The thread for discussing: How To Make Clueless Explosions.

This is not the right forum to discuss the Big Bang Theory,<br>but if you have any comments on last Saturday's <a href="http://www.sudocue.net/explosion.php">Clueless Explosion</a>, you can post them here.
Børge
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Rating for new Clueless puzzles I post.

Post by Børge »

For new Clueless puzzles I post I have decided to introduce my own rating, i.e. a "Børge Rating" based on the solving techniques required only. The number of each technique required will not be reflected in the rating. Then everybody knows the solving techniques required based on the rating and I can stop making hints. Using JSduoku everybody can determine this anyway. Should a puzzle however, for instance have a large number of Hidden Pairs (> 10) I will likely hint on this.

The mainstream puzzles I will post (Thursday Explosion and Saturday Special) will be Tough, Hard or Very Hard. Should however the generation process result in a Tough and a Very Hard or an even harder puzzle, I might post both. If anyone in addition wants easier puzzles [(Very) Easy or Moderate], please let me know (post, PM or e-mail) and I will see what I can do.

Code: Select all

Rating               Techniques required
======               ===================

Very Easy            Naked Singles only.

Easy                 Naked and Hidden Singles only.

Moderate             Easier techniques + Intersections   aka.   Block/Block Interactions   aka.   Locked Candidates.

Tough                Easier techniques + Naked and/or Hidden Pairs.

Hard                 Easier techniques + Naked and/or Hidden Triplets/Quads.

Very Hard            Easier techniques + Basic Fish, i.e. at least one X-Wing, Swordfish, Jellyfish and/or Squirmbag.

Extra Hard           Easier techniques + Advanced Fish and Colouring &#40;includes Skyscrapers and Kites&#41;.

Super hard           Easier techniques + Wings.

Ultra Hard           Easier techniques + Chains.

Nightmare            Easier techniques + any other techniques except Pure Guessing and Brute Force.

Hellish Nightmare    Easier techniques + Pure Guessing and Brute Force.
Last edited by Børge on Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:08 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Hilsener i fra vikingen :viking: Børge
Børge
Master
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Posts: 157
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:22 pm

Post by Børge »

In the previous post I introduced my own rating. Here some info regarding how I obtain the techniques required for solving a Sudoku I post. This to avoid unnecessary questions in case someone tries to verify my findings and obtains a different set of required techniques than me.

I use JSudoku, but NOT with the default sequence of applying the solver techniques. At the end of this post is a screenshot of the sequence I use. My sequence will probably yield less Naked and Hidden Subsets (Pairs, Triplets, etc.) My sequence reflects how I solve Sudokus when using a helper/solver.

Hopefully others will feel inclined to explain how they solve, so we can learn from one another.

I start with eliminating Intersections and if this is done correctly all Naked and Hidden Singles should be found during this process. When solving a Clueless I always start with the clueless grid. I do not rush the elimination of Intersections, but take my time since I then often also discover Naked and (with some luck) Hidden Subsets, and on occasion catch a Fish.

When I cannot find further Intersections, I actively search for Naked and Hidden Subsets and when I find one I resolve it immediately and then eliminate any new Intersections. If I am not in the clueless grid and a clueless cell was solved or changed I often return back to the clueless grid to check for new Intersections, Subsets and Fishes.

If I cannot solve a puzzle with Intersections and Subsets, I try Colouring and go fishing for all kinds of Fish; Single, Turbot, Grouped or Cycle (often without catching some). Then I try even more advanced techniques like Wings and Chains. From experience (based on the source of the puzzle and its rating) I normally know if a Sudoku requires advanced techniques to be solved.

Personally I am not good at finding Hidden Subsets. Instead I try to find Naked Subsets, even large ones like sextuplets and septuplets. If I find a Naked Subset in a House, the other unsolved cells in that House must contain one or more other Naked and/or Hidden Subsets.


Image
Hilsener i fra vikingen :viking: Børge
Børge
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Posts: 157
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:22 pm

How to make a paper copy of a Clueless puzzle.

Post by Børge »

How to make a paper copy of a Samurai or Clueless puzzle (support added for Samurai)


Step 0:
Download the files "Samurai_Clueless.xls", "Samurai.bmp", "Clueless.bmp", "Samurai_A4.doc" or "Samurai_LETTER.doc", and "Clueless_A4.doc" or "Clueless_LETTER.doc" from this folder. In this folder you will also find this guide in the file "How to make a paper copy of a Samurai or Clueless puzzle .doc". If you do not fancy my formatting (boarders, colours, font, etc.) of the worksheets Samurai, Explosion and Special in "Samurai_Clueless.xls" then just change it to your liking.

"Samurai_Clueless.xls" has a Custom Document Property (File > Properties > Custom) called Grid1_ULC. It controls where the macro PASTE_SUDOKU_FROM_CLIPBOARD expects cell 1 in grid 1. If you for whatever reason want to move the complete grid so that the first cell in grid 1 is no longer the Excel cell B2, you must change this CDP for the macro to work properly.


Step 1:
Select the Sudoku code and copy it to the clipboard (Ctrl+C). Open "Samurai_Clueless.xls" and select the correct worksheet. Paste the Sudoku code into the worksheet (Ctrl+V). Ctrl+V executes an Excel macro which overloads the standard paste in Excel.


Step 2:
Screen-shoot the active window ("Samurai_Clueless.xls") by pressing Alt+Print, open an empty Paint window and paste the screenshot into it (Ctrl+V). Using the select tool in Paint, select the 5 or 9 grids (for a Clueless puzzle the 10th grid off to the right is always empty and is already in "Clueless.bmp") and copy them to the clipboard (Ctrl+C).


Step 3:
Open "Samurai.bmp" or "Clueless.bmp" and paste in the grids (Ctrl+V). Select the complete picture (Ctrl+A) and copy it to the clipboard (Ctrl+C).


Step 4:
Open "Samurai_A4.doc" or "Samurai_LETTER.doc" or "Clueless_A4.doc" or "Clueless_LETTER.doc", select the current Samurai or Clueless picture in the Word-document by left-clicking once on it, and replace it by pasting the new one in the clipboard over it (Ctrl+V). Change the description to whatever you fancy.


Step 5:
Print out the Samurai or Clueless puzzle.
Hilsener i fra vikingen :viking: Børge
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