Paint by numbers
From Free net encyclopedia
- For the artistic activity, see Paint by number.
Image:Paint by Number Example.PNG Paint by numbers are the first subset of picture logic puzzles, in which cells in a grid have to be colored or left blank according to numbers given at the side of the grid to reveal a hidden picture. In this puzzle type, the numbers measure how many unbroken lines of filled-in squares there are in any given row or column. For example, a clue of "4 8 3" would mean there are sets of four, eight, and three filled squares, in that order, with at least one blank square between successive groups.
These puzzles are often black and white but can also have some colors. If they are colored, the number clues will also be colored in order to indicate the color of the squares. Two differently-colored numbers may or may not have a space in between them. For example, a black four followed by a red two could mean four black spaces, some empty spaces, and two red spaces, or it could simply mean four black spaces followed immediately by two red ones.
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Names
Paint by numbers are also known with many other names, including Crucipixel, Edel, FigurePic, Grafilogika, Griddlers, Hanjie, Illust-Logic, Japanese Crosswords, Japanese Puzzels, Kare Karala!, Logic Art, Logic Square, Logicolor, Logik-Puzzles, Logimage, Nonograms, Oekaki Logic, Oekaki-Mate, Paint Logic, Pic-a-Pix, Picross, Pixel Puzzles, Shchor Uftor and Tsunami.
History
In 1987, Non Ishida, a Japanese graphics editor, wins a competition in Tokyo by designing grid pictures using skyscraper lights which are turned on or off. At the same time and with no connection, a professional Japanese puzzler named Tetsuya Nishio invents the same puzzles. From this, the concept of Paint by numbers and picture-forming logic puzzles is born.
Paint by numbers puzzles start appearing in Japanese puzzle magazines. Nintendo picked up on this puzzle fad a while back and released two "Picross" (Picture Crossword) titles for the Game Boy and nine for the Super Famicom (eight of which were released in two-month intervals for the Nintendo Power Super Famicom Cartridge Writer as the "NP Picross" series) in Japan. Only one of these, Mario's Picross for the Game Boy, was ever released in the United States.
In 1988, Non Ishida publishes three picture grid puzzles in Japan under the name of "Window Art Puzzles".
In 1990, James Dalgety in the UK invents the name Nonograms after Non Ishida, and The Sunday Telegraph starts publishing them on a weekly basis.
In 1993, First book of Nonograms is published by Non Ishida in Japan. The Sunday Telegraph publishes a dedicated puzzle book titled the "Book of Nonograms". Nonograms are also being published in Sweden, United States, South Africa and other countries.
In 1995, paint by numbers start appearing on hand held electronic toys such as Game Boy and on other plastic puzzle toys. Increasing popularity in Japan launches new publishers and by now there are several monthly magazines some of which contain up to 100 puzzles.
In 1996, the Japanese arcade game Logic Pro was released by Deniam Corp, with a sequel released the following year. Both titles are emulated by MAME.
In 1998, The Sunday Telegraph runs a competition to choose a new name for their puzzles. Griddlers was the winning name that readers chose. Pic-a-Pix puzzles in Germany with PM Magazine, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gruner + Jahr AG the publishers of the famous Stern magazine.
In 1999, Paint by numbers are published by Sanoma Uitgevers in Holland, Puzzler Media (formerly British European Associated Publishers) in the UK and Nikui Rosh Puzzles in Israel.
Today, magazines with Paint by numbers puzzles are published in the USA, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Finland and many other countries.
Solution Methods
The first thing to look for are large groups, rows or columns that are nearly completely filled in. Determine the size m of a collection by adding all the numbers in the clues, the number of clues, and subtracting one. In a row or column of size n, any collection that has a group larger than n-m, you will be able to determine some filled in cells.
If the group is the sole clue, it is a simple matter of filling in squares so that there are n-m blank cells on both sides of the group filled in. For instance in a 15x15 grid with clue "10", the middle five squares will be filled in every time.
If there are other groups in the collection, but it is a leading or trailing clue, use the same process with one difference. Take the clues that precede or follow it, and imagine them filled in starting at the appropriate wall (top or left wall if it is a trailing clue, bottom or right wall if it is a leading clue), with exactly one space between groups. Then, fill in squares so that there is n-m squares between the other wall and the final (it will be white) cell you just filled in.
Other picture logic puzzles
Paint by pairs or Link-a-Pix consists of a grid, with numbers filling some squares; pairs of numbers must be located correctly and connected with a line filling a total of squares equal to that number. When completed, the squares that have lines are filled; the contrast with the blank squares reveals the picture. (As above, colored versions exist with matching numbers of the same color.) Fill-a-Pix also uses a grid with numbers within; in this format, each number indicates how many of the squares immediately surrounding it, and itself, will be filled. A square marked '9', for example, will have all 8 surrounding squares, and itself, filled; if it is marked '0', those squares are all blank.
Mario's Picross
As noted above, the Game Boy saw its own version, entitled Mario's Picross (Mario no Picross in Japan). The game was initially released in Japan on March 14, 1995 to decent success. However, the game failed to become a hit in the U.S. market, despite a heavy ad campaign by Nintendo. The game is of an escalating difficulty, with successive puzzle levels containing larger puzzles. Hints (line clears) may be requested at a time penalty, and mistakes made earn time penalties as well (the amount increasing for each mistake). Each puzzle has a limited amount of time to be cleared. Mario's Picross 2 was released later for Game Boy and Mario's Super Picross for the Super Famicom, neither of which were translated for the U.S. market. Both games introduced Wario's Picross as well, featuring Mario's evil twin in the role. These rounds vary by removing the hint function, and mistakes are not penalized - at the price that mistakes are not even revealed. These rounds can only be cleared when all correct boxes are marked, with no mistakes. The time limit was also removed. Nintendo also released 8 Nintendo Power Picross volumes over the Japanese Satallaview system in Japan, each a new set of puzzles without the Mario characters.
External links
- Template:Dmoz
- NP-Completeness Results for Nonogram (PostScript) - Paint by numbers is NP-completede:Nonogramm