Setup and Rule Diagrams

[Administrator]

Setup and Rule Diagram Explanation

This is an Advanced Linear Game.

This setup is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[Adam Tyson]

My approach to setting up this game is to do templates (because I love them, but also because this is a great game in which to do them). Here's the basics:

The base should be two rows of three spaces each, one for Plow 1 and one for Plow 2, like this:

1. _ _ _
2. _ _ _

Number those spaces 1-2-3 underneath the base.

M has to be first in one of the two rows, so I showed it as a split option. That means I put M/ in the first space for Plow 1, and /M in the first space for Plow 2. It has to be in one of those two spaces.

G and H must be in the same row, so I wrote them next to each other and put a circle around them (a circle rather than a box to show that their order isn't determined).

Then, a conditional rule: J + L L-J.

Finally, I put a K next to the row for Plow 1. You could also put a not-law for K next to the row for Plow 2, if you wish.

Finally, the templates. I based them off of two things - the GH block and the placement of M.

First template: G and H are done by Plow 1. This means 1 has G, H, and K, and they can go in any order. M is first for Plow 2, and since it must also clear J and L, L is 2nd and J is 3rd - MLJ.

1. (G, H, K)
2. MLJ

Second template: G and H are done by Plow 2, and M is done by Plow 1. This puts M first in the Plow 1 row, with K and either J or else L. That means Plow 2 has G, H, and the other of L or else J, and they can go in any order.

1. M (K, J/L).
2. (G, H, L/J)

Third template: Plow 2 does M, G, and H, with M in the first spot and the other two are interchangeable in the other two spots. J and L are both done by Plow 1 along with K, and L has to be before J.

1. (K, L-J)
2. M G/H H/G

These three templates cover every possible solution and will allow you to attack the questions with complete confidence, allowing you to move quickly and accurately through all the questions!

[Adam Tyson]

And just to elaborate on that third template, the first row with the parentheses around it should be read as "K is in any one of these three spaces, and L is before J in the other two spaces." That means it could be KLJ, or LKJ, or LJK. Just make sure that within that row L is always before J, no matter which two spaces they occupy!

[npant120]

My approach to setting up this game is to do templates (because I love them, but also because this is a great game in which to do them). Here's the basics:

The base should be two rows of three spaces each, one for Plow 1 and one for Plow 2, like this:

1. _ _ _
2. _ _ _

Number those spaces 1-2-3 underneath the base.

M has to be first in one of the two rows, so I showed it as a split option. That means I put M/ in the first space for Plow 1, and /M in the first space for Plow 2. It has to be in one of those two spaces.

G and H must be in the same row, so I wrote them next to each other and put a circle around them (a circle rather than a box to show that their order isn't determined).

Then, a conditional rule: J + L L-J.

Finally, I put a K next to the row for Plow 1. You could also put a not-law for K next to the row for Plow 2, if you wish.

Finally, the templates. I based them off of two things - the GH block and the placement of M.

First template: G and H are done by Plow 1. This means 1 has G, H, and K, and they can go in any order. M is first for Plow 2, and since it must also clear J and L, L is 2nd and J is 3rd - MLJ.

1. (G, H, K)
2. MLJ

Second template: G and H are done by Plow 2, and M is done by Plow 1. This puts M first in the Plow 1 row, with K and either J or else L. That means Plow 2 has G, H, and the other of L or else J, and they can go in any order.

1. M (K, J/L).
2. (G, H, L/J)

Third template: Plow 2 does M, G, and H, with M in the first spot and the other two are interchangeable in the other two spots. J and L are both done by Plow 1 along with K, and L has to be before J.

1. (K, L-J)
2. M G/H H/G

These three templates cover every possible solution and will allow you to attack the questions with complete confidence, allowing you to move quickly and accurately through all the questions!

Hello! Thank you for the thorough explanation. I had a question - how did you know to use templates here? I seem to always miss good opportunities for templates on Advanced Linear games and even on this game I thought about using templates because of G and H, but then was not sure about it because they could go in any order and there was the added dimension of M. I saw that you based your templates off of the combination of G, H and M. Is this something we can typically do? As in using 2 different rules and their interaction to create templates? Just trying to better understand your thought process as I think templates would have really helped me on this game.

[Adam Tyson]

I didn't so much know that it was going to be a templates game; it was more like I thought it might be, so I tried it. That's how I approach a lot of games, always asking myself whether it could be a templates game, so that I almost never miss a chance to take that approach when it's the right one.

And yes, it's often the case that the decision to make templates comes not from a single rule, but from the interaction between several rules. Maybe it's a block of two variables combined with another variable that is limited to one of two spaces; or maybe it's a long sequence that, because of some limitation on one variable in the sequence, can only fit in the base two or three ways; or maybe it's two spaces that can each only contain one of two variables, potentially limiting the game to four combinations of those variables.

I approach every game with a mental checklist of things to consider. I always ask myself "what's going on here numerically" and "do some of these rules involve the same variable or the same group or space in the base" and "does it look like the game is restricted enough to make templates the right approach." Don't start with the assumption that templates will not work; start with being open to the possibility that they will!