Filtered Out (fillomino/slitherlink)
(Published on 23. February 2025, 17:54 by jwsinclair)
Filtered Out, by James Sinclair
This was my entry in round one of a pencil puzzle competition in the Skunkworks server, in which two setters each choose a genre and must make a hybrid puzzle using both (I chose fillomino, my opponent chose slitherlink). It's the first non-sudoku I've ever published here (and one of only a handful that I've set at all), but it got a good response from the judges so I thought it might be worth sharing. Let me know what you think :)
Rules
Fillomino: divide the grid into regions of orthogonally connected cells, where the digit in each cell indicates the size of its region, and two regions of the same size do not share an edge. Cages show the sum of their digits (or give an upper or lower bound), and digits can repeat within a cage.
Slitherlink: draw a loop that only moves orthogonally and does not branch or intersect. A digit in a circle indicates the number of that cell's edges that are part of the loop. All possible circles are given (note that this means the given digit is not, and in fact cannot be, a valid slitherlink clue).
The loop cannot divide a fillomino region (i.e. every loop segment must be on a region border). Each fillomino region must contain exactly one border segment (of length=1 or greater) that is part of the loop. This rule is not violated if a region touches another part of the loop at a single point diagonally.
SudokuPad | Penpa+
Solution code: row 8
Comments
on 26. February 2025, 17:01 by skuntsel
That was a real treat to solve! A very original idea and top-notch implementation. Thank you, James! And please carry on with the non-sudoku settings as well!
on 26. February 2025, 04:03 by Calvinball
This was a sight to behold, impeccable setting!
on 24. February 2025, 19:19 by MaizeGator
Agree with Franjo... the world needs more James Sinclair non-sudokus
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Heh, well, I made it to round two, so there'll be at least one more :)
on 24. February 2025, 18:16 by Franjo
Publish more non-sudokus, please! Thank you so much for creating and sharing this amazing puzzle. It’s so - I love it.
on 23. February 2025, 23:46 by Niverio
Great puzzle!
on 23. February 2025, 23:08 by MSDOS
All of the constraints played an important role from beginning to end! Very lovely setting!
on 23. February 2025, 19:33 by Christounet
Cool puzzle! Thanks:)
on 23. February 2025, 19:31 by TripleABattery
Gorgeous puzzle, thank you!
