zotmeister (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zotmeister) wrote2005-08-15 03:00 pm
zotmeister) wrote2005-08-15 03:00 pm
Substantial
I'm in the mood to make a big puzzle. And I mean BIG. Like, at least three times larger than what I've typically presented. I figure that if I'm going to start in on something that substantial, I may as well make something others are interested in solving. Rather than host a proper poll and bind myself to its results, I'll simply peruse the comments to this message, see who says what, and take it into consideration along with my own desires to choose what I construct. So what would you like to see? Oh, and make it snappy - I'll probably start work on this on Thursday. - ZM
Postscript: I have some emails to send out to those I've received puzzle solutions from. I'll get to those tonight. You haven't been forgotten♥
but I like small puzzles...
(Anonymous) 2005-08-15 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)I like small puzzles--I don't have huge objection to big complicated puzzles, but small tricky puzzles are preferred to huge straightforward ones. Things that are about Sudoku sized, if you're looking for a guideline to size.
Re: but I like small puzzles...
Since you were kind enough to share your opinion, I'll do the same. I have a few points to make in response; normally I wouldn't expound like this on a puzzle comment - there's enough expounding in my anecdotal entries - but despite this being my journal, I still feel (perhaps because I figure I have a lot of puzzle-only viewers) that my justifying myself on this is not unwarranted.
- I certainly agree that quality is superior to quantity, but when the quality is high, bring on the quantity! (Yes, you should have seen that one coming if you've been paying attention.) It is true that I will often make tough small puzzles and easy large ones, but this coming puzzle will be large and tough.
- The puzzles I've been posting here in my journal are for the most part what I'd refer to as tiny. Take Polyominous, for instance: I've posted two 9×9 [counting my sample at Wikipedia] and one 12×12, and my contest was for construction of a 6×6. I have several books of these puzzles imported from Japan, and the average grid size in one of these books is larger than 17×17, which is more than three-and-a-half times the area of a 9×9 grid. So by saying I'm making a big puzzle in comparison to what I've been presenting, from my perspective I'm really only making a puzzle of average size, if that. In fact, it makes me want to go even larger. Caveat: the type of puzzle really is a major influence on how the size is related to the difficulty. Something like Islands in the Stream or Polyominous isn't affected that much by growth; Magnetic Field would get tougher faster as the grid grows; Quadrum Quandary is a bitch enough at 9×9 and gets geometrically worse as it grows. The size of the grid will depend on the puzzle I build. If QQ wins - perish the thought - 16×16 will be far more than enough, thank you. Islands would likely be closer to 30×30.
Re: but I like small puzzles...
- I have a hardcore mentality when it comes to puzzles and games. If I feel it was worth starting something, it's worth finishing it - otherwise my time was wasted and I didn't let myself learn anything. There's no satisfaction in giving up. If I need to put a puzzle on pause and pick it up again later, so be it. If I make a mistake and can't seem to easily fix it, I bite the proverbial bullet and give my Mars Plastic a good exercise. Yes, I erase the whole thing and start over if that's what it takes. (It doesn't take as long the second time through. Not even close.) If I successfully solve a puzzle after an escapade like that, it's that much more rewarding to finish, and I'll be that much less likely to repeat that mistake. I told you all that so that I could tell you this: when I build a puzzle, I build it so that I'd enjoy it if I were solving it. If I think it's lame, I trash it and rebuild. I have hardcore solvers in mind when I compose; it would appear that you are not one of them. I would hope to inspire you to greater appreciation of the art and build your skill, but I'm not out to please everyone and am willing to accept that you're not my target demographic if that is how it must be. (That quality/quantity thing goes for a lot of things for me, including people.) I don't mean to offend; I'm simply being honest and practical.
- It's one puzzle. Out of fifteen. And it will likely be another fourteen puzzles after that one that I make another substantial one, unless I have a Change of Heart (why I capitalized that is left as an exercise to the reader). I'm not announcing a policy change; I'm just giving a friendly warning that I'm not holding back on the next one. I can't let myself be restrained all the time.
I am making Puzzle 15 a size that I would consider substantial. Others may well think it enormous and want to skip it, and that's their prerogative. But if there's just one person that perseveres, solves it, and enjoys the experience, then I'm beyond satisfied. I'm not trying to please everyone - the most popular puzzle on the planet, the crossword, is something you'll likely never see me make. I'm trying to satisfy my own creative urges here in my journal, and I'm honored that others appreciate my work. I figured it was about time that they got to see what I'm really capable of with a sizeable canvas. From your description, this coming puzzle is not for you; I'm thinking of the person that figures it takes longer to get the puzzles printed out than it does to solve them and is looking for something actually worth the time and effort. I want to make one worthy of a professional. I want to prove it to myself. It just so happens that I'm willing to share. If you don't care to experience it yourself, well, as I said on day one, just ignore it and maybe it'll go away. - ZM