Level 92 · Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken

Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken is level 92 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 572 blocks in 11 colors, the tray holds 44 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Advanced.

Difficulty

Advanced

Pacing

Hard middle

Blocks

572

Colors

11

Ant boxes

44

Mechanics

3 chained pair(s) · Spider web (22 bites) · Mystery boxes · 2 noodle(s)

Play level 92

About the dish

Xinjiang big plate chicken: chicken and potatoes stewed with peppers, served over wide hand-pulled belt noodles.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 11 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly grey and black, the middle band is mostly blue and orange, and the core is mostly orange and brown. 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 blue, grey and black.

The spider web covers 12 cells in the middle band of the picture and needs 22 bites from soldier ants.

2 noodle(s) run through the picture, 52 cells in all. They can only be slurped from their ends, so they act as walls until an end is free and as tunnels after that.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 44 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 3 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: blue (has to wait), grey (bites now), dark red (bites now) and dark red (bites now).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 5, column 3–4, row 6 and column 3–4, row 8.

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

3 soldier box(es) carry the bites for the web.

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

Opening (taps 1–17): 35% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 18–28): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 29–41): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

The web breaks before tap 15. Chained pairs are taken at taps 18, 20 and 28.

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 9% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 78% of the time. Most of their failed attempts jammed in the middle.

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 start is easy and the pressure builds in the middle. Use the calm opening to sort out the back rows and try to have two slots free before the middle phase.

Nothing under the spider web can be eaten. Wait until the edge of the web is exposed before sending the soldier box (the leafy green one), or it just occupies a slot.

Chained boxes need both halves in the front row and two free slots. Take the boxes in front of them first and free two neighboring slots in advance.

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.

Noodles are eaten only from an end with a white dot, never from the middle. Look for ends that are already free or about to be: slurping one opens a tunnel straight into the picture and can uncover inner colours early. A noodle with both ends buried is a wall until you dig to one of its ends.

Chained boxes · Spider webs and soldier ants · Noodles · 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 92 questions