116 seconds for a logic 4x5 logic puzzle?? HOW???

[ebrum2010]

Don't worry, I'm in the same boat as you. I may sometimes finish the puzzles in less than 1000 seconds, but those are rare (I only do challenging puzzles).
I don't worry about the times, I derive no enjoyment from how fast I finish the puzzles, but the fact that I can do them without error. Maybe there's some wicked trick that allows the really fast times, or maybe it's some mechanical thing that the puzzle form doesn't catch (does hitting the back button when on the puzzle start the puzzle anew and reset the clock?). Who knows.

I'm not sure the puzzles show different record times for different difficulties, I think difficulty only affects points. I'm pretty sure the low times are mostly done on easy difficulty. I could be wrong but the different difficulties of the same size puzzles seem to have the same record times.

[evessal]

Call me dumb... For the life of me, I can't figure out how anyone can do the 4x5 complex puzzles in the times they show. The average is usually 5 to 7 minutes. It always takes me at least 10, and usually 15 minutes. I know about when 2 boxes are open for 2 items in the same grouping, you can cancel out a bunch and that when they give a and b are c and d, you can cancel c and d for anything that can't be a and b, and I get all the order checking for when items are above or below others.

So what am I missing?? I can usually solve the puzzles. It just takes some time.

Don't worry, I'm in the same boat as you. I may sometimes finish the puzzles in less than 1000 seconds, but those are rare (I only do challenging puzzles).
I don't worry about the times, I derive no enjoyment from how fast I finish the puzzles, but the fact that I can do them without error. Maybe there's some wicked trick that allows the really fast times, or maybe it's some mechanical thing that the puzzle form doesn't catch (does hitting the back button when on the puzzle start the puzzle anew and reset the clock?). Who knows.

[ebrum2010]

Only solve the top row of the puzzle. It's basically a waste of time to fill out the rest. If a certain clue can't be depicted in the first row, skip it and come back. If a clue says x is either the one with this name or from that place you know this name and that place are not the same thing so you can usually use that in the first row to show what is not what even if you aren't going vertical. The problem with the larger puzzles is you will have information you can't do anything with until later on unless you're filling out the whole thing, and over time you get faster at knowing what to pass on for now.

[chemwestla]

Call me dumb... For the life of me, I can't figure out how anyone can do the 4x5 complex puzzles in the times they show. The average is usually 5 to 7 minutes. It always takes me at least 10, and usually 15 minutes. I know about when 2 boxes are open for 2 items in the same grouping, you can cancel out a bunch and that when they give a and b are c and d, you can cancel c and d for anything that can't be a and b, and I get all the order checking for when items are above or below others.

So what am I missing?? I can usually solve the puzzles. It just takes some time.