shift-click thing with the cursor on the 1s around that flag - then the surrounding number fields will open for real.

No mines non-mines (tiles which should have numbers) were blank when I held down the shift button and left clicked. The squares I had marked with a flag even if they were right or not remained anyway.
Yeah, it's not something that fixes wrong flags or shows you where you went wrong, it just saves you the work of uncovering all the little tiles by yourself.

IS this a new feature for a new verison of Minsweeper? Because I just had the flags down but they tiles around it (and I know that they aren't mines) didn't clear up. Maybe I am missing something really obvious.

IS this a new feature for a new verison of Minsweeper? Because I just had the flags down but they tiles around it (and I know that they aren't mines) didn't clear up. Maybe I am missing something really obvious.

Nah, i'm pretty sure you're just doin it rong. ;)

Go take some set-up with a straight row of 1s and 2s where you can see where the flags for one of the 2s would go.

Then plant the flags.

Then shift-click on the 2 you just planted the flags for (i.e. the original 2 in the original row).

You'll find that the field in between your two flags opens. If it's another 2, which it often is, shift-click on it and you'll see that more fields open on the outside of the flags.

And so on.

IS this a new feature for a new verison of Minsweeper? Because I just had the flags down but they tiles around it (and I know that they aren't mines) didn't clear up. Maybe I am missing something really obvious.No. I've been using this technique since my first computer which had windows 98 on it.

Did you see my image that I posted. That shows how its meant to work.

Yes I did see it but that didn't explain it to me.

Ok Whereyouthinkyourgoing, thank you that last post explained it to me better I finally worked it out, I was clicking on the tiles where I hadn't uncovered not the original number.

Yes bloody hell, it seems so obvious now, it may take a little getting used to and speeding up but now I understand how it works it will go a lot better.

Thanks to all who helped me and had the patience to guide me through my stupidity.

Sorry for the poor explanation. I'm glad WYTYG could help though.

Nah your're right TID, WYTYG seemed to have understood it I was just lost on it.

Yay, now we can all practice until we're super good at it and then challenge TID. Muahaha.

I'm more of a Solitaire fellow really. Nothing with the timer or the bonuses or whatever, just one card at a time. The maximum score would be 745...

Yay, now we can all practice until we're super good at it and then challenge TID. Muahaha.That's probably harder said than done. I haven't played in ages, but tried again just now and only got 245.

I'm more of a Solitaire fellow really. Nothing with the timer or the bonuses or whatever, just one card at a time. The maximum score would be 745...Pfft, noob! Freecell is where it's at.

Eh. I can win game 8 of Freecell. I never bothered to remember any higher than that.

Has anyone ever beaten this game? I've been trying to beat it, and I've looked up ways to beat it, but so far I've gotten like six mines on beginners before blowing up. Any hints or tips. Also share your minesweeper experiences :)

Beginner: 2 sec
Medium: 15 sec
hard: 20 sec.

Beginner: 2 sec
Medium: 15 sec
hard: I have no life

What was that? ;)

What was that? ;)

I have no life.

hey, I truely and freely admit it! :p

it's not like I have a GF or BF anywhere... :(

I have no life.

hey, I truely and freely admit it! :p

it's not like I have a GF or BF anywhere... :(

Aw.

Clearly you should be outside right now, looking for one. *nod*

Aw.

Clearly you should be outside right now, looking for one. *nod*

... if I do that, I'd be fired. (at work right now. ;) )

It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it, but if you don't understand it at all then it can be slightly frustrating.

Wikipedia has a decent help article on how to play minesweeper. Basically the numbers indicate the number of mines around that square. So if you click and get a 1 then it means that out of the eight surrounding squares, one of them is a mine.

Beginner: 2 sec
Medium: 15 sec
hard: 20 sec.

20 seconds? That's almost twice as fast as the current official world record.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minesweeper_(computer_game)#Best_times

http://www.minesweeper.info/worldranking.html

... if I do that, I'd be fired. (at work right now. ;) )

Sue the workplace for stunting your emotional growth as a person. Once you're rich, the rest is easy. :D

20 seconds? That's almost twice as fast as the current official world record.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minesweeper_(computer_game)#Best_times

http://www.minesweeper.info/worldranking.html

it was a fluke. a damn good fluke.

Ahhh, this thread is making me want to play Minesweeper.

my record was 8 seconds on easy...I feel bad now...
that must be a nice fluke ;)

I have never beaten Minesweeper, not even once, and I'm proud of it! :)

But I've watched this multiple times, and I find it hilarious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHY8NKj3RKs

I don't even know how to play, what the heck am I doing?

http://i37.tinypic.com/nzps3l.jpg


?!

I don't even know how to play, what the heck am I doing?

http://i37.tinypic.com/nzps3l.jpg


?!

Each square has adjacent squares.

A square with a number, has that number of mines in that number of the adjacent squares.

Use logic to determine what squares must or must not have a mine.

Oh, and don't (left-)click on mines.

my pager has the Reverse Minesweeper. that one all the squares are numbered and you have to find the mines.

Each square has adjacent squares.

A square with a number, has that number of mines in that number of the adjacent squares.

Use logic to determine what squares must or must not have a mine.I see.

Well, that sounds easy enough.

my pager has the Reverse Minesweeper. that one all the squares are numbered and you have to find the mines.

...how is that reversed?

it was a fluke. a damn good fluke.
Next time you have a fluke like that, take at least a screenshot.

I have never beaten Minesweeper, not even once, and I'm proud of it! :)

But I've watched this multiple times, and I find it hilarious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHY8NKj3RKs

... better than the other Games turned into movies...

...how is that reversed?

you get a feild that looks like this.

1|0|2|3|2
2|2|1|2|1
1|3|4|2|3

and you have to figure out where the mines are.

Next time you have a fluke like that, take at least a screenshot.

Don't remind me... :mad:

I've beaten the highest difficulty, though my success rate is rather low. Try medium instead of easy - more room to work, and more ways to calculate probabilities.

... if I do that, I'd be fired. (at work right now. ;) )

No one at work takes your fancy? And I bet those scores you posted are the scores on your work computer?

How it works is:

When you click a spot, that number means there's that many mines next to it. For example if it says '2' there are 2 mines either beside it, above it, below it or diagonal to it.

If you use the right click, you can put a flag or a question mark on the ones you think are mines so you don't accidentally click it.

It's really quite easy once you work out how it works.

Yes... it is quite easy. Sure, I only beat it once on Easy and it took me something like 350 seconds... but it's fun. ^_^ I'm addicted.

Solitaire > Minesweeper

Solitaire > MinesweeperToo much luck in Solitaire. Freecell is better as result. Besides, it won't let me cheat on solitaire and I cheat all the time when I play with real cards.

Solitaire > Minesweeper

Spider Solitaire > Minesweeper > Solitaire

Really, how can you guys talk for 7 pages about Minesweeper?

Really, how can you guys talk for 7 pages about Minesweeper?Because we didn't?

Yeah, it's only 3 pages.

Minesweeper: The Movie (http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1770138) might give you some hints

That was the best movie trailer I've seen in a long time :)

Just talking about this has anyone ever had an 8? I have heard of it but I have never seen it, despite the number of games I have played.
Here you are, from a game just now:

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/whereyouthinkyougoing/Unbenannt.jpg

I want to see a 9! -_-

Custom...

Smallest feild with the maximum number of mines... :p

Here you are, from a game just now:

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/whereyouthinkyougoing/Unbenannt.jpg

The famed number 8, I have seen it sire.

Bad luck about hitting that mine but that really was the only place where it would be, the tile above it couldn't of been it because an adjacent tile had the number 4 on it and there was already 4 mines marked around that number. But I suppose you already knew that.

Just as a matter of interest to everybody does anybody accidentally click the left mouse button instead of the right when checking a mine, or is it just me?

not anymore. I hardly ever use the left button anymore. I only use it when starting or when the game is getting hard and I know where mines will not be, but not where they are.