xmlink - Missing Link X widget
/usr/games/xmlink [-geometry
[{width}][x{height}][{+-}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]] [-display [{host}]:[{vs}]]
[-[no]mono] [-[no]{reverse|rv}] [-{foreground|fg} {color}] [-{background|bg}
{color}] [-tile {color}] [-face{0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7} {color}] [-{border|bd}
{color}] [-[no]install] [-picture {filename}] [-delay msecs] [-[no]sound]
[-bumpSound {filename}] [-moveSound {filename}] [-{font|fn} {fontname}]
[-tiles {int}] [-faces {int}] [-[no]orient] [-[no]middle] [-base {int}]
[-userName {string}] [-scoreFile {filename}] [-scores] [-version]
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.
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
"Z" or "z" keys, to randomize the puzzle
(this must be done first to set a new record).
Press "R" or "r" keys to read a
saved puzzle.
Press "W" or "w" keys to save
(write) a puzzle.
Press "U" or "u" keys to undo a
move.
Press "E" or "e" keys to redo a
move.
Press "C" or "c" keys to clear
the puzzle.
"S" or "s" keys to start the
auto-solver. Only works on mxn where m = 4 and n = 4.
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).
Press ">" or "." keys to
speed up the movement of tiles.
Press "<" or "," keys to slow
down the movement of tiles.
Press "@" key to toggle the sound.
Press "Esc" key to hide program.
Press "Q", "q", or
"CTRL-C" keys to kill program.
Use the key pad 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> <user name>|"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".
- -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 the missing link window on a color
screen as if it were monochrome (resource name
"mono").
- -[no]{reverse|rv}
- This option allows you to see the missing link window in reverse video
(resource name "reverseVideo").
- -{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").
- -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.
- -{border|bd} color
- This option specifies the border color of the tiles in the missing link
window (resource name "orderColor").
- -[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 for the sliding of
(resource name "bumpSound").
- -moveSound
filename
- This option specifies the file for the move sound for the twisting of the
puzzle (resource name "moveSound").
- -{font|fn} ontname
- This option specifies the font that will be used (resource name
"font").
- -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").
- -base
int
- This option specifies the base used (default is base 10) (resource name
"base").
- -userName
string
- This option specifies the user name for any records made or else it will
get your login name (resource name "userName").
- -scoreFile
filename
- Specify an alternative score file (resource name
"scoreFile").
- -scores
- This option lists all the recorded scores and then exits.
- -version
- This option tells you what version of xmlink you have.
You must randomize the puzzle before a record is set, otherwise an
assumption of cheating is made if it is solved after a get.
Here is the format for the xmlink configuration, starting
position, and the movement of its pieces.
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.
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, Bantam
Books, New York, November 1981, pp 16-23.
X(1), xcubes(6), xtriangles(6), xhexagons(6), xbarrel(6),
xpanex(6), xmball(6), xpyraminx(6), xoct(6), xrubik(6), xskewb(6), xdino(6),
xabacus(6)
® Copyright 1994-2009, David A. Bagley
Send bugs (or their reports, or fixes) to the author:
David A. Bagley, <bagleyd@tux.org>
The latest version is currently at:
http://www.tux.org/~bagleyd/puzzles.html
ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/games/strategy