What is the puzzle generator?
The puzzle generator is a powerful logic-engine that creates challenging new puzzles at the press of a button. There is no limit to the number of puzzles that can be generated, so you can just go on playing.
The puzzle generator is built into the app and can be unlocked as an in-app purchase.
The puzzle generator is built into the app and can be unlocked as an in-app purchase.
Is it possible to choose what kind of puzzles are generated?
Yes. The puzzle generator has its own page of settings, which makes it very versatile.
Here are some of the ways that the generator can be tuned:
Here are some of the ways that the generator can be tuned:
- Four different play modes are supported. Choose the play mode that best suits your level of skill, from beginner to expert puzzler (details below).
- Choose which puzzle sizes are generated, ranging from 4x4 to 9x9.
- Choose whether clues may be hidden or not.
- Choose whether easier or harder puzzles should be generated.
What are the different modes of play?
An overview of the play modes is shown in the following table, the different modes are described in more detail below.
| Mode | Puzzle sizes | Difficulty range | Max. complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep it simple | 4x4 - 7x7 | ★ | |
| Normal | 5x5 - 8x8 | ★ | |
| Advanced | 5x5 - 9x9 | ★ ★ | |
| Expert | 5x5 - 9x9 | ★ ★ ★ |
Keep It Simple
Keep It Simple generates puzzles that range in difficulty from EASY to MEDIUM, ideal for beginners. Instead of large puzzles, this mode has 4x4 puzzles!
Normal
Normal mode generates puzzles that range in difficulty from EASY to DIFFICULT. Puzzles can range in size from 5x5 to 8x8. The puzzles in the Challenge Trail and in the Crafty, Sneaky and Tricky puzzle packs were generated using Normal mode.
Advanced
In Advanced mode, new puzzles range in difficulty from QUITE EASY to VERY DIFFICULT. Some puzzles have more logical complexity than in Normal mode, so they require more skill to be solved. 9x9 puzzles are also supported*.
Expert
In Expert mode, new puzzles range in difficulty from MEDIUM to VERY DIFFICULT. 9x9 puzzles are also supported*. This mode generates the hardest puzzles of all, even 5x5 puzzles can be very difficult!
* 9x9 puzzles usually begin with one or more pre-filled blocks.
The mode of play can be selected in the puzzle generator settings and it can be changed at any time.
* 9x9 puzzles usually begin with one or more pre-filled blocks.
The mode of play can be selected in the puzzle generator settings and it can be changed at any time.
How long does it take to generate a puzzle?
The puzzle generator is fast. For all puzzle sizes up to and including 7x7, it takes no more than a few seconds to generate a new puzzle. Usually, it takes less than a second.
8x8 puzzles can take a little longer to generate, although even these puzzles are usually generated in less than 5 seconds. 9x9 puzzles take the longest, sometimes taking up to half a minute.
8x8 puzzles can take a little longer to generate, although even these puzzles are usually generated in less than 5 seconds. 9x9 puzzles take the longest, sometimes taking up to half a minute.
Does the built-in help work for the puzzles generated by the puzzle generator?
Yes. The help is always determined dynamically according to the state of a puzzle, it is not pre-programmed. It works for the puzzles generated on demand by the puzzle generator just as it does for the other puzzles in the app, explanations included.
I am not seeing any 4x4 or 9x9 puzzles. What do I need to do?
You just need to modify the generator settings:
- for 4x4 puzzles, select the play mode Keep It Simple and set a generator weight for 4x4 puzzles;
- for 9x9 puzzles, select one of the play modes Advanced or Expert and set a generator weight for 9x9 puzzles.
How should the difficulty weights be set in order to give a random mix of difficulties?
Just give equal weight to each of the difficulty categories.
How difficult will the puzzles be when the weight is set to "harder puzzles", or one of the other difficulty categories?
The actual difficulty will depend on the play mode (see above). For example, when Expert is selected as play mode, the puzzles can range in difficulty from Medium to Very Difficult. This means, the difficulty categories will usually apply as follows:
The generator always makes a best effort to generate a puzzle that has the target difficulty, but it doesn't try forever. Sometimes, a puzzle with the next level of difficulty will be delivered instead.
- Easier puzzles: Medium
- Middle difficulty: Difficult
- Harder puzzles: Very Difficult
The generator always makes a best effort to generate a puzzle that has the target difficulty, but it doesn't try forever. Sometimes, a puzzle with the next level of difficulty will be delivered instead.
Why is it not possible to select the difficulty when a 4x4 puzzle is generated on demand?
Due to their small size, 4x4 puzzles do not have the same diversity as larger puzzles and most 4x4 puzzles are Easy. If it would be possible to select the difficulty for 4x4 puzzles, the non-Easy puzzles would repeat quite often. So for this reason, it is not possible to select the difficulty level for 4x4 puzzles.
When a 9x9 puzzle is generated, why does it sometimes miss the target difficulty?
9x9 puzzles are much harder to generate than other puzzles, which is also why they take longer to generate. The generator always accepts the first puzzle that can be generated, it doesn't discard any attempts on the basis of difficulty alone. However, the difficulty target does still play a role in puzzle generation. It is taken into consideration when the generator is deciding which blocks to pre-fill and when it is looking for clues to hide.
How does the leaderboard work?
The puzzle generator has a recurring leaderboard that resets every 24 hours. This lets players challenge each other on a daily basis.
The great thing about the Puzzle Generator leaderboard is that you don't need to be an expert to be at the top, you just need to solve a lot of puzzles! It sometimes gets quite competitive, with the keener players leapfrogging each other and setting new targets to beat.
The great thing about the Puzzle Generator leaderboard is that you don't need to be an expert to be at the top, you just need to solve a lot of puzzles! It sometimes gets quite competitive, with the keener players leapfrogging each other and setting new targets to beat.
Does the puzzle generator support family sharing?
Yes. Once a family member has purchased the puzzle generator, it is unlocked for other family members too. Usually, this happens automatically. If it doesn't happen automatically, family members just need to navigate to the puzzle generator and tap Restore purchases.
Can I try before I buy?
Yes. A free preview of the puzzle generator is available, which makes it possible to explore the play modes and play some example puzzles. To launch the preview, select Puzzle Generator from the main menu and tap the button Free preview.
How does the full version of the puzzle generator differ from the preview?
There are a couple of key differences:
- The full version generates new puzzles on demand using the built-in puzzle generator. The preview does not have this capability. Instead, the preview picks from a pool of pre-generated puzzles.
- In the full version, you have an endless supply of new puzzles in all play modes. This means, you can just go on playing and will never run out of puzzles. In the preview, you are only able to play a maximum of 6 puzzles in each of the four different play modes.
Does the puzzle generator generate puzzles as good as those in the preview?
Of course - the puzzles in the preview were generated using the same puzzle generator! In fact, all of the puzzles in the Sumaddle app were generated using the Sumaddle puzzle generator.
Why does the preview run out of puzzles so quickly?
When trying the preview of the puzzle generator, it will normally be possible to play 6 puzzles in each of the four different play modes.
The info popup "more about the preview" explains how the preview uses a pool of pre-generated puzzles. The pool actually contains separate groups of puzzles for each of the four play modes. Each of these groups contains a selection of puzzles with various different sizes and levels of difficulty. However, within each group, there are not many puzzles of the same size and difficulty.
If you adjust the settings for the puzzle generator so as to narrow the range of puzzle sizes, or to focus on puzzles with a particular level of difficulty, there may not be many puzzles in the pool that are a suitable match. The preview will show a message about running out of puzzles if it is not able to find any more matching puzzles in the group of puzzles for the current play mode.
The preview is less likely to run out of puzzles if the weights for the puzzle sizes, or for the puzzle difficulty, are spread over a wider range. Of course, the problem never happens at all when running the full version of the puzzle generator.
The info popup "more about the preview" explains how the preview uses a pool of pre-generated puzzles. The pool actually contains separate groups of puzzles for each of the four play modes. Each of these groups contains a selection of puzzles with various different sizes and levels of difficulty. However, within each group, there are not many puzzles of the same size and difficulty.
If you adjust the settings for the puzzle generator so as to narrow the range of puzzle sizes, or to focus on puzzles with a particular level of difficulty, there may not be many puzzles in the pool that are a suitable match. The preview will show a message about running out of puzzles if it is not able to find any more matching puzzles in the group of puzzles for the current play mode.
The preview is less likely to run out of puzzles if the weights for the puzzle sizes, or for the puzzle difficulty, are spread over a wider range. Of course, the problem never happens at all when running the full version of the puzzle generator.