Comments on: FT Advent Calendar Of Free Online Games: 12th December

By: swanstep

swanstep — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:52:11 +0000

I’ve explored Drench a little further here (just a few pictures and one formula really), if anyone’s interested.

By: swanstep

swanstep — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:55:00 +0000

@7. Jolly good. I’m not sure I’ve grasped your radiating diagonal checker board suggestion. Here’s my devil board.

By: a tanned rested and unlogged lørd sükråt wötsît

a tanned rested and unlogged lørd sükråt wötsît — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:38:50 +0000

No no — I mean I did eg a grid at the 29 or 28 level in just 17 (ie had 13 moves still available when completed)*, as per ptee’s suggestion at 4: hence if i had had same grid when at the 17 level then WIN! but as you say the minimum on any given random grid may well be above the level you got to, and mine always seem to go checker-boarded when i get to 24!

By: swanstep

swanstep — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:38:16 +0000

OK – I just solved a 23 (it had a couple of solid color wodges). As PLSC says above, it’s the checkerboard like patterns that are slowest. It was a perfect one of those (which I was nowhere near solving in 23) that originally suggested to me that the color grid is generated randomly subject to a few simple constraints and without regard to the existence of a solution.

@5. You did one in 17? You’re definitely the champ then if that means you solved 23, 22, 21… all the way down to 17!

By: a tanned rested and unlogged lørd sükråt wötsît

a tanned rested and unlogged lørd sükråt wötsît — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:57:52 +0000

Assuming the algorithm always produces all six colours =, I assume that five is the absolute utter minimum.

I’m pretty sure I’ve had one I did in 17 — which had a massive one-colour splodge in the middle, spreading all over the place. There’s probably a maximum size to a one-colour splodge in the layout algorithm also.

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:48:03 +0000

The alternative way of looking at it is what is the smallest number of moves you have so far made to win. I just did a (very easily laid out) board in 20 moves.

By: pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør

pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:59:58 +0000

I’ve never finished 23 either. And clearly there must an actual calculable limit for each array: it’s a 14 x 14 square, so if it fell into a perfect checkerboard of the six colours, in diagonals “radiating” out from the start corner, you couldn’t ever get it below 13 steps. The checkerboard spattered patterns are the really slow ones.

By: swanstep

swanstep — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:14:21 +0000

This game is indeed an epic time-waster! I haven’t been able to solve in 23 steps yet. I’m pretty sure, BTW, that the game diesn’t always have a solution.

By: Kat but logged out innit

Kat but logged out innit — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:44:13 +0000

Dammit I was ONE SQUARE AWAY on 25 :(