Level 401 · Tea Eggs

Tea Eggs is level 401 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1296 blocks in 9 colors, the tray holds 82 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Advanced.

Difficulty

Advanced

Pacing

Hard opening

Blocks

1296

Colors

9

Ant boxes

82

Mechanics

Mystery boxes

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

Play level 401

About the dish

In a big pot on the platform, cracked eggs simmer all day in soy and black tea until the shells leave a marbled pattern, with star anise floating on top.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 18 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly grey and navy, the middle band is mostly dark brown and black, and the core is mostly dark brown and tan. 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 dark brown, grey and navy.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 82 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 4 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: navy (bites now), black (bites now), navy (bites now) and grey (bites now).

18 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 82 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–23): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 24–53): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 1 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 54–82): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

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.

The opening is the hardest part here: the outer ring needs several colors at once and the front rows are scrambled. Only send colors that can bite right away during the first taps, even if it feels slow.

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.

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 401 questions