Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-37047642-20181227123124/@comment-35065776-20181230090843

You know, I never even thought of doing AC by column instead of by row.

I've been getting better at it, but I also take it in small doses, and only when nobody else is around - like someone else above, if there's ANY sort of distraction, I get flustered and just stop and let it run down. If I'm going to lose, I don't want to get emotional over it; that only makes it impossible to do it any more for the time being, so I just let the timer run out and try again. If I find that I'm still distracted, that's it for the session (by session I mean whatever talismans I have running). And I only do AC if I am running Eagle Eye or Seeker's Star; the main aim of playing that game is to get the Tarot cards (for me, at least).

How I go about it (in case it helps anyone) is to go across the top row and keep repeating out loud the first 4 or 5 cards I uncover. I try to come up with nicknames for them so it's easier to repeat them without stumbling over the names (the Slingshot is 'shot', hourglass is 'timer', etc). Once I match up the first 5 of the top row, I then start repeating the next 5 I uncover, wherever I am at (2nd, 3rd, 4th row). I tend to remember at least a few other random locations, so I can match up those as well in the meantime. Then, if I was able to match up the next 5, I go back to the beginning and uncover the remaining cards and try again. I also have a total of 1:20 to do this in, and it has taken me some practice to get to where I usually (not always, of course) can finish in time. Practice is always the key; I remember getting incensed when I got to the point where I only had 1:20 total time, wondering how the he** anybody was able to finish in that amount of time.

Of course, not everybody enjoys or happens to be 'good' at concentration-type games; others are better at Haunted Lights, Treasure Box, or Mosaic. Not me - Ancient Cards is the only of the puzzle games where I feel confident that I won't have to use any tools to either finish in time or extend the time I have. And, like I said, it's taken me 10 months of playing to get to this comfort level, so unfortunately unless you've got a photographic memory, it's going to take at least a little while to get 'good' at Ancient Cards. I put the word GOOD in quotes because it's not really being better than others - just being able to deal with it efficiently in whatever way you find effective.