Topics I'd like to see discussed in this section

[stella_blue]

Just a few that immediately come to mind, grouped by screen type:

Barrels

• Bottom hammer timing:  maximizing smashes vs. intolerance of an early climbing fireball
• The middle game:  that often critical stage between hammers on the 2nd through 4th girders
• The danger zone:  avoiding precarious barrel combinations between the 2 leftmost ladders connecting the 4th and 5th girders

Conveyors

• Within the underlying DK code, the parameters that determine the time delay of the retractable ladders (hopefully, someone with access to the code can track this down and chime in)
• When the free pass isn't there:  bottom hammer access vs. bottom level retreat
• Defensive "left" hammer strategy:  when to smash the fireball, and when to leave it alone

Elevators

• Leeching the short springs while on the platform to the left of the 3rd prize (incidentally, "leeching" and "leaching" are pronounced the same, but have different actual meanings)
• Maximizing bonus timer points by way of the "semi-retreat" technique
• The pros and cons of prize collecting:  how many, and in what order (I've been meaning to do a rigorous analysis on this for some time)

Rivets

• Situational considerations used to decide whether to employ the star or weave patterns
• Reward expectations:  grab the top hammer, or continue taunting all the way to 000 on the bonus timer

Please feel free to add your own.

[mikegmi2]

I posted this in a different thread just because the subject popped up, but this probably belongs here:

Another springs tip is, once you are good at getting good jumps to make the climb up the ladder...you really don't need to wait for a long spring...any medium/long-ish spring is ok to go on...so as long as the following spring is not long.

In fact...it's more important to look for the next spring coming out, after you've decided to go...than making sure you go on a long spring.

Reason being, the longer the spring, the higher up that spring will reach on the ladder...making it harder...or even impossible to climb the ladder successfully...even if you get a perfect jump.

If you go on a medium-ish spring, and the next spring is a medium-ish spring...you can even have a crappy jump, and still make it up safely (not too crappy, but a little crappy).

Somewhere in the 'medium' zone of spring classification lies the 'sweet spot'.  What I mean by this is the spring that, as it makes its bouce near the ladder, lands directly in the middle of the bottom of the ladder Jumpman must climb to complete the level.  This is the 'sweet spot spring', because it gives you the absolute most time to climb up the ladder without getting hit...obviously because it poses the least amount of threat due to the fact that it can only kill you if you are at a pretty low vertical position on that ladder.

Understanding that you really don't have to wait for long springs will also save you a lot of points on spring boards...becasue you can go on long or medium springs once you get used to it...which gives you more springs to go on...expediting the process...leaving more on the bonus timer.

[stella_blue]

I should also add that if anyone chooses to tackle one of the items listed in my original post, a new topic would be less confusing for everyone.  Otherwise, I can easily see this thread becoming very convoluted and messy.