logic puzzles to solve on a computer

March 8, 2011 5:36 AM

Stop me getting bored : I need some ideas for logic puzzles to solve in PHP or simple simulations to write in JavaScript...

Over the last few weeks I've written myself a PHP based SudoKu solver and a Slitherlink/Fences solver as well as a nice little Conway life simulator in JS.

None of them are desperately fancy or clever, but they've stopped me from getting bored and they've been fun to work out the logic for (avoiding brute force at all costs).

The problem is that the logic solvers are both now better at solving the puzzles than I am and I want to move on to something else.

Can anyone recommend logic puzzles or simulations with similarly simple rules that would be interesting to code?

(Bonus points if there's a ready source of unfinished puzzles on the net for me to test against)

posted by sodium lights the horizon to computers & internet (8 answers total)

You might enjoy Project Euler.

For puzzles, try the ones here: http://www.puzzle-bridges.com/. (I've linked to one callled "Bridges", but there are links at the bottom to 8 or so other types including Slitherlink / SudoKu.
posted by Perplexity at 5:45 AM on March 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Sokoban puzzles, perhaps?
posted by jquinby at 5:57 AM on March 8, 2011

A list of puzzles along these lines.
Historically, there have also always been a few puzzles of this type per year in the MIT Mystery Hunt, but you'll have to go through a ton of other stuff to find them. Here's one from 2011.
posted by novalis_dt at 7:17 AM on March 8, 2011

USACO's training program is geared toward middle- and high-school students, but they're free and good puzzles.
posted by joshuaconner at 7:18 AM on March 8, 2011

Honestly, half of Project Euler is figuring out how to use BigInt in your given language. Puzzlewise, why not take a look at sgtpuzzles for inspiration?

There's also puzzle sets from past World Puzzle Championships.
posted by pwnguin at 7:19 AM on March 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

You might enjoy coding a Picross solver (or inversely, something that reads an image and converts it to a Picross puzzle).
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 7:28 AM on March 8, 2011

Related questions.
posted by Zed at 2:36 PM on March 8, 2011

griddlers?
posted by Kattiara17 at 8:17 AM on March 14, 2011