On the Subject of Mastermind Restricted

We sent Mastermind Simple to an Australian implementer and he brought us back this.

This module may look familiar to Mastermind Simple however there are some changes the implementer performed on this module.

  • The entire module is rotated 180°.
  • The "Submit" button has been replaced with a "Reset" button.
  • The "Query" and "Reset" buttons are aligned at the center of the module rather than on the edge. Likewise, the LEDs are aligned near the edge of the module rather than the center.
  • There are 4 LEDs to cycle between 6 different colors rather than 5 LEDs to cycle between 6 different colors.
  • The display has the gray borders on the top and bottom of the screen rather than on the left and right of the screen.
  • When pressing the "Query" button, 3 numbers will be shown on the upside-down display. When read right-side-up, the left number refers to the number of correct colors in the correct positions; the middle number refers to the number of correct colors not in the correct positions; the right number refers to how many distinct queries the defuser has left before the module attempts to strike.
  • The defuser has 12 distinct queries to submit the correct sequence of colors to disarm the module. Using all 12 distinct queries without a correct sequence of colors will result in a strike and reset the module from the beginning. The reset button can be used to achieve the same effect without a strike.

When the module resets, a new correct sequence will be generated alongside resetting the number of distinct queries left to 12. All queries relating to the previous correct sequence will also be cleared. The module will always reset when it is loaded in.

A distinct query is defined as a set of colors that is not yet been checked by the module after the reset. In fact, the defuser may use the same sequence of colors from previous queries to recheck the result.

The module will reveal the correct answer if all 12 distinct queries have been used up or if the defuser manages to get 4 correct colors in their correct positions.