2010-03-17, 01:40 AM (This post was last modified: 2010-04-09, 04:57 PM by chrome.)
Disclaimer: This will not guarantee you a win. This guide is designed to aid you with the game, but since Voltorb Flip is still a game of chance, you most likely will not win every time.
So, Southperry, I'm still really early in the game, but I discovered the Voltorb Flip minigame in place of the Game Corner and realized that I prefer it to slots, mainly because it actually takes skill to win. I've been playing for a while and I've noticed some patterns (and have gotten kinda good at the game, to boot) with it. Just sharing my knowledge so you all can reap your share of coins and get your precious TMs.
Mandatory Introduction
So, what exactly is Voltorb Flip? It's, as I said before, a minigame that replaced the slots and roulette games that were in the old Goldenrod Game Corner. It's a game of chance, but you actually have a pretty fair chance of winning, since this game takes logic and skill to actually win. You'll be racking up coins in no time once you get the hang of these little things I'm going to show you in this stupid little guide.
But before we get into that, let's get into what Voltorb Flip is, just for the sake of completion. You probably already know what it is if you're looking for help with it, but woteva
skip if you know what it is already
Voltorb Flip is a card flippan gaem that involves a 5x5 grid with cards on it. It's very similar to Minesweeper, because if you happen to pick a card with a Voltorb, your game is over and all the coins that you'd earned during that game (your grand total that you already own is not affected) are taken away. You win, you level up to a harder level where you can earn more coins.
If you're like me, you thought it was Minesweeper at first and got pissed when you didn't know what the hell was going on. See those markers on the right hand and bottom of the grid? Those show you how many coins in total are in their respective row/column (I'll say section because I don't wanna type that whole thing out), as well as the total number of Voltorbs. This gives you a clue so that you're not just blindly guessing. For example, if a marker on the right hand side says "4/2", that means that there are four coins total in that section, and that there are also two Voltorbs in that section.
As for the coins and your score, your score total is multiplied depending on the amount of coins you get. If you have zero coins, whatever amount of coins you get will just be added to your score. If you have one coin and you flip a card that also has one coin, you stay at one coin; flipping a card with three coins will give you three coins, and flipping a card with two coins after that will bring your total to six, etc. One-coin cards don't add to your score unless you have zero, so they don't matter; flipping one coin and then flipping a card with two coins is the same thing as flipping a card with two coins straight away.
Flipping a card with one coin is useless.
The markers are what you have to pay most attention to. If you've been playing a while you'll have already caught on to this, but for those who are seeking help, here are a few patterns that I've taken note of with the markers.
Anything that adds up to 5 = dead section (nothing)
Don't get it? Basically, any marker whose numbers add up to five, whether it be four Voltorbs and one coin or two Voltorbs and three coins, only has one-coin cards in it, therefore, there is nothing of value in that row and it should not be touched. Don't believe me? Let's test it out then.
[] [] [] [] [] [3/2]
There are three coins in this row, and two Voltorbs. There's only one way this could possibly go.
[1] [1] [1] [V] [V] [3/2]
In any particular order, of course. Try it with any two numbers whose sum is five, you'll get the same result; there will never be a card with more than one coin in any section of the sort. MaplePorn's Voltorb Flip Helper helps you a lot if you need a visual aid, and can also be used as a simulator.
Now that I have you convinced, here's the whole thing.
[SIZE="1"]Anything that adds up to 5 = nothing. Do not flip this section at all.
Anything that adds up to 6 = [one 2]. Once that card is uncovered, do not flip any more cards in this section.
Anything that adds up to 7 = [two 2s] OR [one 3]. Once one of those combinations is uncovered, do not flip any more cards in this section.
Anything that adds up to 8 = [three 2s] OR [one 3 and one 2]. Once one of those combinations is uncovered, do not flip any more cards in this section.
Anything that adds up to 9 = [two 3s] OR [one 3 and two 2s] OR [four 2s]. Once one of those combinations is uncovered, do not flip any more cards in this section.
Anything that adds up to 10 = [two 3s and one 2] OR [one 3 and three 2s]. Once one of those combinations is uncovered, do not flip any more cards in this section.
Anything that adds up to 11 = [two 2s and two 3s] OR [three 3s]. Once one of those combinations is uncovered, do not flip any more cards in this section.
Anything that adds up to 13 = [four 3s] OR...[/SIZE]
Other user contributions (Thanks for taking the time to contribute, I hardly ever play Voltorb Flip anymore so I would've never expanded much further on it):
[SIZE="1"]
MaplePorn Wrote:I've got a naive algorithm figured out using this general strategy.
For a given row or column; let the Reward associated with it be the following:
Reward = (# of total coins - # of total uncovered coins) - (# of covered squares - # of total Voltorb squares)
So for a completely uncovered row with 1 total coin and 4 Voltorbs, the reward is:
Reward = (1 - 0) - (5 - 4) = 0
Similarly, a column with one square flipped that was a 3 with 5 total coins and 2 Voltorbs:
Reward = (5 - 3) - (4 - 2) = 0
And just for kicks, a row with 9 total coins, 1 Voltorb, and 1 square uncovered showing a 2:
Reward = (9 - 2) - (4 - 1) = 4
Here's where the naive approach comes in. Since you "win" Voltorb Flip by uncovering all the x2 and x3 squares, you can naively assume that the square with the highest total Reward both row-wise and column-wise is the best square to uncover. I wrote an online Voltorb Flip Helper that uses this algorithm to determine the best space to uncover. The "Hybrid" option also takes into account the risk of uncovering a square: if a row of 5 uncovered squares has 4 Voltorbs total in it, there's only a 20% chance of surviving the flip. So even if the reward for uncovering the one safe square is 3, it might not be in your best interest to go for it.
Sarah Wrote:Tip: always flip obvious ones (for example any row with 5/0) because the number of cards you've flipped is what determines the level you end up at if you fail. If you're at level 5 and have 5 cards flipped and then fail, you'll stay on level 5. If you have 3 flipped, you'll drop to level 3.
[/SIZE]
I haven't figured out higher sums yet, mainly because I haven't been paying attention; but I'll add them in as I go. But, those are the only possible combinations for each sum of numbers on a marker. Feel free to contribute more. Using this as a guideline, you'll be able to more easily weed out sections that you should not flip using your own logic. Good luck.
2010-03-17, 08:45 AM (This post was last modified: 2010-03-17, 05:24 PM by SuperMario64.)
Another nice tip is to know is that 3/1 is possible wherever 2/2 is. :3
Simple tip that's easy to forget during intense situations. xD
A nice example for those who are just starting out: Say you see a row or column with 2 Voltorbs that has a sum of 6. 2-2-2 and 3-2-1 are your only possible options...therefore if you find a 3...you have just eliminated the possibility of two 2's. ;3
Oh, and something I just figured out while lying on my bed. xp
If you multiply the value of the safe spaces (5 - # of Voltorbs) by 3 then subtract that value by 1 and the point value in a row or column is the result of either equation, 1's aren't possible on that row or column!
Probably figured this out yesterday but I simplified it today. Lol. x3
Have fun folks.
For some odd reason, I beat Level 7 when I first got to it but I didn't move on...o.O
...Then I tried it again and bad luck got me. xD
Going to pwn this game even harder than before with the strategy I just made. <3
EDIT: I thought I made this edit earlier today but my internet messed up so it didn't work I guess. x3
But if the number of safe spaces + 1 = Total point value, then only 1s and 2s are present.
2010-03-22, 03:56 AM (This post was last modified: 2010-03-22, 04:00 AM by MaplePorn.)
I've got a naive algorithm figured out using this general strategy.
For a given row or column; let the Reward associated with it be the following:
Reward = (# of total coins - # of total uncovered coins) - (# of covered squares - # of total Voltorb squares)
So for a completely uncovered row with 1 total coin and 4 Voltorbs, the reward is:
Reward = (1 - 0) - (5 - 4) = 0
Similarly, a column with one square flipped that was a 3 with 5 total coins and 2 Voltorbs:
Reward = (5 - 3) - (4 - 2) = 0
And just for kicks, a row with 9 total coins, 1 Voltorb, and 1 square uncovered showing a 2:
Reward = (9 - 2) - (4 - 1) = 4
Here's where the naive approach comes in. Since you "win" Voltorb Flip by uncovering all the x2 and x3 squares, you can naively assume that the square with the highest total Reward both row-wise and column-wise is the best square to uncover. I wrote an online Voltorb Flip Helper that uses this algorithm to determine the best space to uncover. The "Hybrid" option also takes into account the risk of uncovering a square: if a row of 5 uncovered squares has 4 Voltorbs total in it, there's only a 20% chance of surviving the flip. So even if the reward for uncovering the one safe square is 3, it might not be in your best interest to go for it.
As for eliminating certain combinations altogether, consider this problem: assuming an American Football scoring system where you can only score field goals (3 points) or touchdowns (7 points), what is the highest possible unattainable score, if there is a maximum?
2010-03-22, 04:26 AM (This post was last modified: 2010-03-22, 05:04 AM by Locked.)
I've actually gotten maxed coins from Voltorb Flip and gotten to a high level. I figured out the dead row thing by myself and used that to my advantage.
Edit: Am I the only one who thinks there's still a lot of guessing involved? The higher you go the higher the numbers of both voltorbs and multiples, which can get annoying.
Okay, I'm going to assume you know what Voltorb Flip is.
if the 2 numbers add up to 5, don't touch it
if you subtract Voltorbs from 5, then thats how many squares have coins. how many coins are there in that row? using this information, you can find out the possible coin arrangements.
the spot that intercepts the row that has the most coins on both the x and y axis is the most likely spot on the board to have a coin of 2 or 3. then the one of those that has the most coins, find the point on that line that intercepts the next biggest amount of coins. repeat.
but always, 100% of the time, check if the number of squares not opened, and not voltorb, so like, if its 1 voltorb and 10 coins, and you've flipped 3 3's, you can deduce the last one is going to be a one, easily. but if you follow the method i just told you, you can always carelessly hit a voltorb when the only thing left in the row is a 1. It would be worthless to do that, you didn't even have a chance to get a 2 or 3. so, make sure you're getting the best odds to get a number.
Sometimes there will be 2 identical sets [coin/volt] in the same axe, and in the other axe, if using my method, a big amount of coin, and the first axe both would be the highest. It's all luck here, there's no way to find which one will/will not have a coin. it's all luck there.
Also, use common sense, and simple math, in order to find the places that most likely have coins. I'll update with examples in a minute.
Tip: always flip obvious ones (for example any row with 5/0) because the number of cards you've flipped is what determines the level you end up at if you fail. If you're at level 5 and have 5 cards flipped and then fail, you'll stay on level 5. If you have 3 flipped, you'll drop to level 3.
not always true, I've been on level 9 and failed after 1, it didn't push me back any. i stayed at 9. a quick note; its so unfair when you get a voltorb first pick and you get kicked to level 1 :\
Johnnywup Wrote:not always true, I've been on level 9 and failed after 1, it didn't push me back any. i stayed at 9. a quick note; its so unfair when you get a voltorb first pick and you get kicked to level 1 :\
Omgg, I was just reading that, and then it happened. ~.~
Still need 5300 more till Thunderbolt. D;
I pineappleing hate this game now. I've been playing it off and on, but the past 3-4 in-game hours have been devoted to nothing but Voltorb Flip. Every time I have 4 squares and two of them in a diagonal are 2/3s and the other two are Voltorbs, I pick the f'ucking Voltorb. EVERY TIME. I have gotten up to level 5 and failed about 20 times in a row. And as an added insult, the next board forces you to guess on the first square and I pick another Voltorb, so it drops me back to level 1. GODDAMMIT
2010-04-09, 04:57 PM (This post was last modified: 2010-04-09, 05:00 PM by Jedward.)
Johnnywup Wrote:also coins/[5-voltorbs] is average number of coins per non volt square, which can be quite useful to know
Common sense, and not at all useful to know.
Quote:So if I have five slices of pie, three of which have cherries, having six cherries would mean there are two cherries each on the slices that have them? GENIUS, SIR, GENIUS
