Ostegolectr1c
Level: Master Delver
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Registered: 03-14-2005
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OK, i'm really, really stuck on this room. I managed to complete all other rooms after a few tries, but this one (the last one) is like ...hell. can someone give me hints or just spoil the solution for me ?

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StuartK
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I don't think there are any simple hints, except grab some graph paper and start experimenting. Following a pattern might help to a degree, but at some point you have to disrupt the pattern to finish the board.

As it's a classic puzzle, you'll find a whole bunch of web help on it. Just google 'Knights tour' for multiple solutions and analysis. There are also flash/java implementations which will allow for easier experimentation than the version in this hold e.g.

http://enchantedmind.com/puzzles/knights/knight.html

Click on 'trace' and if you find a solution, it'll have a record of the numbers for you to follow.

Ostegolectr1c
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 116
Registered: 03-14-2005
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ok, since i finished this hold i'll post a hint for this room. i think it's the hardest in this hold. So if you are really stuck use this and find the other moves left (marked as "?"). From left to right:









Hope that helps.

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[Last edited by Ostegolectr1c at 07-13-2005 10:42 PM : typo]

Hikari
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I'm gonna agree with subkel from all those months back. I'm apparently no good at this, as I've been working on this problem for several hours and can't work out the end bit off of that path we were given.

It's stupid, I got the one of these in the JtRH version easily, but can't solve this modified version at all.

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Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
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subkel wrote:
I feel silly posting after someone gives about two thirds of the solution, but I just can't get it. I love math puzzles, but I can't stand chess puzzles. I don't mind playing chess, I just mind chess players, they're so full of themselves (no offense intended, but it's true), so I don't play much. I'm not sure what to do.

Well, this is not a chess puzzle in any shape or form. There is no record of a chess game ever winding down to whether 1 player could visit a section of roughly 3/4s of the board without ever visiting the same square twice. Nor is it a common opening manoeuvre.

Why don't you look at things differently... it may overcome your predilection to hating all things chess.

Just imagine trying to tile Tetris L shapes where each end has to overlap the beginning of the next and those overlapped squares are no longer visitable - the others are. It's the same puzzle, but hopefully with a better tangent for you (if you prefer Tetris).

I'm a chess player and haven't solved it.

Hikari
Level: Smiter

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I'm not treating it as a chess puzzle... I just can't seem to figure out how to work in that little 4x5 area left over by the hints. I've gotten a few moves away from a solution, but always seem to dead-end with two or three spaces left.

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Syntax
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Hikari wrote:
I'm not treating it as a chess puzzle... I just can't seem to figure out how to work in that little 4x5 area left over by the hints. I've gotten a few moves away from a solution, but always seem to dead-end with two or three spaces left.

Hence I didn't quote you
I realise now it was more of a necromancy than I thought, but got rather annoyed by the "all chess players are so up themselves" and then the b'hit catch-all "(no offense intended, but it's true)" comment that I thought I'd put an angle on it.

I agree with you... this is a hard room. I had quite a few #1s on this hold last time I looked but never got round to solving this one. I'm sure the 3/4er solution mentioned above should help greatly, but haven't read it as I don't want hints 'til I've at least solved a room.

Best of luck with it though

Did I tell you how you can pretend it's actually a tetris puzzle and then if you tile th......

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[Last edited by Syntax at 07-25-2006 10:02 PM]

Hikari
Level: Smiter

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....I think the hint in this thread is slightly flawed; after researching knight's tours, there's no solution to the starter path listed, as far as I can tell. However, using the hint that I found in the actual holds board thread for this, I was able to solve it. So... That sequence of the first 29 moves might be bad; there's other ways to do it that are quite possibly better.

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Insoluble
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Ostegolectr1c wrote:
ok, since i finished this hold i'll post a hint for this room. i think it's the hardest in this hold. So if you are really stuck use this and find the other moves left (marked as "?"). From left to right:

Click here to view the secret text

×first row: 23 28 17 2 21 6 13 4

Click here to view the secret text

×second row: 18 1 22 25 16 3 10 7

Click here to view the secret text

×third row: 29 24 27 20 9 12 5 14

Click here to view the secret text

×fourth row: ? 19 ? ? 26 15 8 11

Click here to view the secret text

×fifth row: ? ? ? ?

Click here to view the secret text

×sixth row: ? ? ? ?

Click here to view the secret text

×seventh row: ? ? ? ?

Click here to view the secret text

×eight row: ? ? ? ?

Hope that helps.

I've poked around at this one for a long time using the suggested start above and seem to have arrived at a contradiction. If that setup is correct, it looks like I am required to end on either (13,17) or (1,29) since both of these orbs only path to (9,25) and (5,21) and they can't both connect up to those two or else you'd have a cycle. I tried deducing possible chains assuming first that (13,17) is the end then assuming that (1,29) is the end and came up with a contradiction in both cases. I'm aware of a lot of techniques for solving knight's tours, but all of those assume a rectangular grid and break down here. I also am aware that I may be able to get away with hitting an orb 3 times instead of once depending on how tight the timer is, but I'd rather not go there unless I have to.

So basically I'm done with this puzzle and would be happy for a complete spoiler. Requesting a demo or orb sequence please.

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mauvebutterfly
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File: TPoP Ground Floor 1S3E Victory.demo (3.7 KB)
Downloaded 44 times.
License: Public Domain

Here's a demo with my solution.

It uses a different sequence than the one in the secret tags. I can't confirm whether the secreted sequence is possible or not, but I can confirm that there is another solution at least.

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