Well, this is embarrassing.
In my spare time I was creating a silly puzzle game based on Sokoban. When I created this level, I kicked the ice cubes around in various places and recorded where they landed. That was a year ago. Having forgotten the solution, I am trying to solve this puzzle again. After sinking over 8 hours into trying to figure it out, I am about ready to give up. Please help me if you can!
http://www.rphaven.org/cad/puzzleadv/ice.png
Puzzle rules:
- You control the character.
- If the character pushes an ice cube, it will slide until it hits a solid object.
- The space between the arrow blocks constitutes a conveyer belt; ice cubes can be freely moved between these spaces.
- Once an ice cube has been pushed off the conveyer belt, it can be pushed back onto the conveyer belt only if there is another ice cube blocking it from sliding over the conveyer belt.
- The arrow blocks are solid.
- To win, cover up all of the blue floor tiles with ice cubes.
I am going crazy with this, because I swear this puzzle was created directly from a test run, and therefore is possible to solve. However, I just can't seem to figure it out to save my life. If anyone could offer any tips, strategies, algorithms, or anything, I would be much obliged.
Also, if anyone wants, I can make a small EXE file so the puzzle can be tested in real time.
When you say the blocks can move freely on the conveyor belt, can you just move them to any point on the belt or do you actually have to be able to push them there with the guy? For instance, if you push the 5th block (from the left) down, can you move the 4th block over one to the right, or would the character actually have to be to the left of that block to push it right?
Joined: 4/20/2005
Posts: 2161
Location: Norrköping, Sweden
This reminds me a lot of the block puzzles in Goof Troop. I think I can give this a try (of course I can't promise any results, though), so you can go ahead and upload the exe file somewhere.
When you say the blocks can move freely on the conveyor belt, can you just move them to any point on the belt or do you actually have to be able to push them there with the guy? For instance, if you push the 5th block (from the left) down, can you move the 4th block over one to the right, or would the character actually have to be to the left of that block to push it right?
In the game, you can push the arrow blocks to cause all tiles between the arrow blocks to cycle. This means, you can freely move any ice cube on the conveyor belt to any other point on the conveyor belt.
I'll hack together that demo program and upload it tomorrow.
When you say the blocks can move freely on the conveyor belt, can you just move them to any point on the belt or do you actually have to be able to push them there with the guy? For instance, if you push the 5th block (from the left) down, can you move the 4th block over one to the right, or would the character actually have to be to the left of that block to push it right?
In the game, you can push the arrow blocks to cause all tiles between the arrow blocks to cycle. This means, you can freely move any ice cube on the conveyor belt to any other point on the conveyor belt.
I'll hack together that demo program and upload it tomorrow.
I think I've figured it out then. I'll try to make a vid using your demo program if I get around to it tomorrow.
I think I have narrowed down the problem I am having solving this. The fact that there is a white tile in each corner suggests that there should be only a maximum of four ice cubes touching the walls at once. But getting the white tile in the very center of the room covered up seems to require pushing a fifth cube away which hits a wall. If I could find a way to somehow block that fifth cube from hitting a wall, I think I would have the puzzle solved.
I can get 9 out of 10 in place, different ones if needed, but not all 10. Need some way to get blocks back on the conveyor after they have been used to place the other blocks...
I was only able to achieve victory by exploiting the demo nature of the program provided by CtrlAltDestroy, but I still think the solution is interesting. The move counter caps at 3001 moves.
I've not quite nailed down the mechanics of how it keeps track of which moves to undo after you have exceeded 3001, but I do know that it does not keep track properly. I think it keeps track of the first 3000 moves, then overwrites 3001 with the most recent move. So if you make move 2999, 3000, 3001, 3002, 3003, 3004 and then press backspace it will undo move 3004 and then move 3000. Sometimes this will allow impossible results, such as Ice Skating, or pushing blocks away from walls, or exiting the map and incurring error 6.
Most notable, it can be used to move the 10th block into position. I don't have a screenshot, but I did use this bug/feature to get a block back onto the conveyer belt as part of my solution.
I can get 9 out of 10 in place, different ones if needed, but not all 10.
same here… my strategy goes for the 2 central ones first, but maybe it’s wrong
edit: are we sure this is really possible? :/ I don’t see how you can get the center one while still only have 4 ice cubes at the borders… and it seems like you need 3 of them next to the 1-square-away-from-border places, and the 4th one at the bottom to set the others up… so with this, I don’t see how you can get the center :/
I can get 9 out of 10 in place, different ones if needed, but not all 10. Need some way to get blocks back on the conveyor after they have been used to place the other blocks...
^the same is happening to me, I honestly don’t think it’s solvable
throwing in the last 9-spots solution :P
random: just got solution #4 done in 260 moves (not optimized, would probably go around 230 if so)
I've not quite nailed down the mechanics of how it keeps track of which moves to undo after you have exceeded 3001, but I do know that it does not keep track properly. I think it keeps track of the first 3000 moves, then overwrites 3001 with the most recent move. So if you make move 2999, 3000, 3001, 3002, 3003, 3004 and then press backspace it will undo move 3004 and then move 3000. Sometimes this will allow impossible results, such as Ice Skating, or pushing blocks away from walls, or exiting the map and incurring error 6.
Most notable, it can be used to move the 10th block into position. I don't have a screenshot, but I did use this bug/feature to get a block back onto the conveyer belt as part of my solution.
[/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v205/SamuraiGoroh/Others/Ice_Sokoban/?action=view¤t=02.png]
[/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v205/SamuraiGoroh/Others/Ice_Sokoban/?action=view¤t=03.png]
[/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v205/SamuraiGoroh/Others/Ice_Sokoban/?action=view¤t=04.png]
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random: just got solution #4 done in 260 moves (not optimized, would probably go around 230 if so)
