Puzzles


Java Puzzles

Click on one of the puzzles below to run Java program (mostly by David Bagley (help in conversion to Java by Sarat Chandran)). The X Manual Pages are written for the X versions but may be useful to understanding the Java programs. You can download the jar file (preserve the extension), and then it can be run as an application by prefixing the jar file name with "java -jar ".

Sliding Puzzles

Static Scales Choose Source Code X Manual Page Jar File
Cubes (Not Scalable) Cubes Cubes (Scaling Conditional) cubes.zip xcubes CubesApp.jar
Triangles (Not Scalable) Triangles Triangles (Scaling Conditional) triangles.zip xtriangles TrianglesApp.jar
Hexagons (Not Scalable) Hexagons Hexagons (Scaling Conditional) hexagons.zip xhexagons HexagonsApp.jar
Mlink (Not Scalable) Mlink Mlink (Scaling Conditional) mlink.zip xmlink MlinkApp.jar
Barrel (Not Scalable) Barrel Barrel (Scaling Conditional) barrel.zip xbarrel BarrelApp.jar
Panex (Not Scalable) Panex Panex (Scaling Conditional) panex.zip xpanex MballApp.jar

For Cubes, Mlink, and Barrel go to menu and click on "Number" (a toggle), if you prefer looking at a mandrill. The barrel puzzle now has an auto-solve too.

Try the New Panex puzzle with the "Algorithme" mode (for constant height tiles). Algorithme mode now has the general minimum move solution auto-solve working.

Also try Cubes, Triangles, and Hexagons. If you beat the score on these puzzles, write out using "w", and send the data (cookie or file) to me. I started a list (see "Triangles stuff and Hexagons stuff" below). These puzzles and Panex have preset starting positions, the rest have random starting positions.

Some of these puzzles are very difficult. Here is a list in order of complexity:
Hexagons (corners unselected) (about Kindergarten level)
Triangles
Panex (Tower of Hanoi option) (about 3rd grade level)
Cubes
Panex (Algorithme option)
Mlink
Panex (Panex option)
Hexagons (corners selected)
Barrel

Rotational Puzzles

Static Scales Choose Source Code X Manual Page Jar File
Mball (Not Scalable) Mball Mball (Scaling Conditional) mball.zip xmball MballApp.jar
Pyraminx (Not Scalable) Pyraminx Pyraminx (Scaling Conditional) pyraminx.zip xpyraminx PyraminxApp.jar
Oct (Not Scalable) Oct Oct (Scaling Conditional) oct.zip xoct OctApp.jar
Rubik (Not Scalable) Rubik Rubik (Scaling Conditional) rubik.zip xrubik RubikApp.jar
Skewb (Not Scalable) Skewb Skewb (Scaling Conditional) skewb.zip xskewb SkewbApp.jar
Dino (Not Scalable) Dino Dino (Scaling Conditional) dino.zip xdino DinoApp.jar

The scalable version includes some JavaScript for resizing, which may be browser dependent. Choose picks the static or scales depending on browser settings. Cookies are used for keeping track of score and current position.

See project notes for todo list and history. Please let me know if I left out anything.


X Puzzles

Manuals for xpuzzles, see tables above.
See xpuzzles.README and xpuzzles.lsm.

C/C++ Source Code for X and Windows (xpuzzles 7.5, bzip2'd files)
xpuzzles at tux.org (http)
xpuzzles at tux.org (ftp)
xpuzzles at ibiblio.org

C/C++ Source Code and Binary for Windows (wpuzzles zip'd file, same source as above compiled with MinGW).
wpuzzles (Windows puzzles)

Cubes stuff

Original X11 "puzzle" (I did not write this) with some minor bug fixes

Triangles stuff

solution description
22 move solution size 3
68 move solution size 4

Hexagons stuff

solution description
251 move solution size 3x3

Panex stuff

Breadth First Search Program for Panex Puzzle 1-9 New circa 25 Oct 2008 (updated from 15 Nov 2004)
Breadth First Search Program for Algorithme Puzzle 1-9 tiles of constant height New circa 25 Oct 2008

Neat 4D puzzles (I did not write this stuff)

Nteract4 A 4D Pocket Cube (2x2x2x2 in JavaScript)
For Tesseract, a 4D Rubik's Cube (3x3x3x3) with auto-solve for Macintosh contact: Charlie Dickman.

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Maintainer's Home Page
Last Revised: 30 June 2009