Hugo Simoes
simple living, careful thinking, collective fun


Blog

Category: ConnXxis

ConnXxis at GameBot.club

ConnXxis has moved to GameBot.club.

ConnXxis - screenshot

Its known highest score is still 72.
Can you find a better one?

December 23, 2022
ConnXxis, GameBot.club

ConnXxis Quest

I have just added the finishing touches to ConnXxis Quest.

ConnXxis Quest Feature Graphic

On mobile, I suggest adding the web page to the Home screen to make it work mostly as an app.

I hope someone enters the Hall of Fame...

EDIT 2022/12/27: ConnXxis Quest has moved to GameBot.club.

October 31, 2020
ConnXxis

ConnXxis - improved UI

I will keep the Prequel version of ConnXxis for people who would like to try some heuristics programatically, but other than that I recommend using this alternative version of ConnXxis I have just created based on my latest tile design.

ConnXxis with improved UI

The puzzle mechanics are still the same, but the user interface is now re-implemented with animations, multi-touch, and undo/redo support.

Showing that — although helpful — colors are by no means necessary to play ConnXxis, I also introduce a colorless theme that might be useful in an energy-saving mode.

ConnXxis with improved UI B&W

Over the next few weeks I will put the finishing touches, such as sound effects and a tutorial.
I will keep you posted...

September 30, 2020
ConnXxis

ConnXxis tiles

Just a quick update to share my new design of the ConnXxis tiles:

Redesign of the ConnXxis (physical) tiles

June 30, 2020
ConnXxis

ConnXxis - the puzzle and the quest for its optimal score

Back in 2010 I came up with a set of 20 hexagonal tiles together with a scoring system that I planned to release as a physical board game.
I was hoping those tiles could be used for different games, not unlike a deck of cards.
I called it ConnXxis (con-ek-sish) as a blend that combines the words "hexagonal connections", and where the capital X could be represented by one of the hexagonal tiles in a logo.

Prototype of the ConnXxis physical tiles

Over the years I have tried quite a few prototypes, both physical and digital.

Prototypes of the ConnXxis physical tiles

Today, I am happy to finally announce it, in an abstract representation only possible in the digital world.

Tiles

All 20 ConnXxis tiles

Each tile has 3 pairs of different letters, where three of those letters are capitals.
The 20 tiles have all combinations of the 6 letters: "a", "b", "c", "d", "e" and "f".
The first tile has "abc", the second has "abd", and so on, until the twentieth has "def".

Each tile connects to 6 other tiles

Each tile is connected to 6 other tiles through each of its 6 letters.

Scoring

How many points per connection?

Each connection between tiles is worth:
  2 points, if it has the same capital letter;
  1 point, if it has the same letter;
  1 point, if both letters are capitals;
  0 points, otherwise.

The score of a given setup is the sum of every connection.

Quest

Each tile can be rotated and any two tiles can swap position.

The minimum score is zero

The amount of possible board setups is a 34-digit number.
We cannot go through them all, but we know that the minimum score is zero.
How about the maximum score? We know that it cannot be higher than 90...

ConnXxis Hall of Fame

Help me find a better score and you can enter the ConnXxis Hall of Fame.
Let the quest begin! :)

May 29, 2020
ConnXxis, Prequel


Categories:
Archives: