Mastermind Puzzle/Game

[Mike Sanders]

Can you guess the 4-digit key? Maybe you mistakenly think its easy?

Here's the header containing the download URL...

# tags: mastermind, bulls & cows, game, puzzle, awk, code
#
# awk mastermind codebreaking game
# Michael Sanders 2023
# https://busybox.neocities.org/notes/mastermind.txt
#
# First appearing as a traditional pencil & paper game known as
# 'Bulls and Cows', this game probably dates back to the 1900s.
#
# The earliest known computer program, called MOO, was written
# by Dr. Frank King in 1968 at Cambridge University.
#
# You'll need awk and an ANSI capable terminal...
#
# Unix invocation: awk -v SEED=$RANDOM -f mastermind.txt
# Windows invocation: awk -v SEED=%RANDOM% -f mastermind.txt

And lastly, a screen dump of a game in progress...

MasterMind: Q=Quit | Seed: 8865 | Key: 8071 | Stack: xxzx | Anxiety: 50%

Overview...

8 chances to guess the 4-digit key
x = digit & its position exact
y = digit exact, position invalid
z = digit & position invalid

Stack...

8/8 ----
7/8 ----
6/8 ----
5/8 ----
4/8 xxzx
3/8 xxzz
2/8 yxyz
1/8 zxzz

Enter your 4-digit key:

--
:wq
Mike Sanders