Ghosted Rooms is a new type of grid-based logic puzzle. The task is to partition the board into rooms of fixed shapes. Each room is either empty, or contains given numbers that must all be distinct. From the provided clues, there is always exactly one valid room layout to reconstruct.
Background and examples: Rules and overview, Welcome post.
Objective and Core Rules
- Partition the grid into rooms that match the allowed shapes shown for the puzzle. Rotations and reflections are usually allowed.
- Each room must cover exactly the cells of one allowed shape, with no overlaps or gaps.
- Numbers printed in the grid are fixed clues and belong to their rooms.
- Within a room, all given numbers must be distinct. A room may also be completely empty.
- The room partition is unique: the grid can only be divided into rooms in one way.
Playing in the Online Interface
- Selecting rooms: drag across cells or tap them one by one until the full size of a candidate room is covered. The status bar reminds: “Drag or tap the full size of a room to select it. Auto-check runs immediately.”
- Auto-check: when a full room is selected, the app immediately verifies it. Correct rooms lock in; wrong selections flash red as mistakes and are cleared.
- Auto-fill: if a confirmed room has exactly one missing cell, the interface fills that number automatically.
- Replay and memory: use the Replay button to reset. Finished puzzles are remembered locally on your device and reopen as solved.
Quick Beginner Workflow
- Study the allowed room shapes shown below the grid.
- Look for near-complete areas: clusters with distinct numbers and only one blank.
- Test candidate rooms. Correct ones lock in; incorrect ones flash as mistakes.
- Expand outward from confirmed rooms to reduce ambiguity.
- Repeat until the entire grid is partitioned.
Solving Tips
- Edge fitting: rooms on the border have fewer possible placements.
- Distinctness: eliminate any placement that repeats a number inside a room.
- Stamp matching: compare candidates with the allowed shapes, including rotations and reflections.
- Local propagation: each locked room constrains its neighbors; use this to chain deductions.
- Avoid guessing: rely on logic and the feedback system rather than trial and error.
Mobile and Accessibility Notes
- The player supports both mouse and touch. On small screens, zoom in for accurate selections.
- Selections are geometry-based; larger tap targets help comfortable play.
What the Online Player Helps With
- Immediate validation of room selections.
- Automatic filling of a room’s single missing number.
- Clear visual states for current selection, mistakes, locked rooms, and completion.
Examples, Booklets, and Licensing
Playable posts and printable materials are available on this site. For reuse of text, rules, or puzzles, see the notes on the linked pages: Welcome post, Rules and overview.
Troubleshooting
- Selection not checking: you must cover exactly the full number of cells of a shape.
- Mistake flash: the shape is not allowed there, or it repeats a number already in that room.
- Undo: locked rooms cannot be changed; use Replay to restart the puzzle.
Final Notes
Ghosted Rooms combines geometric tiling with number logic. The online player provides instant feedback: select, check, and lock rooms while the interface auto-fills forced single cells and remembers solved puzzles. If you enjoy deduction-based grid puzzles, this is a fresh challenge to explore.
Difficulty levels: Each puzzle is rated both by solver search cost (machine metric) and by human playability (how many steps are forced or ambiguous). A puzzle may seem “medium” for the algorithm but still feel “hard” for players. On this site, the displayed ratings reflect this combined view.
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