Silver Apple of Discord
SILVER APPLE OF DISCORD
METRICS, phase 1
max(area1, area2) * max(cost1, cost2)
METRICS, phase 2
rank of best hybrid > rank of second best hybrid > rank of third best hybrid > ...
REAGENTS
Reactive lead
PRODUCTS
Reactive silver
Submissions will not be directly evaluated, but rather will be used to build hybrid solutions which are then evaluated. Please follow the instructions carefully!
Each submission will be split into two halves, the top with the input and the bottom with the output, with atoms crossing between using the provided conduits. The top half of each submission will then be paired with the bottom half of every *other* submission, to form N(N - 1) hybrid solutions if there are N submitters. These hybrids will then be graded by the "phase 1" metrics, where max(area1, area2) is the maximum area consumed by those two halves, and max(cost1, cost2) their maximum cost. Hybrids which fail to complete or violate the rules below are discarded.
After the hybrids have been ranked, in "phase 2" the original submissions will be ranked by the performance of the best hybrid built using one of their halves. So the overall winner will be one of the two people who contributed to the best hybrid. Tie-breaks are based on second-best hybrid, and so on.
Please do not discuss strategy publicly!
Submission rules: Use the supplied template .solution file to create your solution. Do not place any parts on the row that is indicated by equilibrium glyphs. The input must be above that row, and the output must be below that row, and the only communication through the provided conduit. At no point should your solution use any of the hexes on the row indicated by equilibrium glyphs. These rules are not verified by the submission system, so please check your submission carefully.
If you make multiple submissions, the automated submission system may not choose the one you intend as the best, so it is recommended to delete any submissions other than the one you wish to use.
The production of Eris' Golden Apples of Discord was transformed from a small, artisanal affair into a well-oiled machine producing golden apples by the bushel and shipping to hot-spots around the globe. However something was lost in the commodification of discord, and while hordes of people still strove to collect as many "To the fairest"s as they could, their value and so potential for strife was cheapened by abundance.
Eris sought to get the best of both modernity and the past. Every year, one and only one hand-painted Silver Apple of Discord would be mixed in with the golden apples, a treasure worth truly fighting over. And the silver paint for this apple would be made in the most inharmonious way possible.
download: waht2025_p1.puzzle (where do i put this?)