Stories with Tag Logic Puzzle

• Show HN: Corral – A Visual Logic Puzzle About Enclosing Numbers

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  Posted: 2025-04-05 05:33:10

  Verbose tl;dr

  Corral is a visual logic puzzle where the goal is to enclose each number on a grid with a loop. The loop must form a single, continuous path, and the number of squares contained within each loop must match the number it encloses. The game offers various grid sizes and difficulty levels, providing a challenging and engaging spatial reasoning experience. It's implemented as a web-based game using JavaScript and features a clean, minimalist design.

  A novel online logic puzzle game named "Corral" has been introduced. The game presents a grid populated with numerical values, and the objective is to strategically "enclose" these numbers using fences. These fences must form closed loops, effectively creating corrals, with each corral containing a sum total equal to the number displayed in a designated box adjacent to the corral. The player manipulates the placement of fence segments on the grid, attempting to satisfy the numerical requirement of each corral.

  The game interface is visually intuitive, utilizing a grid-based system where potential fence locations are clearly delineated. Clicking on these designated spots toggles the presence of a fence segment, allowing players to incrementally build their corrals. The numbers within the grid represent the values that contribute to a corral's sum once enclosed. The target sums for each corral are displayed in distinct, labeled boxes connected to the respective corral area, ensuring clarity of the goal for each enclosure.

  The challenge lies in the strategic placement of fences to achieve the correct sums within each corral. Players must carefully consider how the numbers are partitioned and combined within their created enclosures. This necessitates logical deduction and spatial reasoning to ensure that all numbers are appropriately corralled and that each corral's sum matches its specified target. As the player progresses, the complexity may increase, potentially introducing larger grids, more intricate corral shapes, and a higher number of corrals to manage simultaneously. The game offers a stimulating mental exercise in a visually engaging format.

  • Logic Puzzle
  • puzzle game
  • number puzzle
  • visual puzzle
  • corral
  • html5 game
  • Web Game
  • javascript game
  • Indie Game
  • strategy game
  • Combinatorial Puzzle

  Summary of Comments ( 10 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43591060

  Verbose tl;dr

  Commenters on Hacker News generally expressed interest in Corral, praising its clean design and intuitive gameplay. Several suggested improvements, such as adding difficulty levels, different board sizes, and an undo button. Some discussed optimal solving strategies and the possibility of using programmatic approaches. A few commenters mentioned similarities to other logic puzzles like Slitherlink and Cave Story. There was also a brief discussion about the choice of name, with some finding it confusing or unrelated to the game's mechanics. Overall, the reception was positive, with many appreciating the simple yet engaging nature of the puzzle.

  The Hacker News post "Show HN: Corral – A Visual Logic Puzzle About Enclosing Numbers" generated a modest amount of discussion, with several commenters sharing their experiences and thoughts on the game.

  One commenter expressed enjoyment of the puzzle and appreciated its clear instructions, finding it easy to pick up and play. They also noted the satisfying feeling of completing a level. This sentiment was echoed by another commenter who described the game as "well-polished" and "fun," while also suggesting a potential improvement: a "hint" feature to nudge players in the right direction when stuck.

  Another commenter focused on the puzzle's logic, mentioning its similarity to the "Slitherlink" puzzle type. They delved into the deduction strategies involved in solving Corral, pointing out the need to consider both enclosing areas and separating different numbers. This commenter found the game's logic engaging and suggested that it struck a good balance of challenge and accessibility.

  A further commenter discussed their approach to creating a solver for the puzzle. They outlined the process of translating the visual game board into a data structure amenable to algorithmic solving, describing the use of a graph representation to capture the relationships between cells and fences. This commenter's insights provided a technical perspective on the underlying structure of the puzzle and hinted at the potential complexities involved in automated solutions.

  Finally, the original poster (OP) engaged with the commenters, thanking them for their feedback and acknowledging the suggestion for a hint feature. They also responded to the technical comment about creating a solver, expressing interest in seeing the commenter's solution and engaging in a brief discussion about the algorithms involved.

  While the overall volume of comments is not extensive, the discussion provides a mix of user experience feedback, comparisons to other logic puzzles, and exploration of the puzzle's underlying logic and potential for automated solvers. The comments offer a well-rounded perspective on the game and its various aspects.

• A new Sudoku layout with 81 uniquely shaped cells

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  Posted: 2025-03-13 01:04:50

  Verbose tl;dr

  Daniel Chase Hooper created a Sudoku variant called "Cracked Sudoku" where all 81 cells have unique shapes, eliminating the need for row and column lines. The puzzle maintains the standard Sudoku rules, requiring digits 1-9 to appear only once in each traditional row, column, and 3x3 block. Hooper generated these puzzles algorithmically, starting with a solved grid and then fracturing it into unique, interlocking pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. This introduces an added layer of visual complexity, making the puzzle more challenging by obfuscating the traditional grid structure and relying solely on the shapes for positional clues.

  Daniel Chase Hooper, in his blog post "Cracked Sudoku," details his creation of a novel Sudoku variant distinguished by its 81 uniquely shaped cells, referred to as "Cracked Sudoku." Hooper meticulously outlines his design process, starting with the initial concept sparked by a desire to move beyond the standard 9x9 grid of squares. He aimed to construct a puzzle with a single solution, maintaining the core logic of Sudoku while offering a visually distinct and potentially more challenging experience.

  He articulates the challenges faced during development, emphasizing the complexity of ensuring each cell has a distinct shape while also guaranteeing a contiguous overall design. His initial attempts involved hand-drawing various cell configurations, a process he found both time-consuming and ultimately unsuccessful in producing a viable puzzle. This led him to adopt a computational approach.

  Hooper leverages a combination of algorithms and programming. He details his utilization of a backtracking algorithm, a common technique for solving constraint satisfaction problems, to explore the vast space of potential cell arrangements. This algorithm systematically tests possible cell shapes and their placements, discarding configurations that violate Sudoku rules or result in duplicate cell shapes.

  Furthermore, the post explains the visual representation of the puzzle. The algorithm outputs SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) data, which precisely defines the intricate borders of each uniquely shaped cell. This ensures the final puzzle maintains both its mathematical validity and aesthetic appeal. The use of SVG also allows for scalable rendering, ensuring the puzzle looks crisp and clear on various devices.

  The post culminates in the presentation of the completed Cracked Sudoku puzzle, a testament to Hooper's blend of artistic vision and computational prowess. He highlights the intricate network of interlocking shapes, a striking departure from the conventional Sudoku grid, while preserving the underlying logical framework of the game. He also reflects on the potential of this approach for creating further variations of Sudoku and other logic puzzles, suggesting a pathway for future exploration in this domain. Finally, the post briefly touches on the possibility of incorporating a solver for this new Sudoku variant, hinting at the next stage in the development of Cracked Sudoku.

  • Sudoku
  • Puzzle
  • Logic Puzzle
  • Game Design
  • mathematics
  • Constraint Satisfaction
  • Algorithm
  • Combinatorics
  • Unique Solution
  • Variant Sudoku
  • Grid Puzzle
  • Recreation
  • Geometric Puzzle

  Summary of Comments ( 58 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43349385

  Verbose tl;dr

  HN commenters generally found the uniquely shaped Sudoku variant interesting and visually appealing. Several praised its elegance and the cleverness of its design. Some discussed the difficulty of the puzzle, wondering if the unique shapes made it easier or harder to solve, and speculating about solving techniques. A few commenters expressed skepticism about its solvability or uniqueness, while others linked to similar previous attempts at uniquely shaped Sudoku grids. One commenter pointed out the potential for this design to be adapted for colorblind individuals by using patterns instead of colors. There was also brief discussion about the possibility of generating such puzzles algorithmically.

  The Hacker News post discussing the "new Sudoku layout with 81 uniquely shaped cells" has generated several comments, mostly focusing on the novelty and solvability of the puzzle, as well as its aesthetic appeal.

  Several commenters discuss the puzzle's difficulty. Some suggest that having uniquely shaped cells might make the puzzle easier because it reduces the search space, while others argue that the unusual shapes could increase the cognitive load, making it harder to recognize patterns. One commenter points out that the puzzle could potentially be more challenging because conventional Sudoku-solving techniques that rely on recognizing number patterns within rows, columns, and 3x3 blocks might not be as readily applicable. Another notes that removing the constraint of the regular 3x3 blocks could drastically increase the number of valid puzzle arrangements, and wonders about the implications of this for generating puzzles.

  The aesthetic quality of the puzzle is also a topic of conversation. Some commenters praise the elegance and novelty of the design, while others find it visually cluttered or difficult to parse. One comment highlights the potential accessibility issues of such a design, suggesting that it may be challenging for people with visual impairments or cognitive processing difficulties.

  The discussion touches on the practicalities of implementing this new format, with one user mentioning the need for a specialized input method or physical pieces.

  The originality of the design is also questioned, with some commenters linking to similar past attempts at creating variations on the standard Sudoku grid. One comment provides a link to a previous discussion on Hacker News about a Sudoku variant with similar properties. This raises questions about the true novelty of the presented puzzle and whether it represents a significant departure from existing variations.

  Finally, the post sparks some theoretical discussions on the mathematics of Sudoku, including the number of possible valid Sudoku grids and the computational complexity of solving them. One comment suggests that the unique shape constraint could potentially simplify the process of generating valid Sudoku puzzles, a topic that others express interest in exploring further.