From cube-lovers-errors@oolong.camellia.org Thu Jun 19 12:31:32 1997 Return-Path: cube-lovers-errors@oolong.camellia.org Received: from oolong.camellia.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by oolong.camellia.org (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id MAA06811; Thu, 19 Jun 1997 12:31:31 -0400 Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@oolong.camellia.org Message-ID: <33A8DBC4.2A8F@snowcrest.net> Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 00:12:04 -0700 From: Joe McGarity Reply-To: joemcg3@snowcrest.net X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Josh D Weaver CC: "Mailing List, Rubik's Cube" Subject: Re: Square One References: <19970618.150557.11350.0.shaggy34@juno.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit After three months of agony and wondering if Square One was actually the puzzle box from Clive Barker's Hellraiser, I managed to come up with a solution that covered all the bases, i.e. worked every time. I have never tried to write it out in a step by step form however. I will try to cover the basics. First the puzzle looks like a Rubik's Cube when solved in that it is a cube with a solid color on each face, but the similarity ends there. Square One more closely resembles the Orb, Masterball and Smart Alex in the ways that it moves. If you can solve any of those you will be a step closer to the Square One. I see the square one as nearly identicle to the Smart Alex. The shapes of the pieces are different, but they move as a disk divided into sectors (exactly like the Masterball). There are six pieces on each face if you count the small sectors as half pieces. Count the pieces and you will see what I mean. The little ones are half the the size of the angle of the big ones. The idea then for me was to get the little ones paired up like the picture in the instruction booklet. Once they were paired correctly I could solve it just like the Masterball or Smart Alex making it look like it did when it was new in the package (remember it came in a slightly scrambled state with instructions on how to solve it from there in about six moves). Then I could just follow the booklet for the final part. Like I said it took three months and scores of note paper to finally get it. When I did, the walls opened up and the Cenobites took me away, but it was worth it. I hope I haven't caused more confusion. It is difficult to describe without having one in my hands to show you. This is just a sketchy overview of how I solve it. If I get a chance to document this solution I will send you a copy, but it probably won't be for a while. I'm sure that someone has a better solution and I'd be interested in seeing what others have come up with. My solution takes about twenty minutes to do and there must be a faster way. The ones I have trouble with are the Sqewb and the Alexander's Star. Anybody got a good solution for any of these? Joe McGarity