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Japanese Puzzle Creator & Player - FAQ

FAQ

What are Japanese Puzzles?

Japanese puzzles are games where you are presented a grid & told that X number of squares are filled in for a particular row & a particular column, but not which squares of that row or column. That is for you to figure out. There are better explanations. Here's one [to be filled in].

Why did you do this?

There were many reasons. One, I wanted to get back into programming, even if it was with pre-.NET Visual Basic. Two, I noticed that there was no truly freeware Japanese Puzzle programs out there (Some have a free version & a paid version, some are shareware, some need you to have an account, etc.). Three, when I started this eons ago, I wanted to give something to my Dad to play with.

Why pre-.NET Visual Basic? Why not [fill in programming language here]?

I already know enough pre-.NET Visual Basic to get by. .NET Visual Basic was too complex for me to wrap my little mind around. I used to know some Java but that was ages & ages ago. I know some other languages enough to write a "Hello, World!"-type program. So, there weren't a whole lot of options available to me. To have done this in any other language would have meant learning the language first & then figuring out the

Why didn't you do "two-tone" Japanese puzzles?

Two-tone Japanese puzzles are rarely harder & often times easier then a single-color puzzle. For many builds, I was fully supporting 2 colors. However, I abandoned that feature on the advice of my Father, who is very much into these puzzles. As compensation, I gave the user the ability to choose from a variety of colors (which is not as limited as one may think).

Why only a 50 by 50 square limit?

Two reasons - Software limitations & puzzle limitations. You can hack the actual files (never recommended but it can be done) to whatever positive number your little heart desires. Bear in mind, though, that at 50 by 50 squares, software performance begins to suffer. Consider yourself dutifully warned. Also, any puzzle beyond 25 by 25 squares starts to become gratuitous unless it is fairly easy. With Japanese puzzles, bigger puzzles do not always mean harder.

Why isn't [fill in feature here] this in your program?

The phenomenon known as "feature creep" is a nasty thing - I'm not very good at avoiding it. Writing a program & then trying to add "just one more feature" is what has held back my posting these programs for almost a quarter of a year. That is another story, though. Bottom Line - If I fidgeted with these programs long enough, they would never have been "ready enough" to be unveiled. At some point, they had to be viewed as "good enough." They are, so that it why they have been released to the public.

What features would you have liked to have seen "make the cut"?

Features purposefully cut were the two-tone option for artistic reasons. Features cut because I got tired being afflicted with "feature creep" were - "Marking" number boxes to denote that they have been completed, row-column marking so you do not 'lose' your place, victory conditions, timer, "high-scores," titles for puzzles, other little things.

Any chance that this project may go "open source"?

Someday, eventually, in the distant future. Perhaps. Maybe. That's the most definitive answer. Besides, just who would want the pre-.NET Visual Basic source code for this? I'm hard-pressed to envision crowds of people lining up to look over my code. Maybe for a hearty laugh, perhaps.

Why so few puzzles?

That's your job, the 'making-puzzles' part. I've done all the heavy lifting by making the programs. Have fun & be creative.

Are you going to host any puzzles made?

Initially, I will. If you send me a puzzle, be sure to paste it in the BODY of the E-Mail & not as an attachment. Read closely - I WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER OPEN AN E-MAIL WITH AN ATTACHMENT. EVER. No exceptions. I hate to be that strict but the Internet is filled with juveniles & their mental equivalents who write malicious software that is very sneaky. Sorry.

Are we ever going to see another version of this? One with more features, perhaps?

First off, the very reason why I am releasing these programs now is that I feel that they already have enough for an engaging & fun experience. If I felt like they were entirely inadequate in some way, they would not be available. The programs are "good enough," are stable & are 100% freeware. As it were, some bells & whistles crept in. That is another story, though.

I will be fair & leave the door open towards developing another version with more features (aka "more bells & whistles"). Honestly, a LOT of the bells & whistles that I have seen from other Japanese puzzles are frivilous at best & just plain useless at worse. If anything, my first order of business would be to make a proper "streamlined" version of these programs because there is some 'spaghetti-like' code in there. Also, asking politely never hurts.