Multifunctional clone with unique new features

Fun versions for any operating system, including online games or phone apps.
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SiwelG
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Multifunctional clone with unique new features

Post by SiwelG »

EDIT:
Latest release (Sept 2016) for Windows available for download from github.com/LewisGaul/minegauler. Summary of features: create your own boards; display probabilities of cells' safety (see screenshots); lives; button styles; zoom; highscores; multiple mines per cell; custom board size. Check back for new releases or email me at minegauler@gmail.com to receive email updates.

Hi everyone,
I am aware most people here aren't keen on big changes to the game, I'm also quite an enthusiast with an Expert record of 74. I have created a program which functions perfectly as classic minesweeper (chording, 1.5 clicking, flags placed on button-down etc., as well as professional look & feel), allowing the usual difficulty levels as well as custom sizes/mines to be entered. I have also added many features I have been unable to find elsewhere (including creating your own boards, with saving and loading). I am looking for recommendations in how to improve it as well as some competition on my highscores - anyone think they can beat my best times in my own game? ;) Screenshots included below.

I have added many options which create new logic challenges, most of which I have not found in any of the other minesweeper versions available. Note that each set of options has its own separate highscores table in the game. So far the new options include:
Allow more than one mine per cell (randomly, not a set-number of double or triple mines) - fairly subtle change to the game's logic;
Change the 'detection' of the numbers (for example don't detect mines in cells diagonally adjacent, detect mines in cells up to 2 cells away, etc. Higher detection levels have less mines than the usual number to make it solvable. See screenshot.) - fairly big change, sometimes very tricky without flagging!;
Ability to select cells by clicking and dragging - more prone to a misplaced click, but I find this much quicker as a non-flagger;

You can also toggle the option to have success on first click, choose a number of lives, hide the timer to avoid distraction, check a board's 3bv and see your progress and predicted time on a lost game, change the size of the cells, set highscores locally (top 5 for each separate set of the above options). :)

The final major feature, and the reason I originally made it, is creating your own boards. I beat my highscore on my android phone (with 68.4 on Expert) and wanted to know the 3bv of the board, which the app doesn't tell you. Rather than count, I made this program. Obviously any created or replayed boards are not valid for the highscores.

Please let me know if you want to know anything at all about this, suggest refinements, request new features. I will give high priority to fixing any bugs that might be uncovered.

EDIT:
I have now also made it capable of calculating the probabilities of there being a mine in a cell, given the configuration of numbers and mines already uncovered, which is displayed via a heatmap in-game. Obviously using this also removes validation for the highscores. This is perhaps also a step in the direction of making a minesweeper solver, and perhaps adding the option to only play games which require no guessing.

Here are some (new) screenshots:
Custom mines on intermediate with probabilities shown - yellow represents same chance of there being a mine as in a random square at the start of the game, green is safe, red is a mine;
1.2.2 1.PNG
1.2.2 1.PNG (13.08 KiB) Viewed 3741 times
Beginner grid, with up to 2 mines per cell and 2 lives;
1.2.2 2.PNG
1.2.2 2.PNG (10.71 KiB) Viewed 3741 times
Highscores for up to 3 mines per cell with drag-select on;
1.2.2 3.PNG
1.2.2 3.PNG (28.21 KiB) Viewed 3741 times
Zoomed custom board with different button style and up to 3 mines per cell showing predicted time after losing. Scrollbar introduced for boards that don't fit on the screen.
1.2.2 4.PNG
1.2.2 4.PNG (140.69 KiB) Viewed 3741 times
Last edited by SiwelG on Sat Sep 24, 2016 10:39 pm, edited 11 times in total.
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SiwelG
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 12:15 am
Location: UK

Re: [Updated]Subtle/drastic variations of minesweeper

Post by SiwelG »

Successfully converted into an executable file! If anyone wants to try it, I may be able to post a stable version within a month. I won't bother if nobody's interested.
Last edited by SiwelG on Sun Aug 30, 2015 4:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.
DMarden
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2011 1:43 pm

Re: [Updated]Subtle/drastic variations of minesweeper

Post by DMarden »

SiwelG wrote:Successfully converted into an executable file! If anyone wants to try it, I may be able to post a stable version within a month. I won't bother if nobody's interested.
I'm interested in trying it out.
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SiwelG
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 12:15 am
Location: UK

Re: [Updated]Subtle/drastic variations of minesweeper

Post by SiwelG »

All releases of the game can be found at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wvxv4k6s2daf ... ihvaa?dl=0 (12MB, too large to upload here). Try it out and see what you think!

Note: The format is '.exe' which runs on Windows.
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SiwelG
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Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 12:15 am
Location: UK

Re: Multifunctional clone with unique new features

Post by SiwelG »

Is there anyone who would be interested in trying this out but doesn't have Windows? I'm thinking of making it available for macs.
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