Dr. Sudoku Prescribes #43 – Battleships
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between ship placement and shading modes. In ship placement mode, right click gives sea, left click gives circle/square, left click and drag for rounded ships.)
Theme: Rising or Falling? Patterned digits in the rows.
Rules: Standard Battleships rules.
Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a ship segment appears. If the row is empty, enter 0. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.
Time Standard: Battleships Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00
Solution: PDF
Very good starter puzzle. While I have come to appreciate the need for intro ones, any that are timed at below a minute seem of limited quality, so this one (which I did in 1:29) required at least some thought. So thanks for that.
I write only to note that, at least for me, the speed by which I know the puzzle CAN be completed definitely affects the manner by which I solve the puzzle and my own speed as well. I was just wondering if that is the case for you and/or others. If so, wouldn’t it be better to “hide” the times in a link? Just a thought and suggestion.
Thanks again for this and all,
TheSubro
Seems easy to try a spoiler tag with hidden text that needs highlighting. I’ll wait for other comments but I’m willing to try that next week.
Although I dont think knowing the projected times has an influence on how I attempt the puzzle,I think hidden text will do the job.
This puzzle was nice and quite fitting for an introduction.
But I didnt start the way I should have. 4:30
I don’t get what it means by making the time hidden.Does it mean that it can been seen only after clicking some link?
If it is the case i dont see a point in making it hidden.While the solvers take a printout of the pdfs why do they see the times if they think that time factor is affecting the way they solve?surely it is possible to scroll and print without seeing the times?!
If one cant resist from seeing the times and “letting it affect the way they solve” how can one resist from clicking the link that shows the time?!
Knowing time in advance is the best way to moderate the speed while solving .Without the time factor in mind there would be no urge to complete any puzzle or sudoku faster or have a true idea of ones speed or time with respect to the puzzle.For sudokus i certainly see the time first and start solving but for puzzles it varies depending on the puzzle type.
Again it is upto the author .But i would not want the times to be hidden in a link simply because i dont see any point in that.
A spoiler tag with hidden text that can be seen only after highlighting would not be a problem if the urge to see time cant be controlled.
5:12 s .I have realised that this puzzle proceeds very fast once the bigger ships are placed.No use try to place the one sqaure and 2 square ships first.Nice puzzle type!