Z
(Published on 19. April 2023, 00:17 by Christounet)
This puzzle is the first of 2 related puzzles that I created as a gift for Zetamath. His puzzles and setting videos have been a source of inspiration for my own setting, so I wanted to thank him with a gift puzzle. I had so much fun setting the first one that I decided to set another one right after.
Here are the 2 puzzles side by side :
I tried incorporating some elements that might feel familiar to his regular solvers (Z shapes, various lines, ambiguity, S-cells, funny deadly pattern disambiguation...). Not that my puzzles could pretend reaching the complexity and quality standard of Zetamath's. They're just made with some bits of logic I found nice, mixed with a drop of zeta-esque touch to give it the right flavour.
I’m posting the 2 puzzles separately because the difficulty level might feel slightly different. They can be solved independantly. I hope you’ll enjoy them both !
Thanks to tallcat for testing this one.
Rules :
- Normal sudoku rules apply.
- Normal german whispers (green line), region sum line (blue line), thermometer (grey line), double arrow, between line and kropki rules mostly apply...
However...
- The purple line is a Nabner line, i.e. no digit can be consecutive on than line (contrary to a Renban line where they have to).
- Also, I think I mixed up the between lines and double arrows while I was setting (they look so alike !) and now I can't remember what I actually put in ! Therefore, all orange lines are ambiguous and can either be between lines or double arrows. Can you help me identify them while solving ?
- Finally, at least one of the white dots is a liar !
Detailed rule for double arrow : the sum of the digits in the two circles is equal to the sum of the digits along the line between the circles. Digits may repeat if allowed by other rules.
The puzzle :
Enjoy ! And consider leaving a comment if you appreciate the puzzle !
You can check out my other puzzles here if you liked this one.
Solution code: Row 1 (left to right) and column 1 (top to bottom)
Comments
on 16. June 2024, 22:43 by Piatato
Easy, fun solve! :)
on 24. May 2023, 21:25 by ViKingPrime
Fantastic setting! though like @peterkp, I would describe myself as more of an "Anti-Z"... there's just something about a good Schrodinger puzzle.
Keep up the great work!
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@ViKingPrime : Thanks ! Welcome in the Anti-Z team, where we take you to explore a world of weirdities. Whatever you're dreaming of, and more.
on 5. May 2023, 13:33 by Montikulum
Very nice and smooth flow from the start; not too tricky but cleverly boxed so that there is always a next step to be spotted within reach.
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@Montikulum : Thanks ! Glad you liked the flow of the puzzle :) You should try the other one which is just a bit more challenging because of the S-cells. I think you should like it as well !
on 19. April 2023, 15:53 by Snookerfan
Great puzzle! Thank you
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@Snookerfan : Thanks ! Glad you liked it ! You should try the other one if you haven't :)
on 19. April 2023, 13:11 by Christounet
Rule precision about double arrows, for solvers not familiar with them.
on 19. April 2023, 13:00 by ScatterBrain
I'm not sure how a double arrow clue works.
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@ScatterBrain : Sorry, I figured it was universally known, my mistake. In a double arrow, the sum of the digits on the line equals the sum of the digits in the 2 circles. I'll update the rules.
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Thanks @Christounet With that information I solved the puzzle. Very smooth. Thanks!
on 19. April 2023, 12:49 by Paquet Voleur
I have limited solving experience in general, and got stuck a few times with contradiction arising because I failed to properly use the double-arrow logic: I thought both ends needed to be the same value, rather than the sum of the extremes being the same as the sum in-between. Perhaps it would be appropriate to explicitly state the effect of the constraints?
Anyways, once I got over my incapacity to follow the ruleset, everything smoothed out almost to the end. The final stretch was a bit trickier but nice. Thanks for this two-for-one special!
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@Paquet Voleur : Thanks for the feedback as always. The end is a bit trickier indeed, but I liked the fact that I could keep that ambiguity until the very last bits of the puzzle. And you are right about double arrows, it is not a common rule so I made the precision in the description.
