King's Challenge?

[Big Kahuna]

On my second play-through I got perfect 10's on all 33 puzzles, and unlocked the King's Challenge. After about 1 hour of trial-and-error, and then another 30 minutes of attempted brain work, I finally came up with a fool-proof solution.

Warning - if you want to figure out King's Challenge for yourself and have the immense satisfaction that comes along with that, do not read the spoiler text. The spoiler text is only for people who want a quick and easy solution or who want to be able to repeat it every time.

This solution works every time for me. Let me know if it works the same for you or not: R,L,R,R,L,L,R,L,L,L,R,R,R,L,L,L,L,L, Submit.

R = turn the right circle once
L = turn the left circle once

I don't know if it matters or not but my starting circles look like this:

- 1 - 5 -
4 - 1 - 5
4 - 2 - 6
- 3 - 6 -

Congrats to Telltale on a second great Puzzle Agent game. I loved it.

Take care everyone!

[Soultaker]

Impressive. That seems to be the best possible solution. I think the starting configuration is fixed, so everyone has the same puzzle.

Did you figure out a general strategy? I tried to think about things like sequences of moves that swap only two numbers, and although they do exist, they aren't very simple.

To experiment I hacked together my own implementation of the game, which others might find useful too:
http://hell.student.utwente.nl/kingschallenge/

The main feature is that it allows you to start from a random position, which offers a bit more variation. I still have a lot of difficulty solving these positions!

(People that haven't unlocked the King's Challenge in the game but want to try it anyway can use the original configuration here. The goal is to rearrange the numbers so that each wheel contains numbers 1 through 6, with the numbers on the left wheel ordered clockwise, and those on the right counterclockwise, with the 1 on top on both wheels.)

[Big Kahuna]

Soultaker, I absolutely love what you did with the King's Challenge on your site. It's like hundreds of different King's Challenges all rolled into one. I am definitely going to explore the puzzle's variations more. I really like the puzzle, and while it is frustrating, it was very rewarding to figure it out, especially the first time.

And if anyone ever wants to discuss possible strategy, solutions, tactics, etc. for this puzzle, I am game. Best puzzle in the game by my assessment.

I started off trying to think of a general strategy (how to switch only two number, or swap two numbers next to each other, etc.) but realized that when I reset the puzzle, the left circle had some numbers already in a row, I started looking for solutions from the start.

[henke37]

You know, this puzzle and the similar earth and suns puzzle seems awfully familiar. It is not the same puzzle, but the similarity is clear.

[Soultaker]

Hmm, I hadn't even realized Earth & Sun was basically a simpler variant of the same puzzle!

Re: Binary: you are probably comparing it with this puzzle, right?



Although it looks similar, it is much easier than the King's Challenge because the puzzle from binary has only three labels (in that regard it's like Earth & Sun) and two buffer slots which make it a lot easier to move stuff around.

edit: Why does this stupid forum convert my pristine 28KB PNG images to ugly JPEG images?

[Javi-Wan Kenobi]

If I remember correctly, either Machinarium or Samorost 2, and/or Safecracker, had a puzzle like that, but with three circles instead of two

[ted12]

Did it! Theres a screenshot on Steam.

[SpotsMcDots]

There seems to be two solutions without loops. One is the solution that Big Kahuna posted. Here is the second:


Left, Left, Right, Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Left, Left, Left, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Right.

[boumbh]

I found an other optimized solution: RLRRLLRLRRLLLLRRLR

By indexing the positions as:

- 6 - 0 -
7 - 5 - 1
8 - 4 - 2
- 9 - 3 -

Here are the shortest way to switch two numbers without changing the position of the others:
0<->1: RLLLLRRLLLRLRRLLLRRLRLLLR
0<->2: RRRRLRRLLRRRLLRLLLLLRRLLL
0<->3: RRRRLRLLRRLRRLRRLLRLR
0<->4: RRRRLLLRRLRRRRLLRLLRLLLLL
0<->5: RRLLLLRRLLLRLRRLLLRRLRLLL
0<->6: RRRLRRRLLLRRRLLLLLRLLRRLL
0<->7: RRLLRLRRRLRLLRRLRLLRL
0<->8: RLLRLRRRRRLRLLRRLRRLR
0<->9: RRRRRLLRRRLLLLRLLRRLLLRRL
1<->2: RRLLLRLRRLLLRRLRLLLRRLLLL
1<->3: RRRLRRRLLRRLLRLLLLLRRRLLL
1<->4: RRRLRLLRRLRRLRRLLRLRR
1<->5: RRRRLLLLLRLLRLLRRRRLRRLLL
1<->6: RLRRRRRLRLLRRLRRLRRLL
1<->7: RLLRLRRRLRLLRRLRLLRLR
1<->8: RRLRLLRLRRLLRLRRRLRLL
1<->9: RLLRRLRRLRRLLRLRRRRRL
2<->3: RLLLRLRRLLLRRLRLLLRRLLLLR
2<->4: RRLRRRRRLLRRRLLLLRLLRRLLL
2<->5: RRRRRLRLLRRLRRLRRLLRL
2<->6: LRRRRRLRLLRRLRRLRRLLR
2<->7: RRLRRLRRLLRLRRRRRLRLL
2<->8: RLRLLRLRRLLRLRRRLRLLR
2<->9: LLRRLRRLRRLLRLRRRRRLR
3<->4: LLLRLRRLRRLLLLRRLRRRRRLRL
3<->5: RRRRLLLRRLLLLLRLLRRRLLRRL
3<->6: RLLRRRLLRRLRRRRLLLRRLLLLL
3<->7: RLRRLRRLLRLRRRRRLRLLR
3<->8: LRLLRLRRLLRLRRRLRLLRR
3<->9: RRLRLLLRRLLLLRRLRRRLLRLRR
4<->5: RRRRLRRRLRLLRLLRLRLLLLRLLRL
4<->6: RRRRRLRRLRRLLLLRLLRRRLLLL
4<->7: LRRLRRLLRLRRRRRLRLLRR
4<->8: RRRLLRRLRRRRLLLRRLLLLLRLL
4<->9: RLRLLLRRLLLLRRLRRRLLRLRRR
5<->6: RRRRLRRLRRLLLLRLLRRRLLLLR
5<->7: RRRLLRRRLRLLLLRLRRLLLRLLR
5<->8: RRLLRLRRRRRLRLLRRLRRL
5<->9: RLLRRLLLRRLRRRRRLLRRRLLLL
6<->7: LRRRLRLLRRRLLRLRRRLLRRRRL
6<->8: RRRLLRRRRRLRRLLLRRLLRLLLL
6<->9: RRLRRLLRLRRRRRLRLLRRL
7<->8: LRRRRLLRRRLRLLRRRLLRLRRRL
7<->9: RRRRLLRRRLRLLRRRLLRLRRRLL
8<->9: RRRLLLRRRRRLRRLLRRLLLRLLL

Also, here is one of the 17 start positions which require a minimum of 23 moves to be completed (one move being one click):

- 5 - 1 -
3 - 5 - 1
6 - 4 - 2
- 6 - 4 -

Here is one of the 98 start positions which require a minimum of 16 moves to be completed (one move being pressing 'L', 'R', 'Shift'+'R' or 'Shift'+'L' on Soultaker's The King's Challenge page):

- 5 - 1 -
6 - 5 - 1
6 - 4 - 3
- 2 - 4 -

Finally, here is one of the 1949 start positions which require a minimum of 10 moves to be completed (one move being a free rotation of one of the disk):

- 6 - 1 -
5 - 4 - 1
4 - 5 - 2
- 6 - 3 -

PS: @Soultaker: Your script is very nice. Congrat!

[ted12]

Originally Posted by Javi-Wan Kenobi

If I remember correctly, either Machinarium or Samorost 2, and/or Safecracker, had a puzzle like that, but with three circles instead of two

It was Machinarium-You did it to unlock a safe and get the grapple gun.

[jclast]

Originally Posted by XStationCube

King's Challenge isn't in the filing cabinet, you unlock it when you finish every other puzzle (I'm not sure if getting Puzzle Agent ranking matters, but I did).

Where is it? I have all 33 solved and a rank of "Puzzle Agent!" but I don't see anywhere to access this puzzle.

[theBorgie]

Originally Posted by jclast

Where is it? I have all 33 solved and a rank of "Puzzle Agent!" but I don't see anywhere to access this puzzle.

You need a perfect on every puzzle to unlock it.