Ziplock
(Published on 11. December 2023, 20:50 by HalfBakedLunatic)
• Normal Sudoku Rules Apply
• Cells equal distance from the center of the Zipper lines must sum to the cell in the center of the line
(for clarity, the center box has two intersecting straight lines)
• Digits in cages must sum to the number in the corner of the cage
• Cells separated by a black dot must in a 2:1 ratio (not all dots are shown)
Solve Online here (right-click and open in new tab):
Ziplock (Cracking The Cryptic)
Note: I've seen a few "Zipper line" puzzles recently on Cracking The Cryptic, so I thought I'd try my hand at setting one. It turned out to be MUCH more difficult than I had expected, I struggled with the testing on this for days and went through many revisions ... but very happy with the results! I hope you are as well :-)
Leave a comment and let me know how you like it!
Puzzle by David Workman (aka "HalfBakedLunatic")
Solution code: Row 7
Comments
on 6. January 2024, 03:25 by HalfBakedLunatic
Happy to see my puzzle featured on Cracking The Cryptic! I had submitted an earlier version of the puzzle to their testers but this one on LMG is the 'final' version. The tweaks are fairly minor - and the solution is the same! Check out the CTC video:
https://youtu.be/R_2H-U_ljio
on 12. December 2023, 13:24 by BobAndWeave
The logic to get the digits in box 5 was beautiful! Very fun and logical puzzle. The X-Wing/Y-Wing combo at the end was a surprise.
on 12. December 2023, 04:55 by Silverscree
That's the hardest I've worked for a while to just pin down the last tiny set of digits without bifurcation! Satisfying puzzle, thanks :)
-- Thanks @Silverscree! Great feedback. The Kropki dot in Row 8 was needed for two digits that were resolving into a 'deadly pattern'. I could have put the dot in a number of places, but this seemed the only way to do it WITHOUT disrupting the fun X-Wing/Y-Wing at the end!
on 12. December 2023, 00:15 by HalfBakedLunatic
Removing one Kropki Dot
on 11. December 2023, 23:06 by anyeyeball
I liked it; pretty smooth solve. I found the puzzle a little easier than predicted, perhaps 3*.
-- Hi @anyeyeball ... ok then! I had added one extra Kropki dot for one step that I thought was too difficult. But I've just tested it again without it and I feel it's a better puzzle overall. Let's see what other people think :-)
on 11. December 2023, 21:34 by HalfBakedLunatic
Added clarification to the Zipper rule
