[Guest]

In your constant search for the ultimate answers you come to a huge door containing 8 locks. The locks are labelled with strange signs - letters perhaps?

The signs are: O ! U T Y F R 2

There are no keys just a turnable dial with a digital number on each lock. The number reads '2' on every lock.

Upon turning the dial of one of the locks you notice the number changing to 1, however some of the numbers on the other locks change as well. Man, I knew it wouldn't be that easy.

In the lower left part of the door you notice a sign, and a button that reads "Reset". On the sign you find the following instructions:

To get to the other side you must do one of the following:

- wait for christmas when the door opens itself,

- wait for someone else to exit or enter the door,

- take one of the other 14 paths leading around it,

- ring the doorbell,

- call out the color of your hat in certain intonations to fool the door-keeper,

- break down the door with the bulldozer conveniently parked next to it,

...well, you can actually do pretty much whatever you can think of to try to get through - or around - the door in obscure ways to make the puzzle fit your initial solution.

Clearly this sign was only meant to annoy you. However, you don't really need to get through the door. You just need to open it using the locks since you are a compulsive puzzle-solver.

There is another sign, however, which reads:

These are inter-connected combination locks. Initially (after pressing the reset button) the locks will all have the value '2' aka really-really locked. If you turn the dial of a lock it will decrease the lock-level by 1 - from 2(really-really locked), through 1(still locked) to 0(not-really locked).

However, turning the dial on one lock may affect other locks.

When all locks are set to 0, the door will unlock and you can walk through it - unless it is bolted from the inside which is done on occasion. In this case simply choose one of the other solutions mentioned on the above sign, or go home.

Here are the instructions for each lock:

Turning lock 'O' decreases locks '!', 'T', 'F', and '2' by 1 level

Turning lock '!' increases locks 'U', and 'T' by 2 levels

Turning lock 'U' decreases lock 'Y' by 1 level

Turning lock 'T' increases locks 'Y', 'F', 'R', and '2' by 1 level

Turning lock 'Y' decreases locks 'U', and 'R' by 2 levels

Turning lock 'F' decreases locks 'Y', and '2' by 1 level

Turning lock 'R' increases locks '!', 'U', and '2' by 1 level

Turning lock '2' increases locks 'R', and 'Y' by 1 level

Decrease means go towards unlocked ( 2->1->0 )

Increase means go towards locked ( 0->1->2 )

Turning a lock always decrease it's own value by 1.

Locks can never have other values than 0, 1, or 2 - so turning a lock that would cause itself - or another lock - to get an invalid value is not possible.

A lock will never have to be used more than twice at the most (used means turned by you).

Give me the sequence of the lock-labels for the real answer.

Edited April 14, 2009 by uhre

[Guest]

Just to verify - if a lock is already at 0, and I turn another lock that causes its value to decrease - is that a valid move (the lock just remains 0 since it can't go lower) or is it not allowed?

[Guest]

i love the expination very detailed

am i right in assuming that the lock spins 360 degrees freely allowing you to go from 0 to 2 and vise versa

[Guest]

i love the expination very detailed

am i right in assuming that the lock spins 360 degrees freely allowing you to go from 0 to 2 and vise versa

never mind

sorry i reread and see what i missed

[Guest]

I assumed this to be true and found that the solution was "O2OYY". If this is not allowed, then I'm sure the solution is quite a bit more difficult

Just to verify - if a lock is already at 0, and I turn another lock that causes its value to decrease - is that a valid move (the lock just remains 0 since it can't go lower) or is it not allowed?

[Guest]

I think i got it.... (HOORAY FOR HHGTG)

FOURTY2!

[Guest]

I think i got it.... (HOORAY FOR HHGTG)

FOURTY2!

i love those books

it was staring at me the whole time

nice work

[Guest]

I got the answer solving the anagram, does that count? Or is it cheating?

Edited April 14, 2009 by slight

[Guest]

i love those books

it was staring at me the whole time

nice work

I disagree with the given solution. Unless I am reading the instructions wrong then the first thing you have to do is move "O" twice to get it from 2 to 0. This has to be done as no other lock affects the O lock. Once you've done this then my solution (which may be wrong ) is...

UYR!Y2TTF

the order is unimportant!!!

[Guest]

I disagree with the given solution. Unless I am reading the instructions wrong then the first thing you have to do is move "O" twice to get it from 2 to 0. This has to be done as no other lock affects the O lock. Once you've done this then my solution (which may be wrong ) is...

UYR!Y2TTF

the order is unimportant!!!

That's not how I understood the problem. The reason the order is important is because if turning one lock would force another lock into an invalid position, then that move is invalid and the lock can't be turned. After making a little excel program, I've come up with an answer that satisfies the OP's criteria.

Y2ORFTU!TYFO

For this, the order is mostly important, but there are some parts where the letters can be swapped around (like, the last F and O can be swapped for instance).

[Guest]

That's not how I understood the problem. The reason the order is important is because if turning one lock would force another lock into an invalid position, then that move is invalid and the lock can't be turned. After making a little excel program, I've come up with an answer that satisfies the OP's criteria.

Y2ORFTU!TYFO

For this, the order is mostly important, but there are some parts where the letters can be swapped around (like, the last F and O can be swapped for instance).

My mistake!! I thought the locks could keep rotating through the three values 2, 1, 0, 2, 1, 0 etc. I've just re-read the instructions and I agree that if this is not the case then the order is vital!!! Never mind!!!!!

[Guest]

That's not how I understood the problem. The reason the order is important is because if turning one lock would force another lock into an invalid position, then that move is invalid and the lock can't be turned. After making a little excel program, I've come up with an answer that satisfies the OP's criteria.

Y2ORFTU!TYFO

For this, the order is mostly important, but there are some parts where the letters can be swapped around (like, the last F and O can be swapped for instance).

Very nice AI. I was wondering did your excel program somehow solve this or did you just use it to do the calcs as you brute forced it?

[Guest]

That's not how I understood the problem. The reason the order is important is because if turning one lock would force another lock into an invalid position, then that move is invalid and the lock can't be turned. After making a little excel program, I've come up with an answer that satisfies the OP's criteria.

Y2ORFTU!TYFO

For this, the order is mostly important, but there are some parts where the letters can be swapped around (like, the last F and O can be swapped for instance).

I think there is a problem with that..

If I'm following correctly isn't your first turn invalid? You turn Y which decreases itself by 1 and then U & R by 2. So U has been turned twice down to 0 the first turn of U decreases Y by 1 down to 0 and the second turn of U is invalid as Y can't go below 0.

or am I just really off base?

[Guest]

Just to verify - if a lock is already at 0, and I turn another lock that causes its value to decrease - is that a valid move (the lock just remains 0 since it can't go lower) or is it not allowed?

Apologies for the late reply. I didn't get home until now

Anyway, as stated in the (agreed very long) description:

Locks can never have other values than 0, 1, or 2 - so turning a lock that would cause itself - or another lock - to get an invalid value is not possible.

[Guest]

Very nice AI. I was wondering did your excel program somehow solve this or did you just use it to do the calcs as you brute forced it?

Thanks! I don't know how to write macros or anything like that, but the excel program did make the calculations easier and more efficient. And it didn't help with the order either. I just used it to find out which combination of all the locks would work, then had to figure out the order by hand (which was the easy part).

You can see the program here.

[Guest]

I assumed this to be true and found that the solution was "O2OYY". If this is not allowed, then I'm sure the solution is quite a bit more difficult

No, I'm sorry. That is not allowed. The description reads:

Locks can never have other values than 0, 1, or 2 - so turning a lock that would cause itself - or another lock - to get an invalid value is not possible.

[Guest]

That's not how I understood the problem. The reason the order is important is because if turning one lock would force another lock into an invalid position, then that move is invalid and the lock can't be turned. After making a little excel program, I've come up with an answer that satisfies the OP's criteria.

Y2ORFTU!TYFO

For this, the order is mostly important, but there are some parts where the letters can be swapped around (like, the last F and O can be swapped for instance).

Checked and is the first one that works (Fourty2! and the other proposed solutions do not work). But how does one get to that?

Great job

[Guest]

I think i got it.... (HOORAY FOR HHGTG)

FOURTY2!

While you did in fact find the answer to everything - it is not sufficient for this puzzle. You are definately in the right track though

[Guest]

I think there is a problem with that..

If I'm following correctly isn't your first turn invalid? You turn Y which decreases itself by 1 and then U & R by 2. So U has been turned twice down to 0 the first turn of U decreases Y by 1 down to 0 and the second turn of U is invalid as Y can't go below 0.

or am I just really off base?

This would be a problem if the U was turned immediately after Y, but in my solution 2, O, R, F, and T are turned in between Y and U, and the turning of R brings U back up to 1 before I turned U myself.

[Guest]

I got the answer solving the anagram, does that count? Or is it cheating?

No cheating is possible in this puzzle

[Guest]

This would be a problem if the U was turned immediately after Y, but in my solution 2, O, R, F, and T are turned in between Y and U, and the turning of R brings U back up to 1 before I turned U myself.

I assumed (and I guess wrongly) that turning dial "?" that TURNS another dial would then cause THAT dials dependents to be turned accordingly as well. In essence the turns trickle down indirectly causing more turns.

Edited April 14, 2009 by rockmonkey

[Guest]

I disagree with the given solution. Unless I am reading the instructions wrong then the first thing you have to do is move "O" twice to get it from 2 to 0. This has to be done as no other lock affects the O lock. Once you've done this then my solution (which may be wrong ) is...

UYR!Y2TTF

the order is unimportant!!!

I'm sorry if it wasn't sufficiently clear, but since this would cause an invalid value of lock R already in the 2nd turn, this solution is not valid

[Guest]

That's not how I understood the problem. The reason the order is important is because if turning one lock would force another lock into an invalid position, then that move is invalid and the lock can't be turned. After making a little excel program, I've come up with an answer that satisfies the OP's criteria.

Y2ORFTU!TYFO

For this, the order is mostly important, but there are some parts where the letters can be swapped around (like, the last F and O can be swapped for instance).

And AI takes the lead with the first valid solution. I was trying to hint for a slightly different arrangement of the letters. Could you tell me which?

[Guest]

I think there is a problem with that..

If I'm following correctly isn't your first turn invalid? You turn Y which decreases itself by 1 and then U & R by 2. So U has been turned twice down to 0 the first turn of U decreases Y by 1 down to 0 and the second turn of U is invalid as Y can't go below 0.

or am I just really off base?

Only your own (manual) turn of dials cause other dials to be affected. I can see that I did not state that specifically, but it should be implied. However, your suggestion does make me think of some interesting variations of the puzzle

[Guest]

speaking of spread sheets i have made one that allows you to see the affects but i think i may have a flaw in it

if any excel guru's see it i would like to know it is driving me crazy that it is not working

warning the ans is in the sheet.

COMBINATION_LOCK.xls

[Guest]

speaking of spread sheets i have made one that allows you to see the affects but i think i may have a flaw in it

if any excel guru's see it i would like to know it is driving me crazy that it is not working

warning the ans is in the sheet.

Just a simple typo. In space I11, you have a 2 where it should be a 1.