How many levels of difficulty are there?
The app uses 5 levels of difficulty:
- easy
- quite easy
- medium
- difficult
- very difficult
Where is the difficulty rating shown?
The difficulty rating for a puzzle is shown either in or next to the puzzle name, top left of the display. The background behind the puzzle also reflects the difficulty rating, as follows:
| easy | olive green |
| quite easy | brown |
| medium | turquoise |
| difficult | leaf green |
| very difficult | blue |
How is the difficulty rating determined?
Size is one factor that is considered when determining the difficulty of a puzzle, because larger puzzles are inherently more difficult than smaller puzzles. However, size is not the only factor and it is possible to have very difficult 5x5 puzzles and quite easy 7x7 puzzles. Even 4x4 puzzles may be rated as high as medium, and 8x8 puzzles as low as medium!
The puzzles in the app have been rated as follows:
The Crafty, Sneaky and Tricky puzzle packs were included in the first version of the app. Since the first version, new logic has been added to the puzzle generator, which means the puzzle generator is now able to generate puzzles which are more difficult. The difficulty ratings for the puzzles in these first packs still reflect the difficulty spectrum when the generator is operating in "Normal" mode, which excludes the new logic. The new logic is used in generator modes "Advanced" and "Expert".
The puzzles in the app have been rated as follows:
- The difficulty rating for a puzzle generated by the built-in puzzle generator is estimated automatically on the basis of the size and complexity of the puzzle. This objective assessment evaluates the logic that needs to be applied to solve the puzzle.
- The puzzles used in the preview of the puzzle generator also use the automatic difficulty estimates.
- Puzzles in the Challenge Trail and in the puzzle packs for the Quirky and Scary categories mainly use the automatic difficulty estimates that were supplied by the puzzle generator, as described above. However, the automatic estimates were modified in some cases, based on the subjective assessment of an experienced player.
- The difficulty ratings for puzzles in the Crafty, Sneaky and Tricky puzzle packs were determined by the average time it took an experienced player to solve the puzzles over multiple runs.
The Crafty, Sneaky and Tricky puzzle packs were included in the first version of the app. Since the first version, new logic has been added to the puzzle generator, which means the puzzle generator is now able to generate puzzles which are more difficult. The difficulty ratings for the puzzles in these first packs still reflect the difficulty spectrum when the generator is operating in "Normal" mode, which excludes the new logic. The new logic is used in generator modes "Advanced" and "Expert".
How accurate are the difficulty ratings?
The difficulty rating gives an indication of how convoluted a puzzle is to solve. There is no way to measure this precisely, so it is always going to be an estimate.
Quite often, a puzzle just has one key step that leads to the solution unfolding. If you spot the step early then the puzzle will seem easy, but if it takes a long time to spot then it will seem difficult.
The general aim is that most players should find the rating to be a reliable indicator of the difficulty, most of the time, but some players may perceive the difficulty of a puzzle to be one level easier or one level harder.
Quite often, a puzzle just has one key step that leads to the solution unfolding. If you spot the step early then the puzzle will seem easy, but if it takes a long time to spot then it will seem difficult.
The general aim is that most players should find the rating to be a reliable indicator of the difficulty, most of the time, but some players may perceive the difficulty of a puzzle to be one level easier or one level harder.
What is the significance of the difficulty rating?
The good news is, the difficulty rating has no impact on gameplay. However, it does impact the scoring and more points can be earned with harder puzzles, even if they take longer to solve. You can also afford to study the harder puzzles for longer before resorting to using the help, because more thinking time is allowed for.
A special feature of Easy puzzles is that the help can be used without penalty, no matter how much it is used. This can be useful for learning basic puzzle solving techniques.
A special feature of Easy puzzles is that the help can be used without penalty, no matter how much it is used. This can be useful for learning basic puzzle solving techniques.