I_am_Drew's blog

One sentence, that I will be downvoted, but saying true
By I_am_Drew, history, 3 years ago, translation, In English

C1-C2 (div2) The shittiest problem of the November 2020 on CF

  • Vote: I like it
  • +356
  • Vote: I do not like it

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +6 Vote: I do not like it

agree

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +6 Vote: I do not like it

    Such problems may lead a good coder to think (for a few hours) whether he/she really is a good coder.

    Long implementation problems hurts a lot to brains.

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +22 Vote: I do not like it

Felt like solving Codechef long challenge problems.

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3 years ago, # |
← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

Agree. I think, almost everyone was solving it the whole contest and didn't have time to even think about solution of D and E

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it -151 Vote: I do not like it

please downvote him

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +85 Vote: I do not like it

C1-C2 (div2) The shittiest problem of the November 2020 on CF

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +26 Vote: I do not like it

Sometimes I feel amazed to see that so many Div1 participants solved C1/C2 in just 10 minutes

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +44 Vote: I do not like it

This problem is strong contender for most bullshit problem of the year. I have a strong feeling antontrygubO_o would have never allowed that.

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +17 Vote: I do not like it

+1 to you, but I can't fully agree with it. Still think that problem Div1B is shitty enough to compete with Div1A.

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    I could not vote for 1B because i wasted complete 2 hrs fixing the bug in 1A and in the end found it was one ! which shouldn't be there. I decided that i will upsolve 1B but that i have changed mood after seeing your comment.

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it -19 Vote: I do not like it

Was it the shittiest because you couldn't solve it?!

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +13 Vote: I do not like it

    Of course not. I solved C1, C2 — not. So, not solving a problem — it's not the parametr of the shittiest problem...

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      3 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it -45 Vote: I do not like it

      So what's the reason? (Cause I found them interesting)

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        3 years ago, # ^ |
          Vote: I like it +14 Vote: I do not like it

        How the hell can you find a 200+ lines implementation problem with nothing to learn from it, with 20+ if-else/s and dozens of corner cases interesting. Just because you are from the same country as the authors ? Even you couldn't solve C2. Just wasting 2 hours straight on a case-handling problem in no way interests anyone

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          3 years ago, # ^ |
            Vote: I like it -31 Vote: I do not like it

          Hmmm... so how do you explain this? It's less than 35 lines.

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            3 years ago, # ^ |
              Vote: I like it +4 Vote: I do not like it

            Because it's a C1 solution?

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              3 years ago, # ^ |
                Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

              Check this out. It's not even 100 lines :|

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                3 years ago, # ^ |
                  Vote: I like it +5 Vote: I do not like it

                The point isn't if it CAN be implemented in fewer lines, it's if the approach people are generally going to go with is even feasible for the difficulty or not. The target for this question was to add a distinction in skill between say a pupil and a specialist /expert(or something similar), if an overwhelming majority of these people are only able to solve it using 200+ lines of code then the fact that it can be implemented in much less is irrelevant.

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                  3 years ago, # ^ |
                    Vote: I like it +7 Vote: I do not like it

                  No, the point is that your overly whining because you haven't had enough practice in another what I believe is a significant part of cp, being able to implement efficiently and nicely.

                  Here's my code that was how I did it naturally my first time. Not saying it's great, or that the problem was that exciting, but it's not close to 200+ lines, and I knew it was bound for people to be overly rated without being well rounded in all skills cp.

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                  3 years ago, # ^ |
                    Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

                  Did you even read my comment? I never said anything about it being a good or bad problem (even tho i hated it), it was about how bringing up randomn submissions with fewer lines doesn't change the fact that for most people in the skill group, that was implementation hell, your code has a lot of copy paste in it too, and while I'm sure implement is an important skill, you fail to understand that for the people that the question was for(pupil to expert or similar), it was JUST TOO HARD to implement because of the things mentioned above. I'm sure I and a lot other people are shit at a lot of skills essential for cp but out of all those things that we fail to do in contests this is the one on which (relative)outrage is happening, why? I don't think it's as simple as GIT GUD.

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                  3 years ago, # ^ |
                    Vote: I like it +8 Vote: I do not like it

                  Did you even read my comment?

                  Did you even read my comment? I said it was because people in your skill group aren't being exposed to enough implementation recently, which is supposed to be an easier skill in cp, not too hard, and that is why there is much more outrage. Also this is all I pretty much ever copy paste:

                  Code

                  Besides the template which is shorter than yours, the cp people I talk to will all say I don't copy paste, I just practice implementing short...

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                  3 years ago, # ^ |
                    Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

                  amarnathsama What do you even mean? Isn't implementation a necessary skill in CP ?

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                  3 years ago, # ^ |
                    Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

                  Yes, it is, among others.

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +7 Vote: I do not like it

    I don't think that is the reason because i also didn't solve D,E,F.

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3 years ago, # |
← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +10 Vote: I do not like it

my solution of C1 was nearly 800 lines -_- -_-

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +89 Vote: I do not like it

    Not sure if you realize that, but that tells worse about you rather than about problem :P

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

I didnt even read D :( , thank you d2-c2

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +5 Vote: I do not like it

Then there exist people like me who realized C1 was worth less points than B after solving it

I guess problem setters prioritize brute force less.

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

and i am still debugging my solution to C2. WA on testcase 2, test 48 (:

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    Let me know as well, if you get that testcase 48. I dont know how to check that.

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      3 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

      1 2 3 111 110

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      3 years ago, # ^ |
      ← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it

      I guess your solution fails test with just 3*3 square where all symbols are equal to 1

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        3 years ago, # ^ |
          Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

        I have the same wa on pretest two and the case is I think a 3*2 or 2*3 grid because my code prints the answer as 7 where the limit is [0,6] for the total moves

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        3 years ago, # ^ |
        ← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

        No, its this test case. This returns 7 moves for my code. I solve the left 2x2 grid and then right 2x2 grid

        1
2 3
111
110
11 -> 01 -> 10 -> 11 -> 00
11    00    01    10    00
first 2x2 in 4 moves
then we have
001
000
So then I solve 01 in 3 moves, total of 7 moves.
                00
Am I missing something or is my implementation wrong? All other 2x3 test cases return moves <= 2*3
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          3 years ago, # ^ |
          ← Rev. 3   Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

          If you Will fix 2*2 aquare, where number of 1 is less (or equal) then in another, firstly, and another 2*2 square after this, it Will be not more than 6 moves always.

          It is a trick that helps avoid this case, in generally yours implementation correct

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
    ← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

    mine 48 too..and i know my solution are exceeding n*m in most of odd n * odd m containing all '1' cases

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +301 Vote: I do not like it

Not agree. I have another sentence that will be downvoted, but is true: "think two times, so you won't have to code three times".

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +3 Vote: I do not like it

    preach

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +81 Vote: I do not like it

    imagine being lgm and thinking you're gonna get downvoted

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      3 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it +16 Vote: I do not like it

      Its a relative terminology they often use. Had he commented "Hi" he would get 500 upvotes at least.

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
    ← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it +87 Vote: I do not like it

    Maybe I would agree with you if you had some clever solution that wasn't painful to code.

    But no, I opened it and it is 174 lines (after I deleted the template!), full of copy-paste and +1 -1 in lines like zrob({i, j}, {i+1, j}, {i+1, j+1});. Anyone trying to code like this that isn't 90% as good at implementation as you would have made at least 20 mistakes.

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

A neater implementation to problem Ca

CODE
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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +17 Vote: I do not like it

What's wrong with that one? Seems that it is yet another ad-hoc regular CF problems that we have in all rounds. I wonder then, why authors though that A2 is 500 only. If that were 500-1000, I would say pretty good one, or just kill A1 and do A2 as B 1250 (implementation with lots of potential bugs) and create a good 500 A.

On the other hand, B was complete shit though.

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +5 Vote: I do not like it

Link for posteriority https://codeforces.com/contest/1440/problem/C1

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +1 Vote: I do not like it

looks like many people felt that way but isn't quick implementation an essential skill to have? or am i missing something here?

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +4 Vote: I do not like it

But I see its upvoted.

So it is false?

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +4 Vote: I do not like it

Be confident guy, delete "the November 2020 on" and it'll be "C1-C2 (div2) The shittiest problem of CF". That makes sense, doesn't it?

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +33 Vote: I do not like it

A problem such as this is, as any other, a learning opportunity. In this case, an opportunity to learn how to think of the least painful implementation, before starting to code. And, importantly, when to stop thinking and go back to coding.

There are different genres of contest problems. For example, if we group by the general question, there are "how to do it at all?", "how to do it efficiently?", and then there is "sure it can be done, but how to code it, reliably, so that it will work in the end?". Personally, I find the latter genre somewhat appealing as well as others, and generally applicable outside of algorithmic problem solving.

The butthurt it causes, like this original post, can be seen as an added perk by some authors. Still, a contestant willing and able to learn could turn the pain into a learning experience.

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
      Vote: I like it +10 Vote: I do not like it

    Yes, I think the main trouble is about these problems weren't used for ACM-style contest, where they would be very appropriate. Instead of this, the problems were used for CF round and the main portion of negative feedback should be mostly addressed to the CF coordinators, who must have a good understanding of how the tasks are suitable for the CF round. If I saw problems Div1A, Div1B, Div1C in ACM-style contest, I would not say anything wrong about them.

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it -34 Vote: I do not like it

Downvote me!!! ORZ!!!

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3 years ago, # |
← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it 0 Vote: I do not like it

If guys dont mind, I have some implementations with comments here

Problem C1 - Eliminate each 1x1 cells
Benchmark
Problem C2 - Eliminate odd row, odd column then eliminate 2x2 cells
Benchmark
Problem C2 - Eliminate rows then columns then last 2x2 cells
Benchmark
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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +16 Vote: I do not like it

I mean, I agree it is quite coding-heavy, but I would not agree that problem was super shitty or whatever. Idea behind the problem is not that bad. I would think that if it was on some ICPC contest nobody would bat an eye, but this positioning here was something that caused so much outrage since it is not pleasant for problem you start with (in Div1) and problem that should be fairly simple to Div2 people as well (cause they will drown in badly written code more than Div1 people).

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    3 years ago, # ^ |
    ← Rev. 2   Vote: I like it -43 Vote: I do not like it

    I agree!!

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      3 years ago, # ^ |
        Vote: I like it +44 Vote: I do not like it

      Please, don't write such comments on 4 month old threads, unless you actually have something new and valuable to add. If your comment is "this problem is shit" (in this case, provide arguments) or "I agree" (in this case, just upvote) then there is no need to write it at all. It's just polluting Recent Actions.

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3 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it -30 Vote: I do not like it

You're actually getting up-votes bro...(I think you're right.)

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