journal

Finding All Solutions and Instances of Numberlink and Slitherlink by ZDDs.

Ryo Yoshinaka, Toshiki Saitoh, Jun Kawahara, Koji Tsuruma, Hiroaki Iwashita, Shin-ichi Minato

Algorithms Vol.5, pp.176-213 (2012), [peer-reviewed]

Abstract / 概要

Link puzzles involve finding paths or a cycle in a grid that satisfy given local and global properties. This paper proposes algorithms that enumerate solutions and instances of two link puzzles, Slitherlink and Numberlink, by zero-suppressed binary decision diagrams (ZDDs). A ZDD is a compact data structure for a family of sets provided with a rich family of set operations, by which, for example, one can easily extract a subfamily satisfying a desired property. Thanks to the nature of ZDDs, our algorithms offer a tool to assist users to design instances of those link puzzles.