I think mine are right, though Dean's is for a 5 part solution, not 4.

Your game 19 and 20 link to your game 18. Dean quoted me asking about "Big Ball" and then he linked to "Handling".

I used something similar to what I did with big ball... An Elevator.

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=387318

I just stole a 3 part solution off YouTube:

Level 1, 0 Parts
Level 2, 1 Part (Dean's idea)
Level 3, 2 Parts
Level 4, 5 Parts
Level 5, 6 Parts
Level 6, 1 Part
Level 7, 3 Parts
Level 8, 2 Parts (Speedinticket's idea)
Level 9, 0 Parts (Not very clever)
Level 10, 3 Parts (Speedinticket's idea)
Level 11, 4 Parts
Level 12, 6 Parts
Level 13, 4 Parts
Level 14, 11 Parts
Level 15, 6 Parts
Level 16, 8 Parts
Level 17, 4 Parts
Level 18, 3 Parts (as stolen from YouTube :()
Level 19, 6 Parts
Level 20, 19 Parts

:lol:

That's pretty clever.

Oops: Big Ball 4 pieces:

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=387516

OK, here are my smallest part counts.
Skipping 1: 0 pieces and Scott's perfecting my 1 piece #2.

3 "Mind The Gap": 1 piece Leaning tower of Pieces
4 "Junk Yard": 4 pieces AWD... FTMFW
5 "The Wall: 2 pieces Rolling Tower of Pieces.
6 "On a Roll: 1 piece Lollipop
7 "Full Up": 3 pieces Extension Ladder
8 "Higher": 2 pieces Levering Tower of Pieces (This one is Similar to Scott's but backward and box is held above the line)
9 "Around The Bend": 0 pieces Boring but obvious once you figure out what speed makes it bounce back and not get stuck...
10 "Up The Hump": 3 pieces Roscoe P. Coletrain landing.(Again, similar to Scott's)
11 "Mission To Mars" 1 piece Circus Act
12 "The Stairs": 4 pieces AWD Rag Top FTMFW again...
13 "Big Ball": 3 pieces: (I got rid of the top roller!)
14 "4 Balls": 7 pieces: Spinning Wheel with passing.
15 "Down Under": 6 pieces: Swinger
16 "Awash": 7 pieces This level is just a mess... It makes it eventually.
17 "Handling": 4 pieces: OK, Scott, I even set the piece down in the box with less lego. :) I still like my 5 piecer with suspension better.
19 "Back and Forth": 6 pieces: Duke Boys & General Lee


It is going to take a wile to bring down the part count for 18 & 20...

18 "Tube": 17 pieces (I think) : Elevator
20 "": 21 pieces I think :( The best of all my other levels. Extension ladder, AWD, Swinger, etc.

Oops, Forgot level 16... I swear it should be doable in 5 parts, but 7 is as far as I have gotten. I just got another idea...

Added above...

Level 4 uses 4 pieces unless the link is wrong.

Level 5 is bad ass.

The Link to Level 8 is wrong.

Awesome work on level 11.

13 is sweet too.

17 is like ultra slow mo. :lol:

I like the extendo-ramp in your level 20, but I'm not sure it uses less parts than the trap door one I did.

You are right on #4, I can't count. I like the little critter.

Thanks for the Kudos on 5, 11 and 13.

#8 link is fixed. My original #8 used a tripod and rolling counter weights which was cool. They didn't need to roll, but it was fun to watch but used way too many pieces.

As I said, I hadn't optimized 18 or 20 for piece count. I did all of them to make sure I could do them, and then went back and optimized almost all of them before looking at other solutions.

New Level 20 16 piece version...The structure to support the extendo ramp cost too many pieces. Wish I could get it to work with fewer drive wheels or without chain. The later would save a ton of pieces.

Without being terribly derivative of other's work, I don't think I can drop the piece count on my version of the Tube. :( I'll try later.

I've tried a ton of things to do "The hump" using balancing drivewheel configs like #5 and just can't make it happen. It is just too large of a object to "fly" far enough before gravity kicks in using only 3 pieces. I can get it onto the hump, and part way over but not with quite enough force to roll off the far side. :(

Here is a 12 piece version of my L18 elevator. I don't think I can make it any fewer without "shaft flex" preventing a happy ending. ;)

From the official forums, by a member of the self proclaimed "anti wheel league":

http://fantasticcontraption.com/?designId=86459

:lol: No wheels?

...a challenger appears!!!

I tried level 3... http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=416784

This will be challenging for the rest though. :lol:

Apparently there is a sub grroup within the anti-wheel league who want to solve every one with nothing but sticks:

http://fantasticcontraption.com/?designId=92866

Shotgun (takes several minutes): http://fantasticcontraption.com/?designId=18182

I thing it'll be impossible. There's just not enough potential energy in some of the start boxes to move the piece to the target area.

Here's my level 7... very similar to the one you posted... just a little simpler.

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=417037

WTF?

That's just a wheel made out of sticks! How is that not using wheels? :rolleyes:

The real wheels are powered?

And damn, ze servers are slow. This game must have gotten popular.

Not the blue ones... And even the powered ones aren't unless you hook them to something. :)

The servers are sucking today.

I just logged onto the forums... Some of the minimalist solutions are super inventive. I like my 2 piece Wall better than theirs though. :)

I was surprised to find a fewer piece back and forth though.

Well the servers were fast enough for me to make this. http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=417565

^^^ That's awesome :lol:

This one made me laugh: http://fantasticcontraption.com/?designId=377185

^:lol: I have tried to make a person but its pretty time consuming.

I made a bridge like thing
http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=423674

Nice. What an addiction game.

I haven't tried it yet. . . heck, I just finally finished Metroid Prime 3 and Bioshock.

Is this anything like The Incredible Machine?

It's very much like the incredible machine.

Did you save or harvest???

Saved 'em all. :cool: I even got the bug in Neptune's Bounty and ended up saving an extra one.


Then it's probably best that I not try it until I'll have some free time. . .

New TF2 feature of Sandvich for the Heavy (which replenishes health and makes you super vulnerable).

Also comes with new "Meet the Sandvich" video.

http://kotaku.com/5039075/heavy-gets...-still-waiting

[gloat]justgotrockbandfor40bucks!!![/gloat]

2 guitars?

Well the retail set only comes with one... so no. Broken-ish strummer on the guitar but everything else works fine. But I have a GH2 360 guitar. I was really only interested in the drums. The guy also sold me a 27 inch TV for 20 bucks.

What did you get and in what condition? I have an additional PS3 special edition sans guitar that I need to get rid of and haven't taken the time to see what the going rate is.

RB2 preorder is in.

It's in good condition. Minus what I said about the guitar. I got it off CL and it was the lowest price I have EVER seen for the package. I pretty much robbed the guy I think.

omg. The FORCE: Unleashed Demo was fun has hell!

damn, I need to go download that.

Fun, except for Lucas ruined yet another almost cool game.:(

Explain yourself.

Well because it's Lucas Arts, it's rated Teen. Because it's rated Teen, there is no blood or rolling of the heads. Using your lightsaber involves hitting one button. If you push others after you hit the saber button a couple times, you will do a different attack. But it's mostly just mashing X or whatever button it is. It was so hyped up to being an amazing game that I had high expectations, hoping even that it would be a departure from typical Lucas games, but it's not really. It's worth renting though. At least check the demo out for yourself.

does blood really make a game that much better?

Well Bobby did tell me that a lightsaber wound would not leave blood due to cauterization. However, lightsabers fuck shit up. They don't hit people like a baton.

Have you seen or played any Ninja Gaiden? How about Gears of War? Those games have proven to me that yes, blood does make everything so much more satisfying.

But it's not the blood that is holding this game back. I don't know what exactly it is, maybe it was my high expectations (that every preview I read made me have), but the game doesn't deliver imo.

Why don't I remember telling you that?

You were probably talking in your sleep.

Jonny, watch the video at the end of the demo again. It hints at the odd dismemberment (actually, it even hints at cleaving someone in two at the very end). It also showcases things like force gripping stormtroopers followed by spearing them with a lightsaber throw, and tossing your lightsaber right in the eye of a Rancor. Judging by the upgraded force powers due later on, I think the game will be plenty dark and violent as you cut a swath through Wookies, Rebels, Imperials, and more, and if I correctly remember the preview that I read, you actually begin the game playing as Vader.

Besides, Jedi Outcast was rated teen, and it featured random dismemberment by lightsaber and a sniper rifle that disintegrated targets when fully charged. I think Force Unleashed will be right on par. I also think in the case of Star Wars games, there is really an obligation to keep them rated T. Yes, the original Star Wars fans have grown up, but the series continues to appeal to new generations. Star Wars is fun without being needlessly violent, and should remain that way - there are other M-rated games available. I should also point out that Force Unleashed handles lightsaber violence no differently from the movies. I see no need to deviate: Star Wars movies should not be Kill Bill; thus Star Wars video games should not be Ninja Gaiden.

And I'd say the argument that blood makes games more satisfying or appealing is purely subjective. I avoid games like Ninja Gaiden because I do not care for the volume of gore that they seem to revel in - in fact, I played the Ninja Gaiden 2 demo and thought that while the combat was kinda fun, the gore was a real turn-off. I walked away from the demo feeling slightly ill both physically and emotionally.

That's not to say I want no blood, but I want it there simply to add to the immersion, not become the showcase. Games like Assasin's Creed, Bioshock, and Half-Life 2 are good examples that I see sitting on my rack right now. . . they do have blood, but it's used in moderation to get the point across (or in the case of Bioshock's level design, to add to the unease in the environment).

Back on the subject of Force Unleashed itself. . . my favorite part of the demo was right about 2/3 through, when your support tells you they've launched TIE Fighters against you. As you traverse the walkway, the support arches can be force-gripped and bent out in the path of the strafing TIEs. BOOM! :)

Weak!

Yeah. . . I don't like horror movies either, so maybe my perspective on violence is biased. :P

I think the real problem I have isn't with the game itself. It's with the periodicals and websites that touted this game as the best of the year, even of this gen of gaming. They hyped it up so much that I expected something different. So the error is on my part.