Power Grid
 

I'm stuck on the Power Grid puzzle. Even though I don't need to complete it to finish the game, can someone help me solve it ?

I didn't read the instructions on that one closely enough the first time around - you have to use all the available power outlets (so there'll be a line coming out of each circle). Does that help at all?

The instructions make no sense to me at all. I feel like an idiot. I wanna solve it, but the hints are way too vague, as well.

Get the computer first, then it is simple. As the hint says, it needs 5 connections

You have to use all the available power outlets, and a generator's power is halved between its outlets, so essentially the numbers are like this:

http://i.imgur.com/lR3rH.jpg

Then you just have to join them up so that the sum of the numbers attached to each appliance matches the number shown on that appliance.

If you need help getting the computer hooked up to start with, check this screenshot. 5 + 15 + 15 + 5 + 5 = 45

And here's what the solution looks like.

There are multiple solutions, I've beated the game twice and, although I'm not sure if I got the same solution both times, I'm sure I didn't have puzzlebox's solution

Yes, there are multiple solutions. I had both 10's and half of the 50 hooked up to the device requiring 45.

I had one 30 and a half of the other hooked to that device

Clearly I should have said "Here's what a solution looks like"! ;)

I wonder how many there are?

If you count every solution with a different set of lines separately, then there are 856 solutions.

This includes many trivial variations though; for example, you can always swap each pair of connections coming from a single generator (and if they are connected to different machines, this gives a different solution), and similarly the four connections to the two 10 Watt generators can be freely permuted, et cetera.

If you only consider solutions different if some machines draw different amounts of power from different sources, then there are only 8 solutions:

1. 15=15; 15+25=40; 5+25=30; 5+5+5+15+15=45.
2. 15=15; 15+25=40; 5+5+5+15=30; 5+15+25=45.
3. 5+5+5=15; 15+25=40; 5+25=30; 15+15+15=45.
4. 15=15; 15+25=40; 15+15=30; 5+5+5+5+25=45.
5. 15=15; 5+5+15+15=40; 5+25=30; 5+15+25=45.
6. 5+5+5=15; 15+25=40; 15+15=30; 5+15+25=45.
7. 15=15; 5+5+5+25=40; 15+15=30; 5+15+25=45.
8. 15=15; 5+5+5+25=40; 5+25=30; 15+15+15=45.

Anyone else find this a badly designed puzzle? I made multiple submissions, apparently all of them valid, except they were missing the all important, and extremely redudant, all plugs MUST be connected.

Personally, I found it extremely frustrating, and it has dimmed my enjoyment of the game. Yes it does say that all connections must be used, it also says generators will split power evenly "if" used twice. Now I understand they mean used with two devices, not used twice, but at the time that was not clear.

I was never a quitter. But I must admit, this one really gets me really frustrated too. I read the instructions over an over but to no avail. I tried your suggestions too but I cant seem to get it. I think I have to rest for an hour before proceeding with a vengeance. lolz.

Yup. Same here. Many errors with proper solutions, except that I hooked up one line instead of both, since it wasn't clear to me that that was needed... :/