Bejeweled 2

I decided to write a 'solution' for this as I finally got the achievement today. It's fairly obvious that the achievement itself is simple - you can't die and need to complete 280 levels. It's a simple achievement but a very very long one. Some little things I've discovered in the hope they will help you tackle this monster:

* Unlike other game modes you do actually have to complete 280 levels. The achievement pops when you hit level 281.

* Each level takes longer than the one before it, so level 140 is not even close to being half way. My total score on getting this achievement was 60,144,650, so you can calculate a percentage based on this score to give you an idea of your progress.

* Probably most importantly, NOT QUITTING OUT OF THE GAME PROPERLY WILL CAUSE YOUR SAVE DATA TO BE LOST! It doesn't matter how often you save, if you don't quit out properly it's all gone. If there's a power cut it's all gone. You cannot 'copy' the save data for Bejeweled 2 so it's not as simple as backing up to a usb stick. However, you CAN backup your data to a pc using a usb image tool, and I highly recommend doing so regularly. I've also heard that the 'finity mode' unlock can be glitched (it didn't happen to me) and for this reason it's very important to take a backup near to the end of the last level.

* My total game time at the point of popping this achievement was 250h 3m. This includes the time is took me to do all of the other game modes prior to endless, and me losing my save data twice (both at around level 100).

* Never use hints. I don't know how much of the bar it drops but it just isn't worth it. If you can't see a move just sit still for a few seconds and the game will automatically give you a hint without taking away from your score/level progress.

Good luck!

***Solution on how to beat Endless mode***

Using an USB Image Tool method, I was being able to finish the endless mode without losing my save data. It also verifies other games (such as Forza MotorSport 2) that are incapable of copying the save data, allowing us only be using the USB Image Tool in order to make it work.

NOTE: USB Image Tool is only available for PC Windows. I believe there is no Mac OS X version for this program as far I can tell.

***Source of problem.***

This game does not allow you to copy your save file, making it impossible to back-up. I am not sure what it is but people assuming that developers have used an DRM/Anti-Back-up sort of thing being put in to this game. You have tried to copy your save file no matter how hard you tried. BUT! People who are having trouble with this game should follow the instructions on how to do a proper back-up for this game, which I'll be telling you in the next section.

(What is Endless mode? And what is the problem with this achievement?)

Endless mode is where you do not lose as it always gives you a possible moves. It roughly takes up to 150-280 hours to finish 280 levels, depending on how often you play (and how fast you can finish it per day). However, it can GLITCH and may not be unlocked; if you only get Multimode (20G) achievement unlocked shown on the screen, it does not stack up the Endless mode (10G), meaning you will need to try again (finishing level 281 does not work if the glitch happens on you).

Unfortunately, there is NO patch being made for this game. However, you can still earn these achievements with ease by using this method. Before or while attempting to finish it, you'll be reading the next section on how to beat Endless mode without ever need to restart your progress again (saves a lot of your time if done correctly).

***How to beat Endless mode using the USB Image Tool method***

NOTE: If you're using a USB stick being made by a different manufacturer other than SanDisk (the makers of Xbox360 USB Memory Stick), you will need to test it out by going to system settings and setup the amount of memory you wanted to use on your console.

1) Move your Bejeweled 2 save file onto your USB stick (I used SanDisk Xbox360 USB Stick). After moving it, remove the stick.

2) Insert your USB stick onto your PC's USB ports.

3) Open USB Image Tool. If you don't have this program, you can download it here: http://www.alexpage.de/usb-image-tool/download/

4) Select your USB stick and click Back Up button. Type in your name of your disk image file (.img); I personally call mine Xbox360Backup0#.img but feel free to call it whatever you liked. You can overwrite the same image file, but I highly recommend you save it separately to avoid making a mistake on finishing level 280 (see Tips).

5) Once it's done backing up, remove your stick by "safely remove device". If you don't know where it's at, it's the icon showing an device w/ left green arrow shown on the Taskbar.

6) Reinsert the stick onto your Xbox, then move your Bejeweled 2 save file anywhere (I personally move mine to System Storage). Remove the stick after moving the file.

7) Reinsert the stick onto your PC. Open USB Image Tool again. Select your USB stick, click Restore button, and select your image file (.img).

8) Once the restore is completed, safely remove your USB stick. Reinsert it back to Xbox.

9) Go to system settings and check both of your memory storage locations. If both of each have Bejeweled 2 save data, then you now have two save data files being made!

10) Start playing Bejeweled 2 and begin playing Endless mode. I recommend you play your save data from the storage device and continue playing.

11) If you're taking a break or finished one level, refer Steps 2-5.

***Tips***

So now you have already know how to make a proper back-up for Bejeweled 2, right? Now, let me give you tips if you're attempting to progress further down the line.

Things you should be aware of:

* NEVER ever play Endless during the weather of snowy storms, thunderstorms or such. They can power down and you'll lose your save; and if that happens, it RESTARTS back to level 1 again!

* NEVER pull off the plug, exit to dashboard (Xbox Home), or turn off your Xbox! Again, it reverts back to level 1.

* ALWAYS save your game properly by going to the pause menu and select "Quit Game"! That way, you won't lose your progress.

* DON'T use the hint! It may take your progress bar probably like quarter-half or something. In other words, don't attempt on using this method, it's way off and not worth it. Just wait a few seconds until the hint shows up automatically (if you can't find or don't do anything), it saves your progress and time. Make sure you see the hint, otherwise your eyes get lost on looking the pattern you're trying to clear off.

* IF YOU'RE near the end of level 280, DO NOT finish it yet. Instead, pause and quit the game, then exit Bejeweled 2 from the main menu; after exiting the game, take out your USB stick and make a backup (refer steps 2-5). After saving a image file separately, load your save data from the USB stick, then finish off level 280. If the glitch happens on you, DO NOT make a back-up, instead use the restore back-up method (refer steps 7-9); restoring back-up can allow you to overwrite it back to the previous progress you're currently on. That way, it saves a lot of your time without ever needed to play level 280 at the beginning again.

Ways to progress further using the following methods:

* Play one level and finish it per day. This method works, but a lot slower as usual.

* You can play up to 2-5 levels upon completion per day. This is my personal favorite use of this method. The later levels takes up to 45-60 minutes per completion (I think it goes quite long by the time you hit level 140 or so but I'm not so sure) depending on how well you played.

Alternative Methods (optional):

* During the gameplay, press and hold LB+LT+RB+RT and press A to show the alternative looks of the gems (color blind mode), it makes their looks dull but very useful if you're having trouble matching the color you're looking for. If you want to revert it back to their original looks, input the same code again.

* You can ask your brother, sister, friend, or whoever is going to help you out and tell him/her where to find the specific color pattern you're trying to clear off.

Other Tips:

For more info on how to make Power Gems and Hyper Cubes, please refer to the "How to Play" or "Power10000 & Hyper1000" guide.

* Try to save a lot of power gems and combo it. If doing this, you can get a lot of points and slightly speed up your progress.

* If you have hyper cube(s), try not to destroy it; if you destroyed it, you won't be able to setup the hyper cube combo(s). When you have a hyper cube(s), try pick one of the colors you think you can get on one screen at the time. For example, I have 12 greens on the screen and used the hyper cube on it, it makes my progress slightly faster. Make a good use of it whatever you can!


That's all I can give you the tips. Just keep playing until you're bored out of it, but make sure you make a back-up!

If you have any questions about this solution, let me know. Thanks for reading.

Viper has a point considering the time spent. I played half-asleep an hour earlier with a few breaks and gained few big combos, and scored about 200k in that time. That would end up at 300 hours total for the 60 mill points. I'm not really a fast earner tho, so do not let the amount of hours scare you.

Now for a few tips:
1. NEVER EVER use hints. It will subtract half (?) of your current level progress.

2. Always exit the game through the menu. For some reason it loads your save and deletes it until you save by exiting again. I've burned myself on that one a few times already.

3. Try to find combos at the lower area of the board. This considerably increases the chance of large combos, which can net you large sums really fast (and will help for the x8 cascade achievement).

4. Making power gems, and saving them until no more moves are available might be smart. Clusters of these can clear huge parts of the board, and thus give larger chances for big cascades.

5. Do a few hundred K a day, you will notice the progress fast:)

Hope this helps, happy hunting!

This is this longest achievement in the whole game to get, you will need about 60 million points and you have to complete 280 levels, this achievment will take 100-300 hours or even more depending on how quick you are at clearing gems
Using power gems an hyper gems will get you points faster, this is a long one from personal experience this is one you either strive for or do not do depending how much free time you have.

This achievement is one of the original 360 launch era grinds. We're talking 200-300 hours of staring at a static screen matching colored gems. Falling asleep already?

What if I told you that this entire thing could be idled? "But Falcon, how the hell is a turbo controller going to do that?"

We're going to use something called the CronusMax. http://cronusmax.com/

Ever heard of those $200 Viking macro 360 controllers? This little device can do all they can and more. You can load macro scripts on to it and unlock tons of possibilities for automating grindy achievements. Read more about the device on their site; the rest of this guide will pertain to idling Endless Mode.

Here's what you'll need:
-CronusMAX
-Endless Mode macro script. Download here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SZmUb5shUvuK1U1G8qvdTxCrJr...
-A wired controller, official MS made to be safe
-A USB drive (smaller sizes better) for backup purposes

You first step is to get familiar with the Cronus. It's not terribly complicated to use, the manual that comes with it does a great job of explaining how to use it. All we need to do here is to install the software and load the script onto one of the save slots.

The script is very to use once set up. Load up Endless Mode and click . That's it. The way the script works is that it cycles through the whole board trying every possible move. Once it reaches the top corner, it scrolls down to the bottom corner and repeats. Nothing breaks this cycle; I ran it for days straight without any issues. To stop the script, click again. Wait for script to finish the row it's on and it will stop.

You'll need the USB drive to perform backups. For those unaware, this game was programmed by a bunch of buffoons who decided to create a save system where every time you enter a mode, it erases your save, and then recreates that save upon quitting out to the menu.

This means you will lose ALL endless mode progress if the game is not exited properly! If the console freezes while playing, save is gone. Dashboard, save is gone. Power outage, save is gone. You get the idea.

To make this even worse, there's no way to copy the save file. You can only move it between storage locations. There is a way to back up your save file with a USB drive. Send me a PM.

Tips

-Try and keep your Bejeweled setup in an isolated place, away from anything that can interfere with it. I set mine up on the spare TV in the office with the door shut so nothing could accidentally shut off the console, unplug the controller, or whatever.

-Always play offline. Disconnecting from XBL will erase your save as well. If you want a timestamp for the achievement, just go online when you hit 280 and let the script run. Achievement will autopop upon completion of level 280. This is also convenient if you have a spare 360, as one can run Bejeweled for you offline while you're free to play online all you want on the other.

-Back your save up at least once a day. I got lazy and went 3 days without backing up early on and lost it all to a brief power flicker. Pick a time of the day and make it a habit.

-Use a small USB drive. The whole thing is copied during the backup process, no matter how much of it is used up. So the bigger the drive, the longer it takes to do your backups.

Stats

So how efficient is the Cronus? Well, it's kind of a shitty Bejeweled player. In 24 hours of play, it will rack up about 1 million points. This remains consistent throughout the whole process. You will reach level 281 at about 60 million. So you're looking at 60 days to complete this if you run it 24 hours a day. And it will definitely run longer due to inevitable save resets.

But it's way better than playing 300 hours of this shit manually. 8 hours a day would put you at 38 days to complete. Would you like to do nothing else with your free time for over a month, or let the Cronus do it for you in 2 months? Easy choice if you ask me. You only have to spend about 5 mins a day backing up the save. That's it!

And finally, HUGE thanks to SpeleoFool for writing the Endless Mode script and for putting out the TA blog about the CronusMax. I would have never done this achievement without your work!

Utilizing this method will also grant you the following achievements: