Inkwell Games Stars puzzle - I'm addicted
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Anyone else enjoy playing these games?
https://inkwellgames.com I'm looking for an online group to discuss how to solve the harder ones... especially the Sunday ones. I'm so stuck on today's. |
Anonymous
I like them, but I feel like by the end of the week they are not always "solvable" without guessing or trial and error. Like if you get stuck and ask for a hint, it will often say "there is no hint available" which to me means that there is not a way to logic yourself to the solution. In that case, I try to narrow it down to most likely and then guess and check. Which is frustrating. Or maybe I'm just bad at them. 
|
Anonymous
No you aren't bad at them! But it does take a while for the logic to make more sense. I can generally solve through logic alone now up through Friday. Saturday and Sunday, I have to start guessing, but I never check. I just make a guess and play it through, and see where I run into a conflict. If there's a conflict, then that first choice I made gets X'ed out. |
Anonymous
|
There's a Facebook group called Inkwell Insiders. They help solve and have had some Facebook Live solves that they put on YouTube.
I had to do "what ifs" today. I've gotten better at chunks of necessity though. |
Anonymous
Even though I haven't been able to solve time all by logic, I'm under the impression they are all solvable by logic. |
Anonymous
|
Same as above - Monday through Thursday are fine. Friday is usually a nice challenge. But Saturday and Sunday is a lot of guessing which isn’t fun.
Same with Fields - if it was all logic based it would be fun but when I’m just guessing I give up - not worth my time. I also would love some solving videos to see if there are any tricks I’m missing. |
Anonymous
The trick I am working on is getting better at the logic of, if there are two shapes completely within two rows of common, you can cross out any other boxes in different shapes located in those two rows or columns. I get it when there are only two rows or columns (or if it is just one it is even clearer) but I just get confused when you are adding more shapes or columns or rows. I finally have it down to a math formula.... If you have X shapes and they are entirely contained within X rows or columns, and in that same X rows or columns you have X+1 (or X+2... more than X) shapes, you may cross out all the boxes in those X rows or columns that are in the extra (+1, +2) shapes that are overflow (are not in the original X rows or columns). I practiced using this rule on today's puzzle - it was a good one for practicing on! |
Anonymous
Yes, today's puzzle was great for this. It gets a bit harder when you have to consider partial shapes (one star must go in this part of the shape because only one can fit in the other part) later in the week. I'm still practicing but have gotten a lot faster. Do you play fields? Seems both more and less logical to me, depending on the puzzle. |
Anonymous
I’m the one you replied to. And I did read something like this in the insider group that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Maybe I’m just having a hard time identifying when this is the case. It’s not something that jumps out at me like squares and Ls etc. |
Anonymous
Can you see it on the first two rows of today's puzzle? A somewhat dramatic example. I'm a different poster, but once you have those first two rows isolated, the same thing happens with the remaining portions of the shapes in the rows 3 and 4. |
Anonymous
Thank you - that is helpful! I completed it earlier and did use a similar logic but not framed exactly that way. This makes sense. |
Anonymous
Oh! I do see it more now! Also in today’s puzzle where x=4! This is when I wish I could practice a bunch at once while it’s fresh in my mind and starting to be clearer. |
Anonymous
OP here and yes, I completely understand. It is so hard to explain the logic in words, but if you could show it visually it would make a lot more sense. I also think it could help to print out the puzzles and color the different shapes. Once I get past two shapes, I lose track of which shapes I am talking about. It is easier to color them and say "the red shape, the blue shape and the green shape - ok that's three different shapes....." To a different posted - I do not enjoy Fields AT ALL. I only like Stars! |
Anonymous
Also on today's (Wednesday's) puzzle: Once you have looked at the first two rows, and you realize you can cross out all the boxes in shapes three and four.... Now look at the next two rows. Call them row three and row four (from the top). You now have the exact same situation, where shapes 1 and 2 are completely within rows three and four. You have 2 shapes completely within 2 rows, and you have an additional shape only partially in rows 3 and 4. Any additional shape in rows 3 and 4, that has any overflow into other rows, must therefore be exxed out. |
Anonymous
And..... Now, if you have done both those things... Go down to the bottom of the puzzle. Row 10 is an easy one. You have one shape (lets call that shape Billy) occupying the entire row so it MUST take two stars. You can ex out all the rest of that shape (Billy) in any other row. Now row 10 is completely out of the picture; Billy took all the stars. Look at the 4 rows above Billy. Those are rows 9,8,7 and 6. Count up all the shapes in those 4 rows. You don't have to count the parts of Billy that you Exxed out already. He's done for. Count up all the shapes in the 4 rows 6,7,8,9 and you will count FIVE shapes. Four of them are completely enclosed within 4 rows. So anything in the fifth shape, that is within the four rows, can be eliminated. |