NAME
xmlink - Missing Link X widget
SYNOPSIS
/usr/games/xmlink [-geometry [{width}][x{height}][{+-
}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]] [-display [{host}]:[{vs}]] [-[no]mono]
[-[no]{reverse|rv}] [-{foreground|fg} {color}] [-
{background|bg} {color}] [-{border|bd} {color}] [-tile
{color}] [-face{0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7} {color}] [-tiles {int}] [-
faces {int}] [-[no]orient] [-[no]middle] [-[no]install] [-
picture {filename}] [-delay msecs] [-[no]sound] [-bumpsound
{filename}] [-movesound {filename}] [-base {int}] [-
{font|fn} {fontname}] [-username {string}]
DESCRIPTION
Ideal's The Missing Link, a 4x4 puzzle, riding on the wave
of Rubik's Cube craze. There are many variations on this
theme, including the "6x6" puzzle and Babylon Tower. What
makes the Missing Link a harder puzzle to solve is that the
2 center positions rotate together.
FEATURES
Press "mouse-left" button to move a tile. Release "mouse-
left" button in the same row would move the tile towards the
space (unless there is no space in that row). Release on a
different row will move the tiles up or down.
Click "mouse-right", or press "R" or "r" keys to randomize
the puzzle.
Press "O" or "o" keys to toggle the orient mode. Slightly
more challenging on (default is off).
Press "M" or "m" keys to toggle the middle mode. All the
middle tiles rotate together. This is considerably more
challenging on (default is on).
"S" or "s" keys to start the auto-solver. Only works on mxn
where m = 4 and n = 4.
Press "U" or "u" keys to undo a 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 ">" or "." keys to speed up the movement of tiles.
Press "<" or "," keys to slow down the movement of tiles.
Press "@" or "2" keys to toggle the sound.
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 the
mouse.
Key pad is defined for Missing Link as:
8 Up
^
4< >6 Left, Right
v
2 Down
Use the shift key and the up or down arrow keys to rotate
all the tiles.
Use the control key and the keypad or arrow keys to reduce
or enlarge the complexity of the puzzle.
The title is in the following format (non-motif version):
xmlink: <row>x<column> {norm|ind<control of movement of
middle tiles>} @ (<Number of moves>/{<Record number of
moves>|"NEVER noaccess"|"practice"}) - <Comment>
Movement of middle tiles are either move together or
independent.
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 missing
link 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 missing link win-
dow in reverse video (resource name "reverse").
-{foreground|fg} color
This option specifies the foreground of the missing
link window (resource name "foreground").
-{background|bg} color
This option specifies the background of the missing
link window (resource name "background").
-{border|bd} color
This option specifies the border color of the tiles
in the missing link window (resource name "order-
Color").
-tile color
This option specifies the tile color of the tiles in
the missing link window (resource name "tileColor").
-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 0th face is the last face face on missing link
because I wanted that one to remain white by default
when there are more or less faces.
-tiles <int>
This option allows you to change the number of links
in a row (resource name "tiles").
-faces <int>
This option allows you to change the number of faces
in column (resource name "faces").
-[no]orient
This option allows you to access the orient mode
(resource name "orient").
-[no]middle
This option allows you to access the middle mode
(resource name "middle").
-[no]install
This option specifies if the colormap should be
installed or not (resource name "install").
-picture filename
This option specifies the file for the picture
(resource name "picture").
-delay msecs
This option specifies the number of milliseconds it
takes to move a tile or a group of tiles one space
(1-50) (resource name "delay").
-[no]sound
This option specifies if a sliding tile should make
a sound or not (resource name "sound").
-bumpsound filename
This option specifies the file for the bump sound
(resource name "bumpSound").
-movesound filename
This option specifies the file for the move sound
(resource name "moveSound").
-base int
This option specifies the base used (default is base
10) (resource name "base").
-{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.
tiles: 1-8 <number of tiles in a row>
faces: 1-8 <number of tiles in a column>
middle: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then middle moves as
one unit>
orient: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then chain linked in
order>
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> <tile> <shift>
Direction is represented as 0 up, 1 right, 2 down, and 3
left.
Tile is the column of tile.
Shift is represented as 0 or 1, 1 if the whole puzzle is
moved at once (here Tile does not matter), 0 if not. The
xmlink record keeper does not count a control move as a
move, but here we do.
REFERENCES
L. E. Horden, Sliding Piece Puzzles (Recreations in
Mathematics Series), Oxford University Press 1986, Plate X.
you are about to find the solution: The Missing Link, Ideal
Toy Corporation, 1981.
James G Nourse, The Simple Solutions to Cubic Puzzles, Ban-
tam Books, New York, November 1981, pp 16-23.
SEE ALSO
X(1), xrubik(6), xskewb(6), xdino(6), xpyraminx(6), xoct(6),
xmball(6), xpanex(6), xcubes(6), xtriangles(6), xhexa-
gons(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