Web Version of Adalogical Ænigma #21
click on the grid to set a path, click again to denote a path cannot be

{{node.number}}{{node.letter}}

Copy/paste me into a new puzzle JSON file

{{buildData}}

A circle cannot have more paths connect to it than the number it contains. (at {{alerts.overloadedNode}} circles above)
Paths may not branch, touch or cross each other. (at {{alerts.branchInEmptyNode}} intersections above)
Two circles containing the same number may not be connected by a path. ({{alerts.connectsSameNodes}} paths above)
Any path between circles may only bend at most once. ({{alerts.moreThanOneBend}} paths above)
-or-


In conjecture mode all of your actions will be marked in light/thin gray so that you can make temporary assumptions. Clear all conjectures, or Accept conjectures as truth when you're done.

Clear Puzzle Progress

History

{{history.data|json}}


Legend

3
2
1

Final Answer for {{jsonUrl | puzzleNameFormat}}:

See the PDF for a short walk-through on solving the example.

Flavor Text from the PDF (click puzzle image on this site), rules are in bold

Gentle Patron,

It came to me recently, as it has done many times before, that Life presents itself to us like a particularly devious sort of maze: one wherein not only must we twist and turn on our ways, oft encountering blank endings and curs’d loopings back, but in which even the labyrinthine pathways themselves are hidden from us, such that we must feel out the walls blindly, stubbing our toes and bruising both body and soul.

These are the cheery musings that inspired the ænigma below.

I should like you to draw the pathways of a single connected maze along the lines of the grid [above]. Each path must connect two of the circles I’ve laid out; the number in each circle indicates how many paths must connect to that circle. The two circles connected by each path must contain different numbers.

So as to prevent the individual paths themselves from being tedious, each path may bend by 90 degrees at most once. Paths may not touch or cross one another.

Once you’ve completed your maze, you must walk it to find the final answer to my ænigma. Note that two of the circles have been shaded; walk the route from the upper such circle to the lower, never revisiting a circle. Whenever you come to a fork in that route, where more than one option would lead you to your goal, prefer to turn right or, failing that, to continue straight. At each circle, including the first, advance the letter written therein forward in the alphabet (wrapping around from Z to A if necessary) by the final digit in the sum of all of the numbers so far encountered. Those letters will reveal a clue to your final answer.

Good luck!

Fill in your answer and give to a cashier at Ada's Technical bookshop for your prize. This month’s prize: one free non-alcoholic drink!
(Limit one per solver. Offer available through 31st July 2015.)

The puzzle above was created by Pavel Curtis (all rights reserved) for Ada's Technical bookshop in Seattle. This web version was created by @hryanjones.

Contact Puzzle Creators email Mr. Pavel Curtis and Mr. H. Ryan Jones

Code on Github

TODO in rough priority order

For Release

  1. ability to load in different puzzles (so you could work the example for yourself and then move on to the real puzzle)
  2. need the UI (e.g. tabs for the example vs. the real thing), and a loading message and/or spinner
  3. history
    • save history
    • load a history stack (essential)
    • backward
    • forward
    • BONUS: history slider so you can scrub back and forth quickly
  4. in browser persistence (will have to be based on history due to circular data structures)
  5. Global Re-do of validation otherwise Conjecture Mode and loading history will put things in a bad state
  6. Query string to select appropriate puzzle tab
  7. Legend
  8. more detailed instructions
  9. Addition of letters to the puzzle and probably a toggle to show/hide them

Nice-to-haves

  1. Add in validation
    • Each validation type should not only cause bad things to become extra visible, make sure works for color blind folks), it should also have a nice human readable warning.
    • (easy) when a node has more than it's proper number of connections
    • (easy) when a connection branches at an empty node
    • (harder) when a long connection has more than one 90 degree angle
    • (harder) when two connected nodes are the same number.
      • Bug: Mix of branching and connecting.
    • Completion validation
    • Ability to turn validation off in case it's distracting to some solvers
    • Should I have some type of indicator that all the paths have been used from a given circle?
  2. "conjecture" mode -- this one will take some thought to get user experience right. I think they should be able to enter this mode, then all the paths or X's they add will look visually different (gray and something else for colorblind folks) then when they exit it they should have the choice to clear their gray things (default), make the gray truth, or cancel and stay in what-if mode
  3. drag to select a path

Report issues beyond what's above

Please send an email to hryanjones@gmail.com about any issues, bugs, or feature requests that come up.