--- key: mechanic/puzzle--family-permutation type: mechanic id: puzzle--family-permutation lang: en title: Sliding and rearranging summary: >- The player changes a configuration through permitted slides, rotations or swaps. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/puzzle--family-permutation/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/puzzle--family-permutation.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/puzzle--family-permutation.md aliases: - Sliding and rearrangement tags: - Puzzles - Mechanics catalog sourceIds: - source-10d1df6f36fd4358 sources: - id: source-10d1df6f36fd4358 title: Patrick's Parabox url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: puzzle id: family-permutation title: Puzzles url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/puzzle/#family-permutation' categoryIds: - section-1 supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Sliding and rearrangement description: >- The player changes a configuration through permitted slides, rotations or swaps. image: src: images/mechanics/adventure-patrick-parabox-00.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: Patrick's Parabox sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1260520/ss_fc9994b3d063276aaaeacbc86c6d740dabeebdc0.1920x1080.jpg?t=1745611653 credit: Patrick Traynor rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: Block positions change the available configuration alt: Block positions change the available configuration markers: - x: 43 'y': 56 label: Movable block within a constrained passage tips: - Show movement constraints and allow reversible steps to be undone. examples: - title: Patrick's Parabox url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/' endsAt: null provenance: >- Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/puzzle --- # Sliding and rearranging id: puzzle--family-permutation type: mechanic key: mechanic/puzzle--family-permutation lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/puzzle--family-permutation/ The player changes a configuration through permitted slides, rotations or swaps. ## At a glance ![Block positions change the available configuration](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/adventure-patrick-parabox-00.webp) [Patrick's Parabox](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. Movable block within a constrained passage - Show movement constraints and allow reversible steps to be undone. - [Patrick's Parabox](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/) ## How it works Change the system configuration with limited transformations. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - Moving through the void. Definition: Move tiles only to the adjacent free space. Conditional example: Restore the order of tags. Terms: 15-puzzle; tag. - Clearing the passage with blocks. Definition: Move parts in limited directions to produce a target block. Conventional example: Bring a long block out of a tight field. Terms: Klotski; Rush Hour. - Shift of a whole series. Definition: Rearrange elements by general row or column shift only. Conventional example: Align characters by cyclic shifts. - Rotate a local fragment. Definition: In one move, rotate several adjacent elements as a group. Conditional example: Arrange numbers by rotating 2x2 squares. - Rotate layers of a volumetric object. Definition: Restore a state by rotating connected layers or sections. Conditional example: Collect the colored faces of a cube. Terms: twisty puzzle; Rubik's cube. - Chained cyclic permutations. Definition: Change the order on rings that have common elements. Conditional example: Separate colors along two intersecting circles. - Exchanges according to the permitted schedule. Definition: Swap only pairs connected by given connections. Conditional example: Arrange exchange tokens along the edges of the star. - Reversal of a segment. Definition: Change the sequence only by reversing the selected section. Conditional example: Order a stack by turning its upper part. Terms: pancake sorting. - Removal by jumping. Definition: Jump over tiles and remove them for the target end position. Conventional example: Leave one tile in the center. Terms: peg solitaire; tapeworm. - Exchange of counter groups. Definition: Swap two groups through steps and jumps with limited direction. Conditional example: Swap two groups of frogs. ## Context and limits A wide catalog of mechanics for digital puzzles, paper logic problems and physical puzzles. Each position contains an action or rule and a conditional example of application. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. - [Patrick's Parabox](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260520/) (id: source-10d1df6f36fd4358) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors