Level 248 · Coal Briquette Stove

Coal Briquette Stove is level 248 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1288 blocks in 10 colors, the tray holds 99 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Hard.

Difficulty

Hard

Pacing

Waves

Blocks

1288

Colors

10

Ant boxes

99

Mechanics

2 golden key(s) · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 248

About the dish

The honeycomb-coal stove by the road burned from morning till night, orange flame glowing at its mouth and a steaming kettle always sitting on top. Whenever I passed, I leaned in to warm my hands, next to stacks and stacks of black honeycomb briquettes.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 18 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly black, the middle band is mostly blue and black, and the core is mostly white and blue. 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 black and white.

The 2 golden key(s) are buried in the middle band of the picture, so the locks they open come into play around the middle of the level.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 99 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 2 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: black (bites now), orange (has to wait), white (has to wait) and black (bites now).

40 mystery box(es) only show their color when they reach the front.

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 96 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–29): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 30–62): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 63–96): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 25. A key comes out before tap 78.

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.

Pressure comes in waves: the opening and the ending are tight, the middle is a breather. Use the middle to clear slots and bring chained or locked boxes to the front.

Keys are buried in the picture and must be dug out to open the locks in the tray. Prioritize colors that eat around the keys so locked boxes don't block the front row for long.

Mystery boxes show their color only when they reach the front. When you see one coming, don't fill every slot; leave room for it.

Strategy guide: reading the tray and keeping the nest clear · Locks and golden keys · Difficulty curves

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 248 questions