Rubpix Game Best Move Solutions - Level 1 - 100

As mentioned, the challenging part of the Rupbix Game is that - What is the best move solution? Or What is the solution that requires the minimum move?

After all, you are not going to brag that you take 40+ moves for a rubpix puzzle that requires only 8 moves right? And in fact, the Rubpix puzzles below the level 100 mostly requires less than 10 moves.

In order to find out the best minimum move solution, it is always good to compete and compare with your peers (that's the purpose of the game design). Below shows my compilation of the minimum solutions so far:

Level	Minimum Moves
1	4
2	3
3	4
4	3
5	4
6	2
7	4
8	5
9	5
10	6
11	5
12	4
13	4
14	3
15	4
16	6
17	6
18	5
19	4
20	4
21	7
22	7
23	7
24	7
25	6
26	5
27	8
28	6
29	4
30	10
31	8
32	6
33	9
34	6
35	6
36	9
37	6
38	7
39	8
40	7
41	7
42	8
43	6
44	10
45	11
46	10
47	7
48	9
49	8
50	5
51	7
52	11
53	9
54	8
55	7
56	10
57	6
58	8
59	6
60	9
61	7
62	8
63	9
64	5
65	8
66	9
67	7
68	6
69	7
70	6
71	10
72	10
73	6
74	10
75	10
76	8
77	7
78	8
79	5
80	8
81	10
82	8
83	8
84	10
85	8
86	7
87	10
88	9
89	9
90	5
91	7
92	6
93	7
94	8
95	8
96	9
97	9
98	6
99	14
100	6

A more convincing video is shown here:

Metal Slug Defense New Missions V1.6.0

In the V1.6.0 of the Metal Slug Defense, five more missions are added. A reward of 15 Medals would be obtained after you have completed them. Blow shows my game play experience:

Mission 21: Withstand for 60 seconds.

The objective of this mission, is to tell that the Hazmat Soldier could throw the grenade at a much further distance away. Note that in the second picture, there's the optimum position that you start hurling the grenades at the enemy zombies (keep hurling before the time of the special item runs out). When sensing some zombies approaching, you may stop activating the skill so that the Hazmat soldier could attack them. The zombies may approach soon but as long as you could withstand until the cool-down of Metal Slug Attack is complete, it would be an easy win.

Mission 22: Withstand for 40 seconds

In this mission, we learn that the skill of the Special Force could help reduce the damage from the suicidal attack effectively. At the beginning, it is important to make sure that the Special Force keeps throwing the destructive mines on the grounds. Those mines could stop both the attacks from the subways and the enemy special force (riders).  And don't forget to summon your riders as well.

Mission 23: Destroy "Tetsuyuki"

The skill of the Special Force (Rider) is displayed in this mission. Particularly, you have to get used to the timing of the boss's attack("Tetsuyuki"). First, summon two Special Force riders. If you activate the skills on time, you may be able to launch 2 suicidal attacks successfully before the boss's first attack. Then, only JUST AFTER the boss's attack, summon one each for the Flying Tara and Special Force rider. Again, activate the skill when the cool down is complete ASAP.

Mission 24:Withstand for 60 seconds

The critical part of this mission is that, the 'LV Armor' has to be summoned FIRST (before the patrol robot). Initially, upgrade the AP buildup once. Then, summon the 'LV Armor'. Since you are granted the 'gaming time' for 20 seconds, it is critical to 'kill' some enemies before the time runs out. The attack and the skill of the 'LV Armor' could help destroy some of the armies. Then, keep summoning any soldier available. As long as you could withstand the enemies until the Metal Slug Attack is charged, it would guarantee a success.

Mission 25: Destroy the enemy base within 30 seconds!

This mission... is another TOUGH mission! At first sight, you may be wondering "How could I destroy the enemy portal with only the 'Shielded soldier'?"

And then, when the game starts, the enemies approach your base aggressively. It seems to be a hilarious mission. However, after a number of trials and errors, I found that this mission is complete-able.

• First, to solve your puzzle: The enemy portal is 'destroy-able' with a single strike from the Shielded Soldier. 
• Second, the Sandbag is useless. Don't summon sandbag. 
• Third, an accuracy of 100% is required. That is to say, despite the offensive attacks from the enemies, you have to 'defend' them with the consistently accurate timing of the skill activation (of the Shielded soldier). Precisely, it doesn't mean 'just keep tapping on the soldier'. Estimate the 'defense time' of the skill before activating it.
• The silver bullet is the first Shielded soldier. If he dies, then you may consider another round.

Metal Slug Defense World 3 V1.6.0 - Canada, Australia and Central Africa

World 3: Central Africa

In the version 1.6.0 of the Metal Slug Defense, three more areas are unlocked - Canada, Australia and Central Africa. Moreover, there are new units introduced as well. Each area completed would reward you 10 Medals.

The thing is, compared to the 'China' last time, the stage 4 in the latest 3 areas are relatively more 'defeat-able'. With the usual troops in your deck, you are still able to complete the stages without much hassle.

World 3: Canada

World 3: Australia

But the challenge is, how to achieve a 'S' rate? You may think that it isn't important to get a Rank 'S' (speed factor) in the World 3. But from my experience, a Rank 'S' may give you a higher chance of obtaining a random item such as 'mobile satellite', 'rewards x2 (Ok. that might not be useful to you lol).

To make it short, in order to beat the 4th stage of Canada, Australia and Central Africa faster, the use of Leona and Ralf are critical. I don't remember how many times I have emphasized the importance of Leona. Her special skill has been proven super effective in a number of New Missions.

A video paints a million words. I will post some videos of the V1.6.0 soon.

Admob for HTML5 Developers!

Hooray! Admob is now available for all the HTML5 Developers!

Guys! Follow any update from the Intel XDK. Recently, it has announced that the third party Admob API is already available at github.

Something to note is that:

Because this app uses a Cordova plugin, it can only be built using the Cordova build targets. Attempting to use the "legacy" build targets will not work.

Meaning, when performing the "Build" action from the Intel XDK IDE, you have to select the Android from the "Cordova" section, instead of the Legacy part, as shown in the picture below:

What else are you waiting for? With the knowledge in the HTML, CSS and Jquery (Javascript), you are able to create an app with the Google Admob mobile advertising enabled!

Word Shift: Spell Skills Game Walkthrough

OK. Time to brush up your English Vocabulary, with this Word Shift: Spell Skills Game.

The objective of the Word Shift game, is to 'swift' the letter of a random shuffled word in order to make it becomes a valid English Vocab.

Within 2 minutes, the more and the faster you form the English words, the higher scores you will be rewarded.

I personally quite favor this Word Shift game, as the game play is simply "Drag and Drop". In each word puzzle, you are only allowed to make a single shift within 10 seconds. Interestingly, there are hints displayed below when the time is going to run out.

To achieve a higher score in this Word Shift game, it is critical to make a high winning streak. From observation, the scoring system is as below:

• The score obtained after solving a puzzle depends on your current winning streak.
• The base score is 20+. 
• Each additional winning streak will give you an extra 10 scores.
• For example, if you have reached a 5 winning streak (Answer 5 word puzzles consecutively). You will be awarded a score of 20+, along with the bonus 50 scores in the next correct puzzle.

That is to say, the potential HIGHEST score for this Word Shift Game can be approximated. (so that you will understand how far you have reached)
 
Assume that you consume 3 seconds for a word puzzle ( and you make it correctly) on an average, within 2 minutes, there are a total of 40 words guessed correctly. How much scores would you obtain after achieving a 40 winning streak?

With a simple arithmetic calculation, the scores rewarded will reach about 9000! Now see how far I have reached...

Lol. Still, not even closed. :p
How far have you achieved?

Swing Copters Walkthrough

Yes, the irritating game by the Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen again - Swing Copters

*Note: Please make sure you are downloading the correct 'Swing Copters' game from the play store (to have an 'Original game play experience'). There is a copycat stealing and uploading the game again with exactly the same images. The original version is "Swing Copters", NOT "Copters Swing"!

Alright, the objective of the Copters Swing, is to consistently avoid the obstacles in your vertical navigation path (upwards).  The score obtained is similar to the Flappy Bird, one score per steel bar avoided. What adds to the difficulty is that, there are hanging and swinging barriers!

Ok. Here's my game experience. I gained a high score of "1" after the first ten rounds. And... never make it to "2" after playing another twenty rounds...

It may be subjective, but this game is definitely not my cup of tea. Part of the reasons is that I suspect the 'incremental speed' of the copters are not consistent in my phone (lag several times). Perhaps it would behave better on the other phones. OR maybe I am just too lousy for this. At the same time, I am really looking forward to videos showing some examples of how to play this Swing Copters professionally. Have you tried this out?

*Below shows an example of my game play... of the FAKE Swing Copters game (which is much easier).

RubPix Game Walkthrough

Hey, am I the only one playing this game?
RubPix - a block(picture) sliding game.

The objective of this RubPix is that, you have to slide the shuffled blocks to match the answer displayed.

The picture above shows an example of a 3 x 3 RubPix puzzle. You can move the blocks in 4 directions (Up, Down, Left and Right). Ultimately, you have to make the blocks pattern identical to the tiny image above.

All I can say is that, this RubPix game is FREAKING hard! Not sure I am particularly poor at this or I am just getting bad luck all the time. In the first category (3x3), I spent almost 5-10 minutes per puzzle. The thing is, the number of the required moves per puzzle is NOT stated. For example, in the picture above, the minimum moves for the level 19 are just "4". If you are heading the wrong directing from the start, you may end up using more than 30 moves! (That's the challenging part.)

Starting from the Level 21st and above, it introduces a much harder mode: 4x4. I couldn't imagine how much time I would consume on the following puzzles. =.= Worse, there are 6x6 and 8x8 modes!

Anyway, I will start working on this to see how far I can go.

A FREE and always updated Admob ANE

Good News!

To all the Adobe AIR developers (both iOS and Android), here's a FREE and always updated Admob Native Extension (ANE) by Code Alchemy.

In fact, I have a post previously that talks about how to import the Admob ANE into the Flash Builder 4.7 properly. But the thing is, this time, at the time of writing, the Open Source Codes of the Admob ANE provided by the Code Alchemy has indeed included everything you need - Sample Project + Native Source Code! Pretty Cool huh?

Basically, you just have to import the Sample Project and start getting your hands wet in testing out all the available features. There is one impressive thing to mention here - the author has made everything so intuitive! Change Banner position, Banner Type, Interstitial Ads and etc. Customize the Admob to suit your app!

Apart from the full-fledged Adobe ANE that works perfectly both in iOS and Android, the author is always available for feedback and future enhancement. Drop him a message and he will respond with useful answers and help.

I wish there are more generous people like him to make our lives easier, as an Adobe AIR app developer. :)

Metal Slug Defense Wi-Fi VS (PvP) V1.5.0 Part 2

In my previous post about the Metal Slug Defense VS mode V1.5.0, I just started playing this. And then, I immediately get addicted!

After salvaging about 60+ winnings from this mode, here summarizes my experience:

What is the BEST combination of troops to play in this Metal Slug Defense Wi-Fi mode?
Although it is true that the units of higher costs (eg: Jupiter King) are stronger in general, they are more useful during the late game. Meaning, the units of medium costs do play an important role in the beginning as well. For example: Hopper Mecha, Ralf, Leona, Trevor, Flying Tara and Samurai Tank (You may use others). Only with a great early play you can sustain longer enough in order to use the more powerful units. Furthermore, I strongly suggest not using the basic units (or weaker units) of the Metal Slug Defense game. The reason is they not only serve nothing, but also help feeding your opponents.

Teammate is critical
I couldn't agree more with this fact. More often that not, your teammate determines how far you can go in the "2 VS 2" mode of Metal Slug Defense(lol). This makes sense. It is a team play! You may defeat a much higher ranking opponent as long as your troops and your game play match perfectly with your teammates'. Defend first? Strike first? Hopper Mecha first? Sandbag first? Similarly, you may be defeated by a candidate (of lower ranks) if you are unfortunately matched with a poorer player. Either way, it adds more variations into the game play! And that's the fun!

Don't give up until the game is over
As mentioned, the variations in the Metal Slug Defense Wi-Fi (2 on 2) are simply too much. There are a number of times I thought I was losing, but turned the table afterwards. The fact is, it is NOT OVER yet although you have been cornered to your portal (or vice versa). Before ensuring that the portal is destroyed, don't stop your fingers! Keep summoning troops, activating soldiers' skill and tapping the Metal Slug Attack whenever possible! The results would be different if you (and hopefully your teammate) are determined enough to make a counter attack.

Note: You still earn some scores even if you lose the game

Losing a game still earn something
In the Metal Slug Defense Wi-Fi (2 VS 2) mode, you will be rewarded 3 Medals after winning 5 games. However, even though if you lose, you still earn some scores which will reward you 3 Medals like the one you experience in the 1 VS 1 mode. Hence, to conclude, no matter you win or lose, you still accumulate something to earn the Medals finally. As a stingy player like me, this is the approach I choose in order to obtain more Medals.

Close Rank VS All Ranks
Generally, at the beginning, choosing the "Close Rank" in the Metal Slug Defense Wi-Fi mode gives you a higher chance of winning. However, it also means that you may take longer to be matched. In my opinion, as long as you have a solid combination of troop (for eg: Elephant Slugs, Allen O'Neil, etc together with those mentioned above), you may choose "Fight All Ranks" instead. Be ready to face the opponents from all over the world! :)

Is it a truly MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online)?
Last but not least, this is my curiosity about the Metal Slug Defense Wi-Fi mode - is it truly a MMO feature? I do not deny that we are sometimes matched with the real time players. Just, I am wondering, how do they handle if the opponents are disconnected during the battle. Not sure if you observe this scenario. There are a couple of times I heard soldiers make a 'death scream' before the game starts. Is it a signal that someone is disconnected? However, sometimes even though I observe this, the opponents are still very tough to tackle with. Does the Metal Slug Defense introduce some 'Artificial Intelligence' for the disconnected players?

Anyway, in short, this Metal Slug Defense has been listed as one of my top favorite games. :)

The Updates of Boom Beach in the August 2014

Hi Everyone, how's your progress in the Boom Beach game?

The reason that I still keep abreast of the Boom Beach's updates is that, I am still hooked on in this game!

The latest updates:

• New - Volcano islands, Statue graphics and effects, building bases. Yep. The graphics of the game have been greatly enhanced, especially the Statues. The effect of the statues is more identifiable.
• Improved version of the Summary and Activity Log
• Last but not least - The trees in your bases will regrow! This feature is so crucial as the Wood resources are ALWAYS inadequate in the Boom Beach game. Yet, every upgrade of the building requires this resource intensively!
• Furthermore, there are more Dive Location for the Radar Level 5. Meaning? More resources could be explored and salvaged.

How far have I reached in this Boom Beach game?
Currently, Experience Level 31. I am waiting to upgrade till Level 32 so that the new Weapon "Smoke Screen" could be unlocked.

Look forward to more features and updates in the future :)

Metal Slug Defense Wi-Fi VS (PvP) V1.5.0

One of the great features in the Metal Slug Defense v1.5.0 amazing me is that, in the Wi-Fi VS mode, you can play on a "2 Players VS 2 Players" mode. Now this game has really gone MMO!

As shown in the above picture, you will be rewarded with 3 Medals with every 5 victories in the 2on2 Mode. 

 This impressive 2 VS 2 mode in the Metal Slug Defense has indeed added more variation into the game play. You might be an offensive or a defensive player on your own. It would be a boost if you are matched with another player compensating for your weakness. In the picture above, on the verge of being defeated, I summon the defensive Mars Mecha while my partner is summoning the giant tank. That turned the table!

Yep. As you can observe, I managed to obtain the 3 Medals after having 5 victories :)

I am glad that the Metal Slug Defense keeps adding awesome features into the game! Try it out yourself!

Related MSD posts:
1. Metal Slug Defense New Missions V1.4.0
2. Metal Slug Defense Daily Boss Challenge V1.4.0
3. Metal Slug Defense Wifi VS Mode 
4. Metal Slug Defense World 3 V1.4.0 
5. Metal Slug Defense World 3 V1.5.0 - Southern Brazil and China
6. Metal Slug Defense New Missions V1.5.0

Metal Slug Defense World 3 V1.5.0 - Southern Brazil and China

In the World 3 of the V1.5.0 Metal Slug Defense, 2 more areas are unlocked along with more new units: Southern Brazil and China.
*You will be rewarded 10 Medals by completing each area.

I guess most of you are able to cope with the stages in the Southern Brazil. Here I would like to post 2 stages which are particularly more challenging - China stage 3 and stage 4.

In fact, you will find that the first 3 stages in the China are still defeat-able with your existing troops, but with a poorer speed (Rank A, B or worse). The reason is, the air units from the enemies are significantly increased. The attacks from them easily annihilate your troops. By the way, it is actually 'fine' with a poorer speed rating as there is no more 'POW (Prisoner of War)' to be rescued in the World 3.

But still, how to achieve a Rank S in the first 3 stages? The answer is: Mars Mecha (as shown in the picture below). Yep. He is the one who can withstand the attacks from the air units while protecting your other armies. His HP reaches 10,000 at the 20th level. Try this unit IF you have sufficient Medals :)

Next, the more critical one - China Stage 4

I have to say this stage is so far the toughest in the Metal Slug Defense. After tons of trials and errors, I have finally managed to beat this stage 'without using any item'.  Below shows my achievement after completing this stage:

China Stage 4

Yup. You are seeing it right (Mission Complete!). Here summarizes my experience on this stage:

• The timing of the first unit summoned is critical. My experience is that, after upgrading the AP buildup for 2 times, I only summon the Ralf AFTER the enemies' first plane attack. 
• I only apply 5 soldier types. The deck in the picture above contains all the soldier type I summon: Hopper Mecha, Ralf, Leona, Trevor and Flying Tara. Throughout the game play, I have to make sure these units DO contribute in damaging the enemy big boss. Particularly, the Leona unit is able to dodge one critical attack, while the Hopper Mecha is able to damage more with his skill.
• The units which can cause the big boss (BIG SHIEE) regress are crucial. The first 3 units in my deck - Hopper Mecha, Ralf and Leona are more likely to make the big boss go backward with their skills. If you have bought 'Clark' (i didn't), you may use him as well. Of course, the Metal Slug Attack is another important key. The thing is, the attack from the Big SHIEE is so devastating that he can damage your portal from a distance away. To avoid this, you have to keep pushing him backward with the selected troops.
• Mars Mecha doesn't work in this stage. At the cost of 400 AP, the Mars Mecha is too expensive to summon. By the time you achieve the sufficient amount of the AP, the Big Shiee has come too closed to your portal. Worse, the Big Shiee's attack is penetrating the Mars Mecha, rendering this unit almost not applicable here. (That's the reason I mentioned only buy it IF you have enough Medals).
• Trials and errors. Sometimes the attack from the big boss is unpredictable that my troops get killed before they are able to approach him. But one thing for sure, I am used to keep tapping on the soldiers (Especially the Ralf and the Leona) as they 'may' dodge the critical attack and 'further' push the big boss.

Here's my first youtube video on the Metal Slug Defense:

Note: It is best to set to 480px before watching. (I capture this with a camera on my left hand)

Above shows my experience of the Metal Slug Defense World 3 v1.5.0. How about yours?

Related MSD posts:
1. Metal Slug Defense New Missions V1.4.0
2. Metal Slug Defense Daily Boss Challenge V1.4.0
3. Metal Slug Defense Wifi VS Mode 
4. Metal Slug Defense World 3 V1.4.0
5. Metal Slug Defense New Missions V1.5.0 
6. Metal Slug Defense Wi-Fi VS Mode V1.5.0 - 2 VS 2
7. Metal Slug Defense New Missions V1.6.0
8. Metal Slug Defense World 3 V1.6.0 - Canada, Australia and Central Africa 

Metal Slug Defense New Missions V1.5.0

The Metal Slug Defense of the version 1.5.0 has introduce 5 more New Missions - 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. You will be rewarded 15 Medals after completing these 5 missions.

 Mission 16th:
The key unit to summon is the 4th one "Commander". His attacks from the air are critical to crush the enemies. At the same time, you are required to summon the other units as well.

Mission 17th:
In this mission, the emphasize is on the Second and Third unit.
Second unit: R-SHOBU - Serve to attack the enemies
Third unit: Nop-03 Sarubia - Serve to defend with his high HP.

Mission 18th:
This mission is interesting. The unit "Sniper" is able to "Stay on the position" with his skill. To complete this mission, you have to make sure that the Sniper is not getting too closed to the enemy's portal. Activate his skill at the position which he is 'just enough' to attack the portal. Else, the enemy's portal will unleash a lots of troops.

 For your reference, the 'position' of the sniper is shown above.

Mission 19th:
This mission is again stressing on how powerful the Leona unit is. She is able to withstand ANY attack with her awesome skill. Particularly, the cool down of the Leona's skill in this mission is fast enough for you to unleash it as much as you can. (you just need 1 Leona to beat this)

Mission 20th:
The mission .... is Hard! The enemy "BIG SHIEE" is so gigantic and powerful. My experience is that, you have to make sure every Hopper Mecha (1st unit) summoned is able to deal some damage. (Activate his skill if he is getting attacked). The same goes to the 3rd and 4th units. Sometimes i have to make some estimation such that the air units are summoned at the correct timing so that they won't be killed instantly.

Good luck!

Related MSD posts:
1. Metal Slug Defense New Missions V1.4.0
2. Metal Slug Defense Daily Boss Challenge V1.4.0
3. Metal Slug Defense Wifi VS Mode 
4. Metal Slug Defense World 3 V1.4.0 
5. Metal Slug Defense World 3 V1.5.0 - Southern Brazil and China
6. Metal Slug Defense Wi-Fi VS Mode V1.5.0 - 2 VS 2
7. Metal Slug Defense New Missions V1.6.0
8. Metal Slug Defense World 3 V1.6.0 - Canada, Australia and Central Africa 

Dumb Ways to Die Walkthrough

Here's another funny game - Dumb Ways to Die.

It has nothing violent that is unhealthy or unfavorable to the audience, but just a group of funny characters who will die dumbly if you fail to complete the missions (mini games) in time.

The objective of this "Dumb Ways to Die" game is that, 'Save' those dumb characters from dying from their 'ignorant' acts.

There are a total of 15 mini games:

1. RUN as fast as you can to extinguish the fire on the hair (Tap ASAP)



2. Defend your private part from being attacked by the piranha (Flick them away)
3. Wipe your screen ASAP to clean the floor (Yes, wipe your screen literally)
4. Balance the wobbling eater from falling (Move your device)
5. Kill the Wasps ASAP (Tap them)
6. Open the door for the panda, but not the killer (Tap the correct door)
7. Remove the fork from the toaster carefully 



8. Keep the plane flying (Blow the speaker)
9. Match the 'PATIENCE' word (Tap the correct sequence)



10. Move the careless passengers below the yellow line



11. Connect to all the balloons to avoid the guy from moving to the track
12. Stop the blood (Hold the finger over every hold)



13. Don't press the Red Button
14. Spill the mustard according to the track
15. Duck the bear attack

In the "Dumb Ways to Die" game, the graphics are simple. The sound effects and musics are indeed reminding me of those flash games in the 90s. Yet, I find this game really ridiculously funny. The game difficulty increases with time (the pace of the music will get faster as well). Throughout the 15 mini games, I find the 'Defense your private part' quite challenging, especially when the piranhas come in groups, I always lose a life. More often than not, practice makes perfect. For example, you will realize that the game "Remove the fork" could be easily completed if you start moving the 'bottom part' of the fork first.

The higher score you reach, the more characters you would be able to unlock. But how many characters in total to unlock? I am not quite sure. But it is probably more than 15.

My current high score in the "Dumb Ways to Die" game reaches 3000+. How about yours?