nate@cpocd2.UUCP (Nathan Hess) (09/12/87)
>In article <740@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM> mayer@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM (Niels Mayer) >writes: > > blackbox.el :: (put 'blackbox-mode 'mode-class 'special) What is the blackbox game??? --woodstock -- "How did you get your mind to tilt like your hat?" ...!{decwrl|hplabs!oliveb|pur-ee|qantel|amd}!intelca!mipos3!cpocd2!nate <domainish> : nate@cpocd2.intel.com ATT : (602) 961-2037
eliot@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Eliot Handelman) (01/10/89)
Can somebody tell me how to play blackbox.el ? It's included in the GNU distribution without rules, should I just throw it away or is it worth playing, or is the idea to figure out how to play it without rules?
rbj@dsys.icst.nbs.GOV (Root Boy Jim) (04/28/89)
? From: Eliot Handelman <phoenix!eliot@princeton.edu> ? Can somebody tell me how to play blackbox.el ? It's included in the ? GNU distribution without rules, should I just throw it away or is it ? worth playing, or is the idea to figure out how to play it without ? rules? This is a great little game! I read about it in a book called something like "Playboy's Guide to Games", which describes and reviews just about any and every game you can think of. Anyway, an example is best, so refer to the following diagram which is a sample game I played. The object of the game is to find four hidden balls by shooting rays into the black box. There are four possibilitys: 1) the ray will pass thru the box undisturbed, 2) it will hit a ball and be absorbed, 3) it will be deflected and exit the box, or 4) be deflected immediately, not even being allowed entry into the box. The strange part is the method of deflection. It seems that rays will not pass next to a ball, and change direction at right angles to avoid it. R 3 1 - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - O - - - - - - 3 2 - - - - O - O - 4 - - - - - - - - 5 - - - - - - - - 5 - - - - - - - - R H - - - - - - - O 2 H 4 H Rays which enter and exit are numbered. You can see that rays 1 & 5 pass thru the box undisturbed. Ray 2 is deflected by the northwesternmost ball. Likewise rays 3 and 4. Rays which hit balls and are absorbed are marked with H. The bottom of the left and the right of the bottom hit the southeastern ball directly. Rays may also hit balls after being reflected. Consider the H on the bottom next to the 4. It bounces off the NW-ern most ball and hits the central ball. A ray shot from above the right side 5 would hit the SE-ern most ball. The R beneath the 5 is because the ball is returned instantly. It is not allowed into the box if it would reflect immediately. The R on the top is a more leisurely return. Both central balls would tend to deflect it east or west, but it cannot go either way, so it just retreats. Those are the rules. The mechanics of playing are well described by describe-mode. Here is a brief recap. Movement is by your friends C-a, C-e, C-b, C-f, C-n, C-p. When outside the box, a SPC shoots a ray into the box, to be diagnosed. You can also move into the box and type SPC, which toggles whether a ball is marked there or not. This is only for your convenience, and does not affect where the balls really are. When you are satisfied you have figured things out, type RET to get your score. This is presumably some inverse function of the number of rays shot into the box. I hereby nominate this description for inclusion into the distribution, and waive all copyright, patent, or trade secret protection. Root Boy Jim is what I am Are you what you are or what?
julian@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Julian Cowley) (04/29/89)
In article <8904271819.AA06295@dsys.icst.nbs.gov> rbj@dsys.icst.nbs.GOV (Root Boy Jim) writes: >When you are satisfied you have figured things out, type RET to >get your score. This is presumably some inverse function of the >number of rays shot into the box. The score is equal to the number of marked points on the outside of the box at the end of the game, so the lower the score the better. You are also given a five-point penalty for each ball you incorrectly place. Regarding best scores, I believe the minimum score possible in order to secure a sure match is equal to the number of balls in the box. However, as this is an extreme case, most scores will be at least twice the number of balls. By the way, blackbox reminds me of some mechanical puzzle boxes that Martin Garder wrote up in one of his books on mathematical puzzles. The puzzles were solid boxes constructed of wood that contained a hole into which you were to place a ball bearing. The object was retrieve the ball out of a second opening, while manipulating the box in any manner possible except opening up the box or damaging it. The boxes were especially devious, however, and often contained magnets that trapped the balls, or trap doors that required manipulation of doodads on the outside of the box. In fact, one of these boxes proved so hard that one solver had to have the box X-rayed before he could solve it! Fortunately, the game blackbox is nowhere near as hard. Ps. Is there some inherent reason why the game is limited to an 8 x 8 box? It might be more interesting if the size were adjustable as well as the number of balls. julian@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu uunet!ucsd!nosc!uhccux!julian julian@uhccux.bitnet
rbj@dsys.icst.nbs.GOV (Root Boy Jim) (05/03/89)
? Regarding best scores, I believe the minimum score possible in ? order to secure a sure match is equal to the number of balls in ? the box. However, as this is an extreme case, most scores will ? be at least twice the number of balls. My lowest score has been 10. I don't see how you could score 4. ? By the way, blackbox reminds me of some mechanical puzzle boxes ? that Martin Garder wrote up in one of his books on mathematical ? puzzles. The puzzles were solid boxes constructed of wood that ? contained a hole into which you were to place a ball bearing. ? The object was retrieve the ball out of a second opening, while ? manipulating the box in any manner possible EXCEPT OPENING up ? the box or damaging it. The boxes were especially devious, ? however, and often contained magnets that trapped the balls, or ? trap doors that required manipulation of doodads on the outside ? of the box. In fact, one of these boxes proved so hard that one ? solver had to have the box X-RAYED before he could solve it! ? Fortunately, the game blackbox is nowhere near as hard. Isn't X-raying opening? :-) ? Ps. Is there some inherent reason why the game is limited to an ? 8 x 8 box? It might be more interesting if the size were ? adjustable as well as the number of balls. It is possible that 8x8 may be the smallest size that can uniquely determine the four balls. Four balls is the maximum that may be placed in a box arbitrarily and be uniquely determined. Consider the pattern 0 - 0 x x x 0 - 0 A fifth ball placed on any of the x squares could no be distinguished. ? julian@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu ? uunet!ucsd!nosc!uhccux!julian ? julian@uhccux.bitnet Root Boy Jim is what I am Are you what you are or what?
tom@yin.cpac.washington.edu (Tom May) (05/04/89)
In article <8905022249.AA02054@dsys.icst.nbs.gov> rbj@dsys.icst.nbs.GOV (Root Boy Jim) writes:
? Regarding best scores, I believe the minimum score possible in
? order to secure a sure match is equal to the number of balls in
? the box. However, as this is an extreme case, most scores will
? be at least twice the number of balls.
My lowest score has been 10. I don't see how you could score 4.
It is possible to score zero by guessing the position of the balls without
shooting any rays at all. I believe this is possible on VMS systems, because
the random number generator's low bits aren't really random. Not much fun,
though.
? Ps. Is there some inherent reason why the game is limited to an
? 8 x 8 box? It might be more interesting if the size were
? adjustable as well as the number of balls.
It is possible that 8x8 may be the smallest size that can uniquely
determine the four balls. Four balls is the maximum that may be placed
in a box arbitrarily and be uniquely determined. Consider the pattern
0 - 0
x x x
0 - 0
A fifth ball placed on any of the x squares could no be distinguished.
Actually, the 8x8 grid was probably determined by play testing. A
larger grid with more balls gives too much opportunity to hide balls
behind other balls. A larger grid with four balls would be too easy,
as the chance of multiple-ball deflections would be decreased. A smaller
grid would probably require less balls, again reducing the complexity
somewhat. So 8x8 seems about optimum.
The above example is actually not correct. Here is the what happens to
all possible rays shot into the 3x3 grid (assuming the ball is placed at
the leftmost x):
H R H
H 0 - 0 H
H 0 - - R
H 0 - 0 H
H R H
It can be seen that the fifth ball must be on the left side. Here's a
tricky setup with four balls on an 8x8. The fourth ball can be at any
of the positions marked x, and the results will be the same:
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
0 - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
x - 0 - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
x - x - 0 - - -
Also, in case anyone cares, I believe that blackbox has an optional
prefix argument which specifies the number of balls to use. Four is
the default; the commercial version suggested 4 or 5. It should be
possible to use 64 balls and get a score of zero . . .
--
Tom May
tom@yin.cpac.washington.edu