Algorithm X

The Chances are a Million to One

When @5DN1L first suggested I do an Algorithm X playground, I ran the idea past my wife. I told her, “I do not want to do it, and even if I did want to do it, the chances of me actually finishing it are a million to one.” She smiled and said...

"Then there's still a chance."

She was quoting one of the greatest motivational movies of all time, Chicken Run:

Never Give Up

As I look back over my Algorithm X journey, I did a lot of interesting things that supported the possibility that I may never finish this playground. I made a shocking number of Algorithm X blunders, several of which were not discovered until a year or more after they pushed my approach down some very strange paths.

@5DN1L and I shared a lot of ideas over the past two years. We sometimes didn’t see eye to eye, and that always made me wonder what I was missing. I originally stuck with my plan to build this playground simply because I told @5DN1L I would do it. Somewhere along the journey, the process became fun.

The best part of this process was discovering and correcting my biggest mistakes. After completing my first draft, I truly thought I was very close to the finish line. @5DN1L had brought up the idea of “coloring” and Knuth’s Algorithm C many times, but I was able to complete all puzzles without any coloring…until @5DN1L added Agent X, Mission 2 - Mysterious Cryptogram to his list. A few months later, I had eaten several servings of humble pie, coloring had been added and the playground had grown by 25%.

Whatever it is you want to accomplish, tell somebody your plan. Make sure it is somebody you would be very uncomfortable telling, “I changed my mind. I’m not going to do it anymore.” I don’t think @5DN1L and I ever talked specifically about accountability, but it was there, and it is a significant reason I never gave up.

What’s Next

If you enjoyed this playground, the obvious tasks to consider next are implementing Knuth’s Algorithm M and Algorithm C. If you dive into his material, you will see many more single letter algorithms you might also explore. If you do go down those paths, please reach out to me in the CodinGame Forum and I will gladly add a link here to your playground!