Archean
(Published on 18. October 2025, 01:52 by Kafkapharnaum)
The provisional difficulty is set for solvers new to the ruleset, and the hope is that the practice puzzle will help bring it down noticeably. And finally, for those who would like to keep exploring this ruleset, here is a link to all the other Still Life puzzles.
RULES
Normal 6x6 sudoku rules apply: Place the digits 1 to 6 in each row, column, and 2x3 box.
STILL LIFE
Shade some cells green ("active cells") such that the – up to – eight cells neighboring each green cell contain exactly 2 or 3 other green cells and the neighbors of each 'unshaded' – or black/red/etc. – cell ("inactive cells") do not contain exactly 3 green cells.
– A CIRCLED cell's digit indicates the number of cells that are in the SAME state as its own in its neighborhood, including its own cell
– A SQUARED cell's digit indicates the number of cells that are in a DIFFERENT state from its own in its neighborhood (therefore not including its own cell)
PALINDROMES
– All lines in the grid are Palindromes, where the order of digits along a line reads the same forwards and backwards (eg, 1-3-6-3-1).
– Every digit on a Palindrome Line must either be a valid CIRCLED cell or a valid SQUARED cell, or both at once, per the Still Life rules.
In Example 1, a 3x3 box with a Game of Life pattern is shown (green for Alive cells, grey for Dead cells). But the cells marked with a ! are unstable : they either are dead but with 3 alive neighbors, or alive but with less than 2 or more than 3 alive neighbors. Therefore this pattern is not a Still Life pattern, and can not appear in a Still Life Sudoku puzzle.
In Example 2 (using the digits of a normal 9x9 sudoku grid), a 3x3 box is shown filled with digits and clues (circles and squares), the Game of Life pattern that is shown is stable, and all the clues are fulfilled. This could appear in a Still Life Sudoku puzzle.
Solution code: The digits in the 'active' cells of row 2 (left to right), followed by those in the active cells of column 2 (top to bottom)
Comments
on 24. December 2025, 05:53 by War
Very nice! The lettering/coloring with palindrome was quick and satisfying. The still life was tricky.
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Many thanks for getting yet another of my unrated ones over the line, glad you enjoyed! I'm honestly surprised by the difficulty rating of this one, but then again, there is the practice puzzle and also the two other Still Life's I had published shortly before (plus all of the others, of course), so I guess all of this must have helped in the end!
on 19. October 2025, 02:25 by earthpuzzles
I found the practice puzzle quite helpful for getting the know the 6x6 version of this ruleset better! Thanks for posting it!
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Pleased to hear that! That practice puzzle indeed appears to have been appreciated, even if looks like it wasn't quite enough to help figure out this one here, and so I decided to make another one ('Talisman') to help smoothen the progression. Thanks as always for your feedback, always appreciated!
on 18. October 2025, 10:03 by bodemeister
Crazy looking puzzle and a fun solve. I happened to see the break-in right away, but it's definitely a good exercise for those less familiar with the ruleset. Keep these puzzles coming!
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Happy as always to hear that these creations of mine are appreciated, and so thank you for the kind words!
The goal with this impromptu short burst of Still Life's was to encourage other setters to take up this ruleset the same way that seems to be happening with the Doppelganger ruleset now, and it had a bit of success with Qodec's puzzle; I hope you will publish your own 6x6 with the Anti-Knight - you talked about a crazy puzzle, now that is one, that, 6x6, and in true bodemeister style haha :D
