Overview[/B]

-Estimated achievement difficulty: 3/10
-Estimated time for 200: 6-8 hours
-Minimum playthroughs: N/A
-Offline: 15/15 (200)
-Online: 0/15
-Missable Achievements: 0
-Unobtainable Achievements: 0
-Does difficulty affect achievements: Yes (see guide)
-Cheats disable achievements: No cheats
-Glitchy achievements: 1 (Economist...see description)
-Extra equipment needed: Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 7 or 8

Introduction
Connect 4 is a classic two-player game in which players take turns dropping different colored discs into a 7x6 vertical grid. The pieces fall straight down, occupying space within each column. The object of the game is to connect four of your discs, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, before your opponent. This version has several other games modes which are all similar to the classic one, but with a twist, and a challenge mode. Currently the game is listed at $0.99 in the Windows Phone Store and is yet another Xbox for Windows Phone game that is exclusive to Nokia Lumia phones.

Step 1: Complete the miscellaneous achievements
Complete the achievements that relate to winning on certain difficulty levels, challenge mode, and finishing with certain requirements. For the achievements that do not mention require a specific difficulty, play on EASY.

Step 2: Grind 1000 games
You need to play a total of 1000 games. There is a shortcut that can be used to grind. See the guide for the method.

Conclusion
Connect 4 is just that, Connect 4. It really just is not that fun to play this game against a computer that always makes the perfect moves. The extra game modes do offer more fun, but barely enough to warrant the price tag. While playing 1000 games is a chore, there exists a method to make this grind not that bad at all. Following the guide, you should be well on your way to completing the game in under 8 hours.

 

[x360a would like to thank Arsenic 17 for this road map]

Connect 4 Achievement Guide

Printable Guide
Show completed achievements
Show secret achievements

There are 15 achievements with a total of 200 points

  • Win your first match.

    See "Advanced Connector."

  • Win 10 matches.

    See "Advanced Connector."

  • Win 25 matches.

    See "Advanced Connector."

  • Win 50 matches.

    These achievements are related to winning games and can be done in any quick game mode or in challenge game mode. See "Legendary Connector" for the fastest way to win/complete games. When using that method, remember you must win a match in a non-challenge mode game for after surpassing the required win total for the achievement to unlock. You can check your progress towards these achievements from the Play Menu by clicking on "Your Stats."

  • Play 500 matches.

    See "Legendary Connector."

  • Play 1000 matches.

    There is no hiding it. Playing a total of 1000 games on Connect 4 is a horrible, mind-numbing achievement. Fortunately, a way has been discovered that allows 1000 games to be completed in a slightly bearable time frame.

    The fastest way to earn wins or complete games is to play the challenge that is located in the second column from the left and one down from the top called "Puzzle." This challenge only requires that you place a single chip to win. You MUST WIN the challenge for this method to work. Placing the chip in the incorrect spot will not work. Just keep loading up the challenge over and over, repeatedly placing the chip in the winning spot (there are only 3 variations of the puzzle, so this is easy). This method should in theory go very quickly, but unfortunately the game's menus are very laggy and doing this method the game tends to bog down and often crash. Still, with the lag and crashing, you can complete between 200-250 games per hour. Meaning to grind 1000 games it will take you around 4 hours after you have completed the miscellaneous achievements. It is also important to mention that the achievements will NOT pop while winning challenge games. After surpassing the requirements for the achievements, you MUST play (and possibly win) a quick game mode match for the achievements to unlock.

    You can check your progress towards these achievements from the Play Menu by clicking on "Your Stats."

  • Defeat 10 NORMAL difficulty AI opponents.

    See "Learn from the Best."

  • Defeat 10 EXPERT difficulty AI opponents.

    You need to win 10 games on both expert and normal difficulties, including 5 in a row. Winning can be quite a challenge for the normal player. Luckily, someone has solved the game (for their PhD thesis), making these achievements easy using an online solver, which can be found HERE. Click PLAY and it will bring up a applet with the solver. Each vertical line in the program represents a column in the game. You can manually click columns of the solver to mark the move the AI has made. Use the "move" button to generate the move you need to make next. You will win every time using this solver. The "<" button can be used to go back if you make an error and the "<<" button will reset the solver for the next game.

  • Beat the AI within ten moves in a quick game.

    *GLITCHY*

    Quick games are any games not in challenge mode. You need to win the game before playing a total of 10 of your chips. This achievement seems to be glitchy and actually would ONLY unlock for me in challenge mode. This is quite easy to complete within a few tries in the challenge located in the first column on the left at the very top called "Pop Roulette." Every four turns, a bottom chip will pop out and all chips in that column go down one. Try to line up three of your chips on the bottom row, then place chips on top of the opponents chips (so yours are in the second row) in the adjacent columns (PICTURE). Basically you will then have a 2/7 chance of getting the achievements when a chip randomly pops out. Keep attempting this until it unlocks. This may also be possible in the challenge "Third Time Lucky" which is just a normal Pop Out game. I cannot confirm it working on this challenge, however, but in theory it should.

  • Win a quick game in under 45 seconds.

    Quick games are any games not in challenge mode. You just need to finish off the AI in less than 45 seconds. This is most easily done in the "Pop Out" mode using a similar strategy to that found above in the "Economist" achievement. Quickly set up a build similar to THIS one, then remove the bottom row chip so the top chip falls to complete the Connect 4. For the best chance, play your chips as fast as possible.

  • Form two 'Connect 4' winning lines in a single drop.

    For this achievement, you need to complete two scoring lines simultaneously with a single drop. This is actually required to complete one of the challenges called "Double Trouble." Use the following strategy mentioned by IEvil IMonkey. Put pieces in the bottom left and bottom right corners first. Then try to have them both meet, in an upward, diagonal line, in the middle column. Place the top of that triangle last. Try not to ever place a chip that would allow the AI to place one in either of those diagonals you are trying to fill (right below the diagonal).

    This achievement is also obtainable in 2-player local multiplayer mode. Use the same method as above.

  • Win each game mode at least once.

    For this achievement, you must win one game of each quick game mode. The modes required are

    • Classic Game
    • Power Chips
    • Max Score
    • Pop Out

    This is not difficult at all once you become familiar with the nuances of the game modes. Remember you can use a solver to play Classic, Max Score, and Pop Out (as long as you do not pop any, the AI never does) if you are having trouble with those.

  • Shake the device to cause an earthquake in the game.

    This can be done in any game mode. All you have to do is violently shake your phone while playing a game. The screen/game board will shake, and the achievement will unlock.

  • Win 5 matches in a row against NORMAL or EXPERT AI.

    See "Learn from the Best."

  • Complete the Challenge Mode.

    There are a total of 16 challenges that need to be completed that unlock progressively as you complete them. Most of them are easy, but a few can be tricky. Here are some tips:

    • Always milk the clock by taking the maximum amount of time to place your chip (see the ever-shrinking red timer bar).
    • Make sure you are playing on EASY difficulty.
    • For score-related challenges (reach X score) that dont mention anything about your opponent, remember that how many points the AI scores does not matter. Just let the computer get connect 4's to open up opportunities for you.
    • For "Connect 4++", it is easiest to try and set-up two groups of two chips on the bottom row separated by an opponent's chip and use the heavy weight chip to plow all the way to the bottom to score you the points. For this one, you also need to win so milk the clock once you score once.
    • Use the solver where applicable.
    • For "Double Trouble", use the strategy found in the "Crossroads" achievement.

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