
2048 Numberwang - maxjus
http://louhuang.com/2048-numberwang/
======
etfb

        C:\> TWENTY48
        Loading...
        Ready.
    
        You are in a darkened room. On the floor in front of
        you are sixteen tiles, arranged in a grid.  The tiles
        are labelled A1, A2, A3, A4, B1 and so on up to D4.
    
        There is a two here, on tile A1.
        There is a two here, on tile D3.
    
        > GET ALL
        The numbers appear too strongly glued to the tiles.
    
        > INVENTORY
        You have a copy of On Lisp by Paul Graham, a thing your 
        Aunt gave you that you don't know what it is, and a 
        small leaflet.
    
        > READ ON LISP
        Time passes. You have a profound enlightenment experience.  
        Sadly, this does not help you win the game.
        
        > READ LEAFLET
        "WELCOME TO TWENTYFORTYEIGHT!
    
        TWENTYFORTYEIGHT is a game of numbers, addition and high 
        bits. In it you will explore some of the most tedious 
        territory ever seen by Hacker News readers. No computer 
        will be without one!"
    
        > GO LEFT
        Some numbers move, and a new number appears!
    
        There is a two here, on tile A1.
        There is a two here, on tile C1.
        There is a two here, on tile D1. [Footnote 6]
    
        > FOOTNOTE 6
        There are no footnotes.
    
        > GO UP
        Some numbers move, some change, and some new numbers 
        appear!
    
        There is a four here, on tile A1.
        There is a two here, on tile B1.
        There is a two here, on tile D4.
    
        >GO DOWN
        Some numbers move, and a new number appears!
        
        There is a four here, on tile C1.
        There is a two here, on tile C4.
        There is a two here, on tile D4.
        There is a two here, on tile D1.
    
        >PANIC
        Not surprised.
    
        >QUIT
        Amazed you survived this long.
    
        Your score is 4, out of a possible umpty squillion and six.
        Good bye!
    
        C:\>
        C:\>
        C:\> DEL TWENTY48.EXE
        C:\>

~~~
snicker
I give it until tomorrow before we see a text-adventure-based version of 2048

~~~
pavel_lishin
I'd do it tonight if I didn't already have plans

~~~
LanceH
I'm actually looking forward to this one, and I've never been so confident of
a quick software release.

------
peterkelly
Found a bug you might want to look into:

After 8 steps, I "won" after reaching the following configuration (all on the
edges, from top-left clockwise):

16, 584, 26, 6, 18, and 7

That's not numberwang, according to the official definition [1]

[1] D. Mitchell, B. Russell, A. Turing, and R. Webb. Numberwang determination
and the Entscheidungsproblem. Principles of Mathematics and Computation, 1944.
Cambridge Press 14(2).

~~~
thedufer
No, "That's numberwang" does not indicate winning nor the end of the game. It
just pops up at random throughout the game.

~~~
peterkelly
Ah yes - that's true in the BBC 4 version of the rules, introduced in 1968. I
think most countries use that now. In Australia we play according to the
original rule set, hence the misunderstanding.

~~~
throwaway13qf85
Presumably you modify the rules to allow lateral shunts though, as per the the
1963 Davison Reformed Numberwang Rule Set (Version 3)?

~~~
lotsofmangos
Has it turned into Calvinball yet?

~~~
LanceH
One.

~~~
joyeuse6701
Q

~~~
lotsofmangos
My ball, you didn't sing the 'Q' song.

------
maxjus
For those unfamiliar:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjOZtWZ56lc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjOZtWZ56lc)

~~~
minimax
It makes slightly more sense when you understand the context:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfa3MHLLSWI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfa3MHLLSWI)

~~~
mistercow
I'm really interested to know what his process was, since he didn't seem to
actually know the product he was subtracting 50 from.

~~~
lclarkmichalek
Well it seems that he was always going for 4 from the top row, which reliably
gives him 25, 50, 75 and 100 (I think). He then uses the ability to divide by
25 to treat these as an additional 2, 3 and 4. So once he has 318, he does
(318 * 3) - 2 to get his 952, except via the 25s; ((318 * 75) - 50)/25\. It's
a hack; increasing the set of available numbers by guaranteeing the presence
of a common divisor.

~~~
pgl
And _that 's_ Numberwang!

------
MarcScott
This is my favorite clone bar none. After about 5 seconds of playing I was
giggling, as I remembered the sketches.

~~~
trafficlight
The first letter that popped up got me.

~~~
martin-adams
For me, it was the number 36 but a mirror image

~~~
elohesra
Is that the elusive shinty six?

------
MarcScott
In hindsight, we should have all jumped on this and pretended we understood
the rules of Numberwang, in the style of Mornington Crescent.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Crescent_%28game%29](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Crescent_%28game%29)

~~~
archagon
Like the folks over at Reddit:
[http://www.reddit.com/r/britishproblems/comments/1jvgn6/i_sa...](http://www.reddit.com/r/britishproblems/comments/1jvgn6/i_said_numberwang_to_the_pet_shop_cashier_when_my/cbioq86)

~~~
BESebastian
Nobody should do anything like Reddit.

------
TazeTSchnitzel
It actually plays identically to 2048 (except you can only rely on colours,
not face values), but I still love it. Ich bin gewangernumbt!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJs3Tsx-3Ak](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJs3Tsx-3Ak)

~~~
justinpombrio
No, it doesn't! I was doing well, and then it suddenly changed the _color_ of
one of my tiles. It was the largest tile I had (which I always keep in the
lower left, so it was very distinctive), and it dropped by a factor of 8 (3
colors) or so. At least I'm pretty sure that's what happened...

~~~
MBCook
Whenever you get Numberwang it seems to change some of the tiles either up or
down the scale.

------
davepm
Please guys, make it stop. I need to work. I need to sleep. I need to eat!! I
have no idea wtf I was doing but this is by far the best! This dam game is
worse than heroin....

~~~
saraid216
Silicon Valley doesn't do the productivity porn thing anymore, does it?

------
chavesn
I think I should have won by now:
[https://www.dropbox.com/s/2hokoh94hujyf2j/Screenshot%202014-...](https://www.dropbox.com/s/2hokoh94hujyf2j/Screenshot%202014-03-20%2020.08.11.png)

I thought it played normally, and it does for a while, but it always
eventually seems to randomly revert your high tiles (I verified that I had at
least 1024 by checking the debugger).

[edit:] Ah, I found the code. It's possible to win but you have to survive the
small chance that it will perform a random merge and destroy your tile:

    
    
            // 0.005% percent chance that we will merge a cell anyway
            if (next && Math.random() > 0.995) {
              next.value = tile.value;
            }

~~~
AdamTReineke
Hm, the comment is wrong, it's 0.5% chance.

~~~
_puk
And _that 's_ CommentWang..

I'll get my coat

------
jvoorhis
How do I rotate the board?

~~~
hughes
I opened a pull request for you.

[https://github.com/louh/2048-numberwang/pull/1](https://github.com/louh/2048-numberwang/pull/1)

------
naiyt
I'll admit to getting annoyed a bit by all of these 2048 clones. But this made
me laugh regardless.

~~~
MBCook
Ditto. They've actually been pissing me off since it seems like Threes is
getting shorted by 2048.

But this was great. I managed to get 11032 before I lost. Just making a rules
engine that could deduce Numberwang along is an incredible accomplishment.

~~~
kookiekrak
you do realize the games still the same as 2048 right? just look at the colors
of the tiles.

the only thing randomized is the numbers on the tiles

~~~
MBCook
Yeah. But the sense of humor from Numberwang makes it more than a "look I just
stole someone else's idea" clone, gives it it's own personality.

------
Watabou
I love this, only thing is it doesn't have my favorite number: H

Is there going to be a Wangernumb mode too?

~~~
zyx321
I did get an 'h' once. It's simply less common than numers like 3 or √7. It's
even got 'i' (and everyone knows that's not a real number).

~~~
meric
Of course 'i' is a real number. 'There are _i_ edges in this shape, where _i_
is equal to the value of half of _x_ '...You can also use it when texting
informally e.g. 'i m out atm'.

~~~
TophWells
i is a real number, it's one-fifth of v.

------
chewxy
This is amazing! I cannot stop laughing! The first reversed number hit me like
a ton of bricks and I couldn't stop.

BEST.2048.CLONE.EVER

------
oddshocks
This is one of the few clones/memes that gets better as it is propagated.

------
deletes
Looks like the internal state of the numbers that actually decide what can be
merged is changed when you press a key. Also works if you hold it down, which
is a bug I think.

Just hold down one direction to observe.

~~~
leni536
This game does not any have bugs by design. If you discover a bug than it is a
feature.

------
julianz
Brilliant! Even better because Numberwang is our internal term for "any random
number in some code that isn't declared as a constant". Love it.

------
rmccue
Note that it is possible to lose, eventually:
[http://i.imgur.com/kKsjG2u.png](http://i.imgur.com/kKsjG2u.png)

------
lotsofmangos
is only a matter of time now before someone makes a 2048 that is turing
complete

------
coupdejarnac
I love the backwards seven! And to think I, an American, get this reference
because I read The Guardian's football forums...

------
jessep
I started giggling with the first numberwang. As it kept happening, the giggle
escalated into full out laughter that just kept getting stronger. I am sure
I've seen the numberwang sketch, but don't remember it, so reference was
wonderfully subliminal and all the more absurd. Anyway, I love this. Laughter
is glorious.

------
chrisdone
"maths quiz show that’s simply everyone"

Huh?

~~~
daxelrod
It's a quote from Numberwang Episode 2:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJDu5D_IXbc&feature=youtu.be&...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJDu5D_IXbc&feature=youtu.be&t=7s)

------
tfgg
Das ist Nümberwang!

------
mcintyre1994
This is the best, but I'm still waiting on someone to translate the Numberwang
board game :)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmiEODmYNmI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmiEODmYNmI)

------
jonalmeida
i'm not entirely sure what I'm doing, but I think I'm winning...

~~~
dredmorbius
Welcome to life, you now understand the rules.

------
jpwagner
i keep getting shinty-six

------
ajnas
Try this reverse version of 2048 game.. See if you can end up with fractions
:P [http://ajnas.in/one/](http://ajnas.in/one/)

------
MarcScott
I'm due a slow commute to London next week and I can't wait to play it on a
train see whether those sitting near to me can figure out the rules of the
game.

------
the_cat_kittles
Thank you netflix, for insisting that I would like peep show.

------
lvs
Despite best efforts, this is still playable because the color codes haven't
changed from the original.

------
kzrdude
Did you change the rules after posting it here? It seems like they are more
chaotic now (and I like it).

------
hol
This is phenomenal. So, so good.

------
taybin
The definitive version of 2048.

------
jedp
I think I just peed my pants.

~~~
keithnoizu
That's numberwang!

------
atomicfiredoll
This is my absolute favorite version, because I can actually beat it!

------
jaibot
Needs more fish numbers.

------
dragonfax
Oddly enough, makes it easier to win.

------
joeblau
Not bad... not bad at all!

------
Numberwang
You have my attention..

------
RV86
Love this so much.

------
c23gooey
thank you for brightening my day. i love it

------
stevengg
This has just turned into a meme clogging up hn

------
tuan5
can someone stop posting this?

------
tvachon
oh my god this. this so much. <3<3<3

------
kimonos
I love this! I enjoy playing!

