Minesweeper Flags
12 Achievements
200
10-12h
Xbox 360
Gotta Sweep'em All
All 3 difficulty levels Quick-completed
15
How to unlock the Gotta Sweep'em All achievement in Minesweeper Flags - Definitive Guide
The Globalizer
TrueAchievements
TrueAchievements
In order to achieve this, you must complete the Classic version of the game within the following timeframes:
Beginner = 15 seconds
Intermediate = 90 seconds
Expert = 200 seconds
Winning beginner in 15 seconds will also get you the "Sweep Dreams" achievement.
For beginner, my only recommendation is to simply keep replaying. Some boards will be difficult to clear within the 15 seconds. Eventually, you will find a board that can be cleared quickly.
For intermediate and expert, I recommend learning to use the 'X' button to quickly clear surrounding blocks. The 'X' button only works on a non-mine block where you have flagged the correct number of adjacent blocks, though not necessary the correct blocks.
While some prefer to not flag at all, I find that it slows me down to think in areas where there are large numbers of mines. Flagging is a slower process, but once you get it down, you can smash through some of these high-mine areas without thinking too much about them. The game will not let you clear the area if you have flagged too many or too few adjacent tiles, making it a good "button mashing" approach to clearing the board. The key in clearing intermediate and especially expert is to keep up your clearing speed.
Also, do not waste time marking the obvious non-adjacent mines. It is unlikely that you'll need an exact count of remaining mines at the end, and these should be few enough to count quickly. The laggy cursor movement and flagging animation takes too much time to bother.
For expert, start by focusing on the middle of the board and clearing as much real estate as possible. When you get stuck, move to the edges of the board, as they will often help you "walk" along the edge and you will clear a lot of previously difficult sections.
Above all, simply keep trying. I've hit the timeframe dozens of times on beginner, about 8-10 times on intermediate, and only 3 times on expert (all of which were 180+ seconds). This is by far the most difficult achievement in Minesweeper Flags. It was exciting to see this one pop.
Beginner = 15 seconds
Intermediate = 90 seconds
Expert = 200 seconds
Winning beginner in 15 seconds will also get you the "Sweep Dreams" achievement.
For beginner, my only recommendation is to simply keep replaying. Some boards will be difficult to clear within the 15 seconds. Eventually, you will find a board that can be cleared quickly.
For intermediate and expert, I recommend learning to use the 'X' button to quickly clear surrounding blocks. The 'X' button only works on a non-mine block where you have flagged the correct number of adjacent blocks, though not necessary the correct blocks.
While some prefer to not flag at all, I find that it slows me down to think in areas where there are large numbers of mines. Flagging is a slower process, but once you get it down, you can smash through some of these high-mine areas without thinking too much about them. The game will not let you clear the area if you have flagged too many or too few adjacent tiles, making it a good "button mashing" approach to clearing the board. The key in clearing intermediate and especially expert is to keep up your clearing speed.
Also, do not waste time marking the obvious non-adjacent mines. It is unlikely that you'll need an exact count of remaining mines at the end, and these should be few enough to count quickly. The laggy cursor movement and flagging animation takes too much time to bother.
For expert, start by focusing on the middle of the board and clearing as much real estate as possible. When you get stuck, move to the edges of the board, as they will often help you "walk" along the edge and you will clear a lot of previously difficult sections.
Above all, simply keep trying. I've hit the timeframe dozens of times on beginner, about 8-10 times on intermediate, and only 3 times on expert (all of which were 180+ seconds). This is by far the most difficult achievement in Minesweeper Flags. It was exciting to see this one pop.
7 Comments
wow, yeah this one is going to take some practice and patience. its hard enough to clear an expert board with a mouse in under 200 seconds...although with the 'x' clear its at least possible.
By NickHawkeye on 23 Jan 2012 14:13
Another suggestion. Don't look at the time. One time I looked when I was getting to the end and thought I wasn't going to make it. I beat it in 201 seconds! Anything can happen when clearing those squares.
By squso on 20 Feb 2014 10:16
le, b3nz0r
To earn this achievement, you're going to have to finish each of the three difficulty levels (on Classic play) under a certain amount of time. Make sure to use the classic background so you can see the board more clearly.
- Beginner: <15 seconds
- Intermediate: <90 seconds
- Expert: <200 seconds