SpaceChem

[RandoM51]

With the loops like this >-----< if you put the input symbol in the same square at the end as the arrow it only triggers once when the waldo turns around.

Example: http://i53.tinypic.com/2sbncas.jpg

That link might give you some ideas you'd rather come up with on your own so consider carefully before clicking it.

Those who do look at it can get bonus points for figuring out how I can tighten it up even further. I'm pretty sure I can put just one input symbol inside the loops---similar to how there is just one output inside the loops---to handle both waldoes, making both routes one unit shorter, but I've not been able to get it working.

[Crittias]

Originally Posted by RandoM51

Those who do look at it can get bonus points for figuring out how I can tighten it up even further.

What planet/level? I'll give it a whirl.

[RandoM51]

Originally Posted by Crittias

What planet/level? I'll give it a whirl.

1-5, Removing Bonds.

The design in the pic is 35 cycles but there is a way to do it even quicker.

[RandoM51]

Hey, I broke down and bought this. I haven't been able to resist going back into the demo and tweaking each of my solutions so I figured I might as well get some new puzzles.

[Lima Beans]

I bought it too, and its preventing me from getting any work done, lol. Still uploading solutions to my youtube if anyone wants to compare

[CES]

Originally Posted by RandoM51

1-5, Removing Bonds.

The design in the pic is 35 cycles but there is a way to do it even quicker.

I got it down to 33 cycles, did you get any improvement on that?

[DeathByVoid]

Yeah I have no idea what's going on there, but it looks pretty fun.
Is there a free-play mode to the game or is it only puzzles?

[RandoM51]

Nope, 33 it is with that output fix.

I just did a challenge puzzle that took me 20,000+ cycles. What a mess.

[Lima Beans]

the challenge levels are HARD! which one was 20k cycles?

[RandoM51]

Well, I was the only person in the world who used that many cycles, it looks like from the graphs.

It is the challenge for the same planet you're working on now. The defense mission on that planet has me scratching my head. I need one more factory, lol. Guess I'm going to have to work some magic.

[Lima Beans]

Yeah im stuck there too =/

[RandoM51]

Making the Plutonium is the hard part, at least for me. I've figured out a way to do it using the command switches available on defense puzzles but that feels like cheating. I don't even like using the switches to control the weapons.

[RandoM51]

Post links to your Alkanost 1-reactor challenge once you've done it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?hd=1&v=Ud5q2OcmPIA

v1.0 5952/1/65
v1.1 5734/1/63
v1.2 5363/1/65
v1.3 5358/1/66

[Lima Beans]

On the defense level...

Actually, I was able to make the plutonium without issue, but now I dont have enough reactors to make the O=O and the H-H at the same time.

I havnt tried the one reactor challenge yet...

[RandoM51]

I just finished the plutonium defense level, here is what I did:

Factory #1: Water splitter putting out O and H on separate outputs

Factory #2: Hydrogen bonder spitting out rocket fuel on one output and H atoms on the other

Factory #3: Oxygen bonder spitting out oxidizer on one output and O atoms on the other

Factory #4: Plutonium fuser taking in the O and H from bonders, fusing 11 oxygen atoms(88) and then fusing 8 hydrogen atoms to that to make Plutonium. The fuser is on top of the oxygen input so I didn't have to move those. I did have to move the Hydrogen. To move more than I could normally I setup a switch to loop hydrogen until it is shutoff, at which point it dumps the Plutonium into the rocket.

I thought I had solved it at that point but I didn't get enough oxidizer to launch the rocket in time and had 4+ plutonium. Obviously I needed to spend more oxygen on oxidizer and less on plutonium.

My oxidizer factory had an alternating loop. It would spit out on molecule of oxidizer to the rocket and 2 atoms of oxygen to the plutonium fuser. I modified these loops and put a switch on each one.

I leave the oxidizer switch on, spending all of my oxygen on oxidizer until that tank is full, then I flip the switch and just pass Oxygen atoms on to the plutonium fuser.

This allows me to produce everything and launch the missile in time.

Oh, and one other thing: I put double storage domes on each hydrogen output to keep my factories from backing up. This might be a good indicator that using fusion factories at stage 2 and fusing spare hydrogen into oxygen might be a good idea and might even be a good way to remove a factory entirely. Since there aren't any graphs comparing performance on this one I'm not really inclined to ram my head against that particular brick wall.

[NotJeff]

Originally Posted by RandoM51

Post links to your Alkanost 1-reactor challenge once you've done it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?hd=1&v=Ud5q2OcmPIA

v1.3 5358/1/66

http://www.youtube.com/watch?hd=1&v=BptpDZFQz-8

v1.0 5308/1/52
v1.1 3418/1/66 (strongly influenced by RandoM51 in IRC)

[Crittias]

Originally Posted by RandoM51

Post links to your Alkanost 1-reactor challenge once you've done it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUlQzPboHM8
v1.0: 2395/2/74

[NotJeff]

Originally Posted by RandoM51

Post links to your Alkanost 1-reactor challenge once you've done it.

Originally Posted by Crittias

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUlQzPboHM8
v1.0: 2395/2/74

Well, yeah. The one-reactor challenge is pretty easy w/ two reactors.

[Crittias]

Originally Posted by NotJeff

Well, yeah. The one-reactor challenge is pretty easy w/ two reactors.

DOH! Didn't read very carefully, did I? I'll try again.

[NotJeff]

Originally Posted by NotJeff

v1.0 5308/1/52
v1.1 3418/1/66 (strongly influenced by RandoM51 in IRC)

v1.2 2902/1/67 http://www.youtube.com/watch?hd=1&v=ku-AElPLaJk

I think that's most of the local minimization that can be done on time efficiency, although I'm sure an overall rewiring could squeeze more out.