Stuck on extra level in R 'n' D jue II

[ImaginaryTango]

I'm using Level 96 from the level set Walpurgis Flashb. from the 2003 contributions in R 'n' D Contributions. Here it is on the menu screen:

Screenshot 2023-11-26 at 3.42.05 PM.png (806.85 KiB) Viewed 11701 times

I don't have to use a solution tape that often, but I realized there is no solution for this level. I've stared at this for a while and tried to find alternate ways to do this. I considered finding a way to use the expanding walls to my advantage, but if I do that, I can't get through the pipe to the later sets of puzzles. Here's what I can't figure out:

Screenshot 2023-11-26 at 3.42.41 PM.png (5.56 MiB) Viewed 11701 times

As I see it, the only way I can break open the nut pointed to by the red arrow is with the boulder pointed to by the green arrow. My first thought was to use the bomb and exploding floppy in the red box, but I find there are two bottlenecks for the disk and I can only remove one with the bomb. It seems to me the dynamite (blue arrow) can only be used to break open the wall of gems (blue square). I find it easy to get to here:

Screenshot 2023-11-26 at 3.43.10 PM.png (4.24 MiB) Viewed 11701 times

I found a few variations to get there. I saved this position since, if I get a bright idea, I can clear the dirt and let the expanding walls loose. But, as I mentioned, if I do that, and I have found ways to do that and crack open the nut, but if I do that, then I can't get to the pipe to get to the rest of the level.

Any hints or thoughts on this? I've been looking at this on and off for a couple weeks now. (Not like I'm staring at it for hours each day, but I would like to be able to move forward.)

[filbo]

I offer this speculation. At this point I don't even remember if I've ever played this levelset, but by eye I see something that **might** have the key to the solution.

If you set off a bomb type device next to the blue box, it seems to me that the resulting yellow emeralds would have the behavior where the topmost one lurches straight to the right, trying to fall off of the one below it. If you timed releasing the rock above it at exactly the right moment, it could roll off it to the right, onto the pipe, and you could push it before it entered the pipe.

... eh, maybe that's what you already mean, you just can't find the bomby-things inventory to get it done while still finishing the level. Nevermind?

[ImaginaryTango]

If you set off a bomb type device next to the blue box, it seems to me that the resulting yellow emeralds would have the behavior where the topmost one lurches straight to the right, trying to fall off of the one below it. If you timed releasing the rock above it at exactly the right moment, it could roll off it to the right, onto the pipe, and you could push it before it entered the pipe.

YES!

That did it. I've had to use careful timing like that in other levels, but I just wasn't counting on that one diamond popping out in the proper way.

My favorite timing trick I've used is when I go up under a bomb, then go down, so it's falling above me, and stop for just an instant, then I keep going down. The bomb stops and explodes, but I've moved far enough down it doesn't hurt me.