lordnikon wrote:I had trouble completing this level, but it can be done, honest!
I needed that reassurance - thanks! With your encouragement and inspiration I finally completed it and in an unexpected 20 minutes. This is not to imply that I was any faster than you but after four days of attempts I had become all too acquainted with this problematic level.
lordnikon wrote: Randomize the level once or twice until you get an "edible" mote close to you - within one orbit, if you will (when I completed this level, the first edible mote was within my own orbit ie. it was closer to the sun than me).
Yes, I discovered that critical advice on the third day of my four day series of attempts. Your reiterating it here confirms the need to do so. To the best of my knowledge whenever you activate the randomizer (Alt + Z) it will randomize only the first sub-set, so be cautious that you do not randomize on latter sub-sets in Zen Attractors or else you will be restarting the level on the first sub-set. In short use the randomizer to setup that optimal orbit of the your target sub-set only for the first sub-set
after you finish the initial one where you have to 'fly away' and enter the large group of tiny motes that are orbiting en mass in an opposite direction.
lordnikon wrote:Try to avoid slowing down if you can, as the slower you get the more likely you'll plunge into the central sun.
Excellent advice. You will notice that it takes but very few "slow down" clicks to change your orbital display line from a white to a red line - and a red colored orbital line means you are headed for either the destructive sun or the destructive outside edge of the screen. That of course doesn't mean you are guaranteed to be destroyed but have you noticed how much mass you will need to waste in order to revert your red orbital line back to a white orbital line? With the exception of the very first sub-level within Zen Attractors (the one where you are forced to 'go against the flow' in order to engulf the massed group of very small motes) one is forced to avoid 'red lining' an orbit.
lordnikon wrote:Once the orbits of your mote and the target mote are crossing, speed up time and watch closely - it won't be instant, but at some stage, the two motes will be within a very close distance of each other - close enough that you can do a quick direction change and absorb the mote, or potentially even absorb the target mote without any extra movement on your part.
Agreed. And I would assume that by the time you reach Zen Attractors you would have realized the importance of that nuance. In Zen Attractors it is not only important but virtually necessary to apply as few orbital corrections as possible in order to preserve your mass.
lordnikon wrote:Be ready to right click twice to get into very slow mode, and try to avoid left clicking lots.
If you don't absorb the mote the first time round, speed it up and wait for the next occasion where the motes are in the same vicinity - it will happen, it just might take a bit of time (so long as the orbits aren't identical)...
Great job of describing a complex action in an easy to follow manner. I couldn't have described it as simply and clearly as you just did.
lordnikon wrote:However, the above isn't perfect. However you randomize, it's likely that your orbit won't only cross the orbit of the target mote, but also a mote that is substantially larger than you. This is why it's imperative you watch the whole time, and be ready to go into slow mode if it looks like your going to smash into the/a bigger mote - if this is going to happen, slow down time and carefully SINGLE CLICK your way out of it - it's key you single click and don't waste mass. A single click should alter your orbit enough to avoid a collision, but again, watch closely and be prepared to fire off another one or two bits of mass to ensure you don't crash.
Using the above strategy I was able to complete the level in about 30 mins (give or take 5), but like I said, this isn't necessarily the right/best one. I'd be interested to see if anyone else has any suggestions - was anyone able to beat this level quicker than 30 mins say?
Have applied a bold highlight to your SINGLE CLICK for added emphasis. Only comment I can add is when your goal is to absorb a single target mote and that mote is almost-but-not-quite aligned to cross over into your orbit then slow down the speed to the slowest and apply your single clicks as sparingly as you can. I endorse how you wrote
Now, slowly (and by slowly, i mean one click per 15 seconds say) as I learned by trial and error that there will be instances where you discovered that your "additional" single click that that you applied to your own orb within less than the figurative 15 seconds - was found to be unnecessary. If you have ever watched a target mote overshoot your own orb than you undoubtedly have over corrected. Avoid over correcting the orbit of your own orb by applying those single clicks sparingly, you may be pleasantly surprised to observe the target mote ever-so-gracefully intersect with your own orb with one less correcting click than you thought you needed.
Thank you Lordnikon