[angry_moose]

It's an interesting idea but I really don't like it.

The runs not being visible makes it a really unsatisfying experience - you just kindof click around hoping that a cell is part of a long run (and therefore more constrained).

Most runs are length 2-3 as well and entirely within the the same "region", so are therefore redundant as they're already constrained by box logic.

Nice idea but its a miss for me.

[dhooper]

OP Here, I'm gonna try drawing all non-redundant lines to see if it improves the feel. UPDATE: done.

I will say that it took time for me to develop an intuition for where to focus solving efforts. I think if people spend a little time with it you wont have to click around as much to know where the next break in is.

[angry_moose]

I think it would, though there is a risk it'd be too cluttered visibly. But it does add the option of printing which is nice.

Looking at your example puzzle with all lines visible; the 8742 line in the top right and 896 in the bottom right are both redundant (second one doubly so since it's all givens). Maybe 50% of the two-cell lines are redundant and 33% of the 3-cell; so it might be manageable?

[dhooper]

try it now, I think showing the runs is an improvement. I think theres a few more things I can do to improve the visuals. I also updated the article to make the rules for runs more general - a human could place them anywhere they'd like without the even/odd side constraint.

[Nevermark]

> I think theres a few more things I can do to improve the visuals.

You could:

• Make the run lines thicker, and use Bézier curves to give them a flow, which is easier to process as a whole than a series of thin line segments.

Internal dots, dashes, criss-crosses or other textures would further visually set lines apart from each other and make them easier to visually follow.

• Apply a faded background color to the end tiles. Have dead-ends stop at the edge of end-tiles, with a large terminal dot on the edge line. Shading, edge-dots, and lack of internal lines will help all the end-tiles stand out from the other tiles, even when glancing at the diagram as a whole.

• When you select a tile, also highlight the run lines that go through it by adding outline along the (now thicker) paths, or a bolder/saturated color. Highlight the numbers along those lines. And background highlight the end-tiles of those runs.

• You could put a vertical bar of the 1-9 buttons on both the left and right sides. Easier access than below the game.

• Then the other buttons can be a row below. Reducing the puzzles + buttons total vertical dimension. (You could add a little framing space on top.)

I think those might make the puzzle more attractive, reactive and add to its distinctive look. And make the different logic of each puzzle easier to visually process.

Solved my first puzzle!

[angry_moose]

Nice!

I don't have time to do a full solve but I got the first few digits. That plays significantly better to me.