NAME
xoct - Octahedron X widget
SYNOPSIS
/usr/games/xoct [-geometry [{width}][x{height}][{+-
}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]] [-display [{host}]:[{vs}]] [-[no]mono]
[-[no]{reverse|rv}] [-{foreground|fg} {color}] [-
{background|bg} {color}] [-{border|bd} {color}] [-
face{0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7} {color}] [-{size {int} | sticky}] [-
{mode {int} | both}] [-[no]orient] [-[no]practice] [-
{font|fn} {fontname}] [-username {string}]
DESCRIPTION
The original puzzle has 9 triangles per face (size = 3) and
has period 4 turning (i.e. the face or points turn with 90
degree intervals). The puzzle was designed by Uwe Meffert
and called the Magic Octahedron (or Star Puzzler). The puz-
zle was not widely distributed but not exactly rare. This
puzzle has some analogies to the Rubik's Cube and the solv-
ing techniques are the same to that of the Pyraminx.
Christoph's Magic Jewel is similar except there are no
trivial corners to solve. This has 2^22*12! or
2,009,078,326,886,400 different combinations.
Uwe Meffert also noticed that there could be an alternate
twisting for the octahedron where it has period 3 turning
(i.e. faces turn with 120 degree intervals).
One is able to simulate a Trajber's Octahedron (period 3
turning and sticky mode). Also one is able to simulate one
with variant turning (period 4 turning and sticky mode).
FEATURES
Press "mouse-left" button to move a piece. Release "mouse-
left" button on a piece on the same face and in the same row
(but not an adjacent piece or the move is ambiguous). The
pieces will then turn towards where the mouse button was
released.
Click "mouse-center", or press "P" or "p" keys to toggle the
practice mode (in practice mode the record should say "prac-
tice"). This is good for learning moves and experimenting.
Click "mouse-right", or press "R" or "r" keys to randomize
(this must be done first to set a new record).
Press "I" or "i" keys to increase the number of "octas".
Press "D" or "d" keys to decrease the number of "octas".
Press "O" or "o" keys to toggle the orient mode. One has to
orient the faces in orient mode, besides getting all the
faces to be the same color. To do this one has to get the
lines to be oriented in the same direction, this only
matters with center "octas", if at all (i.e. those "octas"
not on a corner or edge). This does add complexity so there
are 2 sets of records.
Press "3", "4", "B", or "b" keys (not the keypad 3, 4) to
change modes to Period 3, Period 4, or Both.
Press "Y" or "y" keys to toggle sticky mode
(increase/decrease is disabled here if sticky mode is on).
"Sticky" and "Period 3" turning allows only the faces to
turn. It is as if the middle cut of the three cuts did not
exist.
"Sticky" and "Period 4" turning allows only the points to
turn, it is as if the middle cut of the three cuts did not
exist.
Beware, the "Sticky" mode is a hack and much could be done
to improve its look.
"S" or "s" keys reserved for the auto-solver (not imple-
mented).
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 "C" or "c" keys to clear a puzzle.
Press "Esc" key to hide program.
Press "Q", "q", or "CTRL-C" keys to kill program.
Use the key pad, "R" keys, or arrow keys to move without
mouse clicks.
Key pad is defined for Oct as:
/ Counterclockwise
7 8 9 Upper Left, Up, Upper Right
^
4<5>6 Left, Clockwise, Right
v
1 2 3 Lower Left, Down, Lower Right
Use the shift keys to access "Period 4" turns from "Both"
mode, otherwise it assumes "Period 3" turning. Points turn
in "Period 4" and faces turn in "Period 3".
Use the control key and the left mouse button, keypad, or
arrow keys to move the whole octahedron. This is not
recorded as a turn.
The title is in the following format (non-motif version):
xoct.{3|4|both<turning modes>}:
{1|2|3|4|5|6|sticky<number of "octas" per edge>} @
(<Number of moves>/{<Record number of moves>
<username>|"NEVER noaccess"|"practice"}) - <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
octahedron window (resource name "geometry").
-display host:dpy
This option specifies the X server to contact.
-[no]mono
This option allows you to display on a color screen
as if monochrome (resource name "mono").
-[no]{reverse|rv}
This option allows you to see the octahedron window
in reverse video (resource name "reverse").
-{foreground|fg} color
This option specifies the foreground of the
octahedron window (resource name "foreground").
-{background|bg} color
This option specifies the background of the
octahedron window (resource name "background").
-{border|bd} color
This option specifies the border color of the octas
in the octhahedoron window (resource name "border-
Color").
-face{0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7} <color>
This option allows you to change the color of a face
(resource name "faceColorN"). In mono-mode, color is
represented as the first letter of the color name.
The faces are ordered top to bottom and left to
right. If you has two colors that begin with the
same letter you should have one in uppercase and one
in lowercase to distinguish them in mono-mode. You
can change the colors of the faces to make a stupid
octahedron (i.e. all White or in mono-mode all "W").
Unfortunately, it will not normally say its solved
when its randomized. This would be cheating.
-size <int>
This option allows you to change the number of octas
on a edge (resource name "size").
-sticky This option allows you to set the sticky mode
(resource name "sticky").
-mode <int>
This option allows you to set the turning mode
(resource name "mode").
-both This option allows you to set the turning mode to
both period 3 and period 4 (resource name "mode" set
at 5).
-[no]orient
This option allows you to access the orient mode
(resource name "orient").
-[no]practice
This option allows you to access the practice mode
(resource name "practice").
-{font|fn} ontname
This option specifies the font that will be used
(resource name "font").
-username string
This option specifies the user name for any records
made or else it will get your login name (resource
name "userName").
RECORDS
You must randomize the puzzle before a record is set, other-
wise an assumption of cheating is made if it is solved after
a get.
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.
Octahedron with default colors, not randomized:
0 R Red
3 1 M B Magenta, Blue
2 W White
4 O Orange
7 5 Y P Yellow, Pink
6 G Green
size: 1-6 <number of triangles in the same orientation
as the face per row>
mode: 3-5 <period 3 turning, period 4 turning, or both
(5)>
orient: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then lines on
"octas" to be oriented>
sticky: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then some "octas"
move together>
practice: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true>
moves: 0-MAXINT <total number of moves>
startingPosition: <2 dimensional array of face "octa"
position, each face has size * size "octas", if orient
mode then orientation number follows face number num-
bered clockwise from 0 to 11, where 0 is up>
This is then followed by the moves, starting from 1.
move #: <face> <position> <direction> <control>
Each turn is with respect to a face and position.
Position is 0 to size * size - 1. Position 0 is the trian-
gle furthest from the center, increasing clockwise.
Direction is represented as 0 up, 1 upper right, 2 right, 3
lower right, 4 down, 5 lower left, 6 left, 7 upper left, 9
clockwise, and 15 counterclockwise.
Control is represented as 0 or 1, 1 if the whole octahedron
is moved at once (here position does not matter), 0 if not.
The xoct record keeper does not count a control move as a
move, but here we do.
REFERENCES
Beyond Rubik's Cube: spheres, pyramids, dodecahedrons and
God knows what else by Douglas R. Hofstadter, Scientific
American, July 1982, pp 16-31.
Magic Cubes 1996 Catalog of Dr. Christoph Bandelow.
SEE ALSO
X(1), xrubik(6), xskewb(6), xdino(6), xpyraminx(6),
xmball(6), xmlink(6), xpanex(6), xcubes(6), xtriangles(6),
xhexagons(6), xabacus(6)
COPYRIGHTS
(Reg.) Copyright 1994-2004, David Albert Bagley
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://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/games/strategy