Download on the Mac App Store
FEATURES
- Predefined difficulty levels (beginner, intermediate, expert, custom).
- Custom game with any density and field size (limited by your screen only).
- Resize window to change field size of the custom game.
- Game statistics in the Inspector panel (3BV, IOE, RQP, IOS, mines per cell ratio, click counters).
- Save/load game with statistics and recorded gameplay as well in extremely small-sized file.
- Autosave.
- Timer to thousands of a second.
- All clicking techniques available including chording and double-clicking.
- First click has no mine.
- Control+left click to simulate right click.
- Command-R shortcut to restart game or right-click at the end of the game.
- Mark suspected mines.
- Best games are recorded in a high score table.
- Playback any game: play/pause/stop/navigate.
- Double-click on a record in the high score table to view and playback game.
- Create your own themes (grid cell images; window background as color, image, quartz composition; text) or use preset ones.
- Animation effects.
- Sound effects.
- Export game to movie.
NOTES
The number of buttons your mouse has is not important, since different clicking techniques available, but a mouse with two separate buttons is the best.
The number of buttons your mouse has is not important, since different clicking techniques available, but a mouse with two separate buttons is the best.
Clicking Techniques
Chording
A popular technique in Minesweeper is known as "chording". Some of the fastest times ever accomplished in Expert level have been said to be achieved with this technique. A strafe is performed by using the following steps: 1) Flag a cell by pressing, but not releasing, the right mouse button, 2) drag the mouse, with the right mouse button still pressed, to a number that is fully flagged, 3) with the right mouse button still pressed, press and release the left mouse button to clear the fully flagged number.
Chording promotes an alternating right-left mouse button style of play. For instance, you might flag 8 or 10 cells with the right mouse button, and then keep the right mouse button pressed on the last flag. Then you may use the left mouse button to clear several fully flagged numbers, as you drag the mouse around with the right mouse button still pressed.
The animation below illustrates the chording technique.
Playing Without Flags
While playing without flags may seem bizarre at first, there are some advantages to be considered. First, clicking to mark a cell with a flag costs a click. There are situations where the flag/double-button click technique does not save clicks over manually clearing each safe cell with a left click (and not flagging the cell with the mine).
Second, when using flags, you have to think about which cells are mines (so you can flag them), and which cells aren't mines. When playing without flags, your focus is only on cells that do not contain mines. After all, the object of the game is to clear all the cells that do not contain mines.
This technique is difficult because it removes the visual cues about where mines are located. However, it does exercise your brain and with practice could potentially be very fast.
Chording
A popular technique in Minesweeper is known as "chording". Some of the fastest times ever accomplished in Expert level have been said to be achieved with this technique. A strafe is performed by using the following steps: 1) Flag a cell by pressing, but not releasing, the right mouse button, 2) drag the mouse, with the right mouse button still pressed, to a number that is fully flagged, 3) with the right mouse button still pressed, press and release the left mouse button to clear the fully flagged number.
Chording promotes an alternating right-left mouse button style of play. For instance, you might flag 8 or 10 cells with the right mouse button, and then keep the right mouse button pressed on the last flag. Then you may use the left mouse button to clear several fully flagged numbers, as you drag the mouse around with the right mouse button still pressed.
The animation below illustrates the chording technique.
While playing without flags may seem bizarre at first, there are some advantages to be considered. First, clicking to mark a cell with a flag costs a click. There are situations where the flag/double-button click technique does not save clicks over manually clearing each safe cell with a left click (and not flagging the cell with the mine).
Second, when using flags, you have to think about which cells are mines (so you can flag them), and which cells aren't mines. When playing without flags, your focus is only on cells that do not contain mines. After all, the object of the game is to clear all the cells that do not contain mines.
This technique is difficult because it removes the visual cues about where mines are located. However, it does exercise your brain and with practice could potentially be very fast.
Quick Clearing
There are actually three ways to trigger the quick clear event.
The first way is to press both the left and the right mouse buttons at the same time, on top of the number that has been fully flagged.
The second is a double-button click.
The third way involves the use of the "shift" key on the keyboard. If you hold down the shift key, and click the left mouse button on a number, that number will be quick cleared. This method is effective as you can simply keep the shift key depressed and use the left and right mouse buttons to flag cells and clear numbers.
There are actually three ways to trigger the quick clear event.
The first way is to press both the left and the right mouse buttons at the same time, on top of the number that has been fully flagged.
The second is a double-button click.
The third way involves the use of the "shift" key on the keyboard. If you hold down the shift key, and click the left mouse button on a number, that number will be quick cleared. This method is effective as you can simply keep the shift key depressed and use the left and right mouse buttons to flag cells and clear numbers.
