News
06-09-09
The PyKen interface is being completely written. As such, the Windows build, being so archaic, has been deprecated, and users are advised not to use it, as it is at bottom a mess; Windows users wishing to run the program should check out the repository contents and install the necessary Python packages. For the time being, here is a taster of the new interface, complete with eyesore Windows classic theme:
About PyKen
PyKen is a generator of arithmetic puzzles in a similar vein to Kashikoku naru Puzzle (賢くなるパズル), also known as KenKen™. However, it has some major advantages over traditional arithmetic puzzles of this kind, such as:
- Virtually unlimited puzzle sizes
- Completely random puzzles
- Optional operator-free puzzle mode for a stiffer challenge
- Exponentiation operator support and modular arithmetic mode for integer puzzles
- Support for different base algebras: natural numbers, positive rationals, and Gaussian integers with positive coefficients
Planned features include:
- Custom puzzle building
- Interactive puzzle solution
- Output in HTML+CSS and PDF
- Batch generation
For more information about the rules of these puzzles and some solving tips, see the Wikipedia article on KenKen.
PyKen is not a solver of such puzzles (though generated puzzles will be accompanied by a solution), and is not even guaranteed to produce a puzzle which is easily solvable by regular methods; occasionally, it will even generate a puzzle for which there are two (or more) very similar solutions, although this unwanted behaviour is slowly being stamped out. Further, due to the extreme randomness of the generation algorithms, the puzzles may additionally be rather unconventional, and it is recommended that the "assimilate singleton cages" option is enabled when generating puzzles to avoid potential plagues of singletons, at the slight risk of producing unpredictably chaotic puzzles.
Dependencies
Example outputs
These images are from an old build of PyKen; newer puzzles are likely to look slightly different.
6x6 puzzle with solution:
9x9 puzzle using the exponentiation operator (^):
6x6 complex puzzle:
6x6 rational puzzle with solution:
6x6 integer "hyper modulus mode" puzzle with exponentiation:
