New puzzles aren't new

[BCBAD2023]

Is it just me or are these puzzles repeating over and over. They advertise 15000 puzzles and state a "brand new puzzle is being created" but then I get a puzzle I've already done and seen multiple times. It's getting so bad now that I have to keep selecting play to see the next puzzle 10 to 20 times before I actually get a new puzzle,

[LLapp]

There are a limited number of stories, and each story has an unchanging set of grid categories. What is generated anew with each click on "Play" are the specific details of the clues and the specific variables within each grid category. So even when you see a puzzle you've done before, it's actually just the story and the categories that are the same; your final grid of solutions will be different.

[ella]

There are a limited number of stories, and each story has an unchanging set of grid categories. What is generated anew with each click on "Play" are the specific details of the clues and the specific variables within each grid category. So even when you see a puzzle you've done before, it's actually just the story and the categories that are the same; your final grid of solutions will be different.

Is that true for the ones where we note our times and seem to play them year after year? If so, how is it possible to beat a record time or get a better time, etc? They have to be "old" puzzles. Actually new puzzles show up pretty easily -- at least back when they used to show up -- because you'd get the "not enough data" thing and the bell curve would be empty for a while. It was possible to go out to dinner and still make a record time on them. But it's been years since I've seen one of those.

[LLapp]

Ella - When I say there are changes to the details of the clues and to the variables within each category, I mean that names, places, numbers, and the like are changed, so that you come out with a different set of names, places, etc, in the final grid. But those specifics are just placeholders. The logic of the clues and the logical construct of the grid stays the same -- and that's what the competition is about, so the records are valid. (Or at least that's my impression. Maybe the admin will weigh in if he sees this thread.)

[losmond]

It would be nice to have some "new" puzzles though as the comment often suggest they date back to about 2016.

[ella]

Ah! Makes sense. Thanks, Lapp, for that explanation.

Still it would be fun to see some new puzzles.

[appleberri]

Is it just me or are these puzzles repeating over and over. They advertise 15000 puzzles and state a "brand new puzzle is being created" but then I get a puzzle I've already done and seen multiple times. It's getting so bad now that I have to keep selecting play to see the next puzzle 10 to 20 times before I actually get a new puzzle,

i think the stories are the same but they tweak names and other small details. i've gotten dog breeds a couple of times already