Puzzle Description:

The image is nonsense, I was just messing around with patterns and happened upon a logically solvable puzzle that was somewhat challenging.

#1: b. b. (ripkoops) on Jun 1, 2016 [HINT]

From the start, the rows with only "1" clues can be dotted (barring two spaces each) by looking at how the columns with 4 clues interact with them.

-full solution-

(updated for completeness and more rigour)

Expanding upon the first hint: Look at an arbitrary space in R7 other than those in columns 3 and 5. If it's filled, the 3s in columns 3 and 5 must lie above R7 by line logic. In particular, they must both lie in R4 but this is a contradiction since that row has only a lone 1 clue. Abstracting somewhat, this allows you to dot every cell in R7 except R7C3 and R7C5. Following this, apply a similar process in R4 and you reach similar contradictions, this time breaching R7. So, abstracting again you can dot every space in R4 except C3 and C5. An analogous process also works in R8 and R11, leaving free spaces in only C10 and C12 of those rows.

After line logic, it can be seen that the 3s in columns 7 and 8 can only lie in the top or bottom 3 rows, and they cannot lie next to each other because of the 1 clues in the 2nd and 13th rows. Thus the first and last 4 spaces in the first and last rows are dots by two-way logic.

After line logic, note that if R6C4 is filled, R6C1 and R5C1 need to be filled, which is a contradiction, so R6C4 is a dot.

After line logic, smile logic, a touch more LL and more smile logic suffice to solve the puzzle. Small caveat for the first smile logic - you need to use summing logic on the relevant rows to verify that it is indeed a "smile" pattern and nothing else can be done there.

It's possible to approach a couple of steps slightly differently (see David's solution below) but essentially this is how the solution goes. I don't believe there's any other approach. I also don't believe this qualifies as a guessing approach but someone with more experience can correct me if I'm wrong.

I think this is the most difficult puzzle of its size.
The image seem to be an happy face and a sad one, with two arrows. The meaning is: "In life joy follows the sorrow (and vice versa.)"

:) :(

wow... only the maybe smile logic at the end was my problem. If this is true it is one of the hardest puzzles except for one of Gators.

took me a bit to see your first move. here's a more detailed look for anyone needing help with it:

it is essentially alternating smile logic in a way. Looking at how the clues in C3 and C5 can fit because of the rows with a lone "1" clue. What happens is:

- one of the 3 clues will necessarily pass through R4
(this dots C1,2,4,6-14R4)
- the other 3 clue will necessarily pass through R7
(this dots C1,2,4,6-14R7)
- it is possible to avoid R8, R11 and R14 so no dots can be extended yet

go ahead and do the LL to black C10R2,10 and C12R2,10 (makes the logic for C10 and C12 easier to see)

look at how the the 3 clues in the columns have to be placed. only one can go in R11 meaning the other will go into R8...and conversely, since ONLY one can go into R8 the other MUST go into R11. This dots C1-9,11,13,14R8 and C1-9,11,13,14R11.

---

then you have the move ripkoops describes with the 3's that get you 16 more dots

then here's how i finished it:

in R6, the 1-3 can't go in C1-5 or it violates R5, to that black in C3R6 is the 1 clue.
whether C12R5 or C13R5 is black, C10R6 is black (cleaner than smile because of possibility of 1 clues occuring lower in the puzzle)
smile logic in lower right to finish

A little too challenging for me. But I did get the smile logic at the end. Really nice pattern visually.

Janez, that is an interesting interpretation. I like it.

David... are you sure that is really smile logic?

it is literally smile logic AND it is literally frown logic :) :(

SOMEWHAT CHALLENGING!!!? Yikes. I had to totally cheat my way through this one.

I guess I forgot to account for the fact that it's harder to solve a puzzle when you don't know what you're looking for, heh.

I like the finished product though

Wow, that's tough for such a small puzzle. Good job on the complex logic. I eventually solved it exactly how you decribed in comment #2.

wow... was tuffie again this time

Found to be solvable with deep lookahead by gator.

A puzzler after my own heart. :) Great logic in this one. SO much fun to solve puzzles on finding where dots HAVE to be.

...plus it has something similar to alternating smile logic. which, of course, is a gator speshy-AL-itty ;)

Too much guessing needed to make it fun.

The image is nonsense indeed. Not enjoyable for me. That being said, some who appreciate this level of difficulty may have found it enjoyable.

Not fun.

It's fun for people who enjoy challenges of pure logic. :)

Wait, how can a 14x14 puzzle be a brain bu ... ?

Oh.

I like the final image, too, actually. Throughout the puzzle I switched between frowns (what do I do next) and smiles (ah, I got a piece of it). So it works for me. Even ff maybe it wasn't meant to be super sensible.

Looks like a very primitive comedy/drama masks from the theater, even though you said that it was "just nonsense". Enjoyed your difficult little puzzle.

Goto next topic

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