OT: Number word grid puzzle

[QuikSand]

No, I won't ask you to do a word search... what's the point in that? No, rather- we want you to make a word search. That's got to be tougher.

Here are the rules:

-Your grid of letters will be 6x6

-In the grid you will include the common complete English spelling of numbers (e.g. "six" and "forty") (and no hokey numbers like "googol" please)

-In your grid, no number's spelling may appear more than once

-In your grid, you must have at least one number word in each of the following directions: up, down, left, right, along the SW/NE diagonal (either way), along the NW/SE diagonal (either way)

Your score for the contest is the sum of the numbers that you fit into the 6x6 grid.

One note... be aware that when you spell out some numbers, there can be other numbers spelled within them. For example... "sixty" also contains "six" - and therefore, you cannot go elsewhere in the grid and make the number "six" as it's already been finished. In that example, you score for both 60 and 6 - but both of them are going to be in the same direction, and therefore you cannot use "six" in another direction to fulfill that requirement.


I don't necessarily claim to have the perfect score... but I had a couple of hours to kill today while waiting in a public hearing, and only had a notepad to keep me busy. This was among the products of my idle mind.

Enjoy...

[primelord]

Ok here is my first crack at it. Hopefully I understood everything.

E L E V E N
I A S O I I
G B N I W N
H F E E X T
T W E N T Y
Y R U O F C


In there you have

90 + 80 + 11 + 10 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 198

[primelord]

Ok here is a better second attempt

N I N T Y A
I B E T T E
N N X W H V
E I C O G I
S Y T F I F
E L E V E N

There we have

90 + 80 + 60 + 50 + 11 + 10 + 9+ 5 + 2 = 317

[Maple Leafs]

Stupid question, but: I thought it was spelled "ninety"?

[primelord]

*Sigh* I am an idiot. :)

[primelord]

Ok here is a try where I hopefully have spelled all the words correctly. :)

N I N E T Y
E Y O W T T
V T T H D X
E F G F C I
L I A B I S
E F I V E F

90 + 80 + 60 + 50 + 11 + 5 + 2 = 298

[Maple Leafs]

I'll give it a try...

Y T H G I E
T T / / E T
X W E N / /
I O O N / /
S Y T F I F
E L E V E N
(Where "/" is a character that doesn't matter.)

1+2+6+8+9+10+50+60+80+90=316

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by primelord
90 + 80 + 60 + 50 + 11 + 5 + 2 = 298 Actually, it's 308. You'd get credit for a "ten" in the word "ninety".

[primelord]

Originally posted by Maple Leafs
Actually, it's 308. You'd get credit for a "ten" in the word "ninety".

I was wondering about that. But I wasn't sure if we could use words within the words.

[tucker342]

It's alot tougher than I thought, I'm going to try to do it in the morning, cause I'm going to bed.

[Daimyo]

If one of those "/" is a p, you also spelled "pi" :)
Originally posted by Maple Leafs
I'll give it a try...

Y T H G I E
T T / / E T
X W E N / /
I O O N / /
S Y T F I F
E L E V E N
(Where "/" is a character that doesn't matter.)

1+2+6+8+9+10+50+60+80+90=316

[primelord]

Originally posted by Maple Leafs
1+2+6+8+9+10+50+60+80+90=316

Actually according to Quik's rules you can;t use the 9, 8, or 6 because they are in the ninety, eighty, and sixty names.

[Craptacular]

Originally posted by QuikSand
For example... "sixty" also contains "six" - and therefore, you cannot go elsewhere in the grid and make the number "six" as it's already been finished. In that example, you score for both 60 and 6 - but both of them are going to be in the same direction, and therefore you cannot use "six" in another direction to fulfill that requirement.

Primelord, he said you DO score both.

[primelord]

Ok I think this is the best I can do.

S I X T Y E
E \ \ T T I
V E F \ N G
I I N \ E H
F \ \ O W T
N I N E T Y

90 + 80 + 60 + 50 + 20 + 10 + 5 + 2 + 1 = 318

321.14159265.... If you woiuld count Pi. :)

[primelord]

Originally posted by Craptacular
Primelord, he said you DO score both.

Hey look at that. I can't read or spell. :)

[primelord]

Ok now that I may have the rules down right I think the best I can do is.

S I X T Y E
E \ \ T T I
V E F \ N G
I I N \ E H
F \ \ O W T
N I N E T Y

90 + 80 + 60 + 50 + 20 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 6 + 5 + 2 + 1 = 341

[Airhog]

I got 331. I think I followed all the rules right


N I N E T Y
E F O W T T
V \ I X O F
E \ I V N I
L S \ \ E F
E I G H T Y



90+80+60+50+11+10+9+8+6+5+2+1


How about a twist on the puzzle, divide your final anwser by the number of letter on your board that dont form a number. 82.75

That looks right now

[primelord]

Airhog do you have any words in that one going from right to left?

[Airhog]

I didnt, but I was able to fix it.

[EagleFan]

N I N E T Y
E E R H T T
V E V H W X
E V G E O I
L I / / S S
E F I F T Y

90 + 80 + 60 + 50 + 11 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 3 + 2 = 341

If you throw the other twist in it is 341/2 = 170.5

Forgot about having the number 11.

[QuikSand]

I've been able to get to a score of 367... I'm now double-checking to make sure that it works with all the rules as stated.

Airhog, I see "ten" twice in your 331 point puzzle above, by the way. That's technically disallowed, even though I realize you didn't need the second appearance to get a word going upward.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by QuikSand
I've been able to get to a score of 367... I'm now double-checking to make sure that it works with all the rules as stated.
I just came up with a 367 as well. Want to bet it's the same?

[QuikSand]

I'm sure we have the same numbers... might be a slight difference in arrangement, I imagine. I have four blanks in my grid, for what that's worth.

[QuikSand]

Here’s my 367 point solution:


E L E V E N
I Y T F I F
G O E N * O
H W E N * R
T T * * O T
Y T X I S Y


From this I count:
90, 80, 60, 50, 40, 11, 10, 9, 8, 6, 2, 1 = 367

Again, no assurances that this is a “perfect” score, but it’s the best I could do. The key is, in my mind, first fitting in the five “big scores” (40+) and then working in what you can around them, rather than worrying about getting three or seven in there.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by QuikSand
Here’s my 367 point solution:
Here's mine... you were right, same numbers but a different arrangement:

E Y T F I F
L I E N O S
E # G R O I
V # T H W X
E Y # # T T
N I N E T Y

[QuikSand]

Okay, Leafs - now that you and I seem to have set the bar, we can sit back and see who can clear it. Watch Brillig come along and nail 450 or something.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by QuikSand
Okay, Leafs - now that you and I seem to have set the bar, we can sit back and see who can clear it. Watch Brillig come along and nail 450 or something. I can see it now... "how the hell did he fit the number 684 in there?"

[primelord]

Lets try this one.

N E V E L E
Y I V * Y I
T I N T O G
F * R E W H
I O N E T T
F S I X T Y

From that I get.

90 + 80 + 60 + 50 + 40 + 11 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 6 + 5 + 2 + 1 = 372

Edit: Now I can sit back and wait for Brillig to top me. :)

[Brillig]

(deleted)

[Brillig]

ick, wait one...

[QuikSand]

primelord, I think your only number reading right to left is an illegal 10... you already got t-e-n within "ninety," so you cannot use it again, according to the rules.

[digamma]

In primelord's, "eleven" reads right to left, doesn't it?

[primelord]

Originally posted by QuikSand
primelord, I think your only number reading right to left is an illegal 10... you already got t-e-n within "ninety," so you cannot use it again, according to the rules.

Quik,

The eleven also reads right to left. The right to left ten was actually an accident. I didn't even notice it there.

Now does the extra ten being present forfeit the entire solution?

[Maple Leafs]

Dammit... I came up with a 372 answer, only to find it was almost identical to Primelords...

N Y T F I F
E I I O O S
V V N R O I
E E T E W X
L Y # # T T
E I G H T Y
Doesn't have the extra "ten", though. Actually, come to think of it you could fill the two spaces to make an extra "ten" or "two" and use the entire grid:
N Y T F I F
E I I O O S
V V N R O I
E E T E W X
L Y N E T T
E I G H T Y

[primelord]

Originally posted by Maple Leafs
Dammit... I came up with a 372 answer, only to find it was almost identical to Primelords...

I'd say yours wins then for not having the invalid ten in it.

[QuikSand]

Splitting hairs... the real pooint of not repeating a number was to not allow you to add in extra twos or tens just to fill in a missing direction. Nicely done, both of you...

[SplitPersonality1]

Great, I’ve been working on this off and on all day, get a 372 point solution, only to find out that it has already been done. Oh well. Here is my take on 372.


Y T E N I N
Y T R O F E
T # X I N V
W # F I V E
O T # # S L
Y T H G I E


90+10+9+40+5+80+8+2+11+50+60+6+1 = 372

[Airhog]

hmm my best is 367, couldnt figure out how to sqeeze five into it.




NSIXTY
II\\TT
N VRWF
ENOEOI
TF\\LF
YTHGIE




90+80+60+50+40+11+10+9+8+6+2

[SplitPersonality1]

New solution


Y T H G I E
T H I R T Y
E S I X T Y
N N # R # #
I F O U R #
N F I F T Y


80+8+30+60+6+4+50+90+9+10+1+40=388

[primelord]

Split I might be missing it, but I don't see a word the runs from top to bottom in your solution.

[SplitPersonality1]

the "ten" embedded within "ninety"

[Airhog]

hmm im still behind the pace.



ES#EFF
LI#EOF
EXGRUI
VTTHRF
EY#TTT
NINETY




90+80+60+50+40+11+10+9+8+3+4=371

[primelord]

Originally posted by SplitPersonality1
the "ten" embedded within "ninety"

Very nice. :)

[Brillig]

SP, you're missing a NW-SE diagonal, I think.

Using the most stringent interpretation of QS's criteria, I think 372 is the best possible. However,



E I G H T Y
T H I R T Y
W E T
O N N R
S I X T Y O
N Y T F I F



gives 90+80+60+50+40+30+10+9+8+6+2+1 = 386. The one flaw being that "ONE" isn't on the main diagonal.

[SplitPersonality1]

Brillig. "one" is on the NW-SE diagonal. I don't think we need to have the diagonal words on the "main" diagonal, but I could be wrong.

I think we need an official ruling from the Puzzlemaster.

[QuikSand]

I hadn't imagined that the diagonals need to be on the "main" - just that they had to have that orientation. Brillig's looks good to me.

[Alf]

Some guys are anxious about your work over there (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=66067#post66067)

[SplitPersonality1]

BTW, great puzzle QS, I had a lot of downtime at work yesterday and it gave me something to do. I'm surprised I was able to use 30,40,50, 60 ,80 & 90 in the same puzzle.