From YPPedia
A typical shipwrightery game
is the puzzle used to labor on either
ships or
bludgeons built at
shipyards. It is
free to play one day a week.
Scoring
- Creating chains or combos is the most efficient way to reach a high score. To achieve a chain in shipwrightery, simply place two or more patterns consecutively without moving the pieces on the board in between.
- Using gold as part of the pattern adds to the score of the chain
- Each consecutive piece placed in a chain earns a larger multiplier bonus. For this reason, it is best to save the biggest pieces until last, and it is not always worth extending a combo with a 3-piece. (See Strategy section below)
- You have a bit of time during combos to get more pieces in. If you don't move pieces after, lets say, a Double then you have as much time (until the water rises to the top) to add a new piece in if you find one that fits to add a Triple getting a better score and so on.
Words
Combo scoring consists of two separate words. The first word is the standard chain name which indicates how many patterns have been placed onto the board without meanwhile moving any pieces. This name sequence is similar to that used in several other puzzles:
- Double
- Triple
- Bingo
- Donkey
- Vegas
- Vegas²
- Vegas³
- etc.
The second scoring words, in the absence of a better term, will be referred to as comparatives in this section. From lowest to highest the comparatives are:
- Fair
- Good
- Great
- Excellent
- Admirable
- Superior
- Magnificent
- Artisan
- Paragon
- Master
The way the chain names and the comparatives are linked is that higher comparatives are only awarded to longer chains. However the comparative depends on the size and order of patterns placed. The comparative can reduce if smaller patterns are placed in a chain after larger patterns.
Strategy
The first thing to get to grips with in shipwrightery is arranging the board such that you can fit in as many of the six shown pieces as possible, with an emphasis on making sure you can use the largest ones, since they give the highest scores. (See chains)
Because chaining gives a score multiplier, it is always best to have the largest pieces come latest in the chain. As a very simple example, imagine that each piece scores its number of components multiplied by its position in the chain. Placing 3, 3, 4, 4, 5 would score (3x1) + (3x2) + (4x3) + (4x4) + (5x5) = 62. Compare this with 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, which in this example scores (5x1) + (4x2) + (4x3) + (3x4) + (3x5) = 52. For any scoring system where the multiplier increases, placing the biggest pieces last will score highest.
Once you've got the hang of setting up the board for long chains, you need to start to think about how long you want to make them. Since you only have twenty piece placements to make (as measured by the flag-pole, and not including any you can get in at the end), you need to make sure each placement is adding as much as possible to your score. Much as it is tempting to make very long chains using the 3-pieces, this will not score as much as shorter chains that only use 4-pieces and 5-pieces. Broadly speaking, it isn't worth extending a chain with a 3-piece unless you know you can follow it with a 4- or 5-piece, or you are already around the Vegas^2 point of the chain. Of course, once the flag reaches the top of the mast every piece you place is a bonus, so it's worth placing as many as you can find, no matter what the size.
Following on from this, you may want to control the length of your final two combos such that the flag ends up just one or two notches below the top. This then gives you a better chance of getting a long chain once the flag hits the top.
Once you start getting two 5-pieces in your initial selection, you need to learn ways in which they fit together, since you'll almost always be wanting to get both of them in your chain. For example, the Shot and Nest can fit nicely with a 2x2 piece by placing the Shot in the lower right-hand corner, with the Nest fitted against it and leaving room for the 2x2 in the lower left corner. Similarly, either the Bowsprit or Lateen will fit quite well with the nest by placing them at the top of the board, with the T-shaped piece on the right. When working out how to fit your 5-pieces together, bear in mind which 4-pieces you have available and try to leave enough space for both of them.
Finally, once you become familiar with the pieces, you can start to optimise your chances of making longer chains by arranging unused pieces into patterns that you know might come up - or building a fragment of one of the pieces you haven't been able to fit in, so that when the pieces get refreshed (as you are placing the pieces you did manage to fit in) the pattern may complete itself. With only four possibilities, as well as gold, you'll be pleasantly surprised how often exactly the right piece comes up for you!
Pieces
There are five pieces that patterns are created with. Each type of piece has a different movement.
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| Name:
| Cloth
| Iron
| Rope
| Wood
| Gold
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| Movement:
| None*
| Horizontal*
| Diagonal*
| Vertical*
| None
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* Can be moved by using other pieces on it.
Patterns
Three Pieces
Four Pieces
Five Pieces
Ultimate list
| Cobalt
| Hunter
| Ice
| Midnight
| Opal
| Sage
| Viridian
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Trophies
Spoiler warning: Details about trophies are hidden below.
The following trophies are related to shipwrightery:
Historical Notes
Shipwrightery was introduced in release 2005-02-11. Tedv designed and wrote the puzzle.
External Links
Ship
Crafting Puzzles
