25 February 2015

"Eight" Series

I've done some variations within a similar structure. I hope you like it.


#####     ####
#   #######  #
# $        $ #
## ########  #
 # #   #  # ##
 # # $  ..#  #
 # ##$##..   #
 # #   $..####
## # $ #..  #
#  # #### # #
# $$   @    #
#  ##########
####

Author: Jordi Domenech
Title: Eight 1
Date: 2015.2.24



#####     ####
#   #######  #
# $        $ #
## ########  #
 # *   #  #.##
 # # $  ..#  #
 # ##$##..   #
 # #   $..####
## # $ #..  #
#  # #### # #
# $$   @  $ #
#  ##########
####

Author: Jordi Domenech
Title: Eight 1+
Date: 2015.2.24



##### #########
#   ###   #   #
# *     $  .# #
## ## #####$$ #
 # #  #   # ###
 # #      # ##
 # #####..#  #
 # #   #..   #
 # # # $..####
## # $ #..  #
#  # #### #$##
# $$   @   $ #
#  #######   #
####     #####

Author: Jordi Domenech
Title: Eight 2
Date: 2015.2.24



#####   #########
#   #####   #   #
# *       $   # #
## ####.#####$$ #
 # #    #   $ ###
 # #  #   ..# ##
 # ##$####..#  #
 # ##    #*.   #
 # # $$#  ..####
## #   $ #..  #
#  # ###### #$##
# *$     @   * #
#  #########   #
####       #####

Author: Jordi Domenech
Title: Ten
Date: 2015.2.3



14 February 2015

Sokoban lessons - Many-in-goal

According to the terminology used by Sven Egevad, "many-in-goal" is the puzzle in which all the boxes are placed except a minimum percentage.

In this post, the conditions for which a puzzle is considered as "many-in-goal", are these:


- Maximum size of the puzzles: 80 boxes. I reserve the puzzles of larger size for another post :P
- Maximum number of boxes unplaced: 10 %. Example, for a puzzle of 60 boxes, maximum number of boxes unplaced = 6. Anyway, this last criterion is flexible in some cases.

See also Small "fix one".

You can download all puzzles (except commercial) here:
 





Author: unknown (Thinking Rabbit) + York Shen
Title: Sokoban Perfect #288a
Comment: added 1 box
First release of the original level: Sokoban (1985, Sega), #69; then in Sokoban Perfect (1989).
Date: 1985. Remodel: July 2003
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 335/124

A mystery not yet unveiled: do have any meaning the three signs that make up the boxes/goals?





Author: unknown (Thinking Rabbit) + 李金玉 (Li Jinyu) + York Shen
Title: Sokoban Perfect #215k
Comment: enlarge map, changed 6 boxes to walls, added 1 box
First release of the original level: Sokoban (1985, Sega), #88; then in Sokoban Perfect (1989).
Date: 1985. Remodel: December 2003
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 718/240

Fantastic "diamond"! For specialists ... See also the version "i", perhaps a little more difficult, but the diamond is larger (95 boxes).





Author: Yoshio Sakae + York Shen
Title: Sokoban Perfect #251g
Comment: added 9 boxes
Date: 1989. Remodel: c. 2003
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 440/148

Very tight! Take it calmly...





Author: Hir (Masato Hiramatsu)
Title: Sokoban Revenge level 279 arranged
Comment: from BanSoko 071
First version of the original level: Sokoban (1985, Sega) #74; then in Sokoban Perfect (1989) #84. Remodels: Sokoban Perfect #305 (Masaki Ishino) and Sokoban Revenge (1991) #279 (Kazuo Fukushima)
Date: 1991. Remodel: 1997.9.24
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 388/143

The structure of this curious puzzle is very original: two diamonds connected by top and bottom. I don't know why, remember me two Oriental lanterns...

The first version of this puzzle was published in Sokoban (1985, Sega) #74, then in Sokoban Perfect (1989) #84. Inexplicably, this first version is very easy, and perhaps why two remodels were made: the first, in the same collection Sokoban Perfect #305 (by Masaki Ishino), and then another remodel in Sokoban Revenge #279 (by Kazuo Fukushima).

Then I publish the three remodels which in my opinion are the best of this classic puzzle.





Author: unknown (Thinking Rabbit) + Masaki Ishino + York Shen + GRIGoRusha + gyjgw
Title: Sokoban Perfect #305j
Comment:
added 5 boxes - Y.S.
added 1 box - GRIGoRusha
stoned 2 boxes - gyjgw
First version of the original level: Sokoban (1985, Sega) #74; then in Sokoban Perfect (1989) #84, and remodeled in Sokoban Perfect #305 (Masaki Ishino)
Date: 1989. Remodel: 2008.5.24
Difficulty: 8
Best moves/pushes: 492/169

Good remodel, but has one flaw: the box/goal in the upper left can be replaced by a wall.





Author: unknown (Thinking Rabbit) + Jordi Domènech + David Holland
Title: Sokoban Perfect #84 c1
First version of the original level: Sokoban (1985, Sega) #74; then in Sokoban Perfect (1989)
Date: 1989. Remodel: 2010.8.3
Difficulty: 8.5
Best moves/pushes: 510/127

The difficulty of this remodel is that it forces to keep open the way in the entire circuit, to place the box in the upper right.





Author: Takahiro Suzushima + York Shen
Title: Sokoban Revenge #127 Semi field (b)
Comment: added a box
First release of the original level: Sokoban (1990, Sega Game Gear), #261; then in Sokoban Revenge (1991)
Date: 1990. Remodel: c. 2003
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 508/106


Excellent remodel of York Shen that forces us to perform an ingenious maneuver on the left side.




Author: Yoshio Sakae + York Shen + gyjgw
Title: Sokoban Revenge #283 ピラミッド・ソーコビアン (Pyramid Sokoban) b
Comment:
added 6 boxes - Y.S.
added 1 box - gyjgw
Date: 1991. Remodel: January 2004
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 366/214


This puzzle is a simple curiosity. Ideal to practice the technique of the "zipper"...




Author: Yoshio Sakae
Title: Ultimate Sokoban (1996, Itochu) Stage 2 Chapter 3 Level 3
Date: 1996
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 128/43

Small and simple "diamond", but ingenious and beautiful to solve :)  According to the credits of Ultimate Sokoban (1996), the author of the levels of this collection was Yoshio Sakae.





Author: David W. Skinner
Title: Sasquatch VI #42
Date: October 2002
Difficulty: 6
Best moves/pushes: 323/122 (Philippe Lamat)

Classic "rings". There are extended versions of up to 5 rings, of York Shen and others.





Author: dzxmer + gyjgw
Title: Panda 92 #65a
Note: in the sets of Sokoban levels of gyjgw, this level has the titles gy_0130 and j1024
Date: July 2004
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 374/126

Another nice puzzle with the classic theme of the "rings". The biggest difficulty is the closure.





Author: gyjgw + York Shen + Tian Lang
Title: gy_0073d (j1021d)
Date: July 2004
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 1452/273

Excellent remodel of Tian Lang in which it is necessary to move all the boxes.





Author: gyjgw + York Shen
Title: 20041019a (j1031a)
Comment: not so difficult. Version a
Date: October 2004
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 758/178

Fantastic number "2"! Interesting and fun to solve.





Author: Erim Sever + York Shen
Title: erim178b
Date: c. 2004
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 627/87

This excellent remodel was posted in the Chinese forum SuperSoko, and is the same puzzle that "erim178b" in the "sharpen collection". Very interesting and fun to solve.





Author: Erim Sever + Marek Letrab + York Shen
Title: erim181g
Date: c. 2004
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 792/244

Double ring inside a windmill-shaped structure.





Author: Sven Egevad
Title: SE 979
Comment: many-in-goal hard
Date: 2004
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 261/84 (Georgi Georgiev)

Strangely difficult ... :P  See also, in the same series, SE 977.





Author: Sven Egevad
Title: SE 1530
Comment: many-in-goal hard
Date: 2006
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 370/88
 

Stoned chessboard, and player start in the center.




Author: gyjgw
Title: 20060311c
Date: 2006.3.11
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 1809/363

"11". Another fun soko-number.





Author: Eric F. Tchong + York Shen
Title: Chuchubi 2 #79 Rattlesnake (arr.)
Date: February 2008
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 266/49

Excellent remodel! I have taken the freedom of arrange the map.





Author: Dries De Clercq
Title: Mill-134
Date: 2008.3.2
URL: groups.yahoo.com/group/sokoban/message/2590
Difficulty: 9
Best moves/pushes: 4876/712 (Findus)

"Orimaze" is an acronym for "oriented maze". This difficult type of puzzles was created by Dries De Clercq. I recommend starting by "orimazes" simpler, to familiarize yourself with the technique of resolution (see "Orimaze" collection). Comment from Dries De Clercq on its website: "This is a 5x5 orimaze with a hole in the middle. This mill turns a lot!"





Author: zhenying + Jordi Domènech + gyjgw + stopheart
Title: Based on zhenying #61-31 e
Date: 2010.10.4. Remodel: 2011.9.1
URL: bbs.mf8-china.com/viewthread.php?tid=54431&extra=page%3D1&page=14
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 520/129

Nice stoned chessboard.





Author: zhenying
Title: 61-36
Comment: 元旦
Date: 2011.1.1
URL: blog.163.com/changkai_8428/blog/static/7745191820110310253879/
Difficulty: 8
Best moves/pushes: 436/118

The two Chinese characters 元旦 mean "New Year's Day". Exceptional puzzle, one of the best of the year 2011.





Author: laizhufu + Jordi Domènech + stopheart + Tian Lang
Title: ABC (d)
Date: 2011.4.6
URL: bbs.mf8-china.com/viewthread.php?tid=72975&extra=page%3D1&page=8
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 430/94

Interesting and fun "ABC". It is part of the series "Letters", posted by laizhufu and other authors in the Chinese forum MF8 along 2011.





Author: Eric F. Tchong + anian + stopheart
Title: Chuchubi 15 #32 Arubian rattlesnake eric var 2x(a)
Date: December 2011. Remodel: 2012.3.4
URL: bbs.mf8-china.com/viewthread.php?tid=37579&extra=page%3D1&page=71
Difficulty: 8
Best moves/pushes: 1155/256

I know up to 14 versions and remodels of "Arubian rattlesnake". The first version of Eric F. Tchong was published in Atlas 1 #100. See also the remodel "Arubian rattlesnake B" (anian + stopheart + Eric F. Tchong + TianLang + gyjgw).





Author: gyjgw
Title: 2004-01-08 MF8 8th anniversary - MF8 30th Sokoban Competition
Date: 2011.12.2
URL: bbs.mf8-china.com/viewthread.php?tid=84540&extra=page%3D1&page=1
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 397/125

On the right side, from top to bottom it reads "8 年" ("8 years"). This nice puzzle was designed to commemorate the eight years of the Chinese forum FM8. Very fun to solve!





Author: laizhufu
Title: 生命 (Life)
Date: 2012.2.8
URL: bbs.mf8-china.com/viewthread.php?tid=72975&extra=page%3D1&page=41
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 514/130

Fantastic puzzle! The two Chinese characters 生命 mean "life". This puzzle was posted after copying the lyrics of "生命之曲" ("Song of Life", October 1988) of the "cantopop" George Lam. In YouTube: 生命之曲.





Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: First levels #256
Date: May 2012
Difficulty: 8.5
Best moves/pushes: 555/137 (Sokobano)

Hard! Double ring inside a windmill-shaped structure, with boxes of hindrance in the "arms". Puzzle very technical and hard, recommended for experienced players.





Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: First levels #258 Triple blockade
Date: June 2012
Difficulty: 8.5
Best moves/pushes: 373/62

Another technical puzzle. Apparently similar to the previous one, but this is more logical.





Author: 风过了无痕 (SokoWind) + stopheart + gyjgw
Title: 睿斗推箱子第26关(电) (Riddle Sokoban #26 Electricity) e
Date: 2012.7.18
URL: bbs.mf8-china.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=37579&extra=page%3D1&page=84
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 597/165

电 = "electricity" (or perhaps "lightning"...). Although this remodel has 7 unplaced boxes, I include it also in this selection.





Author: 风过了无痕 (SokoWind) + gyjgw + stopheart + anian
Title: 睿斗推箱子第31关(A面B面) (Riddle Sokoban #31 A side B side) b2
Date: 2012.7.19
URL: bbs.mf8-china.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=37579&extra=page%3D1&page=85
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 478/111

A side B side. The double life (2010) is a film from the Chinese director Ning Ying. As the previous one, is equally interesting and fun to solve.





Author: unknown + Jordi Domènech + Přemysl Zíka
Title: SEGA (b)
Comment:
The original level is the "Round demo" in Sokoban (Sega, 1985).
J.D.: reduce the map, added 4 walls, move 2 boxes
P.Z.: canceled the upper niche
Date: 1985. Remodels: 2012.9.16 J.D., 2014.9.28 P.Z.
Difficulty: 8 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 331/98

Hard! Take it calmy...





Author: 风过了无痕 (SokoWind) + Jordi Domènech + Přemysl Zíka
Title: 睿斗关卡39关-灯笼芯 (Riddle Sokoban #39 Lantern) b
Comment:
added 2 boxes, 8 walls - J.D.
added 2 boxes. Two new targets - in the middle and at the bottom... Lots of challenging! - P.Z.
Date: 2012. Remodels: 2012.9.22 J.D., 2014.9.28 P.Z.
Difficulty: 8.5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 682/202

Another remodel very hard! For advanced players.





Author: laizhufu + Jordi Domènech
Title: 卯兔之小兔乖乖 (Mao Rabbit Xiaotuguaiguai) c
Comment: added a box, stoned 2 boxes/goals
Date: 2012.11.1
Difficulty: 7
Best moves/pushes: 448/127

Fun "rabbit". See also other remodels of stopheart and gyjgw.





Author: Yang Chao + Jordi Domènech
Title: 404 Not found (a)
Comment: added a box and a wall, some changes in the bottom
Date: 2013.10.30
URL: sokoban.org/level.php?id=64
Difficulty: 6.5
Best moves/pushes: 228/70

Find the solution of "404 Not found" :)





Author: laizhufu
Title: 新花样年华 (Blossom Age) - MF8 54th Sokoban Competition, Extra
Date: 2013.12.13
URL: bbs.mf8-china.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=100420&extra=page%3D1
Difficulty: 7.5
Best moves/pushes: 856/178 (XiBeiTianLang)

Goals and interior walls: 花样年华. Yang Chao explains: "花样年华 is a common phrase in Chinese, which usually means the years when a person is in his/her 20's, just like the flowers, young and beautiful." 





Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Secundus gradus ad Olympo #58
Date: December 2013

Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 7 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 229/76 (Archanfel + Tiaoa)

Double stairs! Nice and curious puzzle.


Next, I publish four puzzles that I selected from the collection "Secundus gradus ad Olympo". This four puzzles are - in my opinion - exceptional and very nice to solve. Přemysl Zíka is an author of other "many-in-goal": I suggest to see the list "other recommended puzzles" at the end of this page.





Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Secundus gradus ad Olympo #60
Date: December 2013

Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 6.5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 459/136

Spectacular and beautiful! In fact, is a "logical" puzzle: you have to pay attention to free spaces ...





Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Secundus gradus ad Olympo #65 Jack-in-the-box
Date: December 2013

Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz 
Difficulty: 6.5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 371/116 (Archanfel)

Excellent ... and not so easy!: my difficulty rating, 7.5.





Author: Přemysl Zíka
Title: Secundus gradus ad Olympo #73
Date: December 2013

Website: www.zusbreznice.cz/rozvrhy-zika-premysl-sokoban.cz
Difficulty: 6.5 (P.Z.)
Best moves/pushes: 554/169 (Archanfel)

I like very much this original "diamonds". It has 88 boxes, but I include it in the selection. Its not so easy... My difficulty rating: 7.5.


06 February 2015

How to build a Sokoban level


I start by choosing a simple theme, for example a "four" (or "tiny square"). It's my favorite figure! After some trials, this is the final level:


Title: Four - test 1
Best moves/pushes: 201/60 


Simple and nice!... Do you like? It does not present any special difficulty; so, I try to give a little difficulty. For example, I change the arrangement of goals, in this way:



Title: Four - test 2
Best moves/pushes: 253/82


It is not too bad. It is quite more complicated than the first version. Now, I try to add another box:



Title: Four - test 2a
Best moves/pushes: 274/93


Hmmm, I don't like... It is aesthetically beautiful, with symmetry of goals/boxes, but the storage problem is very obvious. I do another test:



Title: Four - test 3
Best moves/pushes: 355/74


Well, that's much better!... Now I can think to make a radical change in the storage area, by adding a wall, in this way:



Title: Four - test 4
Best moves/pushes: 307/99


I like this structure!... Immediately, it occurs to me transform the puzzle in a rotary level:



Title: Four - test 5a
Best moves/pushes: 492/157 


What do you think? It was written in the fate that this level would end up being rotary!... A small arrangement: add another box and two "rooms" at the top, to complicate the rotation of boxes:


Title: Four - test 5b
Best moves/pushes: 623/208

 
And so on, we could try more tests and develop new ideas, until you find the definitive level... Do you have other ideas? Do you dare to continue this series? Paste your puzzles (in TXT format) in the "Post a comment" area (at the end of this post).



 

I built this level in one afternoon, after several hours of work. It is the final version. The initial idea was an "eight", later extended to "ten". It is a classic problem of storage ("two rows"), not too difficult. I have added some "rooms" in the corners (in the "Přemysl Zíka style"), which are the "sauce" of the level: they add emotion and a plus of difficulty, because they hinder the rotation of the boxes and force to keep the ways open:

Author: Jordi Domènech
Title: Ten
Date: 2015.2.3
Best moves/pushes: 1047/294  



You can download all puzzles here:





Contributions

Hi Jordi,
I like Test 4 the most - it is has great complexity in a simple design.
The following is a slight modification.


    #######
    #  #  #
    #  $  #
##### ##  #
# ..#  # ##
#....  # #
## ##### ##
## # $ $$ #
#  #   $  #
#  @ $#   #
###   #####
  #####

Author: Jordi Domenech + Serial
Title: Four - Test 4 Mod [160]

Date: 2015.4.21
Best moves/pushes: 476/160




Some tips

1) The most important thing in a puzzle is the structure. Note that in the same structure, we can test different arrangements of the goals. For example, this "four":


Author: Jordi Domènech
Title: Magic Sokoban #27
Best moves/pushes: 179/35

 
Also, we can try to place the "four" in the up room:



Or, we can change the "four" in a line:



Etc., etc.

2) (Aesthetic golden rule).-The connected goals provide a more aesthetic look. Examples of connected goals: line, square, L, T, angle, cross...

3) AXIOM 1: If a box can be placed immediately, it is better to delete this box (and replace the goal by a wall).

For example, in the puzzle of Serg Belyaev (svb389), I remove the useless goal of bottom right: the result is now a perfect puzzle (see svb389 arr.). Perhaps it is a very obvious example, but this is a very frequent problem in the construction of puzzles.




Author: Serg Belyaev
Title: svb389


Author: Serg Belyaev
Title: svb389 arr.
Best moves/pushes: 222/59 


I learned this from David Holland. David had "horror" to what he called the "early storage". It's what she disliked most about a level. I agree with him!

4) AXIOM 2: The "perfect" level is one where ALL the boxes are placed with difficulty. This is very difficult to achieve. In most levels, only have difficulty the first boxes (or the first box), and the rest of boxes were placed alone, just pushing. This is inevitable in many cases, but...

5) I always prefer the levels with structure of "rooms", instead of "compact" puzzles. The levels with rooms are more fun.