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About Sokoban

Sokoban was invented and programmed by Hiroyuki Imabayashi in 1981 and published by Thinking Rabbit as a computer video game in 1982.

XSB & LURD format

Sokoban levels are shared in a standard format called XSB, which is supported by all mainstream Sokoban programs.

In XSB format, a level is denoted in plain text by using the following characters:
@ ==> man
+ ==> man on goal
$ ==> box
* ==> box on goal
# ==> wall
. ==> goal
- ==> floor. Initially, XSB use only ' ' (space) to denote floor. But as consecutive spaces are treated as a single space on web pages, XSB is extended to allow '-' (dash) or '_' (underscore) for denoting floor as well.

An XSB level is usally followed by two lines with the title and author information of the preceding level.

Example:

----#####----------
----#---#----------
----#$--#----------
--###--$##---------
--#--$-$-#---------
###-#-##-#---######
#---#-##-#####--..#
#-$--$----------..#
#####-###-#@##--..#
----#-----#########
----#######--------
Title: Classic level 1
Author: Thinking Rabbit

Below is a graphical representation of the above XSB level.

Solutions to Sokoban levels are saved in a standard LURD format, with uppercase for push and lowercase for move.
l or L ==> left
r or R ==> right
u or U ==> up
d or D ==> down

A solution of the above level.

ullluuuLUllDlldddrRRRRRRRRRRdrUllllllluuululldDDuu
lldddrRRRRRRRRRRRRlllllllluuulLulDDDuulldddrRRRRRR
RRRRRllllllluuulluuurDDuullDDDDDuulldddrRRRRRRRRRR
uRRlDllllllluuuLLulDDDuulldddrRRRRRRRRRRdRRlUlllll
lllllllulldRRRRRRRRRRRRRuRDldR



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