Rene's Puzzles

[sluutthefeared]

Here's my solution to Plus Minus: birituk

[jnz]

While I was in my bed I was thinking (instead of sleeping  ) about Plus Minus: the topmost barrel should not be necessary!
So here it is the new challenge: radonad

How do you intend to distinguish between targets (x,y) and (x+8,y+8)?  Run the machine with (0,0) as the target and then again with (8,8).

Multiplying by 2 doesn't have an inverse mod 16. 

[Rene]

Another take on waterfall: zygecod.

* * * SPOILER WARNING * * *

The development of the injected pattern to equilibrium is dependent on the interdependent timing of the parts. I had to use trial-and-error to tune my solution, but it would be interesting to break it down to specific Rubicon rules to explain it deterministically. Hopefully, I've used enough big words in those last two sentences so that if you accidently slipped past the spoiler warning, you can stop reading now, with no harm done.

You used enough big words for me not to understand you 
All the individual movements can be explained from the Rubicon Laws of Physics (see http://kevan.org/rubicon/forums/index.php/topic,158.0.html), but - as usual with physics laws - the resulting reality is much more interesting and intriguing than the laws.

Here is my solution:

    Solution to Waterfall (tocedeh): gosefav

[Rene]

It is great to see all the different solutions to Plus Minus. Apparently, we all took the same approach, basing it on the fact that (A+B) + (A-B) = 2A, and then divide by 2. Surprisingly, we all took a different approach to do the division. Magilvia with a smart winch based approach, JF and me with a lookup table (although a different implementation of it), sluutthefeared with repeated subtraction of 2, and jnz with a binary selection tree. Here is my solution:

    Solution to Plus Minus vixodav: dycilah

I borrowed Bucky's template copier for this.

While I was in my bed I was thinking (instead of sleeping  ) about Plus Minus: the topmost barrel should not be necessary!
So here it is the new challenge: radonad

I hate to see that you loose any sleep over my puzzles, Magilvia, especially if it leads to fuzzy thoughts  Anyway, it would be worse if you would actually be dreaming of my puzzles 
JNZ is correct is stating that your challenge is not solvable. However, this one is:

    Plus Minus 2: kotugis

I have not worked out a solution myself yet.

EDIT: just worked out the solution. In my case, it was quite simple after solving Plus Minus. I also noticed that I speeded up Bucky's template copier too much in my original solution to Plus Minus (dukagab), causing it to fail on 'F'. That's fixed now.

[Magilvia]

How do you intend to distinguish between targets (x,y) and (x+8,y+8)?  Run the machine with (0,0) as the target and then again with (8,8).

Multiplying by 2 doesn't have an inverse mod 16.

I hate to see that you loose any sleep over my puzzles, Magilvia, especially if it leads to fuzzy thoughts  Wink Anyway, it would be worse if you would actually be dreaming of my puzzles

Of course jnz is right, it's quite obvious, shame on me   Don't know what I was thinking yesterday night: probably I was actually dreaming, so it is worse

Tonight I'll dreaming something weird on Plus Minus 2 

[jnz]

Magilvia's comment got me thinking that there must be a way to create a puzzle like Plus Minus but with only two barrel outputs.  So I made one: gopylab and then solved it: bydonyg.  By that time, Rene had already posted Plus Minus 2.

So I've adapted my solution above for Plus Minus 2 (kotugis): damydik.  The pattern of barrels at the bottom of the tree is no longer as pretty though.

[Rene]

Magilvia's comment got me thinking that there must be a way to create a puzzle like Plus Minus but with only two barrel outputs.  So I made one: gopylab and then solved it: bydonyg.  By that time, Rene had already posted Plus Minus 2.

So I've adapted my solution above for Plus Minus 2 (kotugis): damydik.  The pattern of barrels at the bottom of the tree is no longer as pretty though.

I actually like your version better, because it adds 0 or 1, instead of 8 or 1. I wanted to that as well, but couldn't find a compact way of doing it. My version is probably harder if you don't use some form of lookup table.
I like your solution as well, nice and clean. And it has the first practical use of the fact that ? is bigger than anything else.

[jnz]

I actually like your version better, because it adds 0 or 1, instead of 8 or 1. I wanted to that as well, but couldn't find a compact way of doing it.

I did it that way so that I'd end up with a barrel with the value of x rotated left by one bit.  I went with the tree for the right rotate but was hoping somebody else would come up with something a bit more clever.  This also has the advantage of mapping F to F so that I can save a bit of space at the far right of the tree.

I like your solution as well, nice and clean. And it has the first practical use of the fact that ? is bigger than anything else.

Thanks.  I think I've used that fact once before to make a one-shot up pipe that pushes the cargo off to the left at the top.  But I can't recall which level it was for.

[jf]

Another take on waterfall: zygecod.

* * * SPOILER WARNING * * *

The development of the injected pattern to equilibrium is dependent on the interdependent timing of the parts. I had to use trial-and-error to tune my solution, but it would be interesting to break it down to specific Rubicon rules to explain it deterministically. Hopefully, I've used enough big words in those last two sentences so that if you accidently slipped past the spoiler warning, you can stop reading now, with no harm done.

You used enough big words for me not to understand you 
All the individual movements can be explained from the Rubicon Laws of Physics (see http://kevan.org/rubicon/forums/index.php/topic,158.0.html), but - as usual with physics laws - the resulting reality is much more interesting and intriguing than the laws.

Here is my solution:

    Solution to Waterfall (tocedeh): gosefav

If you take the 3 barrel from my solution and shift it to the left, the puzzle fails. A new pattern solidifies. Yesterday, I thought this was due to the timing that the threes arrive from the left -- that is, even with the same tick spacing, arriving earlier or later in "the mess" affects the equlibrium reached. But, looking at it again today, I see it was a simple editing mistake. I had used hammers for style, and I see that one of the hammers which should be next to the three was accidently erased in my final editing, making the second level an every-other instead of constant stream. The top two hammers have to be in relative sync so that they clock together into the pattern, but the constant streams just have to show up, eventually, I believe. Occasionally, when I select an area with shift-click, to move a set of pieces elsewhere, what I actually do is shift-draw over a bunch of things with something, for example, girders, resulting in a big swipe across my work, followed shortly by, "&^%&^@!!", followed by recreating the drawn-over pieces.

[Rene]

The top two hammers have to be in relative sync so that they clock together into the pattern, but the constant streams just have to show up, eventually, I believe. Occasionally, when I select an area with shift-click, to move a set of pieces elsewhere, what I actually do is shift-draw over a bunch of things with something, for example, girders, resulting in a big swipe across my work, followed shortly by, "&^%&^@!!", followed by recreating the drawn-over pieces.

If you look at my solution, I have used no constant streams. The every-other streams are all in sync, so they always push the same row of falling crates. In fact, they push right through the first water curtain, never touching it.

The shift-click problem I have regularly as well, it is quite annoying. You have to hold down the shift key for a fraction of time before you can click. But I tend to forget that regularly.

[jf]

If you look at my solution, I have used no constant streams. The every-other streams are all in sync, so they always push the same row of falling crates. In fact, they push right through the first water curtain, never touching it.

I didn't notice that, that they go through the first water curtain. Now, I've watched it closely and it's quite clear how it works. It's a clean, elegant solution and I think illustrates nicely the concept of pushing streams sideways.

[Rene]

And while we're on the subject of pushing streams around, here is a puzzle with streams as well.

Remember Traffic Warden, the great puzzle of Hand-E-Food, where you had to direct 4 traffic streams around? If not, you should first play that one at http://kevan.org/rubicon/forums/index.php/topic,66.0.html.
In that puzzle you could slow down the traffic, so it was easier to handle. But what if you are in a place where slowing down traffic is not an option? What if traffic storms at you at full speed, and the only thing you can do is direct it around? Luckily it's only two streams this time, and you have an unlimited supply of expendable workers to help you out....

    Italian Traffic Warden: dakovur
   

[Magilvia]

Not much time for puzzle solving lately but here I am 
Waterfall tocedeh:cufitud
I think there's another glitch Rene: one can write into the square bottom right and block the F in place.
I found easier going for trial and error as done by jf. So I do not understand clearly what's happening. I'm quite lazy

Plus Minus: kotugis:ximanir
I try not to use any lookup table but the formula I used is not simple and the result is quite messy.

Jnz there's something weird in bydonyg. Try with A,8.

[Rene]

Not much time for puzzle solving lately but here I am 
Waterfall tocedeh:cufitud
I think there's another glitch Rene: one can write into the square bottom right and block the F in place.

I know, I saw it right after I posted the other patch. I did not want to post yet another patch, and blocking the F makes the puzzle just a little bit easier, and doesn't affect the main idea of it: that you need to push something through a falling water curtain.

Plus Minus: kotugis:ximanir
I try not to use any lookup table but the I used is not simple and the result is quite messy.

Impressive, is all I can say. I hope you did not loose any sleap over this one 

Here is my solution:

    Solution to Plus Minus 2 (kotugis): miborat

[jnz]

For Italian Traffic Warden (dakovur): tivopil.  That was a bit tricky getting the timing correct everywhere and trying to trim it down to the minimum necessary.

Jnz there's something weird in bydonyg. Try with A,8.

I just tried with A,8 and it worked fine for me.  What are you seeing exactly?