| puzzle design challenge | 
| Brian Kwon-Tom Obsessive
 Puzzles: 4913
 Best Total: 9m 6s
 | Posted - 2007.04.27 04:36:51 Since there are a few people creating puzzles now, I thought we might have some fun challenging each other to design puzzles. My first idea relates to puzzle #84, where there's a big 6x6 square in the center devoid of clues. I haven't been able to make any bigger than that, but perhaps you can. (Or perhaps you can show why it's impossible.)
 
 So this is my first puzzle design challenge, to create a puzzle with the largest square or rectangle in the middle that's devoid of clues. This is actually trivial in one sense, as the following illustrates:
 
 
 
 So we need to add the condition that the loop actually goes through this space. We should also require that the width and height of the rectangle are at least two:
 
 
 
 Unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town for a couple of weeks, but I hope some of you will have fun with this and I'll be sure to catch up when I get back.
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| Tilps Kwon-Tom Obsessive
 Puzzles: 7064
 Best Total: 18m 37s
 | Posted - 2007.04.27 06:36:39 That is a very cool puzzle.
 
 The non-close property of the puzzle has substantially more power to push into empty spaces then I would have guessed.
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| Jankonyex Kwon-Tom Obsessive
 Puzzles: 5687
 Best Total: 9m 35s
 | Posted - 2007.04.27 14:38:59 Interesting
 wall-121 pattern is quite useful
 
 
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| Para Kwon-Tom Obsessive
 Puzzles: 1923
 Best Total: 19m 28s
 | Posted - 2007.06.13 16:11:42 Hi all
 
 Just to show the rules will always stay a bit trivial (and thereby claiming victory
  ). Here are some patterns that can be stretched as far as you want to; just insert ones. Yes it is bending the rules a little, but the loop travels through the empty rectangle and they are 3 high(so at least 2). So empty rectangles of 3 by infinity. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 greetings
 
 Para
 
 Last edited by Para - 2007.06.13 16:14:42 | 
| Nis Kwon-Tom Obsessive
 Puzzles: 2358
 Best Total: 22m 1s
 | Posted - 2007.06.13 20:58:35 
 Quote: | Originally Posted by para Hi all Just to show the rules will always stay a bit trivial (and thereby claiming victory    ). Here are some patterns that can be stretched as far as you want to; just insert ones. Yes it is bending the rules a little, but the loop travels through the empty rectangle and they are 3 high(so at least 2). So empty rectangles of 3 by infinity. | 
 
 
 As far as i can see, this has no solution ...
 
 
 
 ... and this one has two.
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| Para Kwon-Tom Obsessive
 Puzzles: 1923
 Best Total: 19m 28s
 | Posted - 2007.06.13 22:04:02 This should work
 
 
 
 What is the other solution? Maybe is missed something.
 
 
 
 These patterns were just a joke.
 
 Para
 
 Last edited by Para - 2007.06.13 22:11:58 | 
| Nis Kwon-Tom Obsessive
 Puzzles: 2358
 Best Total: 22m 1s
 | Posted - 2007.06.14 06:02:16 Sorry, my brain wasn't working. I am to embarrassed to telel you which solutions/problems I saw and did no see
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| Naivoj Kwon-Tom Addict
 Puzzles: 314
 Best Total: 33m 50s
 | Posted - 2007.12.27 16:49:40 By extending Jankonyex 121 wall design 5x7=35 squares are cleared.
 
 
 I don't believe it can be stretched further.
 
 Last edited by Naivoj - 2007.12.27 19:23:55 | 
| rootbeer Kwon-Tom Addict
 Puzzles: 216
 Best Total: 1h 20m 26s
 | Posted - 2007.12.27 23:41:35 Could you make a larger area if you were allowed one digit in the otherwise-empty rectangle?
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| Naivoj Kwon-Tom Addict
 Puzzles: 314
 Best Total: 33m 50s
 | Posted - 2007.12.28 06:16:07 
 Yes, but I can only get one more row for 5x8-1=39 squares. Though it is a different problem.Quote: | Originally Posted by rootbeer Could you make a larger area if you were allowed one digit in the otherwise-empty rectangle? | 
 
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| Brian Kwon-Tom Obsessive
 Puzzles: 4913
 Best Total: 9m 6s
 | Posted - 2008.01.02 05:54:58 I liked your puzzle #267, Naivoj. Thanks.
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| Naivoj Kwon-Tom Addict
 Puzzles: 314
 Best Total: 33m 50s
 | Posted - 2008.01.02 07:15:59 Brian, I am curious to know how you came up with your neat puzzle #84. Did you wrote a specific program that turns up with it, or did you sketch it yourself?
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| Brian Kwon-Tom Obsessive
 Puzzles: 4913
 Best Total: 9m 6s
 | Posted - 2008.01.03 02:07:40 
 I did that one by hand. All the others have been computer generated. I've never been satisfied with the ones done by hand (except for #84).Quote: | Originally Posted by naivoj Brian, I am curious to know how you came up with your neat puzzle #84. Did you wrote a specific program that turns up with it, or did you sketch it yourself? | 
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| Naivoj Kwon-Tom Addict
 Puzzles: 314
 Best Total: 33m 50s
 | Posted - 2008.01.08 04:57:38 
 The fact you did this by hand is remarkable. Writing a program that come up with this will be impressive too, but not as much in my opinion.Quote: | Originally Posted by brian I did that one by hand.  | 
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