"Not-a-Crossword-Puzzle" Puzzle
This is a puzzle I invented -- it is not a crossword puzzle. And just to make it clear, I think I will call this puzzle the "Not a Crossword Puzzle." Once that idea sinks in, I might rename it as a "Capp Puzzle" or something of the sort.
It is more like a maze than a puzzle as you want to go from S (start) to F (finish). Your movement through the maze is limited to only moving down three squares (or sets of three), right three squares (or sets of three), up two squares (or sets of two) and left two squares (or sets of two). You have the option of retracing your steps but only if you follow the guidelines listed above. Obviously, you can not go over or onto a black square and you can not go out of bounds.
It breaks down like this:
Up -- Two
Down -- Three
Left -- Two
Right -- Three
Here I have a couple of smaller sample puzzles and then the master. It's sort of like the 90's video games where you fight off a handful of minions then you fight the big boss. If you figure out the "big boss" puzzle then send me a message with your answers and I'll try to get you some sort of a prize.
One thing I like about this puzzle is how I am able to make the correct path and an incorrect path literally intertwine while you're unable to jump paths. If you're unable to move anywhere else then you might have hit a "dead end." Also, going backwards is ten times more difficult than just going from start to finish.
I hope you enjoy my creation. Let me know what you think of it.
Further Explanation
I've put some pictures to explain further how this works. If you start on "S" you can move three squares right. From there, you have the option of moving three squares down or two squares to the left. Naturally, if you go two squares to the left, you will not be able to move to any other squares as you can't move two squares left or up nor can you move three squares to the right or down. This is a dead-end.
If you follow the path in the example below, you get an idea of how to move through the puzzle.
Now we remove many of the black squares. You can see that it appears that you have more options but the only way you can go is the same as the previous example.
Sometimes you have to double back in order to go where you want. In this next one you have to go right, left, down, right, down, up and then right.
Let's say I changed the location of "Finish". Since you have to land on the square with "F", you'll have to travel all the way to the red "X" as described above then you can follow the blue path to the "F". Because of this, it can be very complex to navigate to a seemingly close location. That is the only way you can do it. Neat huh?
Practice is over, this next one is the real deal:
It appears that there are a couple different routes to the "F" but, if you look closer, you will find that there is only one correct route.
Another Puzzle
Now a little tougher...
BIG BOSS
© 2010 TylerCapp