crossword puzzle in LiveCode

[Mark Wieder]

Chris Sheffield <cmsheffield at ...> writes:

> Has anybody ever created a crossword puzzle application in LC? I'm having to
make one, and I'm kind of at a
> loss. Not really sure how to proceed. If anyone has some pointers or sample
code they'd be willing to share,

I did one of these a few years back. Jacque was kind enough to share a word
dictionary file she had. I'll see if I can dig up the relevant stack. Keep in
mind that crossword puzzles are symmetrical diagonally. You probably don't want
to do the whole thing automatically, but arrange some key words by hand, set up
the grid, then turn your program loose to fill in the odd bits.

And the hard part isn't making the grid or filling in words to make a complete
puzzle, it's coming up with clever clues that fit the expectations of both
puzzle solvers and editors. You can't vary too much from what's expected or
you'll run afoul of having the puzzle deemed "too hard" or "too arcane" or
something. Not to mention losing out on the fun of creating it by hand.

My take after experimenting with this for a while is that it's ok as a helper
app but on the whole it's better done by hand. That's where the fun is and the
creativity and you'll have a better overall experience than if you turned it
over to a machine.

-- 
 Mark Wieder