Sudoku

157 articles

Getting Started

What is the Sudoku studio? Sudoku is a studio of BookyAI Activity Studio, a paid add-on for the BookyAI desktop app. It builds complete sudoku boo… Where do I find it? Open the BookyAI app and click "Activity" in the sidebar. The Activity Studio page shows all the studios. When you own … What else do I need? The BookyAI app with your BookyAI license activated, and the Sudoku studio license. The puzzles are made on your comput… Does it work on Windows and Mac? Yes. It is part of the BookyAI desktop app on both Windows and macOS. Is there a guided tour? Yes. Click "Guide" at the bottom of the sidebar while you are in the Sudoku studio. The tour points at each part of the… Where are my sudoku books? They are not in my Library. Activity books are listed on the Activity Studio page under "Your activity books", not in the Library. Click a book to … How does the studio screen work? The left column holds the cards with the book's settings: Ready to publish, The book, The puzzles, Pages and solutions,…

Price, License and Activation

How much does the Sudoku studio cost? $97, paid once. No subscription. Every future update to the Sudoku studio is included. Each Activity Studio studio (Wor… I own the Word Search studio. Is Sudoku included? No. Each studio is its own purchase. Owning Word Search does not unlock Sudoku, and owning Sudoku does not unlock Word … I bought Sudoku with my BookyAI account. How do I activate it? You normally do not have to do anything. Open Activity Studio on the computer where your BookyAI license is active; you… I received a license key by email. Where do I enter it? On the Activity Studio page, click "Enter a key", paste the key (format BND-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) and click "Activate". I just paid and the studio is still locked. Purchases can take a minute or two to arrive. Click "Check my purchases". Make sure you are connected to the internet a… I see "Couldn't reach the license server. Check your internet and try again." The app could not reach the license server. Check your internet connection (and any firewall or VPN that may block the … I see "That key isn't an Activity Studio license key." You entered a different BookyAI key, for example your main BookyAI key or a Listen or Audio key. Use the key from the e… I see "That license key wasn't found. Double-check it and try again." The key was mistyped or incomplete. Copy it straight from the email, including the BND- at the start. If it still fails… I see "Activity Studio runs on the computers where your BookyAI license is active. Activate BookyAI here first." The studio follows your main BookyAI license. Activate BookyAI on this computer first, then go back to Activity Studio … I see "This Activity Studio license was revoked or refunded. Enter a valid key to continue." The license was refunded or cancelled. If you think this is a mistake, contact support with your purchase email. I see "We couldn't verify your Activity Studio license. Reconnect to the internet and retry." The studio works offline for 30 days after its last successful license check. After that it needs to connect once. Conn… Can I use the studio on two computers? The studio unlocks on every computer where your BookyAI license is active. With a single-device BookyAI license that is… Is there a money-back guarantee? Yes, the Build-a-Book Guarantee. If the studio is not what you expected, write to support within 14 days of your purcha… I made many books and now I want a refund. Why was it refused? The guarantee ends when the 6th book is exported or after 14 days, whichever comes first. After that point the studio h… What happens to my books if I get a refund? The studio license is deactivated. The PDFs and files you already exported stay on your computer. Sudoku books cannot b… Can I open a sudoku book without the studio? No. If the studio is locked, clicking a sudoku book shows "Unlock Sudoku to open this book."

Making a New Book

How do I start a new sudoku book? In Activity Studio, click the Sudoku card. A window "A new sudoku book" opens. Choose the language of the book at the t… What are the starting points? Large print for seniors: 8.5 x 11, one big puzzle per page, Easy to Medium, 100 puzzles, Atkinson Hyperlegible font, 4 … I do not see the Wordoku starting point. Wordoku is offered only for English books, because its hidden words are English words. Set "Language" to English in the… What title does a new book get? An English book gets the starting point's title and a subtitle with the puzzle count, for example "Sudoku Puzzle Book" … How long does it take to make the puzzles? Most puzzles take a fraction of a second. Evil puzzles, killers and samurai take longer, up to a few seconds each on th… I closed the studio while puzzles were still being made. Nothing is lost. Puzzles already made are saved. When you open the book again, the studio makes the missing ones by its… Where do the author name and publisher come from? From your default author profile (made in Authors). In "The book" card you can choose another profile or type the autho…

The Book Settings (The Book Card)

What can I set for the whole book? In "The book" card: Title, Subtitle, "Who is it for? (optional)" with the AI writing button, Author profile, Author, Pu… What does "Write the title, subtitle, welcome and section names" do? Your AI engine drafts a book title, a subtitle, a welcome page of about 100 words and a friendly name for each level's … Are the AI texts written in the language of my book? Yes. The AI writes the title, subtitle, welcome and section names in the language set in "Language of the pages". Read … The AI writing button is disabled. No AI engine is connected. The note under the button says "Connect an AI engine in Settings to draft them, or write you… I see "The AI did not return usable book texts. Try again." or "The AI could not write the texts. Try again." The AI's answer could not be used. Click the button again; a second try usually works. If it keeps failing, check the A… What does the AI engine setting do? It chooses which of your connected AI engines the two AI helpers use in this book. It only appears when at least one en… Which trim sizes are available? 5 x 8, 6 x 9, 7 x 10, 8.5 x 11 and A4. The grids are sized for the trim automatically. Which trim should I choose for samurai and 16 x 16 books? 8.5 x 11 (or A4). A samurai page holds five overlapping grids and a 16 x 16 grid has 256 squares, so both need a big pa… What does "Large print" do? The digits are 18 pt or more, and the page text is bigger too. The studio refuses to export a large print book if any g… Which fonts are available for the digits? Eight fonts chosen for digits that cannot be mistaken: Atkinson Hyperlegible (clearest), Lexend (modern), Nunito (round… Can I choose a different font for the titles? Yes. Click "Title font" to choose one of the bundled fonts, about 140 Google fonts made for titles, or a font of your o… Why are some fonts missing from the list for my language? Only fonts that contain the language's letters are shown, so no letter is ever printed as an empty box. For Russian and… What is the dedication? An optional page after the copyright page, for example "For Grandma, who taught me to love puzzles". Leave it empty and…

The Puzzle Settings (The Puzzles Card)

What can I set for the puzzles? In "The puzzles" card: Puzzle type, First level and Last level, the number of puzzles, how many per page, the givens pa… Which puzzle types are there? Classic 9 x 9.Sudoku X (diagonals).Jigsaw (irregular regions).Killer (cages and sums).Samurai (five grids).Thermo (risi… What happens when I change the puzzle type? Every unlocked puzzle is made again for the new type. The levels, the puzzles per page and the solutions per page move … How do "First level" and "Last level" work? The book climbs from the first level to the last in equal parts. With Easy to Evil and 200 puzzles, there are 40 Easy, … Why can I not choose Expert or Evil for some types? The studio only offers levels it can honestly reach and a printed book can explain:Classic 9 x 9, Sudoku X, jigsaw, sam… How many puzzles can a book have? From 4 to 1,000. Type the number in "Puzzles" and press Enter (or click elsewhere). New puzzles are made for the added … How many puzzles per page? 1, 2, 4 or 6 for classic 9 x 9, Sudoku X, jigsaw, 6 x 6, 4 x 4 and kids books. Up to 2 for killer, thermo and arrow (th… What does "Givens" mean (Symmetric or Anywhere)? The givens are the numbers printed at the start. "Symmetric, the classic look" places them in a pattern that looks the … What does "Symbols 0 to 9 and A to F" do? For 16 x 16 books: instead of the numbers 1 to 16, the grid uses one character per square (0 to 9, then A to F), which …

The Puzzle Types

What is classic sudoku? A 9 x 9 grid (or 4 x 4, 6 x 6, 16 x 16) where every row, every column and every box holds each number once. The givens … What is Sudoku X? A classic 9 x 9 where both long diagonals also hold each number from 1 to 9 once. The diagonal squares are shaded light… What is jigsaw sudoku? Instead of square 3 x 3 boxes, the grid is divided into nine irregular regions of nine squares each, drawn with thick l… What is killer sudoku? No numbers are printed. The grid is divided into cages (dashed shapes), each with a small total in its corner. The numb… What is samurai sudoku? Five 9 x 9 grids that overlap: the middle grid shares a corner box with each of the other four. Each of the five grids … What is thermo sudoku? A classic 9 x 9 with grey thermometers drawn on it. Along each thermometer the numbers rise, starting at its round bulb… What is arrow sudoku? A classic 9 x 9 with arrows drawn on it. Each arrow starts at a circle; the numbers along the arrow add up to the numbe… What is a 16 x 16 giant sudoku? A grid of 16 rows, 16 columns and sixteen 4 x 4 boxes, holding the numbers 1 to 16 (or the symbols 0 to 9 and A to F). … What are 4 x 4 and 6 x 6 puzzles? Small grids for children and beginners: 4 x 4 uses the numbers 1 to 4 in four 2 x 2 boxes, 6 x 6 uses 1 to 6 in six 2 x… Do the thermometers and arrows ever cross? No. They are grown on the finished solution so that they never cross each other, not even diagonally, and the digits al… Are killer cages easy to read on the page? Yes. Cages are drawn as dashed lines inside the squares, with joined corners, and each total sits in the cage's top lef…

Levels and How Difficulty Is Measured

How is the level of a puzzle decided? By solving it. Every puzzle is solved step by step the way a person solves it, always with the simplest step available,… What does each level ask of the solver? Easy: every number can be found by looking along one row, column or box at a time.Medium: now and then a square has onl… Which solving techniques does the studio know? 29 techniques, from the simplest to the hardest: Full house, Hidden single in a box, Cage combinations, Thermometer ord… Does any puzzle need guessing? No. A puzzle that could only be finished by guessing (trial and error) is never kept. Every puzzle, including Evil, can… What are the difficulty stars? With "Difficulty stars" on, every puzzle shows its level with stars: one for Easy up to five for Evil. The level pages … What is the "effort" shown in the puzzle list? The total solving work the solver measured for the puzzle: every step it needed, weighted by how hard the step is. Two … What is the difficulty curve? The card at the bottom of the studio: one bar per puzzle, in the order they print, as tall as its measured effort and c…

How the Puzzles Are Made and Checked

Does AI make the puzzles? No. The puzzles are made by BookyAI's own generator, on your computer. AI is never used to make, check or rate a puzzle. How is "one solution" proven? Every puzzle is checked by two different methods that share no code: a fast solver counts the solutions and must find e… Are the puzzles just old puzzles turned around or with the numbers swapped? No. Every puzzle is made fresh from a new random solution. Many cheap generators take one puzzle and rotate it or swap … Can two of my books share a puzzle? No. The studio remembers the fingerprint of every puzzle in your other sudoku books and of every sudoku book you have e… What does "Ready to publish" show? The state of the book, for example "200 puzzles verified · 142 pages". Open the card to see: how many puzzles are made … What is the Quality report? Click "Quality report" in the "Ready to publish" card. It lists every puzzle in print order with its level and score, i…

The Puzzles List

What does the puzzles list show? The right column lists the puzzles grouped by level, in print order, with a colour per level and the count of each. Eac… How do I replace a puzzle I do not like? Click the round arrow on its row ("A new puzzle at this level"). A new puzzle of the same type and level is made in its… What does "New puzzles" at the top do? It makes new puzzles for the whole book, with the same settings. Locked puzzles stay exactly as they are. What does the lock do? A locked puzzle keeps its exact grid when the book is made again ("Keep this puzzle when the book is made again"). Clic… A row says "locked at another level". The puzzle is locked, but after a change of levels or puzzle count its place in the book now belongs to another level. … Can I change the order of the puzzles? The order is set by the studio: the levels climb in equal parts, and inside each level the puzzles go from the least to… A row says "No ... puzzle came out of this seed: press New puzzle". Rarely, a random start cannot give a puzzle of that exact level within the time allowed. Click the round arrow on the r… A row says "Not made yet" or "Making...". The puzzle is waiting for its turn or being made. Wait a moment. Can I type in my own puzzle? No. Every puzzle in a book is made and proven by the studio, which is what lets it promise one solution and an honest l…

Pages and Solutions

Which pages does a sudoku book have, in order? Title page (title, subtitle, "Large print" badge when on, author).Copyright page (with your author profile's legal noti… What can I set in "Pages and solutions"? A page for each level (with its own name), Difficulty stars, A time line, Target times, Progress pages, How to play, So… What is "A page for each level"? Before each level's puzzles, a title page with the level's stars, its name (for example "Hard Puzzles"), the range ("Pu… What is the "How difficulty is rated" page? A page near the front that explains that every level was measured by solving the puzzles step by step, lists the book's… What is on the How to play page? The rules of the book's puzzle type in plain words, that the printed numbers are the clues, that every puzzle has one s… What is at the bottom of each puzzle? "Solution on page N". With hints on, "Hint on page N · Solution on page N" (shortened to "Hint p. N · Solution p. N" wh… What does the time line do? It prints "Time: __________" under every puzzle, for solvers who race the clock. What are target times? A goal under every puzzle, for example "Target 12 min". It comes from the puzzle's level and type, adjusted by its meas… What are the progress pages? Pages at the back with a table of every puzzle: its number, its level, a space for the date, a space for the time (with… How many solutions per page? 4, 6 or 9 per page (samurai and 16 x 16: 2 or 4). 4 is better for large print books. Each solution shows its puzzle num… What is the Welcome page? An optional first page with a few words to the reader, under the title "Welcome". Type it in "Welcome page (optional)" … What is the thank-you page? A last page that thanks the reader and asks for a review. The printable edition's version does not mention Amazon. Can I see the pages before exporting? Yes. The preview in the middle shows each page exactly as it prints, with the same fonts. Use the arrows or the page li…

Solving Lessons

What are the solving lessons? With "Solving lessons" on, the book gets one page for every solving technique its puzzles need, after How to play. Each… Which books can have lessons? Books of 9 x 9 grids: classic, Sudoku X, jigsaw, killer, thermo and arrow. Samurai, 16 x 16, 6 x 6, 4 x 4 and kids book… Which techniques get a lesson? Only the ones the book's puzzles need, beyond the simplest singles, in order from the simplest, up to 12 lessons per bo… What does "first needed at Hard" on a lesson mean? The level where the book first needs that technique. It tells the reader when the lesson becomes useful. I see "The pencil marks in the lessons are X pt: KDP needs 7 pt or more." The lesson diagrams are too small on this trim. Choose a bigger trim, or turn the lessons off.

Hints

What are the hints? With "Hints" on, the book gets a Hints section before the solutions, with one nudge for every puzzle past Easy. The hin… What does a hint look like? For example: "Puzzle 57 (page 41): Follow the 7s in rows 3 and 5 or columns 1 and 9. (X-Wing)". Hints name rows, column… How does the reader find a puzzle's hint? Under each puzzle it says "Hint on page N". The Hints section is ordered by puzzle number.

Wordoku (Letters Instead of Numbers)

What is Wordoku? A sudoku with nine letters instead of the numbers 1 to 9. The rules are the same. When a puzzle is solved, one of its r… Which books can use Wordoku? English books with 9 x 9 grids of the classic, Sudoku X or jigsaw type. Turn it on with "Wordoku: letters instead of nu… Which words are used? With the words box empty, a built-in list of 30 words is used (BLUEPRINT, COMPLAINT, DANGEROUS and others). You can typ… I see "Left out (not nine different letters): ..." Those words have fewer or more than nine letters, a repeated letter, or characters other than A to Z. They are not used… How does "Suggest" work for Wordoku? Type a theme in "A theme for AI words" (for example garden or travel) and click "Suggest". Your AI engine proposes word… I see "Write the theme first." or "The AI found no words with nine different letters. Try another theme." Type a theme before clicking "Suggest". If the AI found no valid word, try a broader theme, or type your own words. Why is Wordoku not available in my book? Wordoku needs an English book (its words are English) and a 9 x 9 classic, Sudoku X or jigsaw grid. If you change the b…

Picture Sudoku for Children

What is picture sudoku? For 4 x 4, 6 x 6 and kids books, the numbers can be replaced by pictures, so children who cannot count to nine yet can … Which picture sets are there? Animals: cat, dog, fish, bird, rabbit, turtle.Fruit and vegetables: apple, banana, cherries, grapes, carrot, orange.Sun… Can the pictures be used in a 9 x 9 book? No. Nine different pictures in small squares are too hard to tell apart in print, so pictures are for 4 x 4, 6 x 6 and …

Languages

In which languages can the pages be? Eleven: English, Romanian, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Ukrainian and Greek. Choose "L… What is translated? Every word the studio prints: How to play and the rules of every puzzle type, the level names and descriptions, How dif… What stays in English? Wordoku, because its hidden words are English words.The cover and listing text ("Cover and listing text" card), which i… Who wrote the translations? Are they correct? The page texts were written for each language with the sudoku terms used in that language, including the grammar of pla… I see "The digit font has no (language) letters for the page text: choose ..." The digit font is also used for the page text, and it cannot print this language's letters. Choose one of the fonts the… I see "The title font has no (language) letters: choose another title font". The chosen title font cannot print this language. Click "Title font" and choose another one. Is the book title translated? A new book in another language starts with the title "Sudoku" and no subtitle. Write them in the book's language, or le…

Cover and Listing Text

What is the "Cover and listing text" card? It writes the words around your book from what the book really holds (the count, the type, the measured levels, the les… Does the listing text use AI? No. It is built by the studio from the book's facts, so it costs nothing and never promises what the book does not have… The listing text is in English, but my book is in another language. The cover and listing text is English only for now. For another language's store, translate it or write your own. How does the back cover text reach Covers? When you click "Make the cover" in the Export window, Covers opens with the book's title, author, trim and page count s…

Export and Publishing

How do I export? Click "Export" at the top of the studio. The "Export and publish" window offers four options. Every file is saved in th… What are the export options? Interior PDF for KDP paperback: the file you upload to KDP as the manuscript, at the exact trim size with the gutter KD… It says "Connect to the internet to export this book." While the studio is inside its money-back guarantee (the first 14 days after buying it, up to the 6th book), each new b… It says "The license server could not register this export right now." The app reached the internet but the license server did not answer properly. Wait a moment and click Export again. If i… The Export button is disabled. Either puzzles are still being made, or the "Ready to publish" card has a problem to fix: a puzzle not made yet, a font… Where are the exported files? In your books folder, inside "_Activity Studio", in the book's own folder, under "exports" (the printable edition is in… What do I choose on KDP? Paperback, the same trim size as in the studio, black and white interior, white paper, no bleed. Upload the Interior PD… What category should I choose on KDP? Choose KDP's sudoku category in the puzzles and games section (KDP lets you pick up to three categories). Covers opens … Can I publish a Kindle ebook of my sudoku book? The studio makes print books, printable PDFs and images. Sudoku puzzles do not work well on e-readers (they are meant t… Does KDP ask about AI? KDP asks whether a book contains AI-generated content. The puzzles are made by BookyAI's own generator, not by AI. The … Can I sell the books I make? Yes. The puzzles the studio makes are yours to publish and sell, and the fonts and pictures in the studio are licensed … Is a puzzle in my book unique to me? Every puzzle is made fresh from a random start, and the studio never repeats a puzzle across your own books. The number…

Troubleshooting

I see "Puzzle N is not generated". That puzzle has not been made yet, or its start gave no puzzle of its level. Wait if puzzles are still being made; othe… I see "The book has no puzzles yet". The puzzles are still being made, or none could be made. Wait a moment, or click "New puzzles". I see "The digits are X pt: KDP needs 7 pt or more. Put fewer puzzles on a page." With this many puzzles per page on this trim, the digits are too small to print. Lower "Per page" in "The puzzles" card… I see "The digits are X pt: large print needs 16 pt or more (18 pt recommended)." The book is set to large print, but the grids are too small for it. Put fewer puzzles on a page (one per page is best f… I see "The cage totals are X pt: KDP needs 7 pt or more." The killer grids are too small for their totals. Put one killer on a page, or choose a bigger trim. The export failed with "The PDF has X pages instead of Y" or "The PDF page size does not match the trim". This should never happen. Please contact support with the book's title, type and trim size. The top bar says "Not saved". The book is saved automatically a moment after every change ("Saving..." then "Saved"). "Not saved" means the save fail… The studio is busy when I change a setting. Settings that change the puzzles themselves (the puzzle type, the levels, the givens pattern and the puzzle count) make… Changing the trim changed the page count. The grids are sized for each trim, and the inside margin KDP needs depends on the page count. The puzzles themselves do… I deleted a book by mistake. Deleting a book removes its puzzles and exported PDFs from your computer, and the app asks for confirmation first. It c… Can I back up my sudoku books? Yes. Copy the "_Activity Studio" folder inside your books folder. Each book is one folder with its settings file and it… The preview shows the wrong font for the titles. A downloaded title font is loaded the first time it is used. If the preview still shows another font, choose the title …

What Is Not Available Yet

Can I make kropki, sandwich, windoku or even-odd sudoku? Not yet. The studio makes classic (4 x 4, 6 x 6, 9 x 9, 16 x 16), Sudoku X, jigsaw, killer, samurai, thermo and arrow p… Can I mix puzzle types in one book? Not yet. A book holds one type (a kids book climbs from 4 x 4 to 6 x 6). Make one book per type. Can I make Expert or Evil killer sudoku? No. Killers go up to Hard, the level a printed book can explain. Can Wordoku or the listing text be in another language? Not yet. Both are English only. Can I reorder the puzzles by hand or type in my own puzzle? No. The studio sets the order by level and measured effort, and makes every puzzle itself so it can prove its single so… Is there a bundle of all Activity Studio studios? Not at the moment. Each studio is sold on its own and paid once.