Level 2 · Watermelon Slice

Watermelon Slice is level 2 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 288 blocks in 7 colors, the tray holds 19 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Normal.

Difficulty

Normal

Blocks

288

Colors

7

Ant boxes

19

Mechanics

None

Like this pixel picture? BitBead can turn it into a printable fuse bead pattern.

Play level 2

About the dish

A wedge of watermelon is summer in one shape: dark green rind, a pale band, red flesh and black seeds. The rind wraps the whole slice, which makes it a natural first lesson in eating from the outside in.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 8 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly white and dark green, the middle band is mostly red and lime green, and the core is mostly red and black. Ants can only reach the next layer once the one around it is gone, so the core colors are the last to become useful.

By block count the biggest colors are red, white and dark green.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 19 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 1 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: green (has to wait), white (bites now), green (has to wait) and lime green (has to wait).

How the verified run plays out

The solution further down was played to the end in the real game, with ants walking and real timing. It takes 19 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–8): 36% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 9–14): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 15–19): 29% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

How hard is it?

Two test players attempted this level many times: a cautious one that only sends colors it can use right away cleared it 100% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 100% of the time. Neither of them lost here, so this one is about rhythm rather than danger.

Strategy

Check the colors of the first three boxes in each column and compare them with the colors exposed on the outer ring of the picture. Always keep one slot free to catch a color that can't be eaten yet.

Step-by-step solution

This order of taps is verified to clear the level. Columns are numbered 1–4 from the left; after each tap, wait until the ants are out before the next one. Two boxes shown together are a chained pair taken in one tap.

Level 2 questions