Q1: What do you think about this game?
I enjoy LaserTank (LT). I like to think. And LT has a lot of levels. I prefer short (less than 150 moves and less than 150 shots), easy levels. Fortunately there are many short, easy, older levels for me to solve and to keep me busy for a long time. I also enjoy longer levels if the level has a series of smaller tasks to do, with each task being different than the other tasks. Sometimes I also enjoy levels just because of how they look, like a work of art. I also enjoy trying to solve most new levels, although I am not always successful at that.
Q2:You have a lot of GHS's for sokoban levels and you got 1st place in the GHS-hunter-list for sokoban-II.lvl. How did you persist?
Sqir solves a lot of levels and he makes a lot of levels. He may not have GHS's for levels he makes. That is the only reason why I am currently in first place for Sokoban-II.lvl. He is a much better solver than I am. And he (and others) makes interesting levels as well. So he is a good thinker and creative. I am glad I am able to give him a little bit of a challenge in solving. Many other people are also better solvers than I am. Some stopped solving a number of years ago, for different reasons. Some people do not want to take the time to solve longer puzzles, and a lot of the sokoban levels are longer puzzles. There are also people that can optmize their solutions better than I can. So I suspect many of my solutions, especially the longer solutions, can be done better. Nearly all levels I solve are rated Easy. Many other people are able to solve more difficult levels. I suspect someone else will be 1st place for sokoban-II.lvl some day.
Q3:Would you like to share some experiences: are there any special skills to beat this style of levels?
Different skills can be used for LT. I like to think logically. I also like logic puzzles. So that skill helps in solving LT. But those good at pattern recognition can also solve or optimize many LT levels. Experience helps with pattern recognition. I find that I often have better solutions now than when I first started LT. Patience can also help solve a number of levels, especially if one uses trial and error. I do not have that patience.
Q4:Do you like to play the true sokoban too? If so, could you compare the two puzzle games?
Yes, I have played true sokoban. I played true sokoban before LT. I first played LT in 2003. Then I went back to playing true sokoban. Then I came back to LT and, ever since, have played that instead of true sokoban. In true sokoban, there are movable blocks, ground, and solid blocks (walls). LT has those and more: anti-tanks, tunnels, mirrors, tank movers, bricks, ice, thin ice, water, bridges, and crystal blocks. In true sokoban, the movable blocks have to be pushed by being next to them. In LT, you shoot the movable blocks to move them. So you might be far away when shooting them, and might shoot through crystal blocks or via mirrors. Or you might get an anti-tank to shoot and move a movable block. So with all of this, I feel true sokoban is easier to solve than LT. I probably solved all true sokoban levels I have attempted, but there are many LT levels I will never solve. True sokoban levels can be very large, while LT levels fit in 16x16 grids. The goals are also different. In LT, the goal is to get to the flag. In true sokoban, there are as many targets as there are movable blocks. The goal is to have all targets covered by the movable blocks. Often, those targets can be covered in different orders. So I feel that the larger size and difference in goals make true sokoban solutions more difficult to optimize than LT solutions, although both can be difficult to optimize.
Q5:Could you compare "solving a level" and "minimize the score"? Are there some common techniques and differences?
Optimizing (minimizing a score) is much more difficult than solving a level. Sometimes using a good strategy is good for both. But to get the best score possible, one would normally have to look at every possible solution, counting the number of moves in each possible solution. I do not have the patience for that. There are some basic strategies to help reduce the number of moves. If one needs to create a long bridge in water, it usually takes less moves to move a lot of the blocks near the start of the bridge instead of getting one block, put it in the water, get the next block, put it in the water. Sometimes it is useful to sacrifice shots for moves. For example, sometimes it takes less moves to shoot a block passed the start of the bridge so that you can put more near the start of the bridge.
Q6:You also have many GHS's in Challenge.lvl files. Could you say something about this achievement?
The same skills for solving LT sokoban levels are used for solving LT challenge LT levels. Again, many others are better solvers than I am. Challenge levels are often shorter than sokoban levels. So usually there are more people attempting challenge levels than sokoban levels.
Q7:Could you recommend some excellent levels? What do you think are necessary in a level with high quality?
There are many excellent levels. But my memory is not good enough to say which those are. There is no single definition for high quality. Different people will like different levels. I do not like a lot of mirrors or a lot of tunnels or a lot of ice. But for those that like very challenging levels, levels with a lot of mirrors, tunnels, or ice could be very challenging. Even Beginner levels can be high quality to some. I usually want to do more thinking than Beginner levels, but not the "try every combination" type of thinking usually needed for levels with a lot of mirrors, tunnels, or ice.
Q8:Could you say something about how to solve a challenging level?
I do not solve very challenging levels. Usually very challenging levels either use a timing trick or are ones where every combination has to be tried. Many levels do not have any extra things in them other than what the author needed to solve the level. So those types of levels can often be solved by asking oneself "why is that thing there?" The tutor levels can help show the techniques often seen in more challenging levels. For any level I solve, I usually solve them before making a move or shot. For example, if I need to make a bridge, I figure out the minimum number of blocks needed to make that bridge. Often one bridge path will use fewer blocks than other bridge paths, and there may only be enough blocks to make that minimum bridge path. So figuring out what is needed before starting will make it easier to solve.
Q9: Could you compare yourself and your opponents, like Sqir, jojo, AL, etc?
Those and a number of others are better solvers than I am.
Q10: Could you tell us any interesting stories about LT?
I cannot think of any interesting LT stories.
Q11: LT�"ers may want to know more about you in the real life. Could you say something about your real life? Is anything of LT helpful for your life?
I am a computer programmer. That also involves thinking logically. I feel LT does not help increase one's abilities, but LT and other puzzles can help keep the brain thinking and help a person stay focused on a problem. If a muscle is not used, the muscle will get weaker. The same can happen to the brain.
Q12:What do you think about the future of Lasertank?
As long as people can continue to get a version of the LT program, there will be people in the future that will get and enjoy LT. It will not be as popular as action games, but will continue to be interesting to those of us that like to think.
Re: An Interview with Jay
From fly142857 at 2016-01-03 17:40:18
Jay, in my opinion, is the expert of sokoban-style level. He is the Champion as a GHS hunter in sokoban-II.lvl. And he is very modest.