# Oddly compelling little game... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 10, 2005, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364 "2005-02-10T06:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/41 "2005-02-11T03:29:00Z")
Holy Cow! 2463! Good time to stop, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecc23a/32.png) [@Uncle\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/42 "2005-02-11T03:55:26Z")
2137 on my 5th try. Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/43 "2005-02-11T03:57:38Z")
Now I’ve reached 2421, and I’ll stop here. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/44 "2005-02-11T04:16:30Z")
1816 is my best so far. ^o^/ ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/45 "2005-02-11T04:31:58Z")
> [@Rooves](#): > > Even more interesting is how the two OP’s posted this within a minute of eachother. I know. I guess my suspicion of sock puppetry was unfounded. Just kidding, guys. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/46 "2005-02-11T05:47:33Z")
2393 on my first try! Let’s hear it for dumb luck, folks… ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/47 "2005-02-11T06:08:47Z")
> [@Rooves](#): > > Even more interesting is how the two OP’s posted this within a minute of eachother. It’s because we both got the link from the same place, the [Nodwick comic strip homepage.](http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/nodwick/index.htm) And to **Nightwatch Trailer** , may you become the henchman of a wizard and fighter who care about you only as trap activator and cannon fodder, and constantly resurrected by a cleric who’s too naive to stop them. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/48 "2005-02-11T08:38:13Z")
Ok, **I WIN!!!** 3059 I made a spiral pattern 2 thick that went counter clockwise. Any pattern close to that will always get you over 2000. I don’t think you can get an infinite score since you’re going to constantly have pieces at the edge becoming unusable by their direction. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/49 "2005-02-11T09:09:17Z")
Hmm, maybe I got a bit over competitive. But damn that took a long time to set up. I got a slightly lower score with a 1 block wide counter clockwise grid. Build it like a box of dynamite. A slow burning piece on the bottom and right made to set off the rest of the box wasn’t a good setup. Barely 1000. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/50 "2005-02-11T14:11:32Z")
> [@Fern Forest](#): > > I don’t think you can get an infinite score since you’re going to constantly have pieces at the edge becoming unusable by their direction. It would be possible, I think, if you could optionally arrange the pieces any way you liked, without triggering a cascade (i.e. you could have ‘connected’ lines like in the opening configuration); the only pieces that can put themselves permanently out of play are the corners; if the concave side of the curve faces the corner, it is inaccessible - ordinary edge pieces may make themselves inaccessible from one direction only at the expense of making themselves available in the other. The trick would be to have a pattern that involves several separate regions of activity that reverse each other’s action. I haven’t worked out how it could be done yet, although I have managed to set up configurations that will sweep the entire board (like the ‘walker’ configurations in Conway’s _Life_). ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/51 "2005-02-11T14:24:31Z")
The site seems to be down for me. Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![ice1000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ice1000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ice1000)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/52 "2005-02-11T21:37:03Z")
Works for me…I just got 2677 ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/53 "2005-02-11T22:21:06Z")
> [@Fern Forest](#): > > Ok, **I WIN!!!** 3059 NOT ANYMORE!!! **3110** , no setup ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/54 "2005-02-12T00:02:17Z")
Here’s a mathematical question: are you more likely to get good results on a freshly random board, or one in which one or two cascades have already been made? (Sorry if the answer’s obvious; I’m NOT a math person.) ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/55 "2005-02-12T01:04:03Z")
I got 2792 on my first try and nothing good since. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/56 "2005-02-12T02:06:35Z")
Up to 2992 but haven’t broken the 3K barrier yet. I find I have my best luck if I just set it going and proceed on with other business. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/57 "2005-02-12T02:10:43Z")
I do try to break up any circles before I make my “real” attempt, since circles are basically dead spots. Also any semicircles on the edges, for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/58 "2005-02-12T22:54:35Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > NOT ANYMORE!!! > > **3110** , no setup :eek: ☹ :mad: **NOT A FINGA!!!** Damn, there went my first SDMB victory since Technosphere, sigh. And now I miss my herbies. Anyway it is impossible to get an infinite score. The reason is no matter where your action is you’ll always have 4 corners. Even if you avoid the edges and try and keep your action in the middle. There are 4 possibilities in a corner situation. Let’s take a bottom left corner and your links are [ul]1. Down and to the left[list]A dead square[/ul] 2. Down and to the right[ul]You have only 1 actionable link If it is used you make one clockwise turn and end up at possibility 1[/ul] 3. Up and to the right[ul]You have two actionable links If one is used you make one turn clockwise and end up at possibility 2 If both are used you make 2 clockwise turns and end up at possiblity 1[/ul] 4. Up and to the left[ul]You have one actionable link When used you make one clockwise turn and end up and possibility 3[/ul][/list] No matter what you do those corners will die soon after being touched, making 2 new corners waiting to spoil your fun. Even if you’re staying in the middle you’ll eventually be locked into an increasingly smaller space until your fun ends. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/59 "2005-02-12T23:23:03Z")
I made a different pattern. This one stepped and designed to try and delay the big hoarde in the middle as long as possible. My new total? 3362 and just now 3305 The patterns are hard to describe. Pointing left and up for the bottom 2 rows. The moving right I hit 4 rows high at 9th and 10th column, 6 high at the 11th and 12th column, and 8 for the 13th and 14th column. Then I repeated that shape and orientation around the square. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/60 "2005-02-13T21:07:01Z")
How about posting a screen shot of your setup here? [http://www.goonse.cx/](http://www.goonse.cx/) I found a very simple setup that gets 2391. 3 leftmost columns, arcs in lower right corners. Other columns, arcs in upper right. Click on the square in the lower right corner of the grid. For some reason, I wouldn’t get the same result with the whole pattern rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise (including the orientation os the individual squares), even though they should be equivalent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364.md?page=4)