Colour Changing Vape Pen level

[SpencerBeige]

Hi, I just finished this level with a TERRIBLE price, and a TERRIBLE power rating.

Can anyone give me any tips? I really don't know what to do.

[furrykef]

Post a screenshot of what you've got. It'll be easier to help you if we can see where you're going wrong.

[Naydemonium]

A pain in the ass that level yes.

[walter]

Me too - I hated that level and have a crap score. Will go back to it later :)

[SpencerBeige]

I can't figure out how to post a screenshot =( I tried earlier, but I still don't know.

[[NcK]MasterShake|CM]

Originally posted by Spencer_white:

I can't figure out how to post a screenshot =( I tried earlier, but I still don't know.

F-12 to take the screenshot with Steam, upload it to the steam cloud and copypaste the link into the post.

[SpencerBeige]

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=778535473

[furrykef]

I've only given it a glance so far (I need a nap and will probably be more helpful afterward if no one else has helped you), but the first thing I notice is your handling of -999. Usually when a non-blocking XBus device (in this case, the radio) gives you -999, you should wait until you get a different value, like this:

WAIT:
  mov x0 acc
  teq acc -999
+ slp 1
+ jmp WAIT

EDIT: While that's usually how I handle -999, I decided to check, and my own code for this puzzle doesn't do this, and I'm a little too sleepy to figure out why not... probably something to do with the requirement that pulses can be interrupted...

[furrykef]

After looking at it some more, I find I do understand your solution well enough to say I don't think it's as bad as you think it is. Your cost isn't higher than it was on my first attempt, and I doubt your power usage is much higher if it is at all either. (I did come up with a better solution some time after I had solved it.)

Here's something to think about: Do you really need that MC4000 in the middle?

[Zelgadis]

You can exchange the use of acc and dat in your MC6000, that will eliminate the instructions before and after the "sub 1". Then you have enough room to send 0,0,0 when the light should go out instead of a -999 command.

[UltimateLambda]

I'm pretty happy with this solution:
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198009780590/screenshot/257094675523235276

Basically, read the radio into dat. If it is -999, then move on to counting down. Otherwise push out the colors and set the countdown timer.

There is a whole extra microcontroller that just listens for xbus and converts it to power out.

[Zelgadis]

@UltimateLambda: That's a decent solution. I've got a solution for cost 6, although that one consumes a lot of power.

[furrykef]

I think it's poor form to give somebody a solution they can just copy. You should just nudge them in the right direction.

[UltimateLambda]

@furrykef I appreciate what you mean. I wrapped it in spoiler tags so no one will accidentally find the solution.

[boomermojo]

My power rating was off the charts :/
Only way I could get the data transfer reliable was by adding a lot of redundant code :( .

[boomermojo]

Originally posted by UltimateLambda:

I'm pretty happy with this solution:
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198009780590/screenshot/257094675523235276

Basically, read the radio into dat. If it is -999, then move on to counting down. Otherwise push out the colors and set the countdown timer.

There is a whole extra microcontroller that just listens for xbus and converts it to power out.

Ah there's my problem. I used 4 micoprocessors.