Counting Potatoes Just Got Easier - A Guide for EPC

Since we have concluded that you are seeing potatoes in your sleep, it must mean that you are really dedicated to getting that Extreme Potato Counter avatar. Or maybe some of you are trying to get high scores and take home a trophy. Well, whatever your reason for counting potatoes, I am here to help you start playing better. And hopefully help you get that prize you are set on.

So what do you need? Well, by the end of the month you would need a score of about 350 to even be considered for a trophy. Now what is this game all about? The instructions are quite straightforward. Count all of the flying potatoes and not any of the other flying objects. Simple, right? Wrong. After a couple levels those potatoes just start coming from every possible direction!

My goal is to give you some playing tips so that you can achieve that long awaited avatar and/or trophy. Here are some helpful tips for setting up:

1. Turn off the sound on your computer. After a while, the music gets to be really annoying and I find it very distracting.

2. Play the game on either regular or large size. I prefer the default, but that’s just me. Small is too small and you are more likely to miss seeing the potatoes.

3. Don’t play with your contacts in. I wear contacts, and once you get to the later levels, you don’t have much time to blink. And then I pop a contact. So I highly suggest wearing glasses. And for those of you with 20/20 vision, feel lucky. xP

4. Make sure that you have ample time to play- this is not a game you can rush. You cannot expect to sit down and get a high score on the first try.

5. Not only turn off your computer sounds, but turn off any other electronics that can be distracting (radio, iPod, etc.) If you start trying to sing along, you may miss a potato- not a good idea. xD

6. Please, please, please log off all instant messengers and chat programs. Trust me, you will not be happy if your friend pops up to say “hi” right when you are at 199 potatoes. It is just not cool. So just stay off and you won’t have any problems.

7. Depending on what type of computer you are using (desktop or laptop) choose what way you are going to enter your answer (number pad or number row). For me, on a laptop I use the numbers at the top, but on desktops I use the number pad. I would choose one and stick with it through the whole game.

8. Once you finish a round, do NOT take too much time to think about the answer (hopefully you will not have to think about it at all). I have noticed that if you wait too long before submitting your answer, it automatically ends the game.

9. Count out loud. Even though this may seem a little weird, especially if there are other people in the room, counting out loud helps you to keep your focus and remember what number potato you are on. When I count in my head, I easily lose my place.

10. Keep your focus on the center of the screen. If you try to watch every corner for every potato, you are bound to miss a lot of potatoes. By focusing on the center, you can watch the corners peripherally and see the potatoes that way.

11. Practice makes perfect. It might sound cliché, but it is true. If you fail the first time, just try again. The more you play, the better accustomed your eyes become to counting the potatoes.

Now that we have gotten the playing rules set, let’s play. Load your game and start counting your potatoes. The first couple rounds do not seem so bad, but then the speed of the potatoes and the amount of other objects begins to increase with each passing round. Did you see a pattern in any of these rounds on the number of potatoes? No? Well, I did.

The most impressive thing that I have found about these potatoes is that there is a distinct pattern as to how many potatoes can appear in each round. In fact, the number of potatoes increases by five each round. So the rounds look like:

Round Max Potato Count

1 10

2 15

3 20

4 25

5 30

And so on. This does not mean that you will get this number of potatoes in each round. This is only the maximum amount of potatoes that can appear. How does this affect you? Simple. Let’s say that you are in round 4. From the chart above, we know that there can only be 25 potatoes. Let’s say that while playing that round you count 26 potatoes. Well, since there can only be 25 potatoes, you will know that you over counted and need to subtract one. This way, you will be able to advance to the next round.

There is also the pattern of the minimum potato count. Each round the minimum number of potatoes goes up by three. So our chart would look like:

Round Min. Potato Count

1 6

2 9

3 12

4 15

5 18

This pattern can also be used for undercounting. Let’s say we are in round 5 meaning that there is a minimum of 18 potatoes. Well, let’s say that you only count 16 potatoes. Well, since there were at least 16, you know there has to be at least 18 potatoes based on the minimum requirement. By knowing that there could only be 30 potatoes you are able to make an educated guess based on how many you know (16), how many more there has to be (2), and how many potatoes possible (30).

I have covered all of the basic facts of playing Extreme Potato Counter including tips and patterns for playing. Hopefully, you will be able to utilize this information to become successful potato counters and with that success accomplish your goal.

What are you waiting for? Those potatoes are not going to count themselves!

Questions and comments are always appreciated ^_^