Rules
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Solution code: Row 5
on 12. January 2025, 06:40 by TheNineElements
Solve Time: 41:08
I rated this 3/5 diffculty.
Great puzzle! I really liked the logic for deducing both values for cage sums - particularly how dashed cages in boxes 1/2 and in boxes 6/9 have their symmetry broken by solid-outline cages in boxes 2/6. The clues in box 6 were definitely my favorite aspect of the puzzle.
The break-in (where I calculated each cage-type-sum into having only a few possible sums each) was very approachable/straightforward and was probably 1-2/5 difficulty. The following phase of the solve where I eliminated all but one sum possibility for each type was a bit harder, and was maybe 3/5 difficulty. Once I knew the cage sums for each type of cage, the remaining killer sudoku was probably around 2/5 difficulty for me. Overall the puzzle difficulrt was between a high 2* to a low 3*, leaning towards 3*.
My solve time was inflated due to me messing around with the built-in Sudokupad cage sum tool a lot throughout the solve, as well as taking a quick break midway through the solve without pausing the timer.
Overall the puzzle was approachable and very fun! I have solved a handful of puzzles where all cages had the same sum, but I believe this puzzle is the first I've attempted with TWO sum values - and I found this ruleset to be very interesting and engaging. Great job setting this puzzle - I really enjoyed it!
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Thank you for the detailed review! In the beginning when I was setting this I wanted to do a one total puzzle as well, but with very large cages. It turned out to be very difficult to force a unique solution so I decided to add another set of small cages which ended up interacting well in box 3 with the larges cages in box 1,2,6, and 9.
on 9. January 2025, 23:40 by Piatato
Excellent! Fun and elegant!
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Glad you liked it!
on 9. January 2025, 23:17 by Justalilguy
Estimated difficulty 2-3 stars. I wasn't sure.