Here's a sample series of puzzles in a different category -- "Chain Reactions", or maybe "Seeds" would be more accurate. There are answers to all of these puzzles hiding on a forum thread near you, but if you just go look up the solutions, it won't be a good test case...
Questions for the Audience If Any
Again, I'm particularly interested to hear reactions from people who aren't familiar with LifeHistory, or who don't really know how to use LifeHistory format in Golly to solve problems like these. Please could some of you try out a puzzle or three, and let me know if the format seems to work, or what you hate about the puzzles, or if they seem too easy, or if they seem impossible to figure out where to even get started, or whatever?
Is it easy to discover shortcut keys in Golly, like
> and
< and
X and
Y (when you're pasting), and
Shift+S (when you have a selection), and particularly
Ctrl+Z and
Ctrl+Shift+Z (for all kinds of purposes, not just when you make a mistake)? Or will we need these on a cheat-sheat page? What else should go on the cheat sheet, what should go on a general Puzzle Instructions page, and what should be in a FAQ?
One-Glider Seed Puzzles
All of the following puzzles have the same outcome, which is a working 1-glider Cordership seed. The components are basically smaller or larger pre-built pieces of a complete seed pattern, which therefore give you smaller or larger hints. Here's a somewhat tougher version:
Code: Select all
x = 90, y = 255, rule = LifeHistory
90D$D28.D29.D29.D$D28.D29.D29.D$D28.D29.D29.D$D28.D29.D29.D$D28.D29.D
29.D$D21.2D5.D22.2D5.D22.2D5.D$D7.D12.DBD5.D8.D12.DBD5.D8.D12.DBD5.D$
D6.2BD10.3BD5.D7.2BD10.3BD5.D7.2BD10.3BD5.D$D6.3DB8.4B6.D7.3DB8.4B6.D
7.3DB8.4B6.D$D7.4B6.4B7.D8.4B6.4B7.D8.4B6.4B7.D$D8.4B4.4B8.D9.4B4.4B
8.D9.4B4.4B8.D$D9.4B2.4B9.D10.4B2.4B9.D10.4B2.4B9.D$D10.8B10.D11.8B
10.D11.8B10.D$D11.6B11.D12.6B11.D12.6B11.D$D12.4B12.D13.4B12.D13.4B
12.D$D11.5B12.D12.5B12.D12.5B12.D$D10.6B12.D11.6B12.D11.6B12.D$D9.2B
2AB14.D10.2B2AB14.D10.2B2AB14.D$D9.BABAB14.D10.BABAB14.D10.BABAB14.D$
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11.D9.3C8.D$D11.5B12.D15.10BA3B9.D9.C10.D$D10.6B12.D14.10BABA2B9.D10.
C9.D$D9.2B2AB14.D13.12BA3B9.D20.D$D9.BABAB14.D12.4B.12B9.D20.D$D9.BA
3B14.D11.4B2.13B8.D20.D$D9.2A2B15.D10.4B4.13B7.D20.D$D28.D9.4B6.5B4.
4B6.D20.D$D28.D8.4B8.3B6.4B5.D20.D$D28.D7.4B19.BDBD4.D20.D$D28.D6.4B
21.B2D4.D20.D$D28.D5.2D2B23.D5.D20.D$D28.D4.DBDB30.D20.D$D28.D5.BD31.
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$D88.D$D88.D$D23.D64.D$D22.D.D63.D$D88.D$D22.D2.D62.D$D24.2D62.D$D25.
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2.D60.D$D24.3D61.D$D11.D13.2D13.D47.D$D8.4D28.2D46.D$D40.2D46.D$D42.D
45.D$D41.D46.D$D11.D.D24.2D.D46.D$D12.D24.2D49.D$D10.2D25.D.3D46.D$D
10.D2.D25.D3.2D43.D$D9.2D.2D25.D5.D42.D$D45.D42.D$D36.2D3.D.D44.D$D
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D88.D$D88.D$D47.3D38.D$D49.D38.D$D48.D39.D$D57.2A29.D$D56.A2.A28.D$D
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88.D$D88.D$D88.D$D88.D$D88.D$D88.D$D88.D$90D4$90F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F
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F22.D2.D62.F$F24.2D62.F$F25.D62.F$F39.2D47.F$F39.2D47.F$F88.F$F88.F$F
22.2D64.F$F24.D63.F$F23.2D63.F$F22.3D63.F$F22.2D23.2D39.F$F21.3D.D21.
2D39.F$F22.D3.D61.F$F24.D2.D60.F$F24.3D61.F$F11.D13.2D13.D47.F$F8.4D
28.2D46.F$F40.2D46.F$F42.D45.F$F41.D46.F$F11.D.D24.2D.D46.F$F12.D24.
2D49.F$F10.2D25.D.3D46.F$F10.D2.D25.D3.2D43.F$F9.2D.2D25.D5.D42.F$F
45.D42.F$F36.2D3.D.D44.F$F36.2D50.F$F37.D50.F$F35.2D51.F$F35.2D51.F$F
35.D52.F$F33.2D53.F$F33.3D52.F$F88.F$F14.2D15.D56.F$F14.2D15.2D55.F$F
32.2D54.F$F32.D55.F$F27.3D.D56.F$F27.3D58.F$F88.F$F88.F$F22.2D64.F$F
22.2D64.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F
$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F
88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.
F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$F88.F$90F!
I don't really like having both inputs and outputs marked in the same color. But on the other hand, I don't really want to use blue state 2 to mark anything, because it's hard to see. And I don't want to use ON states 3 or 5, because it seems like it should be possible to paste all the components together to solve the puzzle without going through afterward and deleting a lot of extra signals that shouldn't be there.
... When inventing LifeHistory I clearly should have put in two marked OFF states to go with the two different marked ON states. Well, live and learn!
Here are three somewhat easier versions of the Cordership Seed puzzle:
Code: Select all
x = 320, y = 255, rule = LifeHistory
90D25.90D25.90D$D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D$D28.D
29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D$D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.
D25.D28.D29.D29.D$D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D$D28.D
29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D$D21.2D5.D22.2D5.D22.2D5.D25.
D28.D22.2D5.D22.2D5.D25.D28.D29.D29.D$D7.D12.DBD5.D8.D12.DBD5.D8.D12.
DBD5.D25.D7.D20.D8.D12.DBD5.D8.D12.DBD5.D25.D7.D20.D7.D21.D7.D21.D$D
6.2BD10.3BD5.D7.2BD10.3BD5.D7.2BD10.3BD5.D25.D6.2BD10.3D6.D7.2BD10.3B
D5.D7.2BD10.3BD5.D25.D6.2BD10.3D6.D6.2BD10.3D7.D6.2BD10.3D7.D$D6.3DB
8.4B6.D7.3DB8.4B6.D7.3DB8.4B6.D25.D6.3DB8.3BD6.D7.3DB8.4B6.D7.3DB8.4B
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8.D9.4B4.4B8.D9.4B4.4B8.D25.D8.4B4.4B8.D8.4B4.4B9.D8.4B4.4B9.D$D9.4B
2.4B9.D10.4B2.4B9.D10.4B2.4B9.D25.D9.4B2.4B9.D10.4B2.4B9.D10.4B2.4B9.
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25.D10.8B10.D11.8B10.D11.8B10.D25.D10.8B10.D10.8B11.D10.8B11.D$D11.6B
11.D12.6B11.D12.6B11.D25.D11.6B11.D12.6B11.D12.6B11.D25.D11.6B11.D11.
6B12.D11.6B12.D$D12.4B12.D13.4B12.D13.4B12.D25.D12.4B12.D13.4B12.D13.
4B12.D25.D12.4B12.D12.4B13.D12.4B13.D$D11.5B12.D12.5B12.D12.5B12.D25.
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11.D10.8B11.D$D9.2B2AB14.D10.2B2AB14.D10.2B2AB14.D25.D10.10B8.D10.2B
2AB14.D10.2B2AB14.D25.D10.10B8.D10.10B9.D10.10B9.D$D9.BABAB14.D10.BAB
AB14.D10.BABAB14.D25.D10.7B2A2B7.D10.BABAB14.D10.BABAB14.D25.D10.7B2A
2B7.D10.7B2A2B8.D10.7B2A2B8.D$D9.BA3B14.D10.BA3B14.D10.BA3B14.D25.D
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6BABA2B8.D$D9.2A2B15.D10.2A2B15.D10.2A2B15.D25.D11.6BA3B7.D10.2A2B15.
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29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D$D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.
D$D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D25.D28.D29.D29.D$90D25.90D25.90D$D28.D
59.D25.D28.D59.D25.D28.D59.D$D28.D59.D25.D28.D59.D25.D28.D59.D$D28.D
59.D25.D28.D59.D25.D28.D59.D$D28.D59.D25.D28.D59.D25.D28.D59.D$D28.D
30.D28.D25.D28.D30.D28.D25.D28.D30.D28.D$D21.2D5.D29.2DB27.D25.D28.D
29.2DB27.D25.D28.D29.2DB27.D$D7.D12.DBD5.D29.DBDB26.D25.D7.D20.D29.DB
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$D10.8B10.D25.2B2A8B22.D25.D10.8B10.D25.2B2A8B22.D25.D10.8B10.D25.2B
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.3D46.D25.D10.2D25.D.3D15.D30.D$D10.D2.D25.D3.2D43.D25.D10.D2.D25.D3.
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F88.F25.90F$90F25.90F!
I don't know, though -- even these might be kind of tricky depending on familiarity with this kind of thing. Or maybe they're all easier than I think, and I should disassemble more of the seed and make a much harder puzzle.
Feedback much appreciated!
Calling All Puzzle Designers
Anyone want to try putting together a similar sample puzzle for another category? A glider construction of a loafer, let's say, or a multi-stage synthesis of some moderately tricky still life, or your favorite piece of logic circuitry (a
Toffoli gate, maybe?) partially disassembled and the puzzle is to put it back together.
On the puzzle design side, it's not too early to start thinking about how server-side code can be set up to automatically verify submitted answers to puzzles, and supply feedback if there's a failure. I guess there will be some boilerplate code for things that get tested for every submission, and then custom tests specific to each puzzle:
Hypothetical PVNServerBot wrote:Your candidate Toffoli gate is not quite a Toffoli gate:
A=0, B=0, C=0 produces A=0, B=0, C=0: Correct!
A=0, B=0 C=1 produces A=0, B=0, C=1: Correct!
A=0, B=1 C=0 produces A=0, B=1, C=1: Incorrect -- should be A=0, B=1, C=0
A=0, B=1, C=1 produces A=0, B=1, C=0: Correct!
A=1, B=0, C=0 produces A=1, B=0, C=0: Correct!
A=1, B=0 C=1 produces A=1, B=0, C=1: Correct!
A=1, B=1 C=0 produces A=1, B=1, C=0: Incorrect -- should be A=1, B=1, C=1
A=1, B=1, C=1 produces A=1, B=1, C=0: Correct!
Gray frame is correct size: TRUE
Pre-placed components present in frame: TRUE
All components used: TRUE
No additional components added: FALSE -- please use only supplied components
Please resolve and resubmit...
Seems like even difficult constructions could be turned into easy puzzles. It all depends on how much of the solution is hidden in the components that are provided.