5 in a row

[machinejam]

I agree with bio.
I got stuck on the five in the row game yesterday too, and my first impulse was also to denounce this mandatory game of five in a row as a bad decision on Amanita's behalf, but after having overcome my first frustration, I have to admit, that this is just the rule by which machinarium is played. It's always: We provide you with fairly constructed puzzles, you just have to find ALL items and hints and rack your brains a bit and then you'll succeed. Machinarium is strangely strict in it's twisted ways, but also very stringent in the way it's made up, so one can do it.
There are so many games on the market which do not provide such filigranely designed puzzles, not to mention the graphics. I played the myst-series for instance, and I really have to say, that I find machinarium much fairer. In the myst-games I always had the impression, I had to invest in figuring out the ways of thinking of the game-designer, whereas in machinarium it seems that I always have a chance by trial-and-error as well as alert observation.

Bad thing is, I'm really bad at games like five in a row.
Seems like I have to learn how to play this once and for all.
What's fair is fair.

[machinejam]

got it, 

the two-gaps-theory
and
the bar-fourth-screw-rule,
as given above, really help.

Maybe it also helps to say, that one has to try to go for a balanced play between attack and defense.
If you attack solely you will loose, 'cause you ignore his moves. If you defend only, the best you can achieve is a stalemate, which means that the other robot wins. So try to hamper his moves, but go for trying to set up your own rows at the same time keeping the two gaps-trick in mind. Eventually after a while you will have created a situation, where you can achieve two linked four-screw-rows. The next move he looses. One doesn't even have to worry too much about building up a set of two four-screw-rows, it almost happens accidentally.

[Aca]

Well, you people can justify this decision all you want but I'll remember the name Amanita Design and I hope they enjoy my $20 because I'll never buy anything from them again.

I really, really wanted to support the independent designers/programmers, liked the art very much and I bought the game half a month ago. I still can't get through this @!#* level.

Yes, I saw all the YT videos and hints here on forum but all of that is the proof that the game is a manual thing, e.g. "keep doing that thing and eventually you'll nail it". Well, that "eventually" moment never came for me.

I don't mean to insult anybody but if this is your idea of fun or if solving these kind of manual tasks create feelings of satisfaction for you - than I just don't know what to say

[popsUlfr]

I don't mean to insult anybody but if this is your idea of fun or if solving these kind of manual tasks create feelings of satisfaction for you - than I just don't know what to say

It is fun and satisfying to overcome a difficult passage.
Take exams for instance it's so much stress, angst and I don't know what. But once you successfully pass it you get a feeling of satisfaction, joy and confidence. I would talk for hours afterwards to explain what I did there and why I did that...

Of course I'm not saying Machinarium is like an exam by far not, it's more fun and relaxing before anything else.
I was expecting the game to have some nice puzzles and difficulty. That's what I was looking forward to and got served well in the end.

This doesn't look like your kind of game and that's fine, there are plenty others available. But maybe one day you will come back on your opinion (aka getting past this damn mini-game!)

[XQuest]

It took me several attempts playing through the game the first time to get this. But playing through it a second time I beat the computer on my second attempt.

But I think there should have been a skip option for the puzzles. Because this was really the only time where the walkthrough wasn't as useful. Or after so many attempts it should have let you pass.

I have to be honest, I felt like I was playing against Deep Blue. I wasn't frustrated to the point of disliking the game. I assumed that I was doing something wrong. But considering that people have gotten stuck and can't complete the game, I think the overall merit of this puzzle should be reevaluated.

[jpcr]

well, i have been frustrated too but decided to attack the opponent instead of letting him rule the game and after a couple of attaks I had 5 in a row.

[really]

hmmm,

i really DON'T care what any one thinks of this message or says in response, i just want to have my say.

I have played hundreds of adventure games for over 10 years now and i hate it when anything like this comes up. It ruins a game.

Machinarium was going to be up there with one of the best adventure games i have ever played until i came across this puzzle. This isn't good coding or clever game development, this is just annoying....

An adventure game should be about figuring out your surroundings, not learning an old method at a crappy board game or bored game should i say. For those of you who stay on your high horses because you know how to play connect 5, lol @ u.

[XQuest]

Sorry. Ignore. I didn't realize that Lamkin had already posted an easier solution to the puzzle in the main forum.

link: http://machinarium.net/forum/index.php/topic,701.0.html