Identity Theft
(Published on 25. May 2022, 09:41 by DarthParadox)
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits on the thermometer must increase from the bulb end. The digits in a cage must not repeat, and must sum to the number in the upper left... however, one of the digits has stolen the identity of another digit!
Whenever the thief is in a cage without the victim, the cage sum is calculated using the victim's value instead of the thief's value. The sum of a cage containing both the thief and the victim is calculated as normal. For example, if 1 were the thief and 2 were the victim, then a cage containing 1, 3, and 4 would have a sum of 9, because the 1 impersonates the 2 for the sum - but a cage containing 1, 2, and 3 would still have a sum of 6.
To demonstrate, here is a 6x6 puzzle with the same rules, minus the thermometer (f-puzzles link, CTC link). The cages have been colored in the solution: in the red cages, the thief (1) is impersonating the victim (5), while in the blue cages, both thief and victim are present so the sum is calculated as normal:
And here's the full puzzle (f-puzzles link, CTC link):
Whenever the thief is in a cage without the victim, the cage sum is calculated using the victim's value instead of the thief's value. The sum of a cage containing both the thief and the victim is calculated as normal. For example, if 1 were the thief and 2 were the victim, then a cage containing 1, 3, and 4 would have a sum of 9, because the 1 impersonates the 2 for the sum - but a cage containing 1, 2, and 3 would still have a sum of 6.
To demonstrate, here is a 6x6 puzzle with the same rules, minus the thermometer (f-puzzles link, CTC link). The cages have been colored in the solution: in the red cages, the thief (1) is impersonating the victim (5), while in the blue cages, both thief and victim are present so the sum is calculated as normal:
And here's the full puzzle (f-puzzles link, CTC link):
Solution code: Row 6 followed by column 6
Last changed on on 1. December 2023, 17:39
Solved by wisty, Agent, cdwg2000, misko
Comments
on 1. December 2023, 17:39 by DarthParadox
Updated CTC link to include answer-check
on 29. May 2022, 23:29 by DarthParadox
Correcting minor typo (duplicated word) in rules in CTC and F-Puzzles links
Last changed on 20. October 2024, 23:53
on 25. May 2022, 10:15 by wisty
Really innovative ruleset that leads to satisfying logic and unique tricks. I felt like a detective chasing down a suspect and the end of the puzzle was magical!
