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Simple Sudoku Wish List

 
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StoneMonkeyMark

Joined: 05 Sep 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:42 pm    Post subject: Simple Sudoku Wish List Reply with quote

I tried to search for the wish list thread and failed (sigh). 30 pages is too much. Sorry if this is not in the right place.

This program has been instrumental in helping get to like Sudoku. Very well written. Clean and clear. Thank you so much.

So what fascinates me about Sudoku is how complex the logic can get and thus I am work through the puzzles with those items in them. So I am not so interested in the 'normal' solving. So I have candidates on all the time.

Here comes the wish list item:

Thus I would love to have an option (only when candidates are showing) that when a square goes to a single candidate, it will automatically be filled in. Thus the end game does not take time. Given I am a newbie perhaps this is considered against the spirit of the game?

Mark
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angusj
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Simple Sudoku Wish List Reply with quote

StoneMonkeyMark wrote:
perhaps this is considered against the spirit of the game?

Yes, a number of people have requested that feature. At one stage I did have singles bolded to make spotting them easier but even that I thought was too much "against the spirit of the game".
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StoneMonkeyMark

Joined: 05 Sep 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Angus,
Thanks for the quick reply.

I can understand you view, and how can I say the program is clean and clear and then ask for extra bits on the side (grin).

What made me think of it was other card games that auto finish off. I guess it is clear when a puzzle as reached that point and I can just close it down.

Thanks,
Mark

PS I did find a set X wing that turned into a coloring. Does this often happen and can you say some puzzle *have* to be solved with a specific method?
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angusj
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

StoneMonkeyMark wrote:
PS I did find a set X wing that turned into a coloring. Does this often happen and can you say some puzzle *have* to be solved with a specific method?

There are many roads that lead to Rome - but Simple Sudoku generally tries to show you the easiest one (though which road is the easiest is often debatable).
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StoneMonkeyMark

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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:15 pm    Post subject: Back again! Reply with quote

Hi again Angus,

So I have to try one more time (grin). I have been playing more and still think that auto solving is the way to go. I found your double click auto fill in and have played enough to get a better feel for what feels in the spirit of the game. So here goes my last sales pitch...

Given that the Extreme would be very hard to solve on paper the computer is doing the removal of the drudgery. Little helping things like the double click auto fill in are in that style. To me the harder ones are there to find the key twist of logic that then 'unlocks' the puzzle. So my idea is an auto solve that only kicks off when all the remaining solves are singles. You auto fill it out at the speed someone can double click (like an animation) and you solve the ones that are visually closest to the last one. This means the speed will be very similar to a real human and you will watch it happen as well. If you prototype it you will see that the puzzle then has another interesting aspect to it. Can you design a puzzle so that is 'cracks' late in the game?

What do you think now? (grin).

I also have another set of questions:

1. What is typical for solving Extreme with candidates showing and no hints or errors. 10 mins? A history and stats would be good to compare with friends.

2. What does "no hint available" mean. I was looking for hard ones and found an non symmetric (pah! (grin) one that your logic hints cant seem to solve. Do you know what method is required to solve these? I guess you are not likely to add another logic type soon. It does seem to have a unique solution, but I cant prove it.

3. On the subject of no updates to the program. Would you consider handing the code to someone you trusted to keep it up dated with small changes and requests?

4. Do you do Extreme on paper and do you use different logic to solve them compared to the computer?

PS I have seen you contribute the sudoku community a lot - forums, sites, wikipedia etc. Good job you have a very sensible and steady hand that helps. Keep up all the good work.

Regards
Mark (mark at time is the answer dot com)
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angusj
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:29 pm    Post subject: Re: Back again! Reply with quote

StoneMonkeyMark wrote:
What do you think now? (grin).

I haven't changed my mind Smile.

Quote:
1. What is typical for solving Extreme with candidates showing and no hints or errors. 10 mins? A history and stats would be good to compare with friends.

I'm not keen on the idea of making Sudoku solving a competition. It's not my style.

Quote:
2. What does "no hint available" mean. I was looking for hard ones and found an non symmetric (pah! (grin) one that your logic hints cant seem to solve.

It means what it says. It's still solvable (unless you're told otherwise) but not with any of the methods SS uses.

Quote:
I guess you are not likely to add another logic type soon.

No.

Quote:
3. On the subject of no updates to the program. Would you consider handing the code to someone you trusted to keep it up dated with small changes and requests?

No.

Quote:
4. Do you do Extreme on paper

No.

Quote:
PS I have seen you contribute the sudoku community a lot - forums, sites, wikipedia etc. Good job you have a very sensible and steady hand that helps. Keep up all the good work.

Thanks Very Happy
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StoneMonkeyMark

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PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK so I get the drift. No No No... (grin)

Quote:
It means what it says. It's still solvable (unless you're told otherwise) but not with any of the methods SS uses.


But I did think you would be into cataloguing all logic methods you come across. Do you do this outside of Simple? With other programs or just with a notebook of some sort. Does this mean I have out grown Simple and need to move on? What do I do with this puzzle? Yours, still learning
Mark
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AtoB

Joined: 06 Oct 2006
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:20 am    Post subject: New Feature? Reply with quote

I can do a proportion ofthe extremes with no clues, however it would be great to have another hint option that doesn't go as far as the current one, and only shows the type of logic used for the next step (i.e. just shows the status bar text but does none of the highlighting etc).

An excellent program, I hate you (I spend too long playing it!)

Chris
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daj95376

Joined: 05 Feb 2006
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I miss being dropped into design mode automatically, but I can understand the reasoning behind that change. What bothers me most is having multiple Locked Candidates occur when one Naked Triple would suffice.

Bottom Line: It's a great program and I'd be lost without it!!!
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