Skip to main content

All Questions

9 votes
2 answers
298 views

How do I constrain a puzzle and keep a singular solution?

I am tinkering with a puzzle framework that has the following rules: In a 6x6 grid of squares, arrange 8 strips of connected squares such that there exists exactly one strip of every length (i.e. a ...
1 vote
1 answer
145 views

Feedback on a themed Nonogram/Hidato puzzle combo with a cell color gimmick

So, as you might know, the Christmas season is coming up. (17 days until Dec. 1 at the time of writing) I'm thinking of posting some Christmas-themed puzzles during that season, and just want some ...
0 votes
0 answers
172 views

How to create a big, but good Hidato puzzle?

The goal of Hidato is to fill the grid with a series of consecutive numbers adjacent to each other orthogonally or diagonally, and all tiles are required to be filled in. So, as you may or may not ...
11 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can experienced players tell when a Sudoku was randomly generated? Or if it's a shuffled version?

I'm trying to make a simple classic Sudoku game in JavaScript, and I'm wondering what considerations I should have in how experienced players might interpret the generated puzzles. I'm not very ...
31 votes
11 answers
4k views

Is there a puzzle that is only solvable by assuming there is a unique solution?

Is it possible to construct a puzzle that is: Solvable if you assume there is a single unique solution Not solvable if you do not make this assumption My intuition says that the answer is "No&...
14 votes
2 answers
2k views

Creating a Sudoku where all clue numbers are orthogonally connected to the edges of the puzzle

I'm one of a group of people building a big puzzle hunt. I have what I think is a pretty good idea for a puzzle, but I'm having trouble constructing it. Basically, what I need to do is make a sudoku ...
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can you make a puzzle that looks correct until the very last piece?

Lately I've been enjoying a little game called Flow Fit: Sudoku. It's basically sudoku meets jigsaw. You need to place the pieces into predetermined slots, and numbers cannot repeat in the same rows/...
16 votes
2 answers
8k views

Creating a Kakuro puzzle with a unique solution

I start with a grid of black and white cells. I randomly populate the white cells from numbers (1-9) using Kakuro rules. Then I calculate the horizontal and vertical sums. I remove the numbers from ...
10 votes
1 answer
366 views

How to prevent overcluing in a Statue Park?

I'm interested in making some Statue Park puzzles. This genre seems easy to accidentally overclue. I have read Deusovi's grid-deduction creation guide, but all it had to say was this: When placing ...
10 votes
0 answers
354 views

How do I construct a Japanese-style "grid deduction" puzzle? [duplicate]

Logic puzzles like Nurikabe, Slitherlink, and Battleships -- the ones we call grid-deduction puzzles -- can be a lot of fun. How do I go about constructing them? What's the best strategy for making ...
4 votes
1 answer
518 views

Hamiltonian Puzzle Algorithm

I know how to create a Hamiltonian path or circuit for a given grid size (in which all nodes are free). However I just wonder how to create specific type of puzzles like the ones given below. I'm ...
10 votes
2 answers
994 views

Try to design a uniquely solvable masyu

Warning: extreme difficulty Does there exist a 6x6 masyu puzzle with one black pearl in each row/column (without any white pearls) which is uniquely solvable? What about for 7x7 grids? In fact, what ...
16 votes
3 answers
2k views

How does one go about creating a new grid-deduction puzzle?

The grid-deduction tag covers puzzles like Sudoku, Kakuro, etc. where the goal is to fill in a grid of numbers [/letters/colours] in a unique way by logical deduction from some predetermined rules and ...
11 votes
1 answer
1k views

Futoshiki Puzzle with the least amount of clue

You are supposed to create a new $5$x$5$ Futoshiki puzzle with the least amount of clues possible, but this puzzle needs a unique answer. In other words, What is the minimum number of clues for $5$...
7 votes
2 answers
599 views

Making a grid deduction puzzle

When making a grid-deduction puzzle, what are the strategies in making it? For most grid-deduction puzzles, simply putting numbers/dots/whatever in the grid simply doesn't cut it. However, sometimes ...

15 30 50 per page