BrainWars Playing Strategies for All BrainWars Players

BrainWars Playing Strategies- for all BrainWars players -

Author: ctyl (Japan)Twitter: @MLHCUser Code: JB4210February 6th, 2015

Ver 1.0

Index

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1. Abstract

2. Specifications2.1 Rating Systems2.2 Status Systems

3. Strategies & Tips3.1 Operations3.2 Flick Master…3.19 Quick Eye3.20 Weathercast3.21 Spinning Block

4. Further Strategies4.1 Trainings4.2 Difficulties…4.5 To clutch wins

5. Discussions5.1 Correlations5.2 PCA

6. Collaborators

7. References

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1. Abstract- This article is to improve the level of BrainWars

playing by sharing the strategies used by top players from around the world.

- All player have their own approach to each game. This is a summary of their ideas.

- 37 awesome players from around the world cooperated in making this document.

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2. Specifications

- The leaderboard is reset at 0:00(JST) every Monday.

- You get coins at the end of the week depending on your world rank and your friend rank. For example, if you place in the top 30 you get 70 coins that week.

- If you don’t play enough in a week, you drop to a lower league. 5

2-1. Rating Systems

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2-1. Rating SystemsA player’s rating transition

about 17000 RT

80

lose

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2-1. Rating Systems

- At the beginning of this week, your rating starts at 5000. Every win will drastically increase your rating. Be aware that as your rating increases, the amount you win per round decreases (See the figure in the previous slide).

- After you reach 17000 rating points, you receive about 80 points per every win. In contrast, you lose around 160 points per every loss. Therefore you have to keep your winning rate over 67% if you want to get over 17000.

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2-2. Status Systems

Parameter Games that modify the parameter

Judgement Flick Master, Color of Deception, Rainfall, Rapid Sorting

CalculationOperations, Simplicity,

Addition Addiction, Addition Link, Touch the Number +

Observation Touch the Number, Matching, Bird Watching, Quick Eye, Weathercast

MemoryFollow the Leader, Concentration, High or Low, Unfollow the Leader,

Path to Safety, Spinning Block

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2-2. Status Systems- Judgement, Calculation, Observation, and Memory are calculated

by the average score of the last 10 games that belong to the parameter. Scores that exceed 1000 points are calculated as 1000.

- Accuracy is calculated approximately as 10 times the percentage of total accuracy in the last 10 games.

- How the speed parameter is calculated is still not cear. What we have learned through our investigation is that you achieve more points per correct answer when the answer are given at a faster pace. Each game has its own speed in which you will achieve the most points per answer, This is the limit for each correct answer and no extra points are awarded if you surpass that speed.

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3. Strategies & Tips for each game

Avg. 1104 pts (1st)S.D. 140 pts (4th)

Score distribution and statistical data of all the collaborators (Dec/29/2014~Jan/4/2015)

Brief descriptionsshown before playing

3-1. Operations

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Avg. 1048 pts (3rd)

S.D. 91 pts (11th)

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3-1. Strategies & Tips- Focus on the order of the three

numbers shown for each equation.

- When the far right is the largest, the answer is + or ×, and if the far left is the largest, the answer is - or ÷.

- Since the locations of the operation symbols do not change, it is only necessary to look at the equation on the top.

3-2. Flick Master

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Avg. 932 pts (15th)

S.D. 67 pts (18th)

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3-2. Strategies & Tips- It is EXTREMELY difficult in this

game to score over 1000 consistently (only 4 collaborators average over that).

- A single mistake is enough to keep you below 1000.

- Accuracy is key in this game. Make sure you keep calm and focused.

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3-2. Strategies & Tips

- Make the size of your flicks as small as possible to increase speed.

- If you are about to flick in the wrong direction, keep your finger down and correct the direction. By doing this, the mistake will not be counted against you.

- Keeping a consistent tempo while training is effective (you can try incorporating a metronome).

3-3. Simplicity

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Avg. 938 pts (14th)

S.D. 178 pts (2nd)

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- There is no trick for calculating.

- Normally, you should calculate between the parenthesis first.

- If you are not good at mental calculation, you can focus on only the last digits (In the left example, 5+6+4=15 so you can figure out that the answer is 45.)

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- You have to compare which is bigger 11 or 10+8 in the left example.

- Because it has two answers by calculating only the last digits.

i) 1-(0+8) = 1-8 = -7 ○ii) 1-(0+8) = 11-8 = 3 ×

Disadvantages for calculating only the last digits

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3-3. Strategies & TipsAn example which belongs to a few exceptions

- In this case, you don’t have to calculate between the parentheses first.

- The example shows an equation in which the two 7s cancel each other out leaving you with -3.

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3-4. Touch the Number

Avg. 1032 pts (6th)

S.D. 106 pts (10th)

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- Observation, memorization, and tapping speed are all tested in this game.

- To observe where all the numbers are located at the same time, keep the device a healthy distance away from you and try to visualize the entire screen.

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3-4. Strategies & Tips- It is best if you memorize every

move you are going to make first. This allows you to make all the moves as fast as possible without having to think or look at the numbers in between.

- If this is too difficult, you can divide the blocks into multiple sections as shown in the example ([9,8,7], [6,5,4], [3,2,1]).

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3-5. Follow the Leader

Avg. 962 pts (11th)

S.D. 78 pts (15th)

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3-5. Strategies & TipsBasis:

- Make sure to not only memorize how the blocks appear, but also prepare how you will tap them.

- It is important to know how many blocks appear at one time. (5,5,5,6,6,6,7,7,7,8,8,...)

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2

1

3

4

5

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- Try to imagine a rope connecting all the blocks as they appear. (the figure shows a visual description).

- The most important thing to remember is that your score is determined by how fast you make your taps.

- Make sure to hit the first block of each set as you will lose huge points otherwise.

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3-6. Addition Addiction

Avg. 1014 pts (7th)

S.D. 88 pts (13th)

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3-6. Strategies & Tips- Focus on which panel respawns next.

- Reduce the time between touching each panel.

- Use the best combination of panels possible based on all problems you can see in the queue.

- Each panel takes about 2.5 sec to respawn.

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- You should try to memorize all the combinations of 3 numbers that equal 15 (there are 8 of them.)

- Make sure not to tap a number that is equal to half of the combination you are on or you will be wasting at least 3 tiles.

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3-7. Matching

Avg. 1014 pts (4th)

S.D. 88 pts (11th)

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- There is only one pair in each set.

- Some symbols look similar such as E-F, ○-◎, and △-◇. Pay attention to the differences.

- You can hit two tiles at once so it is best if you use two fingers to play.

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- Try to find a distance and an angle that fit you the best. Remember you should try to see all the symbols at once.

- If you are stuck, you can try looking away from the screen for a second to refresh.

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3-8. Color of Deception

Avg. 1104 pts (1st)

S.D. 140 pts (4th)

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- There are two typical playing styles. One is looking at all the panels at once, and the other is looking at only three panels.

- Some who score extremely fast (mean time per answer under 0.50 sec) choose to look at all 4 tiles.

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- Using two fingers is strongly recommended Playing with one finger will slow your speed and it may get in your line of vision.

- Do not focus on each panel in order. Try to practice until you can feel like something is not right when you glance at all the panels.

Tips for players who play with the former style

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3-9. Concentration

Avg. 984 pts (9th)

S.D. 116 pts (7th)

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- Tap each panel VERY CAREFULLY. Because when you fail to tap only one panel, the tapping order shifts and you’ll lose a lot of points at once. To make matters worse, you may forget the position of each pair, which may make you panic.

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3-9. Strategies & Tips- Try to figure out your tapping

order before you press the “Memorized!” button. Imagine your fingers’ motions and how they will connect each pair.

- It seems best to memorize from the furthest pair to the closest pair. Note that you may forget the locations while you tap the panels.

1 2

3

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3-10. High or Low

Avg. 914 pts (16th)

S.D. 77 pts (16th)

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- Accuracy is the most important factor, similar to “Flick Master” or “Rapid Sorting”.

- Do not predict which direction you are flicking next.

- If you make a mistake, do not hurry. It will only make matters worse.

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3-11. Bird Watching

Avg. 1014 pts (4th)

S.D. 88 pts (11th)

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- Adjust how long you take on one set based on how difficult it is to decipher.

- Since there are many patterns, it is difficult to always know which color is most prominent. When practicing, try to make note of the tendencies within each pattern.

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- Once the blocks become smaller, make sure to get used to tapping the center of the blocks you choose.

- In a 5x5, you will make some

mistakes (especially when the colors are 9-8-8) so it is important to get used to correcting your answers as quickly as possible.

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3-12. Addition Link

Avg. 959 pts (12th)

S.D. 114 pts (8th)

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3-12. Strategies & Tips- The numbers in the queue get

larger as the game progresses.

- It is better to see the answer before you start linking or you will get stuck often.

- Try to memorize as many combinations of 3s, 2s, and 1s as you can that add up to the sums used (between 5 and 18).

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3-12. Strategies & Tips- When the numbers in the queue

become large, make sure to check where you are starting and finishing. It is better to end where there are a lot of 1s and 2s.

- If it seems like you are stuck, remember that you can swap the order of digits. 3+3+3+2, 3+3+2+3, and 3+2+3+3 all add up to 11.

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3-13. Unfollow the Leader

Avg. 942 pts (13th)

S.D. 84 pts (14th)

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3-13. Strategies & Tips- This game is much more difficult

than “Follow the Leader”.

- Since this game is similar to “Follow the Leader”, most of the same strategies apply. One additional thing is to make sure you focus on the first block you are tapping.

- It may be better to practice “Follow the Leader” before trying to get the hang of this game.

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3-14. Tap the Color

Avg. 1040 pts (5th)

S.D. 150 pts (3rd)

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3-14. Strategies & Tips- When observing the queue, you will

notice that the order of tiles is always grouped by color. Because of this, you can figure out what the last color will be before it appears in the queue.

- You can tap all the tiles of one color at once instead of one at a time (using two or more fingers is strongly recommended).

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3-14. Strategies & Tips- Try to memorize the number of

colors in each group, not only the location.

- Make sure to take care when there are many colors present with only 1 block (like in groups of 5-2-1-1).

- You can still see the colors fade after you have pressed the “Memorized!” button so you can use that time to remember as well.

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3-15. Rainfall

Avg. 1050 pts (2nd)

S.D. 114 pts (9th)

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3-15. Strategies & TipsThere are some styles to play this game with

Two thumbs One index fingerTwo index fingers

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3-15. Strategies & Tips- This game is the most physically demanding for most

players.

- You are able to see 4 objects at once so you can see the upcoming objects in advance and prepare which side to tap.

- It is best to keep your tapping speed consistent.

- Do not get into a habit of hitting one side repeatedly without paying attention to the number of drops. Doing this normally cause you to run into a lightning.

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3-16. Path to Safety

Avg. 1006 pts (8th)

S.D. 186 pts (1st)

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- Make sure your finger follows the exact path you are set on going or you can end up crashing into bombs unintentionally. This game requires a sensitive touch.

- You should always try to grab the stars on the screen first unless you have forgotten where the bombs are. In that case, head straight to the flag.

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- While you are still able to see the bombs, focus on the white free blocks and see if you can predict where the stars and flags might be before pressing the “Memorized!” button.

- A single mistake wastes a lot of time and points so make sure you move your finger carefully.

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3-17. Touch the Number +

Avg. 838 pts (17th)

S.D. 118 pts (6th)

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Basis:

- This game adds a calculation portion to the original “Touch the Number” so being good at both of these aspects allow for a high score.

- Big numbers take a long time to add, so try to memorize addition patterns to figure out the sum quicker.

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3-17. Strategies & Tips [2]There are many styles to sum up the numbers more quickly.

10- Try to separate the numbers into two

partitions (e.g. 1,4,6,8-> 1+4=5, 6+8=14 thus 5+14=19)

- Try to memorize calculations that add up to 10 such as 1+4+5 or 2+3+5. By memorizing these, it will make other calculations much easier.

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- When you notice an arithmetic sequence such as 5,6,7,8,9, you can multiply the center number by how many tiles there are (7 x 5 = 35).

- We can also do a similar process with numbers that have a symmetrical structure such as 2,3,7,8. With this you can add up the numbers on the ends and multiply by the amount of sets there are (2 + 8 = 10, 10 x 2 =20).

※ These techniques may have disadvantages. For example, the order of calculations and taps are often different.

Advanced Techniques

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3-18. Rapid Sorting

Avg. 827 pts (19th)

S.D. 61 pts (19th)

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3-18. Strategies & Tips- (The scoring has been modified since

the time that the statistics in the previous slide were taken.)

- Make sure not to try to predict what symbol is coming: rather, wait until you see the symbol come down.

- Each shape has a separate color so you can use that to differentiate them as well.

3-19. Quick Eye

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Avg. 835 pts (18th)

S.D. 125 pts (5th)

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- Pay attention to both the queue and the field.

- Memorize the queue as much as possible even when you are touching the panels.

- The number of open panels increases as the game progresses.


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- Sometimes the panels don’t appear in the field even when they show up in the queue. (The figure shows that “6” doesn’t appear in the field even when “6” is in the queue.)

- Use your peripheral vision to see the open tiles and the queue simultaneously.

3-20. Weathercast

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3-21. Spinning Block

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4. Further Strategies

- This chapter provides general advice from our collaborators. This includes practice methods, ways to stay at peak performance, etc.

- These excerpts are taken from direct interviews with each collaborator.

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4-1. Trainings- Many players like to practice the games that they are very

good at. The amount of practicing tends to support the extremely high scores that they are able to achieve.

- Some players practice games that they want to improve thousands of times (SOY! said that he practiced Color of Deception for over three thousand times).

- Another idea is to practice on the train and set a practice goal to fulfill until getting off the train. For example, a goal would be to quit training after scoring over 1500 on Addition Link twice or playing it 10 times.

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4-2. - Everyone tends to have weaknesses; such as judgement,

calculation, or memory.

- It seems that calculation is the most difficult ability to improve. Calculation speed depends on the amount of calculations that we have done in our life.

- The second most difficult ability to improve may be short-term memory. Almost all of the games that are categorized as a memory game, require us to memorize information in a short time. However, this ability can be improved through practice.

Difficulties

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4-3. Achieving a high rankComments from れあ (the highest rating holder as of Feb/1/2015)

There are four things necessary to finish in 1st. These are “The number of games”, “Winning rate”, “Physical & mental strength”, and “Coins”.

The number of games you play is what actually determines your rating. You have no choice but to play a lot. Play everywhere as long as you have hearts. Just to note, if you want to achieve a rating of 100,000, you have to play at least 1200 games in a week.

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4-3. Achieving a high rank

Your win rate is also an important factor. Not only do you lose 160 rating points, you also lose out on the extra 80 points you would have gained if you won. So the total points you are throwing away is 240!

So how do you keep your win rate high? The most simple answer is to score as high as you can. Try spending time to improve your skills. Another important factor is to try to play a consistent game at a speed you are comfortable with for each game. Sometimes you try to be too “greedy” it ends up costing you (continued on next page).

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4-3. Achieving a high rankAssume that you are losing by a small score gap before

round 3. The game chooses “High or Low” and you may decide to try to score as high as possible in the 3rd round. However, you are more likely to make mistakes if you get frustrated by trying to score high. It can even cause you to lose the entire game (I have often lost because of this).

For games such as “High or Low” or “Flick Master”, you will get more points by playing slowly and not making any mistakes than playing as fast as possible. Don’t forget that your rating doesn’t go up unless you win the game. Try to play in a calm controlled fashion.

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4-3. Achieving a high rankYour weak games will strike fear into you, which affects your

performance in these games later on. I recommend you to practice your weaker games because that also means you still have a lot of room to grow.

You have to sleep enough if you want to be tough and get stable scores. It is best to sleep at least 4 hours no matter how many games you want to play.

Other high rankers will also make you anxious when you are at the top, especially when their ratings rise as yours rises. Make sure you play frequently when trying to gain position in the rankings.

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4-3. Achieving a high rank

Coins are also an important factor. Save your coins for when you have the chance to be in 1st place. If you don’t have enough coins, you know what to do!

※ He achieved 110034 rating points from November 3rd to 9th, 2014. He played over 1400 battles, and his winning rate was about 94.5%.

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4-4. - Only a few players can achieve Phoenix rank without having to

raise their stats.

- Remember that if you can consistently score over 1000 in all games, you can keep your stats high.

- If you are having trouble achieving the needed stats, you can always do friend battles. Friend battles allow you to play without using hearts while still changing your stats. If your friends aren’t on, you can challenge them and battle their log instead. If you achieved the needed stats to grade up in a friend battle, know that playing at least 1 rating battle after is required for the grade to change. You must not lose the required stats during that battle!

To be Phoenix

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4-5. To clutch wins

- Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid glancing at your opponents score during each round.

- If they are losing before round 3, you can calculate the difference and select the game you have the highest chance of winning.

- After the game is selected, prepare to play in your best condition. For example, be mindful of the distance from your device.

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5. Discussions

- The following slides discuss analyses of the data.

- This chapter does not benefit your playing skills.

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5-1. Correlations- Using the data players surveyed, it

was found that out all games, the average scores from Touch the Number + and Simplicity were most related (correlation of 0.78). This indicates that Touch the Number+ requires your calculation skills mainly.

- The 2nd most correlated scores were in Quick Eye and Touch the Number (correlation of 0.77). This shows that they require very similar observational features.

Correlations of scores among all games

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5-2. Principal Components Analysis

1st Principal Component: Operations, Touch the Number +, Touch the Number (Contribution: 36.2%)

2nd

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: Players

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5-2. Principal Components Analysis [3]I made this analysis to find out if there is a common category in which could help determine how strong someone is at BrainWars. According to the data recieved, I have discovered that players who play well in calculation based games (mainly Operations and Touch the Number +) seem to be better players overall (contribution is 36.2%). The second most prominent component is made of memory based games (mainly Tap the Color and Concentration, contribution is 12.1%). This finding shows that players who do well in these categories tend to be the strongest players overall. This analysis also indicates that calculation and memorization have to be improved independently.

6. Collaborators

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Player Name Nationality User Code Twitter ID

Crawling3 China FK2677 @helianghenry

Michael China UU6632 @MichaelMrGGG

ちさき Taiwan QQ3061 @yumibe31

Berent Turkey IT3215 @Berento1

ちるか Japan HE0953 @sopra3sca

Thank you for providing your scores and writing your thoughts!

6. Collaborators

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seray Turkey PF0977 @bijeongsang1

SOY! Japan A0437 @soyamagic

Populaire Japan UD2350 @st76573

Я99 Japan UQ6091 @_R99_

C.Falcon Japan FD7956 @C_Falcon_bw

K Japan ND0960 @bouquet0217

6. Collaborators

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almond Japan HT8811 @falmond

Remy Zane USA GH5133 @TriviaDJRemy

a01 Japan BD1449 -

tuboc Japan EL5548 -

6. Collaborators

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Player Name Nationality

来深ゆら Japan

Adrian Hong Kong

Hi! China

Hector USA

Triple.P Korea

hoya Japan


yama Japan

KZ Hong Kong

taka Japan

あーさん Japan

のどか Japan

rairai Japan

6. Collaborators

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ふぅりな Japan

na Japan

nori Japan

marble Japan

ryoma Japan

ひーとすぷれっだ Japan


CharlieBear Taiwan

れあ Japan

C3 Japan

FC Hong Kong

6. Collaborators

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Hector USA - -

Remy Zane USA GH5133 @TriviaDJRemy

KZ Hong Kong - -

pooppig USA - -

They proposed the best expressions in these slides and corrected my imperfect English.

Advisers

[1] All the informations from the collaborators. This document is mainly summarized from this sheet.http://goo.gl/m3YURr

[2] Touch the Number + Tips and Strategies (Japanese)http://www.slideshare.net/ctyl/tips-by-ctyl

[3] BrainWars - Principal Components Analysishttp://goo.gl/i8ZqJa

※ If you want to ask some questions about these slides, please feel free to contact me (E-mail: [email protected], don’t forget to write your name in BrainWars on E-mails). 88

7. References

http://goo.gl/m3YURr

http://goo.gl/m3YURr

http://www.slideshare.net/ctyl/tips-by-ctyl

http://www.slideshare.net/ctyl/tips-by-ctyl

http://goo.gl/i8ZqJa

http://goo.gl/i8ZqJa

mailto:[email protected]

Special Thanks

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BrainWars developers in Translimit Inc.

… and you.

BrainWars Playing Strategies for All BrainWars Players

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