Disclaimer
Most fun in this game is efficiency porn: not being able to beat the time transforming into being able. You've seen the proof. There are tables and diagrams that spoon-feed the current manual for you: un-Venn-diagramed versions of Complicated Wires, automatic solvers and whatnot. This is the best thing one can get: it ruins the fun, and therefore doesn't let the game ruin your life by taking away all the time. Unfortunately, it also takes away the enjoyment of figuring things out by yourself.
This text is aimed to take away the enjoyment of figuring out the communication and organization. It shall dabble into the solving process as well, but rather briefly, as far as general considerations go. I will try to ignore the shortcuts that rely on a particular version of the defusal manual and rather stick to the general reasoning. The task of turning a particular version of the manual into a Ruined version (the one without redundancies, just a set of decision making trees) is something that an expert should do to, and by, only herself.
In short, this guide sums up some of the non-module-specific hacks that I've worked out or stumbled upon over the years. Trust me when I say it's been a long way, and see for yourself that it's going to be a long read.
Game Flow Communication And Organization
Setting up conventions is something you want to talk about before meeting the bomb. How does your expert take Memory? Who's good at Wire Sequences? When does the defuser take her answers? These are things you want to know in advance. See the Module communication section for some ideas.
A really good thing to do is to give the general information in the beginning, since for most of it you don't even need the lights. You want the last digit of the serial number, whether there's an a vowel, whether there's a parallel port, and the number of batteries. You might also want to name all the lit indicators, although this can be tricky. In the current version you only care about a couple of them, and if you know those, you can name them or say "no indicators". If you don't know the currently needed indicators, weigh the risk of having to look around and answer the question against the time it takes to name the ones lit.
Considering the last digit, it is better to just give the number rather than whether it's even. There are two reasons for that. The first is mental work for the defuser: yes, it isn't much work at all, but such things do add up over the course of the bomb. It's the small distractions that take away most of the energy. (Surprisingly, it's an empirical fact that there can be no small distractions on the expert's side, nothing bothers them. Maybe that's because it's not them who have a ticking problem, I don't know.) The second reason is this: hopefully, you give an expert a lot of information in rapid succession, so she has no time to write "even" or "odd". Whenever I was an expert and someone threw "the last digit is even" at me, I'd just pick a random even number and write it down, because it'd been less annoying. Same went for "there's more than one battery".
When approaching a problem, there are three general questions you want to ask and answer.
Which experts solve which kinds of modules?
Do the experts interrupt the defuser when they're ready?
How do you minimize the idle expert time? (Preferably, while not causing too much hassle.)
The third one is really tricky. Apart from giving out the general information, defuser is only talking to one expert at any given moment. It would be good to keep the other experts busy at the same time, but that requires talking to them, in which time it would be good if everybody else had something to do. Giving away a time consuming problem (like Complicated Wires) consumes much time, while if you hit someone with the Button information, it can be solved very fast as well.
I will describe the approach we've come to use with a couple of friends I've made from the game community. It is the best I've seen, and if there are better ones, I'm really curious as to how they would work. We've been able to beat "I am hardcore" with just under a minute of spare time without the defuser memorizing any parts of the manual. It didn't feel like the limit, or being close to it.
We would have a heavy lifter who gets, in that order, Complicated Wires, Passwords, Mazes, and Morse Codes. The defuser takes turns in giving info on those modules to the heavy lifter, intermixing it with throwing bits of information (like the Button, or the Simon Says color) at other experts. When this information is passed, the defuser collects output from other experts, then proceeds to work with those other experts on tasks that require two-way communication (Wire Sequences, Who's on First, Memory). Lastly, the defuser would get the output from the heavy lifter. Depending on the number of experts and their muscles, heavy lifting could be split. The general rule "the heavy lifter doesn't interrupt, unless to ask" then spreads to all the baby heavy lifters.
A nice detail is that Who's on First and Memory can be done with two experts in parallel, more or less as follows:
Defuser: The screen says "OKAY". Expert 1: Bottom right. Defuser: "NO". The screen says 3. Expert 2: Position 3. Defuser: Label 4. Go. Expert 1: "BLANK", "UHHH", "WAIT" Defuser (interrupts): got it. The screen says "YOUR"And so on. Wire Sequence is also doable in parallel with something else (apart from another Sequence, have mercy on me), although with more time waste (since, given a good expert, the only time to save is between triplets). Who's on First itself can be split between two experts, one doing Stage 1 and another Stage 2, but that seems to save no more than few seconds overall.
Having a game plan is somewhat essential for the process, unless you're so good you can avoid time waste on the fly. In which case the game's been probably ruined for you already.
When analyzing a loss, make sure to pay attention to times when the defuser could have given out quick information that calls for longer processing, like Simple Wires or the Button, but also, which expert should prepare for which module. A defuser having to wait for an expert to scroll down half the manual to Wire Sequences is an example of how one little phrase thrown in between could have saved up to ten seconds. Over the course of 11 modules this adds up to up to half a minute or more.
The next section describes best practices in communicating the module information both ways.
Module Communication (wires To Memory)
There are two sides to naming: what to say as a defuser (or how do I do it properly) and waht to expect as an expert (or how do I make sense of defuser's gibberish). Same goes for the reverse situation. If there are variants for a particular saying, the first one will go in bold, while the second one will go in plain (or rare/suboptimal variants in brackets). The motivation for the bolded ones will be briefly listed section by section.
The WiresDefuser
Don't wait for questions, just list all the wires in order. A qualified expert will write them down and tell you the answer later.
Expert
When writing down, you can use the first letters of the color, except for blue and black (the distinction is important). I suggest taking time to write the whole words "blue" and "black", or maybe train yourself to go with U and A respectively.
Sometimes the defuser will say "Six wires, go", and fall silent. Aside from microphone troubles, that means that he's likely waiting for you to ask "How many red?" or something. In that case, just go with the questions, trying to convince him to give you all the colors and go do another thing will take more time.
The ButtonDefuser
Most importantly, know, that giving out the button takes zero time for you. So you can do it in between of giving different experts ther extended pieces of information for other modules. This is especially good if you're giving two big tasks to one expert and want to work with the second expert online while he's busy. Spitting out the button in between gives the first expert a couple seconds breathing space, which never hurts.
Also, if you don't read out the lit indicators in the beginning, now is the time to do it. Don't wait for questions.
If you're holding the button and it's a long wait, look around for bits of information that you can snag or give away. Simon's flashing color, a long pause in Morse code, simple wires, whatever. Also it might be the time to tell a free expert what to prepare for.Expert
Nothing to say here. If you feel there's an opening in the defuser's time, you can jump in with "The button. Press and hold".
KeypadsSymbol names don't have to describe the symbols, they have to distinguish them. This is an important idea, since it shaves off time wasted saying "upside down question mark" instead of "question mark". The latter is twice is short, but tells just as much. The versions in bold try to melt together this principle with what seems to be the most widely accepted variant.
One thing to note here is cultural barriers. A lot of people knows what lambda is, but then, a lot of people doesn't. It's good to know your variations, but aiming for common conventions seems good as well.
Important note: do not bloody repeat the symbols back to the defuser. If you're confused, just ask to read them to you again. Or at least give warning before repeating: "did you say ...?" Also, if the order in which the symbols are given to you happens to be the correct one, don't just repeat the symbols, say something like "same order, [and then repeat the symbols]".
Symbol names are current for version 1 of the manual. Going, in the manual, top to bottom left to right, skipping the repeated ones.
Tennis racket, lollypop (O with ♥♥♥♥)
A with a T, (A with ♥♥♥♥)
Lambda, upside down y
Lightning, fancy N (squiggly N, tilted N)
Kitty, cat, kitty-cat, spider with shield, half-H with triangle
Fancy H, H with a tail, squiggly H
backwards C, backwards C with a dot
backwards E, backwards E with dots (backwards E with umlaut)
CQ, swirl
Empty star, white star, hollow star
Question, question mark, upside down question mark
Copyright, circled C
Butt (ball sack, granny's boobs). I'm sorry for not having a nice one for this symbol, but it seems there isn't any.
XI, X with an I, mirrored K's. Actually, it's cyrillic letter zh, but don't even try using that
Broken three, half three, broken R
Six, squashed six
Paragraph, backwards P with filled D. Actually, it's not a paragraph symbol, just something that marks end-of-line in Word, and some nerds even know the proper name for it. Same note as for Russian zh.
TB, B with a T. This is also a symbol from a very old version of Russian, but most natives wouldn't even recognize it. So don't try saying it's Russian.
Smiley face
Psy, trident (U with an I)
C with a dot
Alien three, snake three (three with horns)
Black star, filled star
Hash, railroad tracks, tilted H
AE
Backwards N
Omega, O with feet
Simon saysDefuser
Make sure to tell the current number of strikes before you give the color, unless you're playing hardcore mode. Might be also good to reiterate the vowel or no vowel. Optimally the expert remembers it from the first time you said it. Less prefered variant, you remember it and don't have to waste time rotating the bomb again.
Expert
It is useful to give the whole answer sequence, like "Blue blue red" rather than "green goes to red" or "yellow to blue, green to red". Because the defuser can think of other things in the seconds you're looking at the table, and you don't have much to do instead anyway.
Who's on FirstAlthough most of this section should be universal, some of it relies on the current manual (version 1). Be prepared.
Defuser
For obvious words, just give them. For ambiguous ones, there are some notes.
You can say "the word [whatever]" to differentiate, for instance, "NOTHING" from an empty screen or "YOU" from "U".
For an empty screen, there's no better way than to say it two-three times differently. For instance: "the screen is empty, literally nothing" or "the screen says nothing, no letters".
For "YOU'RE", "YOU ARE", and "YOUR". I suggest you go with "you're apostrophe", "you are two words", "your for letters". Can also spell, but that seems worse.
For "SEE", "LEAD" and the like, don't rely on your ability to voice, and expert's to hear, the difference in vowel sounds between "led" and "lead". Just name it, then spell it. If it's one letter, say "C, one letter".
For "YOU'RE", "YOU ARE", and "YOUR". I suggest you go with "you're apostrophe", "you are two words", "your for letters". Can also spell, but that seems worse.
Don't spell "OKAY". There's only one version (currently).Expert
Same advice goes for reading back the words from step 2. Most importantly, in ambiguous cases first say stuff like "two words" or "one letter", then say "you are". Trigger reflex is strong in the defusers who, unlike you, can see the countdown.
For "UHHH"'s, it's just faster to spell them right away, like "you h h h" and "you h, h you h".
For "UH HUH", it's useful to say something like "same as the screen" or maybe "just press [position]". I haven't tested this, but have blown up because someone thought that it was just repeating the input.
For "WHAT?" say "what question mark". Does saying the "what no question mark" for "WHAT" add more clarification or confusion, it's hard to say.
MemoryIt seems optimal to go like this:
Defuser: The screen says two. Expert: Position two. Defuser: Label three. [short pause] The screen says one.If you're the expert, try not to read the clause to the defuser, but just say "label/position [number]". A pause is better than stuff that defuser doen't need to know.
Module Communication (morse To Knob)
Morse CodeDefuser
Waiting for the beginning is worth it like 90% of the time. Also, good practice is to wait for the letter to finish blinking before relaying it to the expert. Like, not
Dash (tiny pause) dot (tiny pause) dot (tiny pause) dash (small pause) dot but rather (longer pause, then rapidly) dash-dot-dot-dash (longer pause) dotThis saves a lot of trouble. Also, if you've started from the middle and then encounter the long pause that marks the beginning of the word, just say "long pause" there. Huge help for the expert.
There are reports of people saying "dit and dot" or "dit and duh" for respectively "dash and dot", trying to save time on the long "sh" sound. Although it sounds reasonable, I haven't had any success with this approach.
Expert
If you're that good and figured the answer out right away, don't spit it out. If you feel that the defuser is going to give you more letters, you can interrupt with something to the effect of "the answer is [whatever]". Otherwise don't interrupt the deffuser from switching to another task, try to wait for the next opening.
The reason for that is simple: although quick success happens often enough, you don't want the defuser to expect a prompt answer from you every time. (Unless she's very good at telling you the initial input.) Sometimes you'll have it right away, sometimes you'll need a couple seconds. Don't get your defuser into the habit of waiting for your answer after she's done telling.
Complicated wires There are different ways to do it. The reasoning lines for my variant are these:
Give every wire. If you skip the third one since it's plain white and you've cut it right away, what do you do when the expert says "cut the third"? You spend a second adding numbers. Bad habit.
Having a set order is obviously good. Top to bottom saves eye movements and hassle from having to dance around.
A way in which the expert can distinguish between one "red blue" and "plain red" and "plain blue" is a good thing to have.So I give it like this: "light red no star next no light white no star". No pauses, identical intervals. Some people also say "purple" for "red and blue".
You can (currently, for version 1) ignore the "white" if another color is mixed with it, but skipping the word altogether for plain white ones throws the expert off balance.
Some people also just give letters, like "lrbs next rs next b", but in my opinion this puts more work on the defuser and gives more room for the misheard lyrics errors.
Wire Sequence The only one and proper general way was coined in the YouTube video that you've likely seen.
Defuser: Red to C Expert: Cut Defuser: Black to B Expert: CutThere are other ways, but they are plain worse so I will not list them.
One important distinction is what to say for no cut. I strongly recommend going with "Skip", since it's shorter than "leave", and "don't cut" contains "cut", so.
Maze This may sound obvious, but do talk about the coordinates convention before the game. I've equally encountered the one with pair of numbers, (1,1) being top left, and pair of numbers, (1,1) being bottom left. Currently for Version 1, there's no need to list both circled points, one is enough.
Defuser
Aside from "I'm at (x0,y0), the triangle is at (x1,y1)" you can say "(x0,y0) going to (x1,y1)" instead. If you've lost track while the expert's giving you the solution, say something like "stop, I'm at (x2,y2) where do I go".
Expert
Try to give the solution in short bursts. Either in two to four single movements ("up up left up"), or in staggers that make sense logically ("down right up"). A burst of rights is better than "three rights", since it saves the defuser the backwards counting and allows to count only forward.
Fully utilize the "all the way left" and "straight to target".
PasswordsDefuser
Mind the difficulty in distinguishing M from N, B from D, P from T and so on. Either articulate it clearly, or try to go with "Mancy" or "A as an apple". It is worth nothing that sequences mixed from single letters and words are more difficult to figure out.
Expert
If there are gaps, like you forgot a letter or unsure whether it was M or N, make a choice given the time pressure. You could ask for clarification, but if the defuser is more pressed for time than you, you might want to consider the letter a wildcard and see if it makes sense without this piece for information.
If you've got multiple choices for passwords, it's slightly better to say "try [something]" rather than "the password is [something]. Oh, it isn't? Then it's [something else]". That saves the bit of confusion and disappointment.
KnobThere are two ways of describing the knob.
Top row in binary, 1 for lit, 0 for dark. In the current version 1 it does mix up two cases and requires one more bit of information. It also seems to be the worse one.
Viewing columns as pairs, one of "top, bottom, both, none" for "Which ones are lit?". In the current version 1 you only need the first three pairs.
Ruining The Expert Experience
I will not give any version specific information here. Just some general notes.
Have a 2x2 table for number of the batteries, the last digit, presence of a vowel and presence of a parallel port. I scribble that down as
3b 7 nop noveven if I know I'm not getting the complicated wires. There are times when it can be useful, and I hope the further versions will improve that.
For every module, draw a square around the answer to be able to find it instantly, then go to the next task.
For Memory, have two columns labeled "p" and "l". When you're telling the defuser the position or the label, write it down right after you say it, then fill the second part from the answer.
For Complicated Wires, I write them down as on the module itself, but with letters, and then put +'s and -'s for "cut" and "checked, don't cut".
For Wire Sequences, I make three columns and put down I marks, crossing every three of them. This allows to not ever lose track, although wastes some time. Another way would be to move your fingers (or, if you're that good, your attention) down the columns, which is faster, but a bit less reliable. With both ways, when the defuser says the color, you can move your eyes to the corresponding column and start finding the current row for it.
For Maze, I put a finger on the target and follow the current position with the tip of my pen. Another way, if you have something to do after the maze is solved, you could write down the solution by drawing a sequence of arrows with numbers or the word "all" near them. That exchanges some time now for some time later and the ability to scroll the screen and your attention away.
Tips for crafting a Ruined Manual for yourself:
The WiresTurn it into the decision tree: a circled question, then lines with answers leading to other circled questions, some of them leading to the final answers.
The ButtonSame thing. Also, since it's either release immediately or hold, just write down all the cases of press and release. And the color-number pairs for otherwise.
KeypadsI don't think you can ruin that one.
Simon saysAside from the table, you could draw permutation diagrams, like this one [imgur.com] .
Who's on FirstRegroup stage 1 by similarity, like, one corner for all the "they" sounding ones, and so on.
Sort alphabetically, strike out all the words after the one that repeats the input. (Like, for UH HUH in Version 1, strike out everything.)
MemoryYou could redraw it as a couple decision trees, but it's not going to get much better.
Morse CodeAbuse the dictionary, like here (Morse Code section), for instance. Strike out the letters that aren't used, maybe write down the letters that are only used once or twice.
Complicated wires Turn the diagram into a list with entries like this:
B - lr, lrs, lwsWhen given the input, go through B, P and S to mark the ones to cut.
Wire Sequence No idea, apart from making the line after each tree entries really thick, if using my marks method.
Maze No idea.
PasswordsAbuse for decision trees by the first letter, I suppose. There must be a clever way for ruining this section apart from memorizing a particular table.
Conclusion
There is a very subtle balance between being a very good expert an a very good bored expert. Same goes for defusers. I am still able to play because I haven't ruined the manual for myself, and haven't memorized it either. "Improving" as in "reducing time from input to output (preserving the error ratio)" calls for that, but it also obsoletes the challenge.
While the fun comes from stupidly blowing up and making jokes about it, the enjoyment is derived from acting as a very efficient mechanism as a group, and succeeding with it. There is a subtle balance here as well: a good team will likely enjoy much efficiency porn and have close to no fun, while an inexperienced group will laugh constantly and feel horrible. I choose to believe that this guide is something to tilt the reader towards the former, but not topple the scales all over. Cheers.
Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=534887090
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