Network (BrainBashers)
Rotate the cable tiles until every computer joins one network with no loops.
Every day: Six new Network puzzles every day, 6x6, 9x9 and 12x12 in No Wrap and Wrap versions, dated and the same for every visitor, plus a 16x16 weekly special. New puzzle: Midnight GMT (the site lets you set your own time zone).
Network on BrainBashers is a rotation puzzle. Each square holds a piece of cable, some ending in a computer, all turned the wrong way. You rotate squares until they form a single network that links every computer, uses every square and contains no loops.
About Network (BrainBashers)
Network is BrainBashers' version of the puzzle often called Net. The grid is filled with tiles, each showing a cable piece: a dead end with a computer on it, a straight, a corner or a T-junction. The tiles start out scrambled. You turn them, one quarter at a time, until all the cables join into a single tree: every computer is connected to every other, every square is part of the network, and nowhere does the cable form a closed loop.
Kevin Stone's site posts 6x6, 9x9 and 12x12 puzzles daily, each in two versions. In No Wrap the edges of the grid are walls. In Wrap, a cable leaving one side comes back on the opposite side, which makes the puzzle harder because there is no border to start from. A 16x16 is the weekly special. The play page has an option to lock squares with a click once you are sure of them, an option to reverse the click direction, check, answer and restart buttons, an option to show mistakes and an optional clock. A help page has a walkthrough.
The puzzles change at midnight GMT or at the time zone you set, and the date list keeps a few weeks of earlier days. No adverts, no account.
It suits players who like pipe and rotation puzzles but want one with a logical solution rather than trial and error.
How to play Network (BrainBashers)
- Open the Daily Network page and choose a size, with or without wrap.
- Click a square to rotate its cable piece a quarter turn.
- Turn the pieces until every computer is linked into one network.
- Make sure every square is used and the cables never form a closed loop.
- Lock squares you are sure of, then check or show the answer; new puzzles appear after midnight GMT.
Tips
- In No Wrap, start at the edges: a piece on the border cannot point outwards.
- Two computers next to each other must not join directly, or they would form a separate network of two.
- A straight piece between two walls has only one way to sit.
- Avoid any small closed loop; it can never be part of the solution.
Questions
What is the difference between Wrap and No Wrap?
In No Wrap the grid's edges are walls. In Wrap, a cable that leaves one edge continues from the opposite edge.
Can the network contain loops?
No. The finished network links every computer without any closed loops, and every square is used.
What sizes are there?
6x6, 9x9 and 12x12 every day in both versions, plus a 16x16 weekly special.
Is it free?
Yes, with no adverts and no account.
Games like Network (BrainBashers)
Daily Pipes
A daily rotate-the-pipes puzzle from the puzzle-*.com family
Spinning Pipes (Puzzlebun)
A daily puzzle where you rotate pipe tiles until the network joins
Daily Loop
A daily rotation puzzle where the tiles must form one closed loop
Bridges (BrainBashers)
The same site's puzzle about joining everything into one network
Slitherlink (BrainBashers)
Another BrainBashers line puzzle with a whole-board connection rule
Net Slide (BrainBashers)
Slide whole rows and columns until the cables join every computer into one network.
3-In-A-Row (BrainBashers)
Colour every square blue or white, with no three alike in a line and every line balanced.
Battleships (BrainBashers)
Find the hidden fleet from the counts beside each row and column.