Ok, I don't think I was clear with my last answer, so I hope to make a post to make this clear:

#Code bowling (conceptually) doesn't work.

Are you familiar with Sudoku? You know, that awesome puzzle where you try to fill in as many squares as possible?

Let's say I made a challenge where your code had to be arranged like a Sudoku puzzle:

1. It has to fit in a 9x9 grid
2. You could only use 9 different characters
3. Each row and column can't have the same character twice.
4. An empty spot (a space) counts as 0 characters.
5. Scored by total number of characters, maximum wins.

This could actually be an interesting challenge. I'd also put a code-bowling tag on it.

The problem is that this really isn't a code-bowling challenge. It's a source-layout challenge that happens to be scored by maximum number of characters. We simply have the code-bowling tag to make "scored by maximum number of characters" easy to communicate.

###code-golf is about transmitting as much information in as little space as possible

This is a problem that people everywhere are solving. It's why we gzip our html, or why downloads come in a tar file. This is why general-purpose golfing languages are interesting. They are trying to ensure that it can do as many tasks as possible with as little code as possible.

###Transmitting as much information in as much space as possible doesn't make sense

Of course you can do it. This is why code-bowling challenges are littered with loophole-patches. These "patches" become the real challenge in a similar way that my sudoku-board was the real challenge.

Therefore, don't try and take a code-bowling challenge and modify it to make it interesting. Simply come up with interesting concepts, and if it happens to be naturally scored by maximum characters, put that tag on it.

Ok, I don't think I was clear with my last answer, so I hope to make a post to make this clear:

Code bowling (conceptually) doesn't work.

Are you familiar with Sudoku? You know, that awesome puzzle where you try to fill in as many squares as possible?

Let's say I made a challenge where your code had to be arranged like a Sudoku puzzle:

1. It has to fit in a 9x9 grid
2. You could only use 9 different characters
3. Each row and column can't have the same character twice.
4. An empty spot (a space) counts as 0 characters.
5. Scored by total number of characters, maximum wins.

This could actually be an interesting challenge. I'd also put a code-bowling tag on it.

The problem is that this really isn't a code-bowling challenge. It's a source-layout challenge that happens to be scored by maximum number of characters. We simply have the code-bowling tag to make "scored by maximum number of characters" easy to communicate.

code-golf is about transmitting as much information in as little space as possible

This is a problem that people everywhere are solving. It's why we gzip our html, or why downloads come in a tar file. This is why general-purpose golfing languages are interesting. They are trying to ensure that it can do as many tasks as possible with as little code as possible.

Transmitting as much information in as much space as possible doesn't make sense

Of course you can do it. This is why code-bowling challenges are littered with loophole-patches. These "patches" become the real challenge in a similar way that my sudoku-board was the real challenge.

Therefore, don't try and take a code-bowling challenge and modify it to make it interesting. Simply come up with interesting concepts, and if it happens to be naturally scored by maximum characters, put that tag on it.