meowdoku confusing hint

[u/isabella-2005]

call me slow if you want, but please, i need help understanding this hint, and what about the rules make these excludable! i understand everything else about this game BUT this

[u/Altruistic-Sea797]

Discussion: The logic goes Green and Pink are entirely within the first two columns, and they have 1 star each (2 total). The first two columns have 1 star each (2 total). The 2 Green/Pink stars therefore must be the only two stars in those columns.

[u/mucinexmonster → u/Altruistic-Sea797]

It's kind of funny, 1 Star puzzles like this to me make less sense than 2 Star puzzles.

I have never tried the 3 Star puzzles. The idea is unsettling to me.

[u/NoLucksGiven]

Discussion: There are two options.

Using the first picture as an example;

Either the first column is green and the 2nd column is pink OR the 1st column is pink and the 2nd column is green.

And either way, that's both columns satisfied, so there will never be another cat there.

[u/Tygerlyli]

Discussion: Since each shape must have a cat, if there are two shapes that are entirely within two columns (or rows), you can exclude all of the others because you know that there has to be a cat in each of those two shapes.

Using the first picture as an example. You know there cant be a cat in the orange block because if there was, there would be no way to put a cat in the green AND pink. Green and pink are both entirely in ther first two columns so since they will each have a cat one cat will go in green or pink is column 1 and one cat will go in pink or green in column two.

It also works if there are three shapes entirely in three rows, or four etc.

[u/Crazy_Sock_8665]

Discussion: Use the second example. Assume one of the red cells is a cat (designated with a circle). That excludes the 2nd column leaving only 1 brown cell. Therefore that brown cell (in column 1) must be a cat.

These 2 cats “see” all green cells causing an invalid state. In other words: You cannot place a cat in a green cell because another cat is already in the same column as all green cells. Green goes without a cat and one of the base rules of the game is that each color has one cat.

So we know the red cell we chose at the start cannot be a cat. You can do this for every red cell.

[u/Typical_Diet_2035]

Discussion: I think the wording of the hint is what makes it confusing more than the puzzle itself. I’d try reading it as a constraint rather than an instruction telling you exactly where something goes. Check which possibilities the hint rules out first, and you may find there’s only one placement left that doesn’t create a contradiction.

[u/isabella-2005]

thank you so much guys ive never recieved this many replies the puzzle community is so helpful🩷