I didn't partecipated last year unfortunately. Yes, I actually made it easier because, everytime I make a game, a lot of people say it's to hard. Even like this a lot of people can't reach the end.
About the number of hints, actually, I put more then one for some puzzles. Of course, one is more evident then the others. But yeah it can be a good way to make it less easy to misunderstood.