How to Solve the Red Balls Game: Tips and Tricks for High Scores

[MathematicalPhysicist]

Does anyone know how to solve this game:
http://www.puzzlechoice.com/pc/IQ_Gamex.html

as in the highest and second hisghest scores.

I am sure there's group theory somewhere, but I never got it...
:-/

 

[micromass]

Maybe this article: http://plus.maths.org/content/os/issue39/features/colva/index can give you ideas. It explains how you can use groups in understanding the game better.

 

[Jamma]

I managed to just do it to get down to one, but I can't remember how!

 

[JaredJames]

It doesn't work on my computer. Can start a new game but can't move the balls.

 

[Jamma]

Hmm, can't figure out how to leave 8. It shouldn't be too hard, since you are only allowed 6 moves to do it. I don't know what the end formation should look like, but probably will have a line of balls on one edge (when I won with only one ball, I had a "triangle of side length 3" in the bottom corner and another on the top and finished from there).

Also, the missing ball seems to start at different places each time, so whether you can win may be based on that.

 

[Jamma]

Argh, managed to get 7, but not 8.

 

[Jamma]

Nm, just done it, with 10 balls left lol!