An AKARI puzzle consists of a square grid in which some of the cells are painted black in the same way as in a crossword puzzle. Think of it as
the floor plan of a building in which the black cells represent pillars or wall segments. The remainder of the cells represent floor area which must
be illuminated by lamps placed in certain of the cells. A lamp illuminates all cells in its row and column up to the edge of the puzzle, or up to an
intervening black cell. No lamp is allowed to illuminate any other lamp, and the numbers in some of the black cells indicate the number of lamps which
are adjacent to that cell both horizontally and vertically. Each puzzle has a unique solution which does not require any guesswork to achieve. Puzzles
can be built either manually or automatically in sizes up to 16x16.
An AKARI puzzle is constructed on a crossword grid just like a standard crossword. A number of grids suitable for building AKARI puzzles are
distributed with this program, and you also have the option of making an unlimited number of new ones using the Grid
Maintenance function. Be aware though that it is easy to make a grid on which Magnum Opus will find it impossible to build a puzzle so it is
advisable to try a few test builds on any new grid that you do make.
Menu Functions
Use this option to choose your puzzle from the pool of AKARI puzzles currently available on your computer.
If you are part-way through manually entering an Akari puzzle, and need to interrupt the process, this option will allow you to save the work
you have done so far. You will be able to return to it whenever you please.
This option allows you to make an exact copy of the current puzzle using a different file name. The copy will be saved in the akari
folder along with all of the Akari puzzles you have made. Alternatively, if you don't enter a new name for the puzzle, you can change the Puzzle
Description, or any of the other descriptive items without changing the puzzle name.
Returns you to the Magnum Opus opening screen.
This option presents you with a dialog into which you can enter a file name for your new puzzle. You can also enter several other pieces
of information such as a Puzzle Title, Author and Copyright information.
Use this option to access a Build Options dialog where you can set some rules to be followed by the puzzle building function as it builds
your puzzle.
Use this option to select the grid which is to be used for the puzzle. You will probably need to make use of the Grid Maintenance
function to create suitable grids, and to prevent confusion, it may be a good idea to adopt a naming convention for your AKARI grids.
For example you could begin their names with A_ or something similar. If you are intending to make a series of puzzles
(see Build Options ), then you can select a number of grids...simply hold down the Control key
as you click-select them with the mouse. Subsequently when you make the puzzles, the grids you have selected will be used sequentially as the
puzzles are built.
Construction of the puzzle will commence when you select the Start / Stop Building option.
If puzzle building is successful you will receive a message containing the name of the puzzle file, and the location where it was saved.
If it becomes necessary, you can interrupt the building process by selecting this option a second time.
Manual constructiom of an Akari puzzle is not recommended. You should only attempt this if you have a valid puzzle (possibly one published
in a magazine) which you would like to enter into the program. In such a case you will need to construct a new grid which matches the one
you are aiming to create. When you have done this, and selected the grid into the Construction screen, simply move the cursor cell around
the puzzle, and type the required values into the pattern cells. Selecting the Test Puzzle Validity option will check the validity
of the puzzle. If it has a unique solution, it will be saved, and you will be advised of this. If not, you will receive the message that
the puzzle is not valid.
This leads you to a dialog box in which you can change the colors of various elements within the puzzle, and control the fonts which will
be used for the puzzle's text components. You can also decide if printing of the puzzle will be done in black and white or in color.
This will take you to a custom print screen where you can control the details involved with printing your puzzle.
This will take you to a Solve screen which provides a fully interactive environment for solving the puzzle.
This option will export a set of files which implement a fully working interactive AKARI puzzle as a Java Applet. These files can be
uploaded to your web server to enable you to publish interactive puzzles in your own web pages. Read the topic
Exporting an Applet for more details.
Use this option to eliminate unwanted AKARI puzzles from your file system.
Displays the Help screen which you are now reading.
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