Slither-Kropki-Doku
(Published on 12. March 2024, 05:08 by The Bard)
Normal sudoku rules apply, place the digits 1-9 in each row, column, and box.
Draw a single loop that travels between cells in the grid, this loop does not branch or touch itself. Digits that share an edge on this line are consecutive. Digits located within circles indicate how many edges it has along the line, all circles have been provided. Digits located within square indicate how many of its corners touch the line, all such square have been provided. This line touches all nine boxes, but does not necessarily go through every box, also this line can travel along the outer most edge of the grid. The line does not represent all consecutive adjacent digits.
Kropki, digits with a black dot between them have a ratio of 1:2, all black dots have been provided unless they would appear on the line.
If you like this puzzle you may enjoy some of my other puzzles too, click HERE to see the other puzzles I have made.
Solution code: All the digits that touch the created line including just a corner in row 2 and column 8.
Comments
on 29. April 2024, 15:06 by wuc
All perfect for me. Great puzzle. Wasnt sure if the line my touch the outer border. In many similar puzzles it may not. Great anyway thx.
on 8. April 2024, 14:36 by gfoot
Brilliant puzzle, I love these combinations of mechanics.
Two things I would clarify in the rules - one is to be clearer that the line moves along the gridlines ("between cells" could have meant that the line goes from cell to cell) and the other is that while the rules say that all the black dots that aren't on the line are provided, they don't explicitly say that 1:2 ratio cells whose boundary is on the line are never marked with a black dot.
on 13. March 2024, 15:48 by Volkner
The rules on this one seem poorly worded. As I understand them, the puzzle is broken. Clearly some folks have solved the puzzle, but I can't figure out which rule(s) I'm misunderstanding.
Seemed like a good idea for a puzzle. It may be worth taking the time to rewrite the rules to make them easier to understand.
~~
Sorry for the slow response haven’t had time to get on for a while. Let’s see if I can help your understanding.
1. Draw a line, not through the middle of cells, but along the edges of them that turns into 1 big loop. Like a slitherlink puzzle.
2. When 2 cells have the line you drew between them they are consecutive, a difference of 1.
3. The cells with a circle in them tell you how many edges are on the line you drew, these are proper slitherlink clues. Thus a 4 would make a complete box they have to be smaller than 4. All such cells are given.
4. The cells with a square in them tell you how many corners of that cell are touching the line you drew regardless of how many edges are touching the cell. Thus you could have the line touch all 4 corners, but not have a single edge on that cell. All such cells are given.
5. All kropki dots are given except the ones that are on the line. So when you draw the line the 2 cells on either side can be in a ratio of 2:1 without a kropki dot.
I hope this rewording helps.
The Bard
Yes! That got it. Thanks for the clairification. What an excellent puzzle.
on 12. March 2024, 20:07 by Volkner
The rules on this one seem poorly worded. As I understand them, the puzzle is broken. Clearly some folks have solved the puzzle, but I can't figure out which rule(s) I'm misunderstanding.
Seemed like a good idea for a puzzle. It may be worth taking the time to rewrite the rules to make them easier to understand.
on 12. March 2024, 18:46 by peterkp
For what it's worth, I didn't need the Kropki negative constraint to solve the puzzle..
on 12. March 2024, 15:36 by The Bard
Clarification to rules.
on 12. March 2024, 10:35 by StephenEsven
What a really good puzzle. I am not the best solver, so I think only 4 stars for difficulty. The hardest part was figuring out to enter the solution code correctly ;o).
~Thank you. If can be hard as the setter to know the correct difficulty rating to put on a puzzle which is why it eventually goes by the solvers ratings.
I tried to clarify the solution code to make it more clear. Let me know if it is more understandable.
The Bard
on 12. March 2024, 09:59 by pms_headache
Solution code worked for me. Maybe reword to “Digits in row 2 and column 8 that touch the line including just at a corner.”
on 12. March 2024, 09:36 by Nylimb
The description says "all black dots have been provided unless they would appear on the line". Does that mean that if a 1 and 2 share an edge that's in the loop then they definitely won't have a black dot between them, or just that they might not have such a dot?
~If a 1 and 2 do not have a dot then the line must go between them.
Hope that clarifies.
The Bard
@The Bard: No, I understood that part. But if a 1 and 2 do have a dot between them, can the loop pass between them? I.e. can the loop have a dot on it?
on 12. March 2024, 06:31 by peterkp
"Digits located within boxes" - I presume you mean digits located within squares. Then *boxes* in the next sentence refers to the 3x3 regions in the overall grid.
~Thank you for spotting that unclear detail, I have corrected.
The Bard
