CUBES(6)

NAME
       xcubes - Cubes X widget

SYNOPSIS
       /usr/games/xcubes                               [-geometry
       [{width}][x{height}][{+-}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]]    [-display
       [{host}]:[{vs}]]   [-{foreground|fg}   <color>]   [-{back-
       ground|bg}   <color>]   [-{border|bd}   <color>]   [-brick
       <color>] [-{size{x|y|z} <int>] [-username {string}]

DESCRIPTION
       This  is  basically a 15 puzzle.  The 15 puzzle was origi-
       nally made around 1879 (the 14-15 puzzle of Sam  Loyd  was
       made  soon  after).   Similar  3D puzzles include BloxBox;
       Qrazy Qube (2x2x2) by P. Hein of Denmark and  Varikon  Box
       'L  (3x3x3)  (Hungary)  and  Mad Marbles (3x3x3) by Toys &
       Games International USA.

FEATURES
       Click "mouse-left" button to  move  a  brick.   Clicks  on
       spaces  or clicks bricks that are not in line with a space
       will not move the bricks.  Notice one can move  more  than
       one brick at a time by clicking on the brick farthest from
       the space but in line with the space. Since you only  have
       a  2-D screen the next level down is either the box to the
       right of the current box or the bottom of the current box.

       Click  "mouse-right"  button, or press "R" or "r" keys, to
       randomize the puzzle.  One must double  click  on  "mouse-
       right" if the puzzle is currently being worked on.

       Press "I" or "i" keys to move brick in.

       Press "O" or "o" keys to move brick out.

       "S"  or  "s"  keys  reserved for the auto-solver (unimple-
       mented).

       Press "U" or "u" keys to undo move.

       Press "G" or "g" keys to get a saved puzzle.

       Press "W" or "w" keys to write or save a puzzle.

       Press "Q", "q", or "CTRL-C" keys to kill program.

       Use the key pad, "R" keys, or arrow keys to  move  without
       the mouse.
       Key pad is defined for Cubes as:
         /      Out

         8      Up
         ^
       4<5>6  Left, In, Right

         v
         2      Down

       The  control  key  allows  you to change the complexity of
       xcubes.  Hold down control key and use the keypad or arrow
       keys to reduce or enlarge puzzle complexity.

       The title is in the following format (non-motif version):
              xcubes:  <Number of rows>x<Number of columns>x<Num-
              ber of stacks> @ (<Number of moves>/{<Record number
              of moves> <username>|"NEVER noaccess"}) - <Comment>
       If there is no record of the current puzzle,  it  displays
       "NEVER noaccess".

OPTIONS
       -geometry {+|-}X{+|-}Y
               This option sets the initial position of the cubes
               window (resource Pname "geometry").

       -display host:dpy
               This option specifies the X server to contact.

       -{foreground|fg} color
               This option specifies the foreground of the  cubes
               window (resource name "foreground").

       -{background|bg} color
               This  option specifies the background of the cubes
               window (resource name "background").

       -{border|bd} color
               This option specifies  the  border  color  of  the
               bricks in the cubes window (resource name "border-
               Color").

       -brick color
               This option  specifies  the  brick  color  of  the
               bricks  in the cubes window (resource name "brick-
               Color").

       -size{x|y|z} <<int>>
               This option allows you to  change  the  number  of
               cubes  in  a  row, column, or stack (resource name
               "sizeA").

       -username string
               This  option  specifies  the  user  name  for  any
               records  made  or else it will get your login name
               (resource name "userName").

SAVE FORMAT
       The format is not standard.  The reason for this  is  that
       this is simple and I do not know what the standard is.
              sizeX: 1-8 <number of bricks in a row>
              sizeY: 1-8 <number of bricks in a column>
              sizeZ: 1-8 <number of bricks in a stack>
              moves: 0-MAXINT <total number of moves>
              startingPosition:  <array of tile positions where 0
              is the empty space>

       This is then followed by the moves, starting from 1.
              move #: <direction>
       Direction is represented as 0 up, 1 right, 2 down, 3 left,
       4 in, and 5 out.

       Caution: the program may crash on corrupted input.

REFERENCES
       Sliding  Piece Puzzles (Recreations in Mathematics Series)
       by L. E. Horden,  Oxford  University  Press  1986,  pp  1,
       157-159.

       Puzzles  Old  &  New (How to Make and Solve Them) by Jerry
       Slocum & Jack Botermans, University of  Washington  Press,
       Seattle, 1987, pp 126, 127.

SEE ALSO
       X(1) xrubik(6) xskewb(6) xdino(6) xpyraminx(6) 
       xoct(6) xmball(6) xmlink(6) xpanex(6) xtriangles(6) 
       xhexagons(6) xabacus(1) 

COPYRIGHTS
       (R) Copyright 1994-97, David Albert Bagley

BUG REPORTS AND PROGRAM UPDATES
       Send bugs (or their reports, or fixes) to the author
              David Albert Bagley,     lt;bagleyd@bigfoot.com

       The  most updated source could be found on ftp.x.org under
       /contrib/games/puzzles.