Message #237

From: Melinda Green <melinda@superliminal.com>
Subject: Re: [MC4D] Workable 3^5 Posted
Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 21:52:46 -0700

Roice does it again: Another tour de force! And thanks to Charlie who
I’m sure made it possible. I’m relishing this period–probably
short–between the implementation of this much-discussed monster and its
first solution. It’s really nice of Roice to publish it before he
performs his first solution in order to give others a chance to pluck
this lovely record. I hope some people are already attempting it. My big
question is not how long it will take for a first solution but how hard
it is and whether we’ll ever see a 2nd one!

I love your idea for the Hall of Insanity. I mean how does one even
begin to explain what it means to have your name listed there? I’m sure
that "insanity" will be a word that will come easily into the horrified
mind of any loved one listening to such an explanation. As much as I
want to add the list to the 4D hall-of-fame I sadly recognize that
that’s not where it belongs. I will however add prominent references to
it from the HOF. I do hope that nobody will want to move 5D discussion
topics to a separate Yahoo group. The 4D group may not have the perfect
name to include both but its stated purpose is certainly for all things
related to the 4D cube, and that certainly includes the 5D version.

Great job Roice. This is wonderful.
-Melinda

Roice Nelson wrote:
> Hey Guys,
>
> Charlie and I have a fully functioning MC5D puzzle for you now. The
> twisting is worked out as I had described and you can now save to a
> log file. You can also save all your projection settings, and keep a
> set of them if you want to easily switch between different views.
> There is macro support, and a number of other new little features and
> cleanups that make working with it nicer and more tractable. I’ve
> listed some specifics on the website (
> www.gravitation3d.com/magiccube5d
> <http://www.gravitation3d.com/magiccube5d>).
>
> I think development will probably slow at this point, but we’ll
> definitely keep improving it in the background. We still have a few
> things from the previous to do list (incorporating Melinda’s rotation
> code and stereo viewing are two that come to mind), and we’d
> appreciate feedback if you see anything that could be done better or
> would like to see something new.
>
> I’ve started doing a solution myself this week and should be able to
> complete it relatively soon. I’ll post it and any solutions you guys
> do on the site. Getting used to it is a lot like getting used to MC4D
> for the first time, and there are some new interesting scenarios to
> deal with because of the extra 5th dimension. Overall, I’d say the
> puzzle is more tedious though, mostly because of the number of cubies,
> but also because the twisting input is more complex. I’ve also had my
> brain play necker-cube like tricks on me more than once. It doesn’t
> happen too much, but stereo would probably help avoid this. Some
> things I am personally finding indispensable are:
>
> (1) Macros
> (2) Dimming pieces. This is currently allowed by piece type, but maybe
> needs to be allowed by slices in case someone wanted to solve using a
> layer-by-layer approach.
> (3) Having both buttons and sticker-clicking available for twisting.
> The click twisting is nice because it is more intuitive than thinking
> about axes labels. Using the buttons is nice because I can twist
> invisible faces without having to first make them visible.
>
> I was going to try to post a little blurb soon about the number and
> types of pieces in MC5D. I haven’t calculated the number of possible
> permutations yet. Anyone want to take a stab? I’d happily post
> something like what Eric did for MC4D on the site.
>
> Good luck to any of you who are going to attempt a solution! I was
> thinking of calling the MC5D solvers list the "Hall of Insanity" :)
> What do you think?
>
> Roice
>