Picross 3D

[k.vlaros]

I'm curious if your wife does each puzzle logically or does she make educated guesses? The reason is that sometimes puzzles don't have enough numbers (well, they do but I find myself doing a lot of rotation, slicing to find a block that can be removed via logic).

I will only solve a puzzle logically and not make guesses. It can be difficult to solve some of the 5 minute puzzles in the allotted time if need to do a lot of rotation, slicing.

I finally had my first session with Picross 3D last night (I have Mario's Picross on GB and was looking forward to 3D enough to have it preordered- though I don't think it's in danger of selling out any time soon).

Well, as an aside, I'm a little bummed they didn't keep much (any?) of the Mario or Nintendo iconography and characters. Oh well, dogs and luggage and sofas are OK, I guess.

But to your observation, I agree! I do not want to guess on the puzzles. And I wonder - have you checked out the tutorials? They are pretty clever about how to logic block selection when it appears there's ambiguity. Sorry if this isn't useful - I haven't tried the harder puzzles yet - but tips like if you have a row of 5 blocks and know there are 4 in series (e.g. no circle around the four), thus you can mark the middle three, are very helpful!

[Gnashvar]

I've solved some puzzles by educated guesses which is a bad thing IMO.

[gtmtnbiker]

But to your observation, I agree! I do not want to guess on the puzzles. And I wonder - have you checked out the tutorials? They are pretty clever about how to logic block selection when it appears there's ambiguity. Sorry if this isn't useful - I haven't tried the harder puzzles yet - but tips like if you have a row of 5 blocks and know there are 4 in series (e.g. no circle around the four), thus you can mark the middle three, are very helpful!

I haven't come across any yet that forces you to do guesses. Yes, I have read through the tutorials and understand all of the logic. The problem with the 3D is that you have to do a lot of spinning/slicing which eats into your time to figure out a puzzle logically. An example is the Cossack dancer that has a time limit of 5 minutes. There are lots of blocks that don't have any numbers on them that you need to figure out how to eliminate. I'm able to solve it but to do it within 5 minutes has been a challenge. Then there are some puzzles that give you 10 minutes but I'm able to solve in 3-4 minutes.

[k.vlaros]

I've got to "eat crow" a little. As I've advanced through the puzzles, I HAVE now guessed at a couple. It could be impatience or just trying to keep the clock 'in the green', but indeed, I've done some blind guesses, or at least flagged blocks based on symmetry (which becomes less useful in later puzzles).

Overall though, whether I'm fully up to the task or not, I have to say this is WELL worth $19.99 for some before-bed brain tickling. Though it won't have Tetris-like infinite replay, it does have a 'one more block' quality. And the puzzle builder is fun.

[gtmtnbiker]

How many puzzles have you done so far? I have done about 115 and I'm still on Beginner (level eight). I think I have to do one more before Normal opens up.

I believe that it comes with 350 puzzles. Wow, that's a lot. Definitely one game that gives you your money worth for $20.

After doing a number of puzzles, I no longer do any guessing. The key I find is to be thorough. It's very easy to overlook a clue sometimes. When going through the slices, I try to quickly recheck every number to see if a new clue opens up. Sometimes if I go in one direction and do some clue (remove some blocks or fill in), it pays to switch gears and go in a different direction to look at blocks affected by what you just did. Kind of hard to explain.

[k.vlaros]

How many puzzles have you done so far? I have done about 115 and I'm still on Beginner (level . I think I have to do one more before Normal opens up.

I believe that it comes with 350 puzzles. Wow, that's a lot. Definitely one game that gives you your money worth for $20.

After doing a number of puzzles, I no longer do any guessing. The key I find is to be thorough. It's very easy to overlook a clue sometimes. When going through the slices, I try to quickly recheck every number to see if a new clue opens up. Sometimes if I go in one direction and do some clue (remove some blocks or fill in), it pays to switch gears and go in a different direction to look at blocks affected by what you just did. Kind of hard to explain.

I'm still in easy, but a ways in. I just did a cake. Certainly my gut feeling when I do find myself 'guessing' is that I'm being lazy. Like you say ("overlook a clue"), sometimes it seems just a single block is the key to solving the puzzle logically. And yeah, the 'blank' boxes do make me want to clobber someone at times. I'll try and keep learning and hope my slicing and bashing continues to develop.

350 levels? Wow... plus downloadable expansions, I imagine.

[gtmtnbiker]

I continue to play this just about every day. Usually 1-2 puzzles before I go to work and 3-4 in the evening. I'm on level 10 of the beginner mode. Wow, that's a lot of puzzles. All puzzles have been completed with 3 stars and I have done the level bonus puzzles. I think when I finish level 10, I'll finally get to the Normal mode.

All of the puzzles have been completed without "cheating". That is, I used the number clues to logically determine which blocks to keep/remove. Doing the first puzzle of level 10 beginner, it seems that I've come to a point where I have to guess. There was not enough information. Did anyone else find this with the first puzzle of level 10 beginner?

Last week, I got myself a DSi XL (traded a pressure washer for new DSi XL, R4 flash cart, 8GB SDHC, 2GB SD, and 8 DS games. What a deal!) and doing Picross is a lot easier with the bigger screen.

[k.vlaros]

All of the puzzles have been completed without "cheating". That is, I used the number clues to logically determine which blocks to keep/remove. Doing the first puzzle of level 10 beginner, it seems that I've come to a point where I have to guess. There was not enough information. Did anyone else find this with the first puzzle of level 10 beginner?

When I got to 10-A on easy, I remembered your post and was very careful not to guess or make any assumptions about the puzzle. I AGREE! Yes, there were a couple blocks that seemed obviously out of place, and I was able to guess it without a miss, but I used up almost the entire time trying to figure out if I was missing a clue to puzzle out the solution with logic.

Though I've never claimed to be the brightest blub....

Have you had to make more guesses since then? Maybe that is how it distinguishes easy / medium / hard- trial and error.

[Gnashvar]

All of the puzzles have been completed without "cheating". That is, I used the number clues to logically determine which blocks to keep/remove. Doing the first puzzle of level 10 beginner, it seems that I've come to a point where I have to guess. There was not enough information. Did anyone else find this with the first puzzle of level 10 beginner?

When I got to 10-A on easy, I remembered your post and was very careful not to guess or make any assumptions about the puzzle. I AGREE! Yes, there were a couple blocks that seemed obviously out of place, and I was able to guess it without a miss, but I used up almost the entire time trying to figure out if I was missing a clue to puzzle out the solution with logic.

Though I've never claimed to be the brightest blub....

Have you had to make more guesses since then? Maybe that is how it distinguishes easy / medium / hard- trial and error.

I've guessed a few times on puzzles that you just "know" that block doesn't belong.

[gtmtnbiker]

After I did the post, I went back and redid the puzzle. This time I was able to solve it without issues. I suspect that I must have accidentally colored the wrong block or something like that which got me confused.

I finished all of the Easy and I'm on level 4 of Normal (~180 solved). I've been struggling with the first two puzzles trying to get them solved in under 5 minutes. There are more blocks with square/circles which require more thinking. I think it's a matter of doing more of them so they become second nature.