Announcing A BREAKTHROUGH In Fog Sudoku!

[@James_Sinclair]

Wow, thank you very much for the feature 😁. And thanks, of course, to Sven for doing the programming on the new mechanic, and to TopAutism for coming up with the puzzle name. Also, in case there's any doubt, I definitely wasn't the first to have this idea. Honestly, I don't know who was, I feel like I've seen it suggested from time to time for almost as long as fog puzzles have been around. But, a few weeks ago I made a couple puzzles that asked solvers to "clear fog" manually (presumably by unshading cells), with text in the grid to indicate which cells would become visible when certain cells were filled, and to not use any information in cells that were not yet cleared. Those puzzles were never meant to be published, but served as proofs-of-concept, which Sven ran with and turned into a reality 😀 It's been very cool to see the positive response this puzzle has gotten in such a short time, and I'm very excited to see what other setters can come up with once the mechanic is available for the whole community to use (which should be very soon!) While I'm here, I wanted to mention that I'm involved in the planning of the first SudokuCon, which will be in Boston in April, and we're planning a 24-hour live stream this weekend (Nov. 23-24) to kick off ticket sales, preview some of the presenters and activities that will be at the con, and just generally have a lot of fun. I won't say much more because I don't think KZbin's moderation bots like it when I mention other platforms, but you shouldn't have too much trouble finding it.

[@donaldsnyder1543]

Wild concept.

[@longwaytotipperary]

Fantastic!

[@susanne5803]

I really like that the fog removal feels like a reward for an important step in the solution. Not just any step.😊

[@soremekun]

@@James_Sinclair Please create a part two and three.

[@wypmangames]

I'd love a fog puzzle where instead of the 3x3 the fog clears a knights move away from correct digits

[@Wecoc1]

The grid is completely full of fog except for a very few givens. Simon starts filling it, but the fog doesn't leave. "I must be doing something wrong", he keeps saying. "This just can't be right". But it's still possible to keep filling the grid, one digit, then another... Always with the same desolate, barren result. Simon finally solves the entire grid, and with the last digit, all the fog vanishes at once. It was a Miracle Sudoku all along.

[@allenfortenberry9924]

You, my friend, are evil and I love it

[@riluna3695]

This HAS to happen! I know someone's clever enough to do it. Please see this and make this grand dream a reality.

[@cameronmyers2154]

This would be amazing. The cleared fog at the end could show dozens of kropki dots, xv pairs, killer cages and so on, all of which were completely useless for solving.

[@riluna3695]

@@cameronmyers2154 That would be a great way to hide the twist. All of those were listed as rules of the puzzle, but you never use them, they're just true after the fact. Though being able to sneak an entire Miracle Sudoku's ruleset in on top of that would be difficult to do while avoiding Ruleset Bloat. Possible, but difficult.

[@katiekawaii]

Hilarious

[@pjgrzem]

I absolutely loved the first time Simon placed a digit and didn't get any fog to reveal. I think it may have melted his brain for a moment. Pure Sudoku gold.

[@MarcusTheDorkus]

After I solved it I was especially looking forward to watching the video exactly because I knew that's how Simon would react :D

[@fussyboy2000]

I think there where a few times when fog lceared but Simon didn't spot it.

[@MarushiaDark316]

I remember watching Sven's stream where he was programming this. He had the devil's own job of making it work, so I hope everyone gives Sven lots of love and appreciation for all the work he does, not just on this particular feature, but for Sudoku pad in general.

[@alanclarke4646]

100% agree.

[@bertbergers9171]

Nice to get such details on the inside of things! Thank you, i was wondering if he (Sven) was doing sudoku pad as a somewhat of a hobby, shaking the code out of his sleeve (literal translation on a dutch proverb) and astounding less programmer estute people with the looks and capabilities of his lines. Thank you Sven for persevering against the devil and producing the environment for these puzzles to go viral!

[@stubbsz]

Gotta love the sinking feeling when you go, "aha it has to be nine" and no fog clears. Powered through that, but later in the puzzle you really have to be strong, when the fog refuses to lift after multiple entries.

[@katiekawaii]

I couldn't take it, at a certain point I just had to click "check" 😅

[@MasterHigure]

@@katiekawaii I do that too much too. Maybe there should be an option in the software to make it so that the check button doesn't compare your entered digits to the solution until it's filled out. Just to help those of us who have weak wills.

[@bertbergers9171]

I realised after a few moments like that, that it helped to be disciplined on entering all possible sudoku at each and every stage before lurching forwards into newly discovered hints and territory. After that i wasn't to discombobulated any longer when confronted by fog sticking through a chain of correct digits.

[@gdc42]

I solved this one earlier today and immediately started setting with it myself. Incredible that this is now possible. Very well deserved feature for James Sinclair - they kept the puzzle beginner friendly and still showcased the flexibility and depth of this mechanic. Excited to see how this will be used in the upcoming weeks.

[@agentkirb]

I have to say, I am excited for the potential of this feature to lead to some "trolly" sudokus. We've already seen fog of war used to "change" the rules of a solve mid way through. I imagine this feature will make stuff like that much easier to pull off.

[@longwaytotipperary]

Guitar intro and a generally approachable foggy puzzle with new rules!! Lots to love!!

[@jonathanmahoney1672]

Yeah love the occasional guitar intro 😊

[@MarkBennet10001]

I solved this today and was going to recommend it - not the hardest, but groundbreaking and quite remarkable.

[@MarkBennet10001]

And TYVM was on the list as well ...

[@TinchoFigue]

I love this!!!! It reminds me of a comment in one of the first fog sudokus, something like "i love fog because my head is not overwhelmed with the entire board".. So now a setter has even more tools to put focus in certain clues and areas, defining an "order" of solving

[@bertbergers9171]

This does indeed make the puzzle even more linear then fog puzzles allready where.

[@artursruseckis4242]

Simon again doing Simon things :) With 3 already revealed in rows 7 and 9, and with single empty cell in box8-row8 Simon did a brilliant logic to determine that this cell indeed must be 3 :D

[@jameshastie3864]

Plus the bit at 20:30 where he stares, unsure of his next move, failing to notice a 9 next to a white dot. :D

[@bertbergers9171]

I must say i was so engulfed in finding logic for my next step that i fell into the Simon trap of overlooking sudoku, a few times this puzzle myself.

[@EmoEwok666]

This has gotta be my favourite all time sudoku puzzle. Absolutly amazing. Quite approachable and so enjoyable. Every correct digit using logic that dosent melt the mind and nearly every move revealed such elegant details. Top tier

[@louisesuth8141]

what an absolute joy! the way it unfolded was so pretty. While I appreciate the effort in the 1 hour plus puzzles, this just hits the sweet spot

[@ScottCabernet]

9:53 for me, I loved it. Somewhat addresses the problem of people "guessing" into fog cells even when the rules tell them not to

[@RichSmith77]

Once I got used to it, I quite liked that I wasn't getting instant feedback on every digit entered. Now if I make a mistake and enter an incorrect digit, I could still think I entered a correct digit, it just happened to not clear fog.

[@grahamania]

It's 3:30PM is the Eastern US, time to hit KZbin refresh over and over until the puzzle shows up! Kind comment.

[@grahamania]

00:14:01 for me. Loved the rule set and what it might mean for future puzzles! Kind comment.

[@eclectichoosier5474]

What a beauty. The hard part (for me) in setting is telegraphing where the next important step will be. This mechanic lets the setter just tell you, so you don't have to hunt for it, and can get on with finding all the pretty little nuggets of logic. This may be one of the best innovations in variant sudoku yet. Kudos to James Sinclair and Sven!

[@emilywilliams3237]

This was pretty amazing. I solved the puzzle myself before watching your video, Simon, but knew that it would be very entertaining to watch you not see cells cleared once digits had been placed. I was not disappointed. I like fog puzzles in general (including the new app!), and I like the idea that the constructor can lead the solver to the desired next steps. I especially like fog puzzles where the solve would be either much less interesting or practically impossible if there were no fog. This was a great example of fog appropriately and creatively used! Thanks for featuring this puzzle, very fun (and a guitar intro to boot!).

[@JohnRichardsII]

20 hours after Simon's publish of the 1K completion it was over 12,000 solves. What a joy it was to solve, and I'm glad so many others enjoyed it to.

[@frankiebiase6632]

I solved this puzzle with zero help from the video. I am so pleased with myself. That puzzle was so fun. I love normal fog of war but this was delightful!

[@KashTheStampede]

Same here!

[@janerobson2297]

Loved this. I tried it before viewing and managed it in 32mins . Sometimes I did a Simon and tried a really complicated way of solving a simple step. Other times what was obvious to me stumped Simon. But if I hadn’t been watching the channel for 3 years I don't think I'd have been able to even start. My favourite bit was the 3 cell 3 arrow!

[@KashTheStampede]

Same. I was sure I had made a ricket when I was unable to place the 2. I unwound about 20 moves and painstakingly checked my logic before realizing that a triple 1 was possible.

[@danielszanto2955]

This puzzle is beautifully orchestrated total madness.

[@SaltyKayakAdventures]

I did this puzzle a few days ago and I really must say this is the best FOW puzzle that I have ever done! I really hope to see more of these in the future!

[@Peter-fx9pz]

16:08 for me, the most fun ive ever had with a puzzle except the rat run puzzles, but I'm so worried of what doors this might have opened for other creators and what insanity they might produce from that. Insane good stuff James had a blast solving this one.

[@KashTheStampede]

Absolutely! I am so looking forward to what constructors are going to do with this!

[@scarletmanuka6170]

21 minutes for me, a very enjoyable puzzle. Kudos to James Sinclair and to Sven.

[@chocolateboy300]

I finished in 12:26 minutes. That has to be one of the most stressful puzzles I have done. Not seeing fog clear in a fog of war sudoku fills me with great dread. Luckily, I trusted the process and made it through. I am in deep fear of what other constructors may do with this. James, you have opened up Pandora's Box and now the easy going fog of war's are going to be my nightmare. I enjoyed it, though. As always, it feels good to beat Simon's time. Great Puzzle!

[@Paolo_De_Leva]

Yeeesssss‼ Another unique CTC milestone‼ *James Sinclair* is one of those constructors who make CTC great with their divine creativity. Thank you *Simon* for featuring gorgeous puzzles every single day, thank you *CTC community* for recommending them, and thank you *Sven Neumann* for providing the best solving tool in the world.

[@maateenx]

Just solved this and right now it's sitting at 12,254 solves. Mind blowing! Thank you James and Sven!

[@benjaminrealy5661]

24:14. I love love love this concept. And less prone to making the errors usually associated with fog. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[@craftsmanwoodturner]

I absolutely loved this one! It is so disconcerting when you put in an answer that you are sure is right, and nothing happens to the fog. Then you put another digit in, and a new clue appears on the other side of the grid. Wonderful stuff!

[@GoldenredDragon]

It was such a nice solve! The fog popping off in seemingly random locations was gorgeous to solve as it happened. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!

[@KSilverlode]

Great puzzle! It takes away that little reassurance of knowing for sure when a correct digit has been entered, but adds in the fun of seeing something unexpected somewhere else! I look forward to seeing what devious ways setters use this in future!

[@BharmaArc]

This was pretty much normal sudoku in the way that you have no idea where your puzzle is wrong or not until you reach a contradiction, but this was intensely nerve wrecking! Loved it and I hope to see more puzzles like this from setters in the future :), but also, some of those runs of digits without clearing fog were so mean, lol!

[@nibbz588]

I don't usually comment, but i feel today is a special exception as today is the first time I've ever been brave enough to try (and eventually solve) a variant Sudoku. I've always enjoyed watching your solves, but never thought I'd be able to solve one of these on my own. I must admit that there were points i got stuck and considered giving up, only to realize i need to use the most basic Sudoku rules 🤣 i cannot say enough words of thanks to both yourself and mark for inspiring me to try, and of course to a huge thank you to James Sinclair for setting this puzzle.

[@afrayedknot81]

Omg i've been asking for dynamic fog clearing for FOREVER

[@christophrauscher3520]

I think this is a beautiful beginner puzzle for confident people. The fog makes it easy to fokus on the relevant information.

[@CowCommando]

I really love sudoku fog puzzles. I'm more of an intuitive solver than a logical one. Having the fog to focus down my sight lines to just a couple places really helps me force my brain to actually do the logic required for these logic puzzles.

[@Mandragorn]

This is so revolutionary! The way it breaks your mind wondering if you just did something wrong or it just wasnt the square to reveal is so silly and frustrating and awesome all at once. Its the next evolution of computer aided sudoku!

[@VeritasUnae]

Managed to solve this myself in around 23 minutes myself, and what a delight it was to solve. Very approachable indeed!

[@MatthewMorris6148]

12:17. Really fun! I’m usually not a fan of fog puzzles, I like to have all the information prior, but this one was a lot of fun to do!

[@spatulamahn]

Simon way over thinking this one :) No coloring needed! And the setter was brilliant in not clearing fog sometimes! Simon always frets when fog isn't cleared normally so this one was a treat watching him!

[@azpcox]

Lots of “I swear this is right! Why nothing cleared???” Loved it!!!!

[@nicolaipetersen5785]

I’m getting scary good at guessing which colors you’ll use and where😂 What a great idea for a puzzle!

[@timotab]

This is a wonderful puzzle and fantastic innovation, which is why I was one of the recommenders. I'm looking forward to being able to construct puzzles with this FOW variant myself.

[@Paolo_De_Leva]

Thank you very much for recommending it❗ I am looking forward to solving your implementations

[@StewartyMac]

Done this one earlier today and thought it might appear on the channel soon, wasn't expecting it this soon though! Great puzzle, and thankfully approachable. I can see some right devilish versions of this coming up over the weeks and months ahead.

[@davidenas]

This is a great puzzle and an amazing innovation that opens up a wide range of possibilities. I'm glad you mentioned Sven's work, this wouldn't be possible without him. I made sure to mention him on my recommendation, and I'm sure multiple other people did the same.

[@Paolo_De_Leva]

Thank you very much for recommending it❗

[@davidenas]

@Paolo_De_Leva I was far from the only one, Simon says at the start there were about 20 recommendations.

[@alanhomewood2943]

This was one of my favourite sudokus to solve ever! Was relatively easy, but very enjoyable.

[@Loveflowerh]

What an interesting variant on fog of war puzzles! I really enjoy how fog of war helps you to look in the right place, since there's nowhere else to look. This makes them pretty beginner-friendly. And with not having all correct digits reveal the grid, it prevents guess-check and you have to rely on solid logic more. I hope to see more of these in the future.

[@davidblake6889]

A big 'up' to Sven for his hard work on making this fog variant possible. Fantastic fun. Over 12000 solves in just 3 days. That must be some kind of CtC record!

[@phoenixaki3458]

Absolutely wonderful new revolutionary idea, can't wait to see what others can do with this twist. 24:52 for me but I needed Simon's help to point out the initial digit to get the ball rolling

[@ChicanoryIsMyName]

That was absolutely gorgeous. What a delightful twist, and genuinely approachable. Thank you.

[@DaveGardner64]

This is now my favourite Fog Type Puzzle, brilliant.

[@jackofblades8112]

More of these pls, i had so much fun. What an unique and fun setting this was.

[@annikaQED]

A brilliant sudoku - one of my favorites of all time! It is dazzling & thrilling how the plays light up unexpected portions of the grid. It is revolutionary in the same way as when film-makers realized the camera could move about the set, and not just, in effect, film a play unfolding on a fixed stage., and so made cinematography dynamic & not passive. KUDOS-U. James Sinclair, the Scorcese of Sudoku! 🙂

[@petermawhorter9016]

Lots of fun. I got this one in 00:33:13, which is much faster than I can usually do. I think that this shows one of my weaknesses is in deciding where to focus, since this puzzle leads you around even more directly than other fog puzzles.

[@Kirbyfan87827]

Finished in 13:25. What a wonderful puzzle!

[@niyazali7983]

12:52 here. Loved this idea. I like the idea of fog clearing in the 'wrong place' and I'm surprised I haven't seen this done before. I have to admit, I got a bit stressed whenever fog didn't clear at all... Overall, great puzzle.

[@jonathancard4466]

I always feel good when my time is the same length as the video, even though I don't announce any birthdays before I get started. :)

[@philc2729]

What a brilliantly revolutionary and simple puzzle giving a taste of what will undoubtedly flow from this concoction. Well done Sinclair the Computer

[@davidtieman4102]

That was a wonderful puzzle. I got confused at one point, but figured out what I did wrong. Thank you for the new feature and thanks to watching the videos I was able to solve the puzzle.

[@ltablet1429]

A sudoku that makes Simon actually do sudoku right from the start! Brilliant!

[@dempiz]

I’ve waited for this one. Great concept. A little scary when the fog doesn’t disappear though :)

[@fruit3193]

This was a really cool fog variant. I'd love to see more of this!

[@alexandrostheodorosnteris3917]

Wow another beautiful video with interesting fog sudoku and music guitar intro ❤❤❤ Love from Athens Greece ❤❤❤🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@A_CC_K]

A musical intro (Mark knopfler/Dire straits are my favourite artist so loved this intro ) and a James Sinclair puzzle, a real treat. Can't wait for the other video to be up on pateron.

[@tinarion3598]

I did one of the James Sinclair puzzles in the new app today and it's by far my favourite Fog of War sudoku to date. And that's saying something as it's one of my favourite variants.

[@titusadduxas]

20:19 - I did this one this morning and knew it would be featured before long though I didn’t expect it quite this soon. Gorgeous puzzle.

[@whelmking6497]

Another absolutely brilliant puzzle from Sinclair. Super fun. Love the variation of for uncovering.

[@lomax343]

That was a brilliant, fun puzzle.

[@kosumi68]

Wow, that was fun! Props to James and Sven for breaking through the fog and getting it out there. And to Simon for solving it. Nice to be eased into this new variant. I reckon the next one won't be that easy. :-)

[@Kairamek]

I love this version of Fog of War. Traditional FoW is stuck with a gradually growing area, locking constructors to a pattern of logic that is adjacent to uncovered cells. This allows the puzzle to jump around the grid in a way some of the more difficult non-fog puzzles have enjoyed. Edit: I also really loved the choice in this puzzle to make the middle digit of a square reveal the whole square.

[@KashTheStampede]

I hope that the 'middle square reveals the box' is not hard-coded into the mechanic.

[@angelosorce996]

This could be an amazing tool for practicing certain types of scanning and logic. Such a cool concept and well executed

[@Alex_Meadows]

Very entertaining puzzle, thank you James! I laughed out loud at Simon's expression when he placed that first 9 and cleared no fog; I'd had the same reaction when it happened to me!

[@chaotix37]

I solved this one few days ago. It has a unique and hilarious experience when I solved it in 20 minutes. Its highly recommended.

[@bait6652]

Very nice variant...the 19 pair finishes the grid. Funny to watch Simon avoid sudokuing B8 And DD the most convoluted but intricate solve for the 3.

[@Rubrickety]

I love how Simon will always carefully explain how every sudoku rule works, but is quite content to leave new viewers to their own devices as to what in the world it means for something to be "chocolate-teapotted". 🙂

[@Jukka70]

that was just phenomenal. I love this way of fog of war, it opens up a whole new world

[@Millenassang]

Love the guitar intros! And such a nice sudoku type, absolutely incredible setting. Approachable, yet entertaining, plus it shows us how the puzzle is set up which I have always wondered. Very cool! 👍

[@TokuHer0]

You can see elements of it in today's solve, but some correct digits NOT revealing fog has the potential to add more elements to the construction as some logical deductions would result in multiple digits being solved naturally, and therefore would just reveal the immediate areas of those digits in a traditional fog sudoku. Not revealing fog as well as the ability to reveal fog in OTHER parts of the grid, potentially gives constructors much more leeway into disambiguating clues for the end portions of puzzles, or tucking away logic for later once it's relevant to "guide" the solver through the puzzle Well done Sven for being able to bring this mechanic to life in the sudoku app

[@Coyotek4]

14:26 ... I enjoyed myself, but I shudder to think how batsh** insane a constructor could be with this new platform Nice puzzle!

[@tonyawright6020]

Nice that solving the middle digit of each box it what cleared any remaining fog in that box.

[@congobongoproductions5476]

22:04 rare sighting of Simon not doing sudoku on the 3's giving away the arrow circle immediately xD

[@adamheywood113]

One of the most terrifying puzzles ever I haven't watched the solve so I don't know if anyone else had this, but I was about two-thirds done, I had revealed an arrow that only had one solution I could see, so I ran with it. I input digits in cell after cell, cleaning up pencil mark one after another, with not a single foggy cell cleared. The panic was definitely starting to set in. Turns out I was right all along. Thoroughly enjoyed, thank you all involved. Current solve counter: Over 10,000 in under three days.

[@KashTheStampede]

I was sure I had made a ricket when the 3 arrow appeared and I couldn't place a 2... I actually unwound about 20 moves and double checked my logic before I realized that it could be a triple 1.

[@adamheywood113]

@KashTheStampede yeah that was about where my confusion started, I had loads of pencil marks all around the grid and that arrow allowed me to clear a lot of them, but no fog was being removed, it was quite stressful!

[@myidea7898]

Absolutely loved this❤❤ Thanks James and Simon 🎉

[@FelipeRodrigues-vj1zb]

Absolutely ground-breaking!

[@turun_ambartanen]

11:33 and what a hilarious puzzle! I loved it!

[@timmccaskey]

||16:48|| one foggy hat please. Fun puzzle, and nice innovation with the fog. Love hearing the guitar too, as always.

[@SlugLamer]

Am I the only one thoroughly enjoying the video introductions that start with a bit of guitar goodness? :D

[@yadiracamacho499]

00:25:53 for me. It was really weird when the fog didn't disappear. The temptation to use the checker was high.

[@wanderlustwarrior]

An enjoyable yet stressful 17:07 for me. I'll say it again to James and Sven, congratulations on weaponizing anxiety.

[@bertbergers9171]

That was wondrous, really linear, disciplining (if one doesn't follow up on all the sudoku possible, one doesn't get progress in the fog :P ), frightening (when no fog is cleared when being correct), loved it!! Thank you Simon and James for video and puzzle! And off course thank you Sven for programming this capability into an allready great bit of code! I would like to ask to reinstate the settings to a default mode of corrections and notifications to be off. I have issues against marketing and other non essential cookies so i really seldomly allow them, but this means i on the regular am playing a puzzle which shows me clashing notations, wrong digits etc etc after each time my settings got lost. Lol i finished as solver 12791 after 3 days, so this one really has blown up!! And i managed to beat Simon's time (with mere seconds and not having to explain what i was doing, so i beat his time, not his puzzling prowess) for the first time since long!

[@deelkar]

This puzzle had me laughing with delight, fantastic setting.

[@Ruddigore]

Wow, a fantastic variant of a fog of war. This *WILL* be the way forward for fog puzzles. I can envisage some -quite- absolutely devilish puzzles using this variant.

[@soremekun]

More of this please.

[@bobblebardsley]

I have the feeling some (not all) people will either LOVE this as a way to reveal the logical solution path one step at a time, or absolutely HATE it for making the puzzle so linear and effectively making it impossible to find a way around any logical steps you can't quite spot. I think it comes down to how much control you want the setter to have over the entire solving process. I think being able to cherry-pick exactly which cells are revealed might be a bit too spoon-fed for my tastes, I kinda like the 'normal' fog mechanic where the setter has to work within the 3x3 reveals. This is very clever though and I'm not opposed to it existing, both as an intriguing alternative and purely to infuriate the 'fog garbage' brigade 😅

[@JohnPretty1]

Very approachable and enjoyable puzzle, Simon!

[@themeparkmanagerplays]

This was so much fun!!! Thanks, James!!

[@melodyb.7089]

the finding of three in box eight is CLASSIC simon

[@jimi02468]

I love Simon's facial expression after that second digit was put in and no fog was cleared. It was like a horrific anti climax of sorts.

[@tank2045]

I actually had the break-in!!! It must be because this variant is so new that they haven't cranked the difficulty up to 11 yet...Typically once the difficulty hits 2 (or a little over) I'm hopelessly lost

[@katiekawaii]

That was awesome. I can't wait to see what setters do with this new mechanic. There's a sudoku Renaissance going on and I am here. for. it.

[@chrislewandoski3383]

19:33. This was very fun yet infuriating at once. I'm so used to fog clearing that when it didn't, I doubted my moves.