# 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:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**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, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/61 "2005-02-13T21:08:46Z")
P.S. Fern Forest, that’s great! ---
**Author:** ![MindWanderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@MindWanderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindWanderer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/62 "2005-02-13T21:21:46Z")
How are you setting up positions? I got 2656 without much setup on about my 10th try. I thought it was going to go alot longer but then it slowed down and stopped. ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/63 "2005-02-14T00:33:05Z")
1. ---
**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 14, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/64 "2005-02-14T04:15:24Z")
Damn, that’s a big number. Is that with a set up or from a reset? The best I can get today is 2898. If you’ll notice my last pattern it has a large diamond shape in the middle where I didn’t try anything for fear of setting off part of the pattern before it was ready. I think the more mixed that center is the better it is at keeping things going. When it goes it looks like a minute hand moving backwards/ ---
**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 14, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/65 "2005-02-14T04:38:39Z")
[3059](http://paintedover.com/uploads/show.php?loc=15&f=setup_1_3059.gif) Turn the bottom left square twice. ---
**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 14, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/66 "2005-02-14T04:48:58Z")
[3483](http://paintedover.com/uploads/show.php?loc=15&f=setup_2_3483.gif) same deal, turn the bottom left twice. BTW, it’s possible to cheat but I don’t think it actually helps you. While the thing is spinning around you can click really fast on other squares and they’ll start turning. The reason I don’t think it helps is it resets your score to zero. Maybe if you started a set up at 2 corners rather then just one. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/67 "2005-03-19T19:03:43Z")
The game this is based on goes by a few different names. I think its most common is “Chain Reaction” [http://www.blackdog.net/games/arcade/chainreaction/](http://www.blackdog.net/games/arcade/chainreaction/) That is the first version of “Chain Reaction” I googled. All of the games work on the same principle. Each cell or pod can only hold a certain number of items. when it hits its maximum number, it will disperse one item to each of its neighboring cells. I first encountered the game on a Midway Touchmaster Counter top coin op system a few years back under the name “Pods” ---
**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:** [March 19, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364/68 "2005-03-19T20:31:07Z")
The actual distribution of items in the cell gives Chain Reaction a flavor of a 2-d mancala or awari. I came across [Disinfect the Core](http://thejab.com/newsite/balm.html) again a few days ago, but it just now occurred to me that there’s a strong resemblance here, too. It has the rotating cells, although each cell has only one connector. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oddly-compelling-little-game/289364.md?page=3)