I have a similar set of questions about a different puzzle game.
I've reached a point where I don't feel I'm improving and I'm not discovering any more tricks.
Going online to find other people's solutions just feels wrong. Like buying a "how to complete $X" from the olden days. I don't learn when someone else provides the way to a solution; I like progressive learning, and I dislike the frustration when I stop progressing.
I keep wondering about the meta-problem of how to change my mental gears...
There's an itch to create my own version of the game which would force me to learn the underlying mathematics. Most games are designed to level your skills or knowledge up slowly (sometimes a social component involved). Building yourself forces one to understand the constraints better.
OR do I just train up my meta-skills e.g. playing similar but different games?
I do feel stupid!
Obviously I've also reached my limit on the metagame here, given that I'm asking...
When you reach an impass with a solo intellectual challenge, what's the next step?
Well, I don't usually ask for help and I don't want solutions handed to me, but getting another player's thought process doesn't seem like cheating. I suppose it depends on whether there's one trick to always solving the puzzle, in which case learning the solution without solving it yourself ruins the fun, or whether it's a game that you can always keep improving at and never completely be perfect at (like Mini Metro, which everyone loses eventually, or Poker, or chess, etc) where sometimes learning from others' strategies helps you level up and become familiar with concepts that unlock further skills and open up new questions as well.
I've reached a point where I don't feel I'm improving and I'm not discovering any more tricks.
Going online to find other people's solutions just feels wrong. Like buying a "how to complete $X" from the olden days. I don't learn when someone else provides the way to a solution; I like progressive learning, and I dislike the frustration when I stop progressing.
I keep wondering about the meta-problem of how to change my mental gears...
There's an itch to create my own version of the game which would force me to learn the underlying mathematics. Most games are designed to level your skills or knowledge up slowly (sometimes a social component involved). Building yourself forces one to understand the constraints better.
OR do I just train up my meta-skills e.g. playing similar but different games?
I do feel stupid!
Obviously I've also reached my limit on the metagame here, given that I'm asking...
When you reach an impass with a solo intellectual challenge, what's the next step?