You have to find balls hidden in the black box. Your means are limited - you can just fire lasers which are around the box. There are three possible outcomes for each ray you send into the box:
Detour - The ray is deflected and emerges somewhere other than where you sent it in. On the playfield, detours are denoted by matching pairs of numbers - one where the ray went in, and the other where it came out.
Reflection - The ray is reflected and emerges in the same place it was sent in. On the playfield, reflections are denoted by the letter `R'.
Hit The ray strikes a ball directly and is absorbed. It does not emerge from the box. On the playfield, hits are denoted by the letter `H'.
The rules for how balls deflect rays are simple and are best shown by example.
As a ray approaches a ball it is deflected ninety degrees. Rays can be deflected multiple times. In the diagrams below, the dashes represent empty box locations and the letter `O' represents a ball. The entrance and exit points of each ray are marked with numbers as described under "Detour" above. Note that the entrance and exit points are always interchangeable. "*" denotes the path taken by the ray.
Note carefully the relative positions of the ball and the ninety degree deflection it causes.
1 1 2 - * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 1 * * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - O - - - - O - 5 - - O - - - - - - - O - - - - - - - * * * * - - 6 - - - - - - - - - - - * * * * * 2 3 * * * - - * - - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - O - * - - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - - * * - - 9 - - - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - - * - O - 10 2 3 |
As mentioned above, a reflection occurs when a ray emerges from the same point it was sent in. This can happen in several ways:
1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - O - - - - - O - O - - - - - - - - - - - 3 R * * * * - - - - - - - * - - - - O - - - - - - - 4 - - - - O - - - - - - * - - - - R - - - - - - - - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 - - - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 - - - - - - - - R * * * * - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - O - - - - - - - - - - - |
A hit occurs when a ray runs straight into a ball:
1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - O - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - O - - - H * * * * - - - - 4 - - - - - - - - H * * * * O - - - - - - * - - - - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - O - - - - - - O - - - - 6 H * * * O - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |