Blazing Games - Ultimate Retro Project - Volume 4 - Episode 44

Ultimate Retro Project
Episode 44 Classic Light Box

Playing the Game

The modern version of light box uses the same game play mechanisms as the classic version but the point and click interface makes the game much quicker to play. The goal of the game is to try to recreate a light box by only looking at the outputs when a light is shined in a slot. The light box is made up of special prisms that will allow a beam to pass throught the point unaffected, split if the beam goes through the base and bends towards the base if the beam goes through either side. You place prisms on your board and try to get them to match the source box. The slots that do not properly match outputs are shown in yellow around the edge. Click on any slot to move the laser to that slot so you can observe the outputs. To place a prism on the board, simply select the type of prism from the list of choices and click where on the test board you want to place it. The empty prism can be used to remove a prism.

Behind the Game

Black boxes are actually used in some engineering classes, though as far as I know, using light and prisms is a unique twist. I could be wrong, but if I am I am sure that people will let me know.

The game actually is a lot easier to play if you use a piece of graph paper to help you work things out. You could also use a paint program such as GIMP to work out the possibilities.