[Promo Codes] Lost Qubixle

Discussion in 'Promo Codes and Contests' started by taishou, Oct 11, 2015.

  1. y2kmp3

    y2kmp3 Well-Known Member

    Jun 25, 2010
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    #21 y2kmp3, Oct 22, 2015
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2015
    I found this game entirely by chance and was intrigued by the feedback posted here by TheGreatEscaper and 9x16 since I know both of them are expert puzzle fans.

    I, too, am a big fan of perspective puzzles. The core mechanic, though not new, is well implemented in this game. However, like TheGreatEscaper and 9x16 have alluded to, there is a fatal flaw when leveraging such perspective mechanic into a puzzle.

    This is because it is trivial to solve such a puzzle by simply using a quick test to determine if a particular cubic space should be occupied or not. I am not sure if this is the "brute force" method of tackling the solution which was mentioned in a previous post, but the method is systematic and requires no need to "spatially reason out" the location of each block ahead of time. A simple description of this method is as follows:

    1. Of the three faces (side, front, top), pick the side that has the least number of positions occupied. The cube face is 4x4 in size, so there is a maximum of 16 possible positions per face. For example, if the chosen face has a "shape" of a cube squarely positioned in the middle, then the face should have 4 of its 16 possible positions occupied.

    2. Once you figured out the positions on the above face that are needed to be occupied to create the shape, create an entire column of this same shape (that is, 4 collections of blocks composing this shape that are stacked on top of each other). This will create, without fail, a situation in which all of the needed cubic spaces are lit up green. However, there are now extra unwanted cubic spaces which are lit up red.

    3. The final step is to determine which blocks need to be eliminated. Looking at the other two faces, delete ALL columns of blocks that are lit red. For the remaining blocks, eliminate one block at one time and check how this affects the layout. If a previously green-lit cubic space disappears, then you know this cubic space requires a block. If none of the lit cubic spaces change, then you know this is a cube that can be eliminated safely.

    Admittedly, it would be easier to describe this strategy pictorially. Still, the core concepts should be self-evident and easily reproducible.

    This is one caveat to this otherwise blind approach. In rare cases, it is possible that you have prematurely eliminated a block that duplicates the effect of two (or even three) blocks, thus making it impossible to complete the level with minimum number of blocks. Should this case occur, simply "reverse" the order of your block removal so that the more "useful" block would not be eliminated prematurely to avoid this unusual scenario.

    PS: As an aside, the timer achievement is entirely unnecessary and meaningless. This is because once the solution is known, the level can be repeated quickly to achieve a better time.

     
  2. Gwarmaxx

    Gwarmaxx Well-Known Member

    Feb 2, 2010
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    MT9YT6JYERAP taken...

    thanks a lot!
     

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