I’ve been playing a lot of Mindsweeper lately, because I have no job and I do it while I have music or the TV on in the background. I know that my times are probably crap compared to some experts out there, but there are a lot better than when I started.
Also, post whether or not you use the ‘?’ feature. I turned it off because I don’t see what purpose it serves. Either I know where a bomb is, or I don’t. If I don’t, then how does a ‘?’ help me? By the nature of the game, if it’s not a bomb square, or a revealed square, then it’s a ‘?’ square. I don’t need a seperarte icon to indicate that.
Good Gord, how do you guys finish expert that fast? 154, 122, 136? Are those your times or your IQs? Either way, pretty impressive. I think the clock hits 999 on me whenever I try, though I do usually finish.
[mental note]The Dope is not a good place to visit if in need of an ego boost.[/mental note]
Back when I used to play Minesweeper seriously (i.e., in college), my best times were 5/27/86 (I think). There’s absolutely no way I could do that now.
8/48/109. Reached those shortly after discovering the game. I don’t even try to break my records now as the “mentality” that goes into that is just too extreme. You have to play a lot of games, immediately giving up on boards that don’t start well, and playing somewhat recklessly. (Haven’t even played the small boards since then either.)
I take a much calmer approach now, but I still get under 120 quite often.
Never did see the point of ?s either.
My speed hints:
Use a 3 button mouse with middle button chorded.
“Divide and conquer”. Split the board into disconnected regions right away.
Stay away from the side until the end. Working the side is tempting but wastes time.
18/66/438 for me. I’m pretty sure I had better times on my work computer over the summer (there was never enough for me to do, so I played a lot of Minesweeper), but I don’t work there anymore.
Demn it all. I’d kicked this semi-addiction, then you guys had to start posting scores. I’d been trying for several years to break 200 on the expert level, but never have. Never had a decent mouse. Yeah, that’s my story…
Anyhow, I started up this evening again. Tonight’s results: 7/25/273. I will break 200, I know I will. Eventually.
6 / 39 / 121 (was 119 until I accidentally erased it :smack: )
Not the best here, but I’m damn proud of them anyway. And I think I might have the fastest Rubik’s Cube solve here at 42.172 seconds. There’s my ego boost, until someone comes along with a better time.
Lately I’ve been playing with only my left mouse button. No right clicks. It’s basically the same, but you have to think a little harder and stop relying on “lazy chording”.
I used to play this all the time a few years ago whenever there wasn’t much to do at work. The only one I remember exact was for Beginner: 3. I forget the Expert one but I know it was under 100, probably closer to one minute.
I don’t play Minesweeper. I have nothing to contribute. I just wanted to say I saw Eyebrows of Doom as the last poster and I have to say that is a really awesome incredible name. Makes me giggle and I can totally picture it.
Depending on the app, pressing the left and right buttons (<-“chording”, like a musical chord of more than one note) at the same time gives a certain effect. In minesweeper it does an auto-clearout of the obvious.
In setting up a mouse, you can map various actions to each mouse button. E.g., you can swap left and right mouse button effects if you are left handed. Mapping the middle button to chorded (left and right together) makes it a lot easier to do the clearout thing. Fewer mistakes, less wear and tear on the digits.
Presumably your scroll wheel can also be clicked so it is also a middle button.
I forget the Expert one but I know it was under 100, probably closer to one minute.