Bletchley Park
(Published on 11. June 2023, 20:40 by fjam)
- Japanese Sums:
- Shade some cells in the grid and place digits from 1-9 into each unshaded cell such that no digit repeats in any row/column. Clues outside the grid show the sums of digits in contiguous unshaded cells in the respective row/column in order from the left/top to right/bottom.
- Battleships:
- Shaded cells must form orthogonally connected rectangular regions that may not touch orthogonally or diagonally.
- Dynamic Cipher:
- Clues outside the grid are encrypted, where each use of a digit in a clue rotates the cipher by the value of that digit, including after each digit of a multi-digit clue. For example, if an 'A' is used and has value 2, the cipher rotates 2 positions and 'A' would then have value 4. At the end of each row/column, the cipher rotates by an additional value K, which is constant. All of the row/column clues each form a single separate message that starts with the same initial encryption, which begins at the left/top of row/column 1 and reads rightwards/downwards. A '?' may be replaced by any digit, but the first digit of a clue must not be 0. A '...' represents any number of additional clues, possibly none.
In the following example image, the cipher is represented by a wheel, where the inner letter wheel is rotated as appropriate. The wheel shows the initial cipher, which is the same for the start of the row clues' message and the start of the column clues' message. The value of K has been set to 5 in the example.
Note that in the main puzzle, all clues rotate the cipher, including those that must be deduced from '?' and '...' clues.
The grey stripes are provided to allow solvers to make notes, though they must be cleared to trigger answer check. Solving in Penpa is strongly recommended due to the ability to write two digit numbers.
Answer check for SudokuPad just requires digits, while Penpa requires blue digits and shading in grey/black.
Solution code: BLETCHLEYPARK (in the initial cipher), Row 1 (X for shaded cells)
Comments
on 9. June 2024, 01:40 by zzw
Insane.
Seems completely impenetrable until you look at just the right thing, then everything starts to unfold. Amazing that it works at all, let alone with a pretty reasonable (yet unforgiving) solve path. Great puzzle!!
on 24. May 2024, 07:04 by mnasti2
Impressive stuff! Ditto what everyone else said. When I read the rules I thought "no way," but sat down with it after seeing the glowing reviews and am glad I did!
on 8. May 2024, 07:45 by Agent
Exceptional puzzle, a very immersive solve experience! And despite the extreme difficulty at times, it was very satisfying how all the digits resolve smoothly at the end.
on 12. April 2024, 15:20 by The Book Wyrm
Amazing puzzle. Took a very long time to solve, but definitely worth it.
Very interesting ruleset that takes a while to get your head around, and even after I understood it keeping track of the cipher was tough. (And it's quite easy to break, as I found out a couple times)
on 3. April 2024, 21:25 by PrimeWeasel
A whole new level of insanely good is accomplished here. For any future solvers, don't forget K, and tread lightly in the park
on 4. January 2024, 20:05 by Vebby
Incredible! One of my most satisfying solves ever. Take a bow fjam!
on 26. October 2023, 04:54 by Koalagator2
Incredible, what a journey! Series of satisfying moments.
on 24. October 2023, 12:35 by Christounet
Finally cracked the Enigma !!
As soon as I saw this puzzle, I knew it would be something special and very unique to solve. The idea of making such a puzzle with a rotating cipher is in itself so incredible ! The opening sequence is so cleverly organized, that it comes very naturally where you have to look first, and what you need to do. Then the puzzle has a lot of little aha moments that we all like. I never really got stuck because there's always something to look at or to do to make progress. I was literally on the edge of my seat for the later half, so afraid of making the tinyest shifting error (which I did eventually), and so excited to see this unfold completely. I think I was in the same state of mind as Alan Turing when he was about to crack the ciphered messages from the german machine.
Truly a great masterpiece, that easily enters my top ten solves. Thanks a lot for this amazing experience !
on 8. October 2023, 08:04 by RJBlarmo
Insane puzzle with a very unique, enjoyable solving experience. Definitely challenging, but gradually becomes easier as you get used to the ruleset.
on 4. September 2023, 06:16 by wisty
One of the best experiences I have had with a work of art in a long time. This puzzle made me so happy and fulfilled and I don't have the words for how or why it is so good. Recommend this to anyone willing to take on a long puzzle - it is hard, but it is never brutal and it is also intrinsically rewarding in a way I honestly don't even know if I've seen before.
on 2. July 2023, 20:10 by filuta
epic
on 16. June 2023, 19:55 by Jaych
Of the three-and-a-half hours it took me to solve this puzzle, I'm confident that I spent a half-hour of that time REALLY trying to make sure I fully understood the rules. Beautiful stuff!
on 12. June 2023, 23:33 by ClashCode
Easily the hardest puzzle I've solved and took longer than I'd care to admit.
It is an absolutely phenomenal creation, and I'd highly recommend any willing brave soul to give it a try.
on 11. June 2023, 20:43 by Myxo
Absolutely mad puzzle. It took a long time but I loved it!
