Message-ID:

"I have just one word for you, my boy...plastics." -- from "The Graduate"

devel / comp.lang.awk / Mastermind Puzzle/Game

Mastermind Puzzle/Game

<uimcb8$326i3$1@dont-email.me>

https://www.rocksolidbbs.com/devel/article-flat.php?id=1742&group=comp.lang.awk#1742

Path: i2pn2.org!i2pn.org!eternal-september.org!feeder2.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: porkchop@invalid.foo (Mike Sanders)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.awk
Subject: Mastermind Puzzle/Game
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2023 22:54:32 -0000 (UTC)
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
Lines: 49
Sender: Mike Sanders <busybox@sdf.org>
Message-ID: <uimcb8$326i3$1@dont-email.me>
Injection-Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2023 22:54:32 -0000 (UTC)
Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="bf36e58fb6963a9d704a94c2ff6ec7cd";
logging-data="3217987"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18XCkt8cB1jlxqCosxKot0W"
Keywords: Mike's Notes
User-Agent: tin/2.6.2-20221225 ("Pittyvaich") (NetBSD/9.3 (amd64))
Cancel-Lock: sha1:1dOF2Y+t8WKuRFzU9eGu0+amC94=

by: Mike Sanders - Fri, 10 Nov 2023 22:54 UTC

Can you guess the 4-digit key? Maybe you mistakenly think its easy?

Here's the header containing the download URL...

# tags: mastermind, bulls & cows, game, puzzle, awk, code
# # awk mastermind codebreaking game
# Michael Sanders 2023
# https://busybox.neocities.org/notes/mastermind.txt
# # First appearing as a traditional pencil & paper game known as
# 'Bulls and Cows', this game probably dates back to the 1900s.
# # The earliest known computer program, called MOO, was written
# by Dr. Frank King in 1968 at Cambridge University.
# # You'll need awk and an ANSI capable terminal...
# # Unix invocation: awk -v SEED=$RANDOM -f mastermind.txt
# Windows invocation: awk -v SEED=%RANDOM% -f mastermind.txt

And lastly, a screen dump of a game in progress...

MasterMind: Q=Quit | Seed: 8865 | Key: 8071 | Stack: xxzx | Anxiety: 50%

Overview...

8 chances to guess the 4-digit key
x = digit & its position exact
y = digit exact, position invalid
z = digit & position invalid

Stack...

8/8 ----
7/8 ----
6/8 ----
5/8 ----
4/8 xxzx
3/8 xxzz
2/8 yxyz
1/8 zxzz

Enter your 4-digit key:

--
:wq
Mike Sanders