Exponential Idle

Arrow Puzzle Guide

Eaux Tacous#1021

Mar 2021
Contents

Easy Difficulty Algorithm 2

Medium Difficulty Algorithm 8

Propagation Algorithm (for Hard and Expert) 15

Hard and Expert Difficulty Algorithm 20

Lookup Table for Hard Difficulty 26

1
Easy Difficulty Algorithm

The algorithm is as follows:

1. Solve top row then the middle, tapping tiles below the row you are working with.
(a) Make the center tile the same as one edge tile (press an edge tile below)
(b) Make the row constant (press an edge tile below)
(c) Solve row (press the center tile below)
2. Solve bottom row the same way, but using the middle row and cancelling unwanted changes to top two rows
using the top row.
For example, consider the following puzzle:

Sample puzzle

In the following pages, I mark the tile to tap as red, showing the board configuration before and after the move.

2
Step 1: Solving non-last row
Step 1.1: Make the center tile the same as one edge tile

Before After

Step 1.2: Make the row constant

Before After

3
Step 1.3: Solve row

Before After

Step 1.4: Repeat for row 2

Step 1.1 Step 1.2 Done

Note that Step 1.3 was fortunately skipped on row 2 for this puzzle because the entire row became 1 after step
1.2. Otherwise, we would tap the bottom-center tile.

4
Step 2: Solving last row
Step 2.1.1: Make the center tile the same as one edge tile

Before After

Step 2.1.2: Cancel upper row changes

Before After

5
Step 2.2.1: Make the row the same

Before After

Step 2.2.2: Cancel upper row changes

Before After

6
Step 2.3.1: Solve row

Before After

Step 2.3.2: Cancel upper row changes

Before After

7
Medium Difficulty Algorithm

The algorithm is as follows:

1. Solve top three rows in sequence, tapping tiles below the row you are working with.
(a) Make one center tile the same as its adjacent edge tile (press a center tile below)
(b) Make the other center tile the same as its adjacent edge tile (press a center tile below)
(c) Solve the left two tiles (press an edge tile below)
(d) Solve the right two tiles (press an edge tile below)
2. Solve bottom row, but using the bottom row and cancelling unwanted changes to rows above using rows 2
and then row 1.

Tricks:
• When you cancel out, instead of canceling upwards, first tap row 1 the same number you tapped the bottom
row, and then cancel out using row 2.
• When you tap two cells the same number of times, you could use two fingers. (e.g. trick above, or when you
encounter a constant row)
For example, consider the following puzzle:

Sample puzzle

In the following pages, I mark the tile to tap as red, showing the board configuration before and after the move.

8
Step 1: Solving non-last row
Step 1.1: Make a center tile the same as its adjacent edge tile

Before After

Step 1.2: Make the other center tile the same as its adjacent edge tile

Before After

9
Step 1.3: Solve left two tiles

Before After

Step 1.4: Solve right two tiles

Before After

10
Step 1.5: Repeat for rows 2 and 3

Step 1.1 Step 1.2 Step 1.3 Step 1.4 Done

Solving row 2

Step 1.1 Step 1.2 Step 1.3 Step 1.4 Done

Solving row 3

11
Step 2: Solving last row
Step 2.1.1: Make a center tile the same as its adjacent edge tile

Before After

Step 2.1.2: Cancel upper row changes

Before Row 3 cancel Row 1+2 cancel

12
Step 2.2.1: Make the other center tile the same as its adjacent edge tile

Before After

Step 2.2.2: Cancel upper row changes

Before Row 3 cancel Row 1+2 cancel

13
Step 2.3.1: Solve left two tiles

Before After

Step 2.3.2: Cancel upper row changes

Before Row 3 cancel Row 1+2 cancel

Step 2.4.1: Solve right two tiles

Step 2.4.2: Cancel upper row changes
The example given did not have two right tiles to solve because they were 1. However this proceeds identically to
Steps 2.3.1 and 2.3.2.

14
Propagation Algorithm (for Hard and Expert)

The algorithm is as follows:

1. Solve the top row, tapping the tiles directly below.
(a) Solve the center tile (press center tile below)
(b) Solve tile to the left of the center tile (press tile directly below it)
(c) Solve tile two spaces left of the center tile (press tile directly below it)
(d) Solve tile three spaces left of the center tile (press tile directly below it)
(e) Repeat steps (b) - (e) but to the right.
2. Repeat step 1 to each row, ignoring the very bottom tiles.

To verify there is no mistake:

• When you’re done, your board will be symmetric.
• The two tiles adjacent to the bottom center tile will always be 1 or 4.

For example, consider the following puzzle:

Sample puzzle

15
Step 1: Solving top row
Step 1.1: Solve the center tile

Before After

Step 1.2: Solve the tile to the left

Before After

16
Step 1.3: Solve two tiles to the left

Before After

Step 1.4: Solve three tiles to the left

Before After

17
Step 1.5: Repeat on the right

Step 1.2 Step 1.3

Step 1.4 Done

18
Step 2: Repeat for each row

row 2: left row 2: right row 3: left row 3: right

row 4: left row 4: right row 5: left row 5: right

row 6: center Done

19
Hard and Expert Difficulty Algorithm

The algorithm is shared and is as follows:

1. Propagate.
2. Label the bottom right cells (from left to right), A, B, C, D. Label the top right cells (from left to right) a,
b, c, d. We will be tapping the top row to encode the bottom row into it.

(a) Tap a so that a is the same as C.

(b) Tap b and d the number of times you would need to solve C.
(c) Tap a the number of times you would need to solve D.
(d) If B + D is odd, tap c three times (once in Hard). Otherwise, skip this step.

3. Propagate.
Tricks:
• step 2.b: You could tap b and d simultaneously until a is solved.

• step 2.d: For each tap in step 2.c, B would change by 3 (i.e. switch between 1 and 4). That is, in step 2.d,
tap c three times if B would end up in a 4. You could count parity in step 2.c and use parity to deduce this
step. It may help to think ‘even = no change’ and ‘odd = change’.
For example, consider the following puzzle:

Sample puzzle

20
Step 1: Propagate

Row 1 Row 2 Row 3

Row 4 Row 5 Row 6

Done

21
Step 2: Encode
I also mark reference tiles as blue; in each step, we perform taps according to the value of the tile in blue.

Clarification: Visual location of ABCD and abcd labels

Labels

The top right tiles will be referred to as a, b, c, and d in that order (left to right), and the bottom right tiles
will be referred to as A, B, C, and D (left to right).

22
Step 2.1: Tap a so that a is the same as C

Before After

Step 2.2: Tap b and d the number of times you would need to solve C

Before After

23
Step 2.3: Tap a the number of times you would need to solve D

Before After

Step 2.4: If B + D is odd, tap c three times

Before After

24
Step 3: Propagate

Row 1 Row 2 Row 3

Row 4 Row 5 Row 6

Done

25
Lookup Table for Hard Difficulty

Instead of memorizing Step 2 for Hard, you may use this table to search which taps you should do. Out of all
possible options, this list compiles ones with the fewest taps overall (which sometimes makes the taps extend to the
entire top row).

1111111 1121211 1212121 1222221

2112112 2122212 2211122 2221222

26