Thinkies (Miracle Chaos Construction)
(Published on 12. June 2022, 18:12 by purpl)
TL;DR puzzles inspire puzzles, complex puzzles take a long time.
I really hope you enjoy this one. Feel free to comment below if you need clarification on anything in the rules (which are quite verbose) or to send me a message on Discord (purpl#3517) if you need a nudge.
Rules:
Normal Chaos Construction rules apply. Place one of each digit 1-9 in every row, column, and region. The regions must be determined by the solver, that is, divide the grid into 9 orthogonally connected groups of 9 cells.
Each ? indicates that the first digit from that direction, N, will be equal to the number of cells between the 1 and 9 in that row or column. Furthermore, the Nth cell is the skyscraper clue for that row or column from that direction (for example if r3c1 was a 6 and r3c6 was a 4 then there would be four skyscrapers in r3 from the left edge).
A skyscraper clue is the number of buildings seen from the edge of the grid if each digit is treated as a skyscraper of that height where larger digits 'hide' smaller digits.
Additionally, in columns and rows marked with a ? the following region rules apply. The Nth cell and the first cell must be in the same region. The cells between the 1 and 9 must be in a single region that is different from the region(s) containing the 1 and 9.
Links:
If you enjoyed this puzzle, consider leaving a rating and/or comment. Better yet recommend it to your fellow solvers if you liked it that much! I hope you do so for all the puzzles you enjoy ;)
Also check out the puzzles/setters I linked in the first paragraph if you haven't already.
Solution code: For the region containing r8c5, record the digits of this region as they appear left to right, top to bottom. Do the same for the region containing r2c9. 18 digits in total, no spaces.
Comments
on 12. October 2022, 18:16 by Christounet
Amazing construction ! I had saved for later a few of these "question mark challenge" puzzles, and decided it was time to try this one. The first part had some incredible logic process, then I was worried about running out of clues with a lot of construction left, and then the miracle of the construction really happened and made me smile, because it was so tight and beautiful. Thanks a lot for this piece of minimalistic art !
on 25. June 2022, 17:22 by wenchang
Very nice. https://youtu.be/n2G8MyCp2Pc
on 20. June 2022, 18:35 by hepcecob
This was crazy smooth. Really cool, and unique logic all the way through.
on 20. June 2022, 18:21 by purpl
Clarified rules for region building is only for the columns and rows which have ? clues.
on 16. June 2022, 22:57 by Niverio
A long journey, yet a fun one :)
on 15. June 2022, 15:38 by henrypijames
The break-in, the resolution of clues in early midgame, the region division in late midgame, and even the irregular sudoku in endgame all feature very creative and challenging logic. Overall only 4 stars difficulty for me, but a journey of joyful discovery from start to finish.
on 14. June 2022, 05:40 by purpl
@Jesper @Agent @marcmees thank you for your wonderful comments :) I am glad you enjoyed
on 13. June 2022, 22:58 by Jesper
A wonderful puzzle, thanks!
on 13. June 2022, 17:40 by Agent
This puzzle is mad. It is absolutely mad.
on 13. June 2022, 16:06 by marcmees
after the initial deductions, this genius minimalist puzzle solves smooth ... needs permanent attention though.thanks.
on 12. June 2022, 18:45 by purpl
@kolot @the_cogito @lerroyy thank you for test solving this puzzle, providing helpful feedback, and for your lovely comments here. <3
on 12. June 2022, 18:27 by kolot
Great puzzle! Challenging but not impossible. Every deduction requires some careful thinking, and once you figure out those deductions the way regions are built at the end is amazing.
on 12. June 2022, 18:26 by the_cogito
Really enjoyed this puzzle, every step felt nice and clean, superb.
on 12. June 2022, 18:16 by lerroyy
Very nice puzzle and a really smooth solve! Thanks for the puzzle purpl!
