The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Leren]

David P Bird Wrote : This one is fairly easy to overcome - 1. format the destination cell as text and 2. use 'paste as text' in the paste special menu.

What is really annoying is that you have to both 1 and 2 to overcome the problem (I've added the numbers). If you simply format the cell as text format and paste a 0 line formatted puzzle, Excel knows that is smarter than you and not only brings up the big integer, but changes the cell formatting to general - thank you very much

The best way to permanently overcome the problem is to use a . line formatted puzzle. That way Excel has no option but to do what you actually want !!!

Leren

[Pat]

Can't seem to get a puzzle with the corners and center empty.

you mean, 5 empty boxes ?

[m_b_metcalf]

Can't seem to get a puzzle with the corners and center empty.

you mean, 5 empty boxes ?

Ah, yes, I misread his post. He needs to look here and here.

[3FB504F3]

I find it's somewhat challenging to achieve much level of difficulty and have a "pretty" pattern. But I guess it's probably just the natural scarcity of harder puzzles in the given set. This one is kind of pretty and isn't trivial.

Code: Select all

*-----------*
|37.|...|6..|
|4..|..7|.2.|
|..6|93.|..7|
|-----------|
|..3|..9|.84|
|8..|3.6|..2|
|14.|5..|3..|
|-----------|
|7..|.94|2..|
|.6.|7..|..8|
|..4|...|.76|
*-----------*

37....6..4....7.2...693...7..3..9.848..3.6..214.5..3..7...942...6.7....8..4....76

[m_b_metcalf]

I find it's somewhat challenging to achieve much level of difficulty and have a "pretty" pattern.

Especially when you have so many clues. I have removed two clues from your pattern, and come up with some minimal puzzles, as shown below. Note that the Patterns Game required the clue count to be between 19 and 29.

Regards,

Mike Metcalf

Code: Select all

 1 2 . . . . 3 . .
 4 . . . . 3 . 5 .
 . . 6 2 7 . . . 4
 . . 1 . . 8 . 4 .
 6 . . 7 . 2 . . 8
 . 9 . 6 . . 5 . .
 9 . . . 2 7 8 . .
 . 1 . 3 . . . . 9
 . . 3 . . . . 7 5   ED=7.1/3.0/3.0

 1 2 . . . . 3 . .
 4 . . . . 1 . 5 .
 . . 5 6 3 . . . 1
 . . 7 . . 8 . 2 .
 8 . . 7 . 6 . . 3
 . 1 . 3 . . 6 . .
 2 . . . 8 7 9 . .
 . 9 . 2 . . . . 4
 . . 8 . . . . 1 2   ED=8.3/8.3/3.4

 1 2 . . . . 3 . .
 4 . . . . 2 . 5 .
 . . 6 7 8 . . . 2
 . . 3 . . 6 . 7 .
 6 . . 8 . 7 . . 5
 . 8 . 5 . . 4 . .
 2 . . . 7 8 5 . .
 . 6 . 2 . . . . 3
 . . 4 . . . . 2 9   ED=8.9/8.9/2.6

[Leren]

I've tried those last 3 puzzles and they all have 180 rotational symmetry, which makes them easy to solve.

The 2nd and 3rd puzzles only require basics + symmetry deductions. Are the ratings that accompany the puzzles ignoring the symmetry of givens ?

Leren

[m_b_metcalf]

Are the ratings that accompany the puzzles ignoring the symmetry of givens ?

Yes.

Here's one without symmetry. It's very hard to produce minimal puzzles with so many givens.

Code: Select all

 7 6 . . . . 4 . .
 8 . . . . 6 . 2 .
 . . 2 8 5 . . . 6
 . . 4 . . 5 . 7 .
 9 . . 6 . 3 . . 2
 . 1 . 7 . . 3 . .
 4 . . . 9 2 8 . .
 . 8 . 5 . . . . 4
 . . 9 . . . . 1 7

[3FB504F3]

This is pretty and not real easy to solve.

Code: Select all

*-----------*
|.6.|...|.5.|
|...|134|...|
|4..|...|..9|
|-----------|
|..4|873|5..|
|..7|...|3..|
|..1|496|8..|
|-----------|
|9..|...|..8|
|...|762|...|
|.4.|...|.2.|
*-----------*


.6.....5....134...4.......9..48735....7...3....14968..9.......8...762....4.....2.

060000050000134000400000009004873500007000300001496800900000008000762000040000020