NAME

xcubes - Cubes X widget

SYNOPSIS

/usr/games/xcubes [-geometry [{width}][x{height}][{+-}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]] [-display [{host}]:[{vs}]] [-[no]mono] [-[no]{reverse|rv}] [-{foreground|fg} {color}] [-{background|bg} {color}] [-{border|bd} {color}] [-brick {color}] [-{size{x|y|z} {int}] [-base {int}] [-username {string}]

DESCRIPTION

This is basically a 15 puzzle. The 15 puzzle was originally made around 1879 (the 14-15 puzzle of Sam Loyd was made soon after). Similar 3D puzzles include BloxBox; Qrazy Qube (2x2x2) by P. Hein of Denmark and Varikon Box 'L (3x3x3) (Hungary) and Mad Marbles (3x3x3) by Toys & Games International USA.

FEATURES

Click "mouse-left" button to move a brick. Clicks on spaces or clicks bricks that are not in line with a space will not move the bricks. Notice one can move more than one brick at a time by clicking on the brick farthest from the space but in line with the space. Since you only have a 2-D screen the next level down is either the box to the right of the current box or the bottom of the current box.

Click "mouse-right" button, or press "R" or "r" keys, to randomize the puzzle. One must double click on "mouse-right" if the puzzle is currently being worked on.

Press "I" or "i" keys to move brick in.

Press "O" or "o" keys to move brick out.

"S" or "s" keys reserved for the auto-solver (unimplemented).

Press "U" or "u" keys to undo move.

Press "G" or "g" keys to get a saved puzzle.

Press "W" or "w" keys to write or save a puzzle.

Press "Q", "q", or "CTRL-C" keys to kill program.

Use the key pad, "R" keys, or arrow keys to move without the mouse.
Key pad is defined for Cubes as: / Out

8 Up ^
4<5>6 Left, In, Right v 2 Down

The control key allows you to change the complexity of xcubes. Hold down control key and use the keypad or arrow keys to reduce or enlarge puzzle complexity.

The title is in the following format (non-motif version):

xcubes: <Number of rows>x<Number of columns>x<Number of stacks> @ (<Number of moves>/{<Record number of moves> <username>|"NEVER noaccess"}) - <Comment>

If there is no record of the current puzzle, it displays "NEVER noaccess".

OPTIONS

-geometry {+|-}X{+|-}Y: This option sets the initial position of the cubes window (resource Pname "geometry").
-display host:dpy: This option specifies the X server to contact.
-{foreground|fg} color: This option specifies the foreground of the cubes window (resource name "foreground").
-{background|bg} color: This option specifies the background of the cubes window (resource name "background").
-{border|bd} color: This option specifies the border color of the bricks in the cubes window (resource name "borderColor").
-brick color: This option specifies the brick color of the bricks in the cubes window (resource name "brickColor").
-size{x|y|z} <int>: This option allows you to change the number of cubes in a row, column, or stack (resource name "sizeA").
-base int: This option specifies the base used (default is base 10) (resource name "base").
-username string: This option specifies the user name for any records made or else it will get your login name (resource name "userName").

SAVE FORMAT

The format is not standard. The reason for this is that this is simple and I do not know what the standard is.

sizeX: 1-8 <number of bricks in a row>
sizeY: 1-8 <number of bricks in a column>
sizeZ: 1-8 <number of bricks in a stack>
moves: 0-MAXINT <total number of moves>

startingPosition: <array of tile positions where 0 is the empty space>

This is then followed by the moves, starting from 1.

move #: <direction>

Direction is represented as 0 up, 1 right, 2 down, 3 left, 4 in, and 5 out.

Caution: the program may crash on corrupted input.

REFERENCES

Sliding Piece Puzzles (Recreations in Mathematics Series) by L. E. Horden, Oxford University Press 1986, pp 1, 157-159.

Puzzles Old & New (How to Make and Solve Them) by Jerry Slocum & Jack Botermans, University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1987, pp 126, 127.

COPYRIGHTS

BUG REPORTS AND PROGRAM UPDATES

Send bugs (or their reports, or fixes) to the author

David Albert Bagley, <bagleyd@tux.org>

The latest version is currently at:

ftp://ftp.tux.org/pub/tux/bagleyd/xpuzzles
ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/games