1. Why KhaMeK?
The games of KhaMeK series, take their name from the historical symbol of egyptian pharaons, who wanted to leave to the world a real and everlasting sign of their existence, by building their own neverending monument; this why the main element of the games is just the form of the grid, which is divided in two pyramids, different for shape in the several versions.
KhaMek is just a name born by our phantasy, which keeps together the acronims of the egyptian names of the three pharaons Khafre, Menkaure and Khuphu.
As in Al Jizah in Egypt, where three are the pyramids of different dimensions, so, in KhaMeK games series, three are the versions. The player which goes with KhaMeK3x is just as the explorer which tries to solve the secret of the smallest pyramid, Menkaure’s one; Khafre’s secret is instead hidden in the version which has two pyramids of medium shape; and at last, the very difficult and also today mysterious secret of the biggest pyramid, Khuphu’s one, is deeply hidden in the last and biggest version of the game.
2. About the structure of KhaMeK games.
The games of KhaMeK series are logical puzzles, with grids of different dimensions.
KhaMeK3x has a grid whose shape must be filled with a group of 8 (eight) different symbols.
Other versions have greater and greater dimensions , and obviously will take in groups of symbol of different quantity.
Such symbols may be of different kind, and so You can use:
- Numeric symbols (e.g.: arabian or latin numbers)
- Alphanumeric symbols (e.g.: international alphabet, or cirillic or greek alphabet, and so on..)
- Zodiacs symbols
- Ideogramma
- Images
- Geometrical shapes.
When we developed them, we have decided for arabian numbers, since they are simpler and very friendly for the players who will face for the first time Khamek secrets.
We can now look at a more detailed explanation of the structure of KhaMeK3x game (structure which can however be applied to the other versions too).
As we have said above, the logical puzzles of KhaMeK series are built with a grid composed by two pyramids, one over the other, the upper one is in the correct position while the lower one is set updown (just as whether we will see it as the reflex of the real pyramid in Nile’s water).
The game grid is shown in the picture below.
We can realize that each pyramid is composed by the same quantity of blocks, precisely 24, and by a door (the block in black).
In the detail we go on now to see all the elements in which we can divide the grid, so that the rules to follow to solve the game will be clear and easy to understand.
At first, the grid can be divided in rows and columns.
We can easily understand from the picture above that rows are ten and precisely:
rows 1 and 10 have just one block which is the top of the two pyramids, row 1 for the upper one and row 10 for the updown lower one.
rows 2 and 9 have three blocks.
rows 3 and 8 have five blocks.
rows 4 and 7 have seven blocks.
Row 5 is the basis of the upper pyramid, and is composed by four blocks on the left of the door and by other four ones on the right of the door. The block in black which represents the door must not be considered during the solution of the game.
Row 6 is the basis of the lower pyramid, and is composed by four blocks on the left of the door and by other four ones on the right of the door. The block in black which represents the door must not be considered during the solution of the game.
Let us look now at the vertical structure of the grid: we can see that it is divided into nine columns, and precisely:
columns 1 and 9 have just two blocks, which belong respectively the first one to the basis of the upper pyramid, and the second one to the basis of the lower pyramid.
columns 2 and 8 have four blocks, divided two in the upper pyramid, and the other two in the lower one.
columns 3 and 7 have six blocks, divided three in the upper pyramid, and the other three in the lower one.
columns 4 and 6 have eight blocks, divided four in the upper pyramid, and the other four in the lower one.
column 5 is composed by four blocks which are in the upper pyramid, four blocks which are in the lower one, and by the two doors, one for each pyramid.
One time again we remind You that the two doors mustn’t be considered during the solution of the game.
We can anyway easily understand that one row, so as one column, has a maximum number of significant blocks which is equal to the quantity of different symbols we can use to solve the game.
Another important way by which we can divide the grid are the two pyramids.
As shown in the picture above, the blocks are equally divided in two groups which in this document will be defined “pyramid”, respectively upper and lower one. Each group contains twentyfour significant blocks, and one door which has no importance for the solution of the game.
Rows, columns and pyramids will be the clues which allow You to solve the game, as we will explain in the paragraph regarding the rules.
3. Khamek3x “Menkaure’s secret”: target, rules and levels.
Target:
A game of KhaMeK series is a logical puzzle, therefore the target of the player which tries to solve it, is to fill it completely, by inserting in each free significant block of the grid one of the symbols which have to be used.
As it was said in paragraph 2, we consider that the symbols to be used to solve the game are the arabian numbers, from 1 to 8.
Example of starting mask:
And this is its UNIQUE solution:
Rules:
All the games of KhaMeK series, have only three rules which have to be followed to solve correctly the game.
We have however to underline the fact that one of these three rules changes in each different version and shape of the grid, and this means that each pharaon’s secret will be discovered by using strategies very different each from another.
We go on know to see in detail the rules of Khamek3x, “Menkaure’s secret”.
1. In each complete row (R5 and R6) each symbol, will be present always and only once;
In all the other too short rows the symbol if present, will be present once;
2. In each complete column (C4, C5 e C6) each symbol will be present always and only once;
in all the other too short columns the symbol if present, will be present once;
3. In each of the two pyramids, the symbol will be present always and only three times.
The pictures in the two following pages want to explain better the meaning of each rule.
Picture 1:
On the basis of rule number 1 and 2, the symbol “1” is already present in the row R3 and therefore in it cannot be repeated again, and the same is valid for column C7.
Picture 2:
On the basis of rule number 3, it is shown in Picture 2 that the symbol “2” is already present three times in the upper pyramid, and therefore shall no more be inserted in none of the still free significant blocks of it.
Levels:
Obviously, the difficulty rate in the solution of the game grows proportionally to the dimensions of the grid and to the quantity of different symbols to be inserted, and therefore Khafre’s and Khuphu’s secrets will be harder than Menkaure’s one.
However, inside each version too, the game is created into six different difficulty levels, from the “beginner”, to “easy”, “mild”, “hard”, “devil” and “impossible”.
The player will start from a first mask, which is just a grid with a sufficient number of symbols already visible and inserted in some blocks of the pyramids, and he shall go on to think logically in order to fill completely all the significant blocks, each one with an its own symbol.
The puzzle can be completed in a fixed way, when the place of each symbol to be inserted can be always found in a single and necessary way; otherwise, the player will be also obliged to use hypothesis between two different chances when he faces games which belong to higher level (from hard to impossible).
The player can be however sure that the solution of the game will be UNIQUE, without any second chance to place in another way the symbol to fill the grid.
We hope a lot of fun for everyone, and You have never to desperate Yourselves facing the traps of Menkaure “the terrible”: his hidden secret is surely near to be discovered by everyone wants to face it!!!!
