Logic Masters Deutschland e.V.

The idea is from ZrLyG.

Standard sudoku rules applies. Fill the grid with numbers from 1 to 9 so each digit occurs exactly once in every row, column and 3x3 box.

Clues outside indicate the number of skyscrapers one can see from that direction. All clues are given.

Every line is a three part palindrome. Remove the same sequence from one end of the line, and the rest of the line would be a standard palindrome. In other words, one sequence of numbers reflects twice on the line. For instance, 12 3 21 12, 12 21 12

Looking back, this start my second period of setting, mainly focus on the one idea I think cheap, the stitch up rules. This one is simply two palindrome put together. The scariest part is that, it’s so easy to set. I don’t need to spend too much time to flavor the idea, because i know every variant way too well. I know what i need to do to fill the hole in the variant.

For palindrome, I don’t like it. A top 10 hate not top 5. mainly because too many setters use this as one way to control solution numbers. This reason aside, palindrome also has a big problem, it can get too long. And finding cells relate to the middle point is tedious. So one thing i found is that line don’t go too windy, and try to be countable. And like arrows, it’s hard to cover the whole grid, 9 groups of 1 to 9, one group has to be left out, unless overlap happens. Another problem is that it’s not empty grid. I really don’t want to deal with given digits structure now. There has to be an equally powerful rule with complete empty grid to go with it.

By the time I set this puzzle, i think i change my target in setting. Before, i’m trying to see what happens. Now, i’m trying to see what remains. It’s systematically disabling tricks that are essential in solving to see what the variant is really about. Take this idea for example, before i think it as reading from either one side, now i think of it more like reflecting. And reflect is a really interesting topic, especially considering cross grid, an area which most likely going to be my playground for a very long time.