COLORGAME III - Helper Applet

Welcome to COLOR GAME III

This page is the third of a series and the others (C G I, C G II) should be viewed first.
(because this one won't make any sense otherwise)
The original version of Color Game actually uses colors.
The numeric version changes colors to numbers, and preserves the horizontal layout.
Astonishing as it may be at first appearance, this applet is the same game !!
Here the layout is flipped 90 degrees, but the true structure emerges.

The rows are of two kinds:

numbered transform rows represent the colored boxes of the original game, and
connection, or bar, rows (all the others) allow transforms to be connected in the pairs and threes which make up the game.

A transform is an advance (across) to the next state of one of the boxes. They are connected in pairs and threes (up and down by vertical bars) because each click in the color game "Double Treble", advances two or three adjacent boxes.

The initial configuration is the minimal set of transforms which will achieve the stated goal position. Often, additional transforms must be added because some rows do not have enough neighbors (above or below) to be fully connected, or because the total is not of the required 5n or 5n+2 form. Transforms are added in groups of seven, since cycling a box through all seven colors returns it to its original state.

Transforms and connections may be moved from side to side to allow connections.

Unconnected transforms are shown in gray; when connected they brighten. The first column is the starting position and does not get connected. Connections wrap from the last row back to the top, where they appear.

Connections of 2 are shown in white; 3 in yellow; Red means more than 3 (not allowed). Blue means the connection has no transform on one side or the other (either above or below).

Making the right connections solves the puzzle - i.e., it leads to a solution of the corresponding color game puzzle. For a solution to be feasible, the number of "2s" must be equal to, or one greater than, the number of "3s", and each transform must used once so that the same number appears before and after "of". This implies that the total number transforms (following "of") is of the form 5n or 5n+2. When all these conditions are met, the counter boxes turn green

You can solve for 1 to 14 boxes and specify one goal (ending value) between 0 and 6 for the even rows and the same or a different goal for the odd rows.

Reset clears all bars and, if the inputs have changed, reconfigures the boxes.

Here's an example.

What you can do	How
Add/Remove Transforms	in blocks of 7
Add seven	Click empty box in transform row
Remove seven	Click first 'x'
Add/remove connections	Left mouse to select and flip
Single	Click empty box to add, bar box to remove
Multi	Left mouse press on first of range, drag right to select; release at end
Move columns within same row(s)	Right mouse to select; left mouse to place
Single	Right click to select; left click to place
Multi	Press right mouse on first of range, drag right/down to select more; left click at destination.