Sudoku
I added a Sudoku to the Amuse Labs’ PuzzleMe platform. From the beginning the idea was to have a scalable architecture that supports multiple grid and sub-grid sizes, different formats like Sudoku-X, while supporting all the applicable features that our crossword supports e. g. designing with the ‘themer’ or ‘social play’.
I started with writing an ‘importer’ that imports the puzzle from XML format. The most important and complicated part of the project was of course developing the player.
The player now supports two letter entry modes—pen and pencil. Pen enters a letter that is considered as the entry for the cell which reflects when errors in the grid are shown. Pencil enters the letter in a small font in a particular position that is meant for noting options down only. The other supported features are reveal/check cell, reveal grid, print, error check mode and social play.
Selected entry is shown in blue background and other entries with the same value are shown in yellow background. This helps in locating the sub-grids where the entry is not filled yet. There are several other settings that the users can customise to enjoy solving sudoku in the way they want.
I also worked on modules to to provide Sudoku content to publishers so they can get daily puzzles in five difficulty levels—easy, medium, hard, expert and kids (6x6 grid).
Both the sudoku player and content are being used by leading publishers such as The Guardian and The Los Angeles Times.
Smart Hint
Smart Hint is a feature that teaches sudoku solving techniques to users when they are stuck. It takes them through the steps involved in finding the next solution and explains the reasoning behind it. PuzzleMe currently supports about 5 different sudoku solving techniques including X-wing and Y-wing.
I helped finalise the data structure required to support this and built the front end required to support this feature.
Picdoku
Picdoku is just like sudoku but the candidates are pictures instead of numbers. For example, the candidates can be different patterns like in the example below. This poses a different kind of challenge to the brain as identifying and remembering patterns becomes crucial to solve the puzzle. It could become a great tool for teachers to teach kids about shapes, colors, patterns etc. along with logical reasoning.
Picdoku can also be used for team building activities by using pictures of people as candidates. I made one such puzzle for my colleagues at Amuse Labs.
Picdoku with patterns on a mobile. Patterns to be entered are shown in the virtual keyboard.
Picdoku with pictures of my colleagues at Amuse Labs.
A smart hint in The Guardian Puzzles app. Steps involved in arriving at the next solution are shown at the bottom. Users can navigate between steps using 'Next' or 'Back' buttons.
A smart hint in The Guardian Puzzles app. Steps involved in arriving at the next solution are shown at the bottom. Users can navigate between steps using 'Next' or 'Back' buttons.
A smart hint in The Guardian Puzzles app. Steps involved in arriving at the next solution are shown at the bottom. Users can navigate between steps using 'Next' or 'Back' buttons.
A smart hint in The Guardian Puzzles app. Steps involved in arriving at the next solution are shown at the bottom. Users can navigate between steps using 'Next' or 'Back' buttons.