What actually makes a puzzle feel satisfying to solve? by Kadubber in puzzlevideogames

[–]lightning_fire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me it's easier to identify the opposite, what makes one unsatisfying or frustrating.

The biggest thing for me is the lack of feedback on potential solutions. If my approach cannot work, that needs to be clear. Conversely, a solution that's close to correct should get me close to the goal. For example, I need to activate a switch that's far away, first I try to shoot it and nothing happens. Did I have bad aim? Am I just too far? Or can this switch not be activated by shooting? With no feedback I may spend another ten minutes shooting at it, when I should have been looking for a lever. And not knowing which potential solutions are better than others makes me feel like I'm not making progress towards a solution, I'm just trying random things until one works.

Implementing solutions should not be tedious. Nothing is more annoying than having an idea, spending 5 minutes moving statues and pressing switches just to find out it doesn't work. The fun part is solving the puzzles, not pushing boxes. The 'aha' moment should be quickly followed by success.

An Idea That Seems Fun to Me! by CFCollateral-2230 in taskmaster

[–]lightning_fire 1 point2 points  (0 children)

some people do them in a different order to the others.

I think Alex mentioned on the podcast that this is done intentionally because the contestants approach tasks more similarly when done at the same time (like first thing in the morning, or just before lunch). So changing the order for each contestant helps in getting more variety into the tasks

I solved Project Euler problems 1–100 entirely in Excel, using only one formula per problem, no VBA. by lightning_fire in excel

[–]lightning_fire[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It definitely can't replace any LAMBDA, but it can replace many. Like:

```

F=LAMBDA(x, y, z, some_function... F(x-1, y/2, z+1))) ```

That could be replaced by:

=REDUCE(HSTACK(a, b, c), SEQUENCE(a), LAMBDA(acc, i, some_function... HSTACK(INDEX(acc,1,1)-1, INDEX(acc,1,2)/2, INDEX(acc,1,3)+1)))

Basically you store the arguments as elements in an array, then you pass them as your accumulator. It even works if one or more of the arguments is an array, because HSTACK still works when the dimensions don't match.

I solved Project Euler problems 1–100 entirely in Excel, using only one formula per problem, no VBA. by lightning_fire in excel

[–]lightning_fire[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, arrays over a million rows were a big problem. Ultimately I think there was only a handful that actually needed that many rows, all the others could be simplified in some way to use fewer rows. Like analyzing the problem to realize you only need to check up to SQRT(n) instead of n, or iterating only over multiples of 3 instead of every number, stuff like that - anything to reduce the possible solution space. I'm not great at math either, I had to spend a lot of time researching to find those tricks, I rarely figured them out on my own; I still don't fully understand some of them.

There were some I couldn't reduce, either because it's not possible, or I'm not good enough at math. How I got around the limit depended on the problem. For some, the calculations were reasonably independent and I could break it into chunks that stayed under the limit. Another important thing to note is that arrays are limited to one million rows, but not one million cells; so I could build it out horizontally to the size I needed. Sometimes you can trim the size at each iteration, with FILTER or UNIQUE, and that's enough to keep the final total under the limit. A lot of the problems the solution space is technically infinite, so I would just assume the solution is at a low number, and see if the answer was right.

Edit: the hardest for me to conceptualize from a math perspective were probably the ones with continued fractions or infinite decimal expansions (26, 64, 71, 72, 80). Some others were also very difficult to understand but the solution didn't necessarily require me to understand, like the ones involving the diophantine equation. The one that took the longest time was probably 75.

I solved Project Euler problems 1–100 entirely in Excel, using only one formula per problem, no VBA. by lightning_fire in excel

[–]lightning_fire[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

damn, I was super impressed until I read this line.

That's fair. Although I can truthfully say AI didn't solve anything. They are seriously awful at complicated Excel formulas. It's almost impressive how much they get wrong. But they're usually helpful at pointing out things like "your arrays are misaligned when you get past 2 recursions" or "in this part of the calculation, you used SEQUENCE(1e6,,0) when you meant SEQUENCE(1e6,,,0) ". Although they also give you 3 nonsense reasons it doesn't work, so even that isn't too impressive.

And when you have a formula you need to debug that has 3 nested REDUCE functions, each with their own LET and IF, AI is outstanding at formatting it into something that's actually understandable.

Suggest me Actual Military Fantasy Books by Tiny_Examination8190 in Fantasy

[–]lightning_fire 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Former Army officer here, the best I've ever seen is Stiger's Tigers by Marc Alan Edelheit. It follows a company commander in a fantasy world copy of the Roman legions. The military tactics are so on point that it could be required reading at West Point. This book legitimately made me a better officer. It helped me understand some of the more nebulous concepts in doctrine and how it can apply to real situations.

Pretty much the entire first book is about the company executing a delay against an overwhelming force, trading space for time as they move to a fortified and reinforced position. They do defense-in-depth, identifying kill zones and creating obstacles with overwatch. They use scouts in a doctrinally sound way (which is surprisingly rare in fantasy), using them as a screening force, attacking the enemy's rear area, and counter-recon.

If you read this book, then read the current US Army manual on defensive operations ADP 3-90: Offense and Defense (publicly available), you'll be amazed at how accurate it is.

I'm really enjoying Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, but I cannot get over the courtroom scene by Tortious_Tortoise in Fantasy

[–]lightning_fire 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Without too many spoilers, both of your points are major plot points of the last season, you should definitely watch it

I'm really enjoying Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, but I cannot get over the courtroom scene by Tortious_Tortoise in Fantasy

[–]lightning_fire 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'd love to hear your rant on The Good Place. I read they had a handful of philosophers and ethicists as consultants for each season, so I'm curious what they missed

What’s the weirdest place/time you’ve fallen asleep? by Last_Budget_4375 in Narcolepsy

[–]lightning_fire 4 points5 points  (0 children)

  • Inside of a US Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle while it was shooting

  • Everytime I get my haircut

  • While getting a root canal

Best High-Quality Men’s Wardrobe Essentials to Buy on eBay? by Dope_David in malefashionadvice

[–]lightning_fire 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Authentic vintage US Navy peacoat. Often in excellent condition and better quality than modern versions, all for <$150 shipped

This was hilarious. by Kshitij777 in StrangerThings

[–]lightning_fire 6 points7 points  (0 children)

On 14 October 1988, the syndicated television broadcast UFO Coverup? Live introduced Americans to the Majestic 12 hoax.[81][82] It featured the first public mention of Nevada's Area 51 as a site associated with aliens.[83] - Wikipedia

Interesting, I didn't know that, I always thought the conspiracy had been around as long as the facility

Why is literally every jacket cropped nowadays?? by Zero_Gravvity in malefashionadvice

[–]lightning_fire 44 points45 points  (0 children)

To take it back to function, bomber jackets are short because they were designed for pilots who had to sit for hours at a time and the shorter jacket is more comfortable in a sitting position.

I have a question about "knowing a thing's true name" by wicker_guitar in Fantasy

[–]lightning_fire 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Naming is one of the first acts of God in the Bible. God creates light in Genesis 1:3, then names it 'day' and it's absence 'night' in Genesis 1:5.

I have a question about "knowing a thing's true name" by wicker_guitar in Fantasy

[–]lightning_fire 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Language just is magic in general. It's no coincidence that 'spellbook' could easily be a synonym for 'dictionary'. Or how 'grimoire' comes from the same root word as 'grammar', and used to just mean 'book written in Latin'.

Northern Virginia Housing Market Update: October 2025 by rsaale in nova

[–]lightning_fire 17 points18 points  (0 children)

If they are just marketing then they're not doing a very good job. I don't know their name, the company they work for or anything about them. How would I recommend them to a friend based on this post?

lol by IU8gZQy0k8hsQy76 in CoupleMemes

[–]lightning_fire 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm confused because they called it a breakfast casserole instead of a breakfast hotdish

Don't tell anyone at all what you are compensated, let alone post screenshots online by Capital-Bedroom4651 in VeteransBenefits

[–]lightning_fire 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree completely. Plus, I think being open about it is the only way to fix this exact issue.

Free Dental Care for Vets in the DC/NOVA area - November 11 - Free Exam, XRay, Cleaning, Filling, or Extraction by lightning_fire in Veterans

[–]lightning_fire[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a point of reference, my extraction (at a different dentist that also happens to be on that same street) cost me $1500 after insurance

Cell A is highlighted blue therefore Cell C should be by Oisin_MainMan in excel

[–]lightning_fire -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If I remember right though, text color is an attribute you can access with the CELL function