Message #2909

From: mananself@gmail.com
Subject: Re: [MC4D] RE: MPUltimate 1.5
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 10:26:38 -0800

Andrey, this is remarkable. I was also solving the 2C pieces of the 120Z puzzle during my commute, but didn’t get far. I divided the 72 orbits into 6 groups and planned to solve 2 groups first. Since the puzzle is too large, I ended up solved some orbits in these two groups and some others in other unplanned groups. It’s so hard to keep track of what has been solved especially when I change the 4D view. And I’m no where near the challenge you described in 3C. I don’t know if I will continue.

About the move count as an odd number, my solution of mirror Z 24 cell is also odd. I thought the scramble length might be odd. When I programmed RefleCube, the scramble length could be 50 or 51 moves, so that a solver can’t use the counter to fix parity.

I think the parity situation in the mirror z puzzles is very interesting. But few people have the background to appreciate it. I’m thinking of abstracting it out and making a series of puzzles by themselves. They are similar to "lights out" but with symmetric, polyhedral geometry. For example, think of a cube, where edges are lights. Clicking the vertices turns the adjacent edges on or off. This is an abstracted version of the 2c orbits in mirror Z 24 cell. Do such games exist? People with no Rubik’s cube knowledge should be able to solve some of them.

My favorite puzzle is the Rubik’s Cube. But Melinda said this doesn’t count. The next one maybe Complex 3x3x3. It’s mathematically neat and challenging. This page has a simulator but lacks a good description of the puzzle…

http://twistypuzzles.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22353

Nan