Cat Trap Game

[just_me]

This is something that is very frustrating and highly entertaining. What it is is a game of hexigons to which only the yellow ones are open. The reds are borders and there is a black figure in the center resembling a cat.

What you must do is click one of the yellow hex's which turns it into a barrier and the cat will move once after every click. You must trap the cat in a circle to prevent it from moving off the board.

https://llerrah.com/cattrap.htm

 

[Angry Floof]

Have you won this game?

 

[just_me]

Have you won this game?

Yes, but it takes a while.

 

[Patooka]

Twice. But it is like Master Of Orion. Starting points are key. If they are unfavourable you lost before you start.

I FUCKING LOVE THIS GAME AND WILL TEST IT ON MY OWN CAT.

 

[bigfield]

Starting points are key. If they are unfavourable you lost before you start.

I've solved it a few consecutive times now. I think you can win no matter the starting position. The key is to wall off as far away from the cat as possible so that the cat isn't constantly forcing your next move, and you aren't forcing its next move. And don't wall of all at once: leave gaps in your wall and only close them if the cat gets within one space if them.

 

[Atheos]

Solved it on my second try but used bigfield's advice. I'm sure I could waste hours playing it, got other stuff to do today.

 

[bigfield]

Reminds me of JezzBall.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

That cat is infuriating. I do remember being able to succeed but I don't have the time to figure it out again.

 

[Old Woman in Purple]

Just what I need: Another fidget addiction! Thanks, justme!

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Caught him. Unfortunately it fades out and doesn't give time to grab a screenshot.

Tried again, snapped before the end:

 

[bilby]

The trick is to cut off all escape routes, and only then try to trap.

 

[Wiploc]

Have you won this game?

Two out of my first three tries.

Okay, maybe nine out of my first ten.

One mistake would be to seal an exit early. If you seal an exit while she's three steps from it, that's three steps she won't waste.

I wonder if she doesn't run for the opening you're trying to seal. If you start by working on a wide far-away exit, that may keep her from using a nearby exit.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The trick is to cut off all escape routes, and only then try to trap.

View attachment 20589

Have you won this game?

Two out of my first three tries.

Okay, maybe nine out of my first ten.

One mistake would be to seal an exit early. If you seal an exit while she's three steps from it, that's three steps she won't waste.

I wonder if she doesn't run for the opening you're trying to seal. If you start by working on a wide far-away exit, that may keep her from using a nearby exit.

I agree with both of you--the basic strategy is to draw a dotted line around the outside and then fill in as needed to trap her--as you're filling in a line you can draw faster than she can move.

It seems to me random, though--if she starts out heading the other way from my first move she probably escapes.

 

[Elixir]

Two out of my first three tries.

Okay, maybe nine out of my first ten.

One mistake would be to seal an exit early. If you seal an exit while she's three steps from it, that's three steps she won't waste.

I wonder if she doesn't run for the opening you're trying to seal. If you start by working on a wide far-away exit, that may keep her from using a nearby exit.

I agree with both of you--the basic strategy is to draw a dotted line around the outside and then fill in as needed to trap her--as you're filling in a line you can draw faster than she can move.

It seems to me random, though--if she starts out heading the other way from my first move she probably escapes.

The cat starts 5 moves from escape. He can always be trapped, I believe, even if no places are blocked out at the beginning.

 

[Elixir]

Two out of my first three tries.

Okay, maybe nine out of my first ten.

One mistake would be to seal an exit early. If you seal an exit while she's three steps from it, that's three steps she won't waste.

I wonder if she doesn't run for the opening you're trying to seal. If you start by working on a wide far-away exit, that may keep her from using a nearby exit.

I agree with both of you--the basic strategy is to draw a dotted line around the outside and then fill in as needed to trap her--as you're filling in a line you can draw faster than she can move.

It seems to me random, though--if she starts out heading the other way from my first move she probably escapes.

The cat starts 5 moves from escape. He can always be trapped, I believe, even if no places are blocked out at the beginning.

Still haven't been able to prove that theorem... Won thirty-something in a row trying to figure it out, though. The cat always takes the shortest route to the edge, no matter how stupid it is, so it can always be beaten as far as I can tell, but only because of its inability to resist the shortest path.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The cat starts 5 moves from escape. He can always be trapped, I believe, even if no places are blocked out at the beginning.

Still haven't been able to prove that theorem... Won thirty-something in a row trying to figure it out, though. The cat always takes the shortest route to the edge, no matter how stupid it is, so it can always be beaten as far as I can tell, but only because of its inability to resist the shortest path.

I find myself having trouble with his first move. If he moves as he is facing on the first move then I can trap him. Sometimes he turns for no reason I can discern, though, and then he is liable to escape.

 

[Elixir]

He can always be trapped, I believe, even if no places are blocked out at the beginning.

Still haven't been able to prove that theorem... Won thirty-something in a row trying to figure it out, though. The cat always takes the shortest route to the edge, no matter how stupid it is, so it can always be beaten as far as I can tell, but only because of its inability to resist the shortest path.

I find myself having trouble with his first move. If he moves as he is facing on the first move then I can trap him. Sometimes he turns for no reason I can discern, though, and then he is liable to escape.

The direction of his initial move can be influenced by your first move and/or the given dark spaces, but I've found that if I guess and use my first turn to start laying a trap, the time to final trappage is greatly reduced on average. The "trick" to winning every time is to start counting the number of moves for the cat to get to the edge, and prepare a trap accordingly. If I can't trap him right away, I chase him back toward the middle - as many moves from the edge as possible. If it gets dire and he's like 3 moves from a completely open edge, I can still get him if but have to keep him out of the corners...
It's more fun (for me) to see how fast I can trap him - it's amazing how many mistakes I make - it's as if six possible outcomes in the cat's next move are too many to keep in mind. Something possibly age-related?