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2 Games and Demos XPYRAMINX(6)
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xpyraminx - Pyramid X widget
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/usr/games/xpyraminx [-geometry [{width}][x{height}][{+-
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}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]] [-display [{host}]:[{vs}]] [-[no]mono]
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[-[no]{reverse|rv}] [-{foreground|fg} {color}] [-
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{background|bg} {color}] [-{border|bd} {color}] [-
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face{0|1|2|3} {color}] [-{size {int} | sticky}] [-{mode
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{int} | both}] [-[no]orient] [-[no]practice] [-delay msecs]
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[-{font|fn} {fontname}] [-username {string}]
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2 The original puzzle has 9 triangles per face (size = 3) and
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has period 3 turning (i.e. the face or points turn in 120
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degree intervals). The puzzle was designed by Uwe Meffert
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and called the Pyraminx. This has 2^5*3^8*6!/2 or
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75,582,720 different comibinations.
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2 Another puzzle Senior Pyraminx 3x3x3 exists only on paper,
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it has period 2 turning (i.e. edges turn with 180 degree
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intervals) but the corners would fall off unless it had some
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tricky mechanism. (This may be the same as the Master
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2 Pyraminx which has 446,965,972,992,000 different combina-
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2 Another puzzle (which was not widely distributed), the
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2 Junior Pyraminx (and similarly the Junior Pyraminx Star, a
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octahedron formed by two tetrahedra, this has 7!*3^6 or
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3,674,160 different combinations), has 4 triangles (size =
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2) per face. This puzzle has been recently reissued by Mef-
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fert as Pyramorphix (http://www.mefferts-puzzles.com). At
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the time I designed this computer puzzle thought that it had
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only period 2 turning (i.e the edges rotate). It turns out
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the puzzle has a period 4 turning (edges turn with 90 degree
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intervals) which makes it analogous to the 2x2x2 Rubik's
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cube. This puzzle makes various non-tetrahedral shapes.
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2 The puzzle contained here has no period 4 turning flexabil-
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2 One is able to simulate Halpern's Tetrahedron or Pyraminx
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2 Tetrahedron (period 3 turning and sticky mode). Also one
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is able to simulate one with variant turning (period 2 turn-
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2 Press "mouse-left" button to move a piece. Release "mouse-
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left" button on a piece on the same face and in the same row
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(but not an adjacent piece or the move is ambiguous). The
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pieces will then turn towards where the mouse button was
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2 Games and Demos XPYRAMINX(6)
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2 Click "mouse-center", or press "P" or "p" keys to toggle the
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practice mode (in practice mode the record should say "prac-
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tice"). This is good for learning moves and experimenting.
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2 Click "mouse-right", or press "R" or "r" keys to randomize
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(this must be done first to set a new record).
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2 Press "I" or "i" keys to increase the number of "facets".
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2 Press "D" or "d" keys to decrease the number of "facets".
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2 Press "O" or "o" keys to toggle the orient mode. One has to
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orient the faces in orient mode, besides getting all the
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faces to be the same color. To do this one has to get the
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lines to be oriented in the same direction, this only
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matters with center "facets", if at all (i.e. those
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"facets" not on a corner or edge). This does add complexity
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so there are 2 sets of records.
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2 Press "2", "3", "B", or "b" keys (not the keypad 2, 3) to
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change modes to Period 2, Period 3, or Both.
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2 Press "Y" or "y" keys to toggle sticky mode
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(increase/decrease is disabled here if sticky mode is on).
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"Sticky" and "Period 2" turning allows only the edges to
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turn, and the 2 center rows turn together. It is as if the
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middle cut of the three cuts did not exist.
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"Sticky" and "Period 3" turning allows only the faces to
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turn, it is as if the middle cut of the three cuts did not
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2 Beware, the "Sticky" mode is a hack and much could be done
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2 Press "S" or "s" keys to start auto-solver. Only works on
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1x1x1, 2x2x2, and 3x3x3 pyrmaminxs in Period 3 mode.
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2 Press "U" or "u" keys to undo move.
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2 Press "G" or "g" keys to get a saved puzzle.
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2 Press "W" or "w" keys to write or save a puzzle.
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2 Press "C" or "c" keys to clear a puzzle.
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2 Press "Esc" key to hide program.
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2 Press "Q", "q", or "CTRL-C" keys to kill program.
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2 Use the key pad, "R" keys, or arrow keys to move without
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2 Key pad is defined for Pyraminx as:
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2 Games and Demos XPYRAMINX(6)
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4<5>6 Left, Clockwise, Right
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2 Use the shift keys to access "Period 3" turns from "Both"
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mode, otherwise it assumes "Period 2" turning. Faces and
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points turn in "Period 3" and edges (2 points) turn in
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2 Use the control key and the left mouse button, keypad, or
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arrow keys to move the whole tetrahedron. This is not
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2 The title is in the following format (non-motif version):
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xpyraminx.{2|3|both<turning modes>}:
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{1|2|3|4|5|6|7|sticky<number of "facets" per edge>} @
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(<Number of moves>/{<Record number of moves>
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<username>|"NEVER noaccess"|"practice"}) - <Comment>
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2 If there is no record of the current puzzle, it displays
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-geometry {+|-}X{+|-}Y
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This option sets the initial position of the pyram-
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inx window (resource name "geometry").
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This option specifies the X server to contact.
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This option allows you to display on a color screen
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as if monochrome (resource name "mono").
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This option allows you to see the pyraminx window in
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reverse video (resource name "reverse").
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-{foreground|fg} color
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This option specifies the foreground of the pyraminx
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window (resource name "foreground").
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-{background|bg} color
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This option specifies the background of the pyraminx
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window (resource name "background").
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This option specifies the border color of the facets
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in the pyraminx window (resource name "border-
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2 Games and Demos XPYRAMINX(6)
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-face{0|1|2|3} <color>
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This option allows you to change the color of a face
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(resource name "faceColorN"). In mono-mode, color is
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represented as the first letter of the color name.
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The faces are ordered top to bottom and left to
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right. If you has two colors that begin with the
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same letter you should have one in uppercase and one
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in lowercase to distinguish them in mono-mode. You
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can change the colors of the faces to make a stupid
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pyraminx (i.e. all White or in mono-mode all "W").
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Unfortunately, it will not normally say its solved
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when its randomized. This would be cheating.
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This option allows you to change the number of
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facets on a edge (resource name "size").
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-sticky This option allows you to set the sticky mode
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(resource name "sticky").
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This option allows you to set the turning mode
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(resource name "mode").
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-both This option allows you to set the turning mode to
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both period 2 and period 3 (resource name "mode" set
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This option allows you to access the orient mode
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(resource name "orient").
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This option allows you to access the practice mode
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(resource name "practice").
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This option specifies the number of milliseconds it
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takes to move a tile or a group of tiles one space
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(resource name "delay").
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This option specifies the font that will be used
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(resource name "font").
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This option specifies the user name for any records
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made or else it will get your login name (resource
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2 You must randomize the puzzle before a record is set,
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2 Games and Demos XPYRAMINX(6)
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otherwise an assumption of cheating is made if it is solved
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after a get or an auto-solve.
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2 The format is not standard. The reason for this is that
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this is simple to produce and the standard notation is no
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good for variable number of "facets" and turning modes.
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2 Pyraminx with default colors, not randomized:
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size: 1-7 <number of triangles in the same orientation
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mode: 2-4 <period 2 turning, period 3 turning, or both
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orient: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then lines on
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"facets" to be oriented>
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sticky: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true; if 1 then some "facets"
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practice: 0-1 <0 false, 1 true>
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moves: 0-MAXINT <total number of moves>
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startingPosition: <2 dimensional array of face "facet"
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position, each face has size * size "facets", if orient
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mode then orientation number follows face number: 0 up,
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1 upper right, 2 right, 3 down, 4 lower left, and 5
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2 This is then followed by the moves, starting from 1.
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move #: <face> <position> <direction> <control>
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2 Each turn is with respect to a face and position.
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2 Position is 0 to size * size - 1. Position 0 is the trian-
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gle furthest from the center, increasing clockwise.
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2 Direction is represented 0 up, 1 upper right, 2 right, 3
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down, 4 lower left, 5 left, 9 clockwise, and 15 counter-
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2 Control is represented as 0 or 1, 1 if the whole tetrahedron
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is moved at once (here position does not matter), 0 if not.
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2 The xpyraminx record keeper does not count a control move as
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a move, but here we do.
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2 If you have a Pyraminx you can not solve (2x2x2 or 3x3x3),
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enter it in pyraminx.log file. Have size = 2 or 3, mode =
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3, orient = 0, practice = 0, randomized = 1, and moves = 0
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and the number representation for the color of the "facets"
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(usually 0=B, 1=R, 2=Y, 3=G). Bring up xpyraminx, hit 'g'
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so it will get your configuration and then 's' to solve your
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pyraminx and then 'w' to write out the steps. Then examine
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your pyraminx.log file.
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2 Games and Demos XPYRAMINX(6)
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2 James G Nourse, The Simple Solutions to Cubic Puzzles, Ban-
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tam Books, New York, November 1981, pp 8-15.
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2 Mastering the Magic Pyramid by Tom Werneck, Evans Brothers
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2 Limited, London, 1981. pp 109-111.
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2 Douglas R. Hofstadter, Beyond Rubik's Cube: spheres, pyram-
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ids, dodecahedrons and God knows what else, Scientific Amer-
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ican, July 1982, pp 16-31.
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2 John Ewing & Czes Kosniowski, Puzzle it Out: Cubes, Groups
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and Puzzles, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1982, pp
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2 Magic Cubes 1996 Catalog of Dr. Christoph Bandelow.
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2 X(1), xrubik(6), xskewb(6), xdino(6), xoct(6), xmball(6),
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xmlink(6), xpanex(6), xcubes(6), xtriangles(6), xhexa-
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(Reg.) Copyright 1994-2004, David Albert Bagley
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2 BUG_REPORTS AND PROGRAM UPDATES
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2 Send bugs (or their reports, or fixes) to the author:
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David Albert Bagley, <bagleyd@tux.org>
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2 The latest version is currently at:
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ftp://ftp.tux.org/pub/tux/bagleyd/xpuzzles
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ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/games/strategy
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added
removed
xpyraminx/xpyraminx.hlp
