23 February 2012

An amazing puzzle by zhenying

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#  ###*.***** # #
## #. $ * + * # #
#  ###* * * * # #
#     $ * * * # #
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Author: zhenying
Title: 有个0 ? (There is 0?)
Date: 2011.10.23
URL: blog.163.com/changkai_8428/blog/static/774519182011111348595/


It is an incredible puzzle by zhenying, of great difficulty. I think the difficulty is: 10. I would appreciate your comments...

17 February 2012

¿Rescate o secuestro? / Rescue or sequestration?

An excellent article:



 

13 February 2012

Burns the cradle of European civilization

Athens, 2012.2.12

Burns the cradle of European civilization

What do the Northern barbarians? They applaud



STOP economic genocide of southern Europe!



Again Germany brings destruction to Europe

08 February 2012

laizhufu - 生命


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#      ###              
# *  *   #      ####### 
# ****** #    ###     ###
#    *   #    #   ***   #
# #***** ###### *** *** #
#    *      #           #
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Author: laizhufu
Title: 生命 (Life)
Date: 2012.2.8
URL: bbs.mf8-china.com/viewthread.php?tid=72975&extra=page%3D1&page=41


Nice puzzle of "laizhufu". The original puzzle has no title, but I have taken the freedom of titling it with the two Chinese letters of the puzzle: 生命, which means "Life" (according to the Chinese/English translator).

01 February 2012

Sokoban lessons - Six

As a curiosity, the first "six" in the history of Sokoban is the #1 puzzle from the "Original" collection...


The first "six": 倉庫番 (Sokoban, Thinking Rabbit, 1982, for FM-7), Level 1

In general, the "six" is a figure that can pose many difficulty. First, by the number of boxes: from 5 boxes is already possible to find very difficult puzzles. Secondly, by the enclosure of the goals between walls, which raises typical problems of storage: what box must be put first, which second... and so forth six boxes.

These are my favourite "six", in chronological order. You can download all puzzles here:
Six


Author: monry
Title: monry-light #67 2*3 series
Date: 1998.11.20
Difficulty: 5
Best moves/pushes: 195/44

This puzzle could be entitled "The magic box". It poses a simple problem of storage (and the use of spaces in the rooms), but it is a masterpiece in its simplicity.


Author: monry + hir
Title: monry-light #76 (A)
Date: 1998.11.28. Remodel: 1999.1.23
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 203/53

Fun storage. Simple arrangement of Hir, with 2 stoned floors.


Author: monry
Title: monry-light #95 2*3 series
Date: 1998.12.16
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 162/35

Logical puzzle. It is necessary to put elbows on the table to solve this...


Author: monry
Title: FirstStep 603
Date: c. April 1999
Difficulty: 4.5
Best moves/pushes: 65/14

Fantastic sokotoy! Amazing mix of logic, simplicity and aesthetics.


Author: Kenyam (Kenya Maruyama)
Title: Kenyam Set A #18 Waltz I
Date: c. 2000
Website: www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Domino/7999/soko/skrmc_a.htm
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 315/76

Incredible miniature! Truly, we must dance a "waltz" of moves to find a solution. Sustained difficulty up to almost the last box.


Author: David W. Skinner
Title: Sasquatch IV #9
Date: March 2001
Difficulty: 4.5
Best moves/pushes: 222/88

Classic "twist" with the "six" blocking the way as a barrier.


Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: Grig2002 #102 Wake up
Date: March 2002
Website: grigr.narod.ru/
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 398/98

One of my favorite "six". It is a very nice puzzle to solve and not too difficult. Structure with the "store room" in the central area and circulation around. The best and the most surprising of this puzzle is that no box is placed easy: all boxes, from the first to the last, have difficulty... This gives the measure of the quality of a good puzzle!



Author: François Marques
Title: LI
Comment:
Ce tableau est un inédit.
Il a été créé spécialement pour les participants au concours du mois de octobre 2002 organisé sur le site de sokoban online.
Level set: Le concurs du mois - Bonus levels #12
Date: 2002.7.14
Website: sokoban.online.fr/
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 190/56

A "cross-six", a "six" within a cross-shaped structure: it's impossible more difficulty. See other similar "cross-six", also very good: monry-light #78 and #108; Hirohiko Nakamiya, Monster Sokoban 8-1; Kenyam #42; Kevin B. Reilly #1369 and #1951; and Thomas Reinke, Anomaly 2 #22.


Author: Alberto García + Jordi Domènech
Title: Alberto Garcia remixed #76
Date: September 2002. Remodel: January 2013
Website: sokoban-jd.blogspot.com
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 645/134 


Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: TBox5 #2
Date: September 2005
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 233/60

Puzzle with a seemingly simple structure (room and store room), but it is more complicated than it seems. Very nice to solve, no movement is obvious...


Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: TBox5 #15
Date: September 2005
Difficulty: 8
Best moves/pushes: 331/65

Complex and difficult puzzle. See also TBox5 #10, similar to this but I think that even more difficult. Thomas Reinke has several "six" exceptional, besides aesthetically beautiful.


Author: Evgeny Grigoriev (GRIGoRusha)
Title: Remodel Club #91 (gri111a) Kotya
Date: 2005.12.5
Website: grigr.narod.ru/
Difficulty: 8.5
Best moves/pushes: 450/121

Hard remodel of the own GRIGoRusha, from its grigr2002 #11 (#111) Aniska. Nice to solve,
but a bit claustrophobic. Take it calmly...


Author: Blaž Nikolič
Title: Blazz2 #12
Date: December 2009
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 264/48

Fantastic "mini six"! With a simple structure of one room and "store room", get ready to go round and round... My optimized solution: 264/48. No comment... However, it's a puzzle very nice to solve, and despite being so compact it's not especially hard.


Author: Edwin Abbot
Title: Flatland #10
Date: December 2009
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 273/86

Puzzle that you previously need to be solved almost mentally, because it is necessary to analyze very well in what order the boxes are to be placed in the store room: what box comes first, which is the second, etc. Typical puzzle of this excellent and strange "Flatland" collection... By the way, the author of this collection seems to be using as a pseudonym the name of Edwin Abbott (1838-1926), english mathematician and author of "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions" (1884)...


Author: Jordi Domènech
Title: Magic Sokoban #62
Date: June 2011
Website:
sokoban-jd.blogspot.com
Difficulty: 5.5
Best moves/pushes: 272/71
 


Author: Jordi Domènech
Title: Magic Sokoban #70 The wall
Date: June 2011
Website:
sokoban-jd.blogspot.com
Difficulty: 5
Best moves/pushes: 54/18  


Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: First levels #194
Date: March 2012
Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 5.5
Best moves/pushes: 338/98

Excellent! A "six" in the classic "Přemysl Zíka's style".


Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Primus gradus ad Olympo #43
Date: December 2012
Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 458/120

Interesting and laborious storage problem.



Author: Marcus Hof
Title: Magic Sokoban 5 #83 Long way home
Date: September 2013
Difficulty: 5
Best moves/pushes: 429/105

Nice "knot of boxes". The whole difficulty is to place the first box... but this requires 239 moves!




 
Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Secundus gradus ad Olympo #15
Date: December 2013
Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz 
Difficulty: 5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 494/121
 
Claustrophobic and laborious storage.


New additions
 
These new additions are not incorporated yet in the downloadable file.


Author: Kenyam (Kenya Maruyama)
Title: #40 Gyruss
Comment:
Originally, the goal area of Mini Detour (SetA #36) was created as a single level like this. This is an extended version, more difficult.
Date: 2004.11.20
Website: www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Domino/7999/soko/skrmc_a.htm
Difficulty: 8
Best moves/pushes: 179/60

Exceptional "six" quasi-compact and vaguely windmill-shaped structure in the bottom half.


Author: Thomas Reinke
Title: Anomaly 3 #43 Idyllic Paean
Date: February 2012
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 132/32

Beautiful tiny "six" inside a windmill-shaped structure. Hint: first, try to build a tiny square ;)


Other "six"
 
- Serg Belyaev
svb091, 276, 528

- Jordi Doménech 
Magic Sokoban 2 #51 Compactsix (a)
Magic Sokoban 3 #63 Underground six
Magic Sokoban 4 #9 A little something 2
The beautiful world of remodels, 3 #15

- Evgeny Grigoriev
grig2002 #11 (#111) Aniska

- Marcus Hof
Revenge 29 #36
Revenge 32 #22


- Iroh
  Warehouse #346

- Kenyam
Kenyam Set A #2 minus-plus, #43 O6 (Ou-siks). See also: #11, 13, 16, 23, 31, 40, 41, 42

- monry
FirstStep 605, 606, 608
monry-light #55, 78, 108

- Hirohiko Nakamiya
Monster Sokoban 4-7, 8-1

- Blaž Nikolič
Blazz #10

- Takashi Ooshima + Hir
ooshima #3 arr.

- Kevin B. Reilly
#188, 1621, 1653, 1654, 1809, 1951

- Thomas Reinke
TBox5 #10, 18
Anomaly 2 #8, 22
Anomaly 3 #43 Idyllic Paean
Quagmire #12, 15


- Sokoban Perfect
#56, 290

- Eric F. Tchong
Aruba 9 #29 Windmill

- Thinking Rabbit
Sokoban Perfect #56, 290

- Přemysl Zíka
#97