Bug 164939 - [PATCH] Easy to cheat and win with "Show Errors"
Summary: [PATCH] Easy to cheat and win with "Show Errors"
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: ksudoku
Classification: Applications
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: 0.5
Platform: unspecified Linux
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Johannes.Bergmeier
URL:
Keywords:
: 188198 240947 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2008-06-25 15:32 UTC by Dario Panico
Modified: 2018-05-16 09:24 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:


Attachments
Adding a simple check to report only the obvious mistakes, instead of the exact solution. (2.07 KB, patch)
2013-05-03 04:28 UTC, Daniel Mário
Details

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Description Dario Panico 2008-06-25 15:32:41 UTC
Version:           0.5 (using 4.00.83 (KDE 4.0.83 (KDE 4.1 Beta2), compiled sources)
Compiler:          gcc
OS:                Linux (x86_64) release 2.6.24-19-generic

I found it in classic sudoku game 9x9: if you insert a wrong number it is immediately marked as wrong, it should take care of what are the numbers currently shown.
In a new game you could try to insert every number until you find the one which is not not marked as wrong. It doesn't even say that you've been helped i think it's not fair.
Comment 1 Richard Hartmann 2008-08-07 16:35:32 UTC
Confirmed for KDE 4.1 final, ksudoku 0.5

Also, there should be a distinction between 'show errors during game' and 'show errors _after the game has ended_'. The former is evil, the latter still evil, but not as much.
Comment 2 Rudolf 2009-02-18 01:32:18 UTC
Confirmed for KDE 4.3 trunk (20090212), ksudoku 0.5
nothing has changed. maybe, it is developer's idea?.. o_O
Comment 3 Parker Coates 2009-06-21 18:03:38 UTC
Dario, can you be more specific? How exactly would you like things to work?

The game already takes the numbers shown into account when marking errors. It works from the same information that you do. There should be only one possible solution and if you enter a value that differs from that, it's an error.

Perhaps you'd like an option called "Show simple conflicts" instead, that only marks cells as wrong if there are currently two or more of the same value in a single row, column or block? I could see that being much more useful to players.

As for the current behaviour making it "easy to cheat and win", there's already a big button at the top of the window called "Solve". It can't get much easier than that! ;)
Comment 4 Dario Panico 2009-06-21 18:18:36 UTC
ok, it's like you said BUT when you use the solve option, it's reported that you used "some help", when you use the other method everything works as you solved it with your brain.

That isn't a big problem but if in a future there will be some sorts of Highscores the difference would be clear (see other games in kde games: when helped the score isn't reported in the highscores).

The Show simple conflicts seems the most clever default option. 
Because it helps you not to make a mistake with the infos you know.
Comment 5 Daniel Mário 2013-05-03 04:28:07 UTC
Created attachment 79650 [details]
Adding a simple check to report only the obvious mistakes, instead of the exact solution.

So here is a preliminar patch. I have put a simple check in gui/ksudokugame.cpp to report wrong cellInfo or buttonState only for cells whose value is repeated in any group it belongs to. (group is a clique, that is, a row, column or block)
Comment 6 Gregor Mi 2018-05-16 09:09:14 UTC
*** Bug 240947 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 8 Gregor Mi 2018-05-16 09:22:49 UTC
*** Bug 188198 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 9 Gregor Mi 2018-05-16 09:24:31 UTC
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=188198#c0 suggests a three-way state for Show Errors, something like this: NEVER, FOR CONSISTENCY (new), AGAINST SOLUTION (how Show Errors is currently implemented)