Tuesday, 29 March 2022

Freddie Hand

In today's episode of puzzles-which-should-have-appeared-ages-ago-but-haven't, Skyscrapers takes the spotlight. This genre has a funky yet intriguing ruleset perfect for a love-hate affair; the marmite of puzzle genres, if you will. Tragically, there has been no research on the link between genetics and liking skyscrapers, but I think even devout ruralists should be able to enjoy the genre.

Rules: Place a number from 1 to N into each cell so that each row and column contains every number from that range with no repeats, where N is the side length of the grid. Also, each number in the grid represents the height of a building and the clues on the outside of the grid indicate how many buildings can be “seen” when looking from that direction. Taller buildings block the view of smaller buildings.
Alternatively, a clue outside the grid represents how many cells in the corresponding row or column contain a larger number than all cells before it in that row or column from the direction of the clue.

Slightly confusing rules today! So, as always, here is an example puzzle to help with understanding:

Example: Penpa: https://tinyurl.com/y9glxq33 Puzzlink: https://tinyurl.com/24rbaazv

Acquire a Speedy Sloth 🦥 by solving the puzzle in 2:00 or less!
Obtain a Quick Crab 🦀 by solving the puzzle in 5:00 or less!
And all solvers who complete the puzzle will be rewarded with a Multi-storey Mountain Shrike 🐦

Puzzle: Penpa: https://tinyurl.com/y8slxgy4 Puzzlink: https://tinyurl.com/yzhxpyyb