SYNOPSIS

       /usr/games/xskewb                                            [-geometry
       [{width}][x{height}][{+-}{xoff}[{+-}{yoff}]]]                 [-display
       [{host}]:[{vs}]]   [-[no]mono]   [-[no]{reverse|rv}]  [-{foreground|fg}
       {color}]  [-{background|bg}   {color}]   [-face{0|1|2|3|4|5}   {color}]
       [-{border|bd} {color}] [-{font|fn} {fontname}] [-view {int}] [-[no]ori-
       ent]  [-[no]practice]  [-userName  {string}]  [-scoreFile   {filename}]
       [-scores] [-version]


DESCRIPTION

       The original puzzle has each face cut by a diamond, so that there are 5
       pieces, 4 corner pieces and one diamond piece in the center.  This  was
       designed  by  Uwe  Meffert and called the Pyraminx Cube.  Douglas Hofs-
       tadter later coined it a Skewb and it stuck.  The puzzle has  period  3
       turning  (i.e.  each  half turns with 120 degree intervals).  The Skewb
       has 2^5*3^8*6!/2^6 or 3,149,280 different  combinations  (with  centers
       oriented 2^5*3^8*6!/2 or 100,766,960 different combinations).

       More  recently,  Disney  released  Mickey's  Challenge, its a spherical
       skewb with a pretty good internal mechanism.   Mickey's  challenge  has
       2^5*3^8*6!/36  5,598,720  visually  different  combinations).   It also
       comes with a pretty neat book.  Also released is  the  Creative  Puzzle
       Ball or Meffert's Challenge which has 4 rings in different colors.

       Mach Balls of the Hungarian Gyula Mach are similar but they do not have
       a ratchet mechanism and do not turn as easily or  smoothly.   One  must
       match the 12 different symbols of 4 each at the 12 intersection points.


FEATURES

       Press "mouse-left" button to move a piece.  Release "mouse-left" button
       on  a  piece  on the same face.  (Clicks on diamonds are ignored).  The
       pieces will then turn towards where the mouse button was released.

       Click "mouse-center", or press "P" or "p" keys to toggle  the  practice
       mode (in practice mode the record should say "practice").  This is good
       for learning moves and experimenting.

       Click "mouse-right", or press "Z" or "z" keys, to randomize the  puzzle
       (this must be done first to set a new record).

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

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

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

       Press "R" or "r" keys to redo a move.

       Press "C" or "c" keys to clear the puzzle.

       "S" or "s" keys reserved for the auto-solver (not implemented).

         /     Counterclockwise

       7 8 9   Upper Left, Up, Upper Right
         ^
       4<5>6   Left, Clockwise, Right
         v
       1 2 3   Lower Left, Down, Lower Right
       Note:  Top,  Left,  Right,  and  Down only work when the control key is
       pressed and there is no analog for Skewb3d.

       If the mouse is on a diamond, the above keys will not move cube because
       the move is ambiguous.  Also if the mouse is on a triangle, not all the
       keys will function because the puzzle will only  rotate  on  the  cuts,
       i.e.  a  triangle  with a Upper Left - Lower Right cut will rotate only
       Upper Left & Lower Right, a triangle with a Upper Right  -  Lower  Left
       cut  will  rotate only Upper Right & Lower Left.  Therefore, a triangle
       can only move tangential to the center of the face. No  doubt  this  is
       confusing,  but  the  physical  skewb is the same way. In fact, that is
       part of its appeal.

       Key pad for Skewb3d, use must use your intuition (is this a cop out  or
       what?).   The key pad is defined differently depending on which side of
       the cube your mouse is pointing at.  One thing that stays the  same  is
       "5" is Clockwise and "/" is Counterclockwise.

       Use the control key and the left mouse button, keypad, or arrow keys to
       move the whole cube.  This is not recorded as a turn.

       The title is in the following format (non-motif version):
              xskewb{2|3}d<dimension>: (<Number of moves>/{<Record  number  of
              moves> <user name>|"NEVER noaccess"|"practice"}) - <Comment>
       If  there  is no record of the current puzzle, it displays "NEVER noac-
       cess".


OPTIONS

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

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

       -[no]mono
               This  option  allows you to display the skewb window on a color
               screen as if it were monochrome (resource name "mono").

       -[no]{reverse|rv}
               This option allows you to see the skewb window in reverse video
               (resource name "reverse").

       -{foreground|fg} color
               This  option  specifies  the  foreground  of  the  skewb window
               in uppercase and one in lowercase to distinguish them in  mono-
               mode.  You  can change the colors of the faces to make a stupid
               cube (i.e. all White or in mono-mode all  "W").  Unfortunately,
               it  will  not normally say its solved when its randomized. This
               would be cheating.

       -{border|bd} color
               This option specifies the border color of the cubelets  in  the
               skewb window (resource name "borderColor").

       -{font|fn} ontname
               This option specifies the font that will be used (resource name
               "font").

       -view <int>
               This option allows you to change  the  view  of  the  cube  for
               OpenGL with choice of 4 views (resource name "int").

       -[no]orient
               This option allows you to access the orient mode (resource name
               "orient").

       -[no]practice
               This option allows you to access the  practice  mode  (resource
               name "practice").

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

       -scoreFile filename
               Specify an alternative score file (resource name  "scoreFile").

       -scores This option lists all the recorded scores and then exits.

       -version
               This option tells you what version of xskewb you have.


RECORDS

       You  must  randomize  the  puzzle  before a record is set, otherwise an
       assumption of cheating is made if it is solved after a get.


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.

       Skewb2d with default colors, not randomized:
         0       R     Red
       1 2 3   B W G   Blue, White, Green
         4       P     Pink
         5       Y     Yellow

       Direction is represented as 0 upper right, 1 lower right, 2 lower left,
       3 upper left, 5 clockwise, 7 counterclockwise, 8 up, 9 right, 10  down,
       and 11 left.
       Control  is represented as 0 or 1, 1 if the whole cube is moved at once
       (here the corner does not matter), 0 if not.  The xskewb record  keeper
       does not count a control move as a move, but here we do.


REFERENCES

       Beyond  Rubik's  Cube:  spheres,  pyramids, dodecahedrons and God knows
       what else by Douglas R. Hofstadter, Scientific American, July 1982,  pp
       16-31.

       Mickey's Challenge by Christoph Bandelow.

       Magic Cubes 1996 Catalog of Dr. Christoph Bandelow.


SEE ALSO

       X(1), xrubik(6), xdino(6), xpyraminx(6), xoct(6), xmball(6), xmlink(6),
       xpanex(6), xcubes(6), xtriangles(6), xhexagons(6), xabacus(6)


COPYRIGHTS

       (R) Copyright 1994-2006, David Albert Bagley


BUG REPORTS AND PROGRAM UPDATES

       Send bugs (or their reports, or fixes) to the author:
              David Albert Bagley, <bagleyd@tux.org>

       The latest version is currently at:
              ftp://ftp.tux.org/pub/tux/bagleyd/xpuzzles
              ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/games/strategy



V7.2.4                            11 Oct 2006                        XSKEWB(6)