RAT RUN 7: Multiple Choice
(Published on 17. July 2024, 03:10 by marty_sears)
- Normal sudoku rules apply: place the digits 1-9 once each in every row, column, and 3x3 box (marked with dotted lines.)
- AIM OF EXPERIMENT: Finkz the rat must reach the cupcake by finding a path through the maze. The path must not visit any cell more than once, cross itself, or pass through any thick maze walls.
- As well as moving orthogonally, Finkz may move diagonally if there's a 2x2 space in which to do so, but may never pass diagonally through a round wall-spot on the corner of a cell.
- TELEPORTS: Entering a teleport will cause Finkz to be instantly transported to the matching coloured teleport. From there she can continue her journey. Matching teleports always have identical digits, but teleports that don't match always have different digits.
- ONE-WAY DOORS: Finkz may only pass directly through a purple arrow if moving in the direction the arrow is pointing. An arrow always points to the smaller of the two digits it sits between.
- TEST CONSTRAINT: In this experiment, for any two adjacent digits along the correct path, one can be divided by the other to give an exact integer (ie; one is a multiple of the other.)
Solution code: Digits on the path in row 6, from left to right
Comments
on 4. October 2024, 11:19 by Crusader175
I LOVED this puzzle. Absolutely satisfying to solve it!
on 25. September 2024, 06:31 by Ratfinkz
This took me a few minutes to get started, but once I got going was a beautifully smooth solve!
Just what I needed, and my favourite in the series this far!
Thank you!!!
on 1. September 2024, 21:36 by fajoogaloo
Beautiful logic throughout. Especially loved the ending and some of the portal logic in the middle of the solve. Another great addition to the series :)
on 22. August 2024, 22:08 by hmf213
That last step of the path was pure genius. I was sure I had broken it until I realised what I had missed.
on 20. August 2024, 00:48 by virus_dave
I'm doing these in order now, but so far this is the best one. I literally gasped at the end (the part rmahus refers to in his hidden comment) as I completed the final 9 cells on the route to reach the cupcake - such very very clever setting! I couldn't believe it.
on 20. August 2024, 00:37 by Jackson Philion
Love it! This was my favorite of the series thus far – it felt like the biggest world of possibilities when I started, yet Finkz again deftly navigated this maze and left me surprised along the way. Really cool setting in Box 3. Thanks!
on 14. August 2024, 10:21 by juggler
Incredible setting, really.
on 9. August 2024, 19:25 by OGRussHood
Easily my favorite maze of this series!
on 6. August 2024, 17:07 by ChinStrap
Maintains the high bar of the rest of the series but I had much more trouble with this one, not due to setter skill but to solver skill. Happy I stuck with it though!
on 2. August 2024, 16:41 by Noxy78
Finkz is at least smarter than me : she didn't mistake the walls for blackcurrants.
on 2. August 2024, 08:24 by Cosinus
Really struggled at the beginning, but sometimes you just need a second or third look...
Thank you very much!
on 28. July 2024, 22:33 by docpayce
The quality of this series is absolutely ridiculous!
This one took me a REALLY (embarrassingly) long time to solve but *in the end* it was soooooooo worth it - literally. This was astonishing!
on 24. July 2024, 23:24 by DonQuichopp
Phew, took me a long time to finish the puzzle. Especially the second part was not easy for me. But wow, another lovely addition to the series.
And I just saw the next part and that there will be another shortly before my holidays, yippee :-) thank you for these puzzle Marty, your effort is much appreciated
on 24. July 2024, 22:36 by WildEnte
These puzzles are hard for me but so nice that I keep going. I believe I can really empathize with Finkz by now, or maybe Finkz is already better at finding the way through the maze than I am. I believe I know precisely the spot sujoyku is referring to in their comment.
on 24. July 2024, 21:05 by Flinty
Beautiful stuff. Loved Row 8 :)
on 20. July 2024, 18:40 by GeorgeTheToad2
I was confused with the Teleport wording for quite some time but when I understood it, the puzzle solved with a clever ending. Thank you.
on 20. July 2024, 17:13 by Klausku
Brilliant again, loved it. Fortunately Finkz found her path because that last bit blew my mind. Can‘t wait until the next adventure of Finkz.
on 18. July 2024, 14:09 by AshBrown
Unreal this one. I have no idea how you could set something like this, genius.
on 18. July 2024, 08:22 by Christounet
Wow, my preferred from this series so far. Clever, easy but not too much, and fun !! Thanks :)
on 18. July 2024, 06:54 by apiyo
Another brilliant and creative adventure!
I've posted my solve to youtube at youtu.be/6wJ077dfDec
on 18. July 2024, 04:48 by apete
Wow!
on 18. July 2024, 02:47 by YanksJets
Simply a work of genius. I am in awe.
on 17. July 2024, 23:21 by Silverscree
I've never quite done a double take like I did in this puzzle
on 17. July 2024, 23:14 by Perladel
I'm addicted to your Finkz puzzles
on 17. July 2024, 23:10 by fortunia27
I can always count on Marty to think of the cheekiest possible way of following a brilliant ruleset and make that the solution. The last two digits on the path perfectly encapsulate his brand of 'sudoku mad genius'. Well done sir, take a bow!
on 17. July 2024, 21:23 by Reid
Every puzzle in this series has been an absolute delight to solve. Thank you, Marty Sears, for yet another gorgeous sudoku!
on 17. July 2024, 19:10 by davidemsa
On a series that has been consistently amazing, this one was my favourite so far.
on 17. July 2024, 17:52 by frogboogers73
WOW! Finkz has truly gone on a wonderful journey, the scientists have really given her an awesome time!
on 17. July 2024, 17:44 by prodigis
Very fun puzzle, for some reason I found it very easy to make erroneous assumptions in this one but much like Finkz it all worked out eventually
on 17. July 2024, 17:40 by Sinuit
I was already happy seeing the new RAT RUN puzzle in the list. And I was not disappointed at all. I hope you‘re not running out of ideas for this lovely series too quickly.
Thanks for bringing that much fun to us!
on 17. July 2024, 17:25 by thoughtbyte
Great puzzle, loved the ending. Thanks!
on 17. July 2024, 16:49 by Nairurian
Lovely puzzle, I hope that we’ll see a lot more of Finkz. I felt like this was one of the easier in the series, I needed a lot of pencil marks to plot the course but it solved very smoothly.
on 17. July 2024, 15:04 by Franjo
This was tricky but again - so funny! So thank you so much again for continuing your wonderful series at this high level of quality.
on 17. July 2024, 13:50 by johncj
"Very Nice" isn't enough for these puzzles!
on 17. July 2024, 12:31 by sujoyku
Wow, marty_sears, you have done it again! What an incredible series this is! I had a rough start just to notice I had missed a crucial bit of the ruleset regarding portals. Then, I slowly but surely worked my way up to understanding more and more of the grid until I was convinced to have broken the whole thing. Thus I restarted and went through all my deductions again. Do you know the frightening feeling when you broke a puzzle, restart it and yet everything becomes the same as before? Well, it turned out I had NOT broken the puzzle. Rather had I missed another important point. Those who have solved it already could probably guess what it was. But to avoid spoilers, I will leave it as vaguely as this.
Thank you for these wonderful and exceptionally creative puzzles, marty_sears! While very challenging, they are always a joy to solve!
on 17. July 2024, 12:27 by ajc
very nice puzzle. I initially misread the rules to mean that teleports finkz uses must have the same digits, and those he doesn't must differ. I got stuck halfway for a good 20 minutes until l realized my mistake
on 17. July 2024, 12:06 by mihel111
Uhura : "Come on Finkz, choose C"
Chekov : "Don't listen to her, ensign, choose A"
Sulu : "10 credits on B"
Scottie :Did you made your mind, girl ?"
Finkz : "Yes, beam me up, Chief Engineer"
Scottie : "Go and get it this time, ensign"
McKoy : "How cute, she didn't dare to say beam me up, Scottie"
Uhura : "A bit of respect for our youngest rookie, please"
Spock : "Lieutenant Sears, if you consider to make another serie of test with the ensign, may I suggest the use of cheese as bate ? It may improve the ensign life expectancy of 7,58 percent"
Lieutenant Sears : "Of course commander"
Captain Kirk : "Spock, do you know something about the influence of the happiness rate on the life expectancy ?"
Spock : "There are no mention of any happiness rate in scientific litterature, Captain"
Kirk : "Why am I not surprised, commander ? Replicator, make me a double sundae with triple whipped cream !"
on 17. July 2024, 11:46 by ViKingPrime
Now we're thinking with portals! and this time, the cake is not a lie.
on 17. July 2024, 11:39 by wuc
Another gem in this wonderful series. Thx.
on 17. July 2024, 11:10 by Pleez
I feel a little like Finkz with these puzzles being the cupcakes, I can't stop while improving with each iteration.
on 17. July 2024, 10:55 by 9Rookienumbers
The consistency in quality in this series is outstanding, thank you!
on 17. July 2024, 10:20 by sorryimLate
What did just happen??? You didn't warn about time-travelling. Not that I would mind going to -74, especially if it's this much fun. Thank you once again!
on 17. July 2024, 09:37 by Glasgow
A delightful romp with Finkz. This may be my favorite one in the collection. Thank you!
on 17. July 2024, 05:16 by snn
I haven't even attempted this series yet, but I always look forward to the "production" of these puzzle pages. I am in awe of how much character you add to these sudokus!
