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This week: Techo Says
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I know it's a pretty easy one to get Grand Master on (I'm not sure what the
score needed is, but I seemed to make GM in only a couple of runs through),
but I have a bit of technique to share that might help you get even higher scores.
Keep in mind that you get 5 points for each single pet you get right, so finishing
that first set of five will get you 25 points. In addition, you get 10 points
for finishing that set, taking you to 35 points and an Expert ranking! All you
have to do is make it through the first three of that next set of ten, and you're
a Grand Master. Basically, 5 + 3 = GM!
The rankings break down like this:
Amateur 10
Novice 20
Expert 30
Master 40
Grand Master 50
Okay, it's easy, but on to the philosophy behind the technique:
One of the reasons phone numbers and auto license numbers are configured in
sections is that people can remember 3-4 things in a cluster better than they
can remember longer sequences. So a phone number like 800-555-1212 is easier
to remember than 8005551212 would be. Likewise AJK-414 for a license number
is better than AJK414.
So for Techo says (there have been other games like it in the past but we probably
can't use their copyrighted/trademarked names in this article...) the trick
is to do it in little chunks of 3 or 4. A brief pause between them is enough
to allow you to mentally segment them, and all you really need to do if you
remember the previous part is to add on that single last step anyway.
Personally, I find it distracting to have the sound on, but including sound,
there are really 6 different things that happen during each step. Pay careful
attention and you'll see and hear them all!
I'll give you a few ideas, using a series of ten as an example. It's the same
series for each, and I'll compare them at the end. I'll always start describing
the patterns clockwise from the top.
Number one: Position
Something happens in one of six locations, which you could think of as even
numbered hours on a clock, at 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 O'clock. For our series
of ten, you might remember it as 228-2n4-682t (using N for "noon" and T for
"ten" so they're just another single character). It's basically a phone number,
at least in North America.
If you'd prefer, you can think of them as two rows of three, and you could
"name" them A-B-C and D-E-F from left to right. That would be CCD-CBF-EDCA,
for our example sequence.
Number two: Color
The pets in the holes are each a different color. The colors (remember, these
are in the same order as the clock hours above starting with 12) are white,
purple, yellow, red, green and blue. You'd probably say the colors to yourself
using the whole word, but let's use a shortcut notation for this article. If
we were to use the first letter of each color as our key, we'd have: WPYRGB.
Our example series is then PPG-PWY-RGPB. Again, you'd probably say "purple,
purple, green..." to yourself but we're showing the shortcut here.
Number three: Pets
The six pets that pop up (in the same clockwise order) are:
Blumaroo
Mynci
Moehog
Kacheek
Quiggle
Chia
If you're visually and pet-oriented, you may find that knowing which pet is
the one popping up may be a good way to remember the sequence.
Numbers four and five: Sounds
The pets also say their own names, and they each say them in a different voice.
So, either the names, or the sounds of their voices, might be what triggers
your memory. The names are listed above, and I don't think I'll be able to describe
the sounds...
Number six: Acrobatics
It's not much of a thing to remember, but the Moehog faces sideways and the
Chia flips when it comes out of the hole. The rest just face forward and pop
about halfway up, but it might come in as a handy trigger to notice the different
ones.
And here's a table with all the characteristics listed next to each other,
in clockwise order starting with the top center. Find your favourite way to remember,
and go to it.
|
Clock
|
Two Rows
|
Colour
|
Pet Name
|
Pop-up
|
|
noon
|
B
|
White
|
Blumaroo
|
straight
|
|
2
|
C
|
Purple
|
Mynci
|
straight
|
|
4
|
F
|
Yellow
|
Moehog
|
faces right
|
|
6
|
E
|
Red
|
Kacheek
|
straight
|
|
8
|
D
|
Green
|
Quiggle
|
straight
|
|
10
|
A
|
Blue
|
Chia
|
flips
|
Depending on if you're mostly position, movement, sound or word-oriented,
you've got things you can specifically pay attention to. Do that in bunches
of 3 or 4 and you'll get up in the Grand Master category quite easily.
Next: Deckswabber
Articles so far in the series: Nimmo's
Pond, Pyramids,
Swarm!,
Scarab
21, Pterattack!,
Sakhmet
Solitaire, Chute,
Destruct-O-Match
and Neggsweeper.
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Docktor is Grand Master of Techo Says and several other games. He holds the
Grand Master position in the new "Game Strategies Guild" where strategies such
as presented in this article are discussed among the members.
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