Today’s NIT PIPS hints and solutions for Thursday, 11. September

The world is going a little crazy right now. I won’t write it, but he’s news. . . Grim. Very dark. Very depressed. At least we have our puzzles to distract. Take a crack in today’s PIPS.

Looking for Wednesday‘With pips? Read our guide here.

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How to play pips

In PIPS you have a multicolor box network. Any colored area represents a different “state” you need to achieve. You have a number of Domin’s products that you need to spend charging in the network. You must use each domino and to achieve any condition correctly to win. There are easy, medium and heavy layers.

Here is an example of difficulty tier pipes:

An example of PIPS

Screenshot: Erik Cain

As you can see, the network has a bunch of symbols and numbers with each color. On the other hand, three purple squares must not be one of the same equal (hence the equal sign stopped). Two pink squares next to that must be equal to a total of 0. Zig-zeagging blue square must be equal to each other. Click on Domains to rotate them and they will need to rotate to fit where they belong.

Not shown on this network are other conditions, such as “less than” or “higher”. If there are multiple tiles with> or

• = All pips must equal equal to each other in this group.
• = All pips must not equal to each other in this group.
• > PIP in this tile (or tiles) must be higher than the specified number.
• The correct number (like 6) PIP must be equal to the correct number.
• Tiles without conditions cannot be anything.

To win, you must use all your domins by filling out all squares, be sure to fit each state. Play today’s puzzles here.

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Today’s Solution for Pips

Below are solutions for simple and medium plates. After that, I’ll walk you through a difficult puzzle. Spoiler forward.

Light

Today’s Pips

Screenshot: Erik Cain

Middle

Today’s Pips

Screenshot: Erik Cain

Tough

Let’s make complete hallways of today’s heavy pips. It starts like this:

Today’s Pips

Screenshot: Erik Cain

There are several important details that should be considered today’s PIPS. The first is a big blue = group. It takes six of the same correct number of PIPS. The second is an orange group for 24 years. This can only be completed by 6. We also have two tiles that require 5. I decided only counting dominoes that was blue. So I started there, putting 4/3 domino from pink 4 in blue =. Then I put 5/3 domino from the blue 5 tiles down in the Green 5 group and 2/3 domino from green 5 in blue =. I put this page with 3/3 domino in blue =, as so:

Today’s Pips

Screenshot: Erik Cain

It was now time to fill in a group of orange 24, so I turned out 3/6 in blue = and orange 24, and then wrapped blue = with 3/0 domino in purple 0.

Today’s Pips

Screenshot: Erik Cain

I have put all 6 Domin’s dominoes next. 6/0 of orange 24 in purple 0, 6/1 in a free plate and 6/2 in dark blue =, of 2 is the only thing that could end that section.

Today’s Pips

Screenshot: Erik Cain

Then I set up a 0./1 domino in orange 6. 5/2 Domino fits in orange 6 before orange in dark blue = and 2/2 Domino turned off that group, leaving me only two domins.

Today’s Pips

Screenshot: Erik Cain

This was an easy part. 4/4 Domino transferred to purple = and 5/1 went away from dark blue 5 into the final free tile. Voila! That’s all, people!

Today’s Pips

Screenshot: Erik Cain

This was easier pips from some this week, mostly because it was much easier to tell where to start. Whenever there is a large group of equal numbers, or 24 total groups, narrow your options in a very useful way. It was interesting to see Doma separated from the main body of the puzzle. I think I didn’t see it before. How did you do?

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