Thank you so much for such a brilliant and incredibly punctual feature of this one! Juggler is a creative genius and a lovely person and it was a real pleasure setting with him! Shout outs also need to go to my dad (bellal), Justin V (PuzzlePusher), and ViKingPrime for very thorough testing - which, as you can imagine, this puzzle needed! (spoilers, and indeed a bit of a dissertation(!) for those interested in how it was set, below) The concept was inspired by some of the recent gdc puzzles on the channel, which involve being able to extend seemingly unremarkable lines surprisingly deep into the fog, resulting in a digit being found somewhere very unexpected. Those deductions in themselves are absolutely breath-taking and I admire gdc enormously for designing them so beautifully, although they leave the setter with a problem. The thing that makes a deduction like that (and many others in any puzzle, especially Fog of War) so stunning and enjoyable for the solver is the fact that it's so surprising, but now, the really long line that the solver proved had to exist under the fog is very powerful in leading to many further logical deductions, none of which are surprising any more because the solver already proved that the line had to exist. So then it occurred to me that a beautiful logical step like that doesn't rely on the really long line actually existing under the fog, it relies on the solver *believing* that the really long line must exist under the fog - there's a subtle difference, which I thought needed to be exploited! My original plan for the theme was a little more serious and philosophical: sometimes in life, a person (in this case the setter) has to tell white lies to someone they care about (the solver) in order to help them, for example tricking a drug addict into attending an intervention, and the person receiving the help needs to keep the faith that the lies are well-intentioned. When Michael got on board with the idea, the theming became much more light-hearted as he blessed the puzzle with his inimitable finesse, and I'm very glad that it went in that direction - I think it's much more entertaining as a result! You mentioned that setting this would require working backwards... to be honest, I got fairly lucky with the first draft, which I set "forwards", in that I always found places to put the twists I had planned and the draft was made quite quickly. Refining it, though, was one of the fiddliest exercises I think either of us have ever gone through! We both worked extremely hard with the help of the testers to ensure that we crammed in as many twists as possible as elegantly as possible, whilst keeping it solvable and unique no matter how meticulous the solver is with their deletion of pencil marks and even digits (if they didn't clear fog) that retrospectively don't work with the updated rules. It was quite the challenge, but definitely worth the effort! The only regret is that we weren't able to finish with Michael's hilarious idea of announcing that normal sudoku rules no longer apply for the last few cells! If there are any setters reading this who reckon they could get that to work with an unambiguous solve path, we need to talk! Thanks again for your enormously entertaining solve of this puzzle, and more generally for providing such a wonderful platform for slightly mad puzzle addicts like myself to share our passion!
Great work, I was worried for a second that not deducing the three when I could would mean I made the puzzle harder for myself. I suppose this sort of puzzle would need to ensure that any digit deducible with a prior ruleset need to be correct in the end. BTW, this might just be me, but I think it was a bit unclear if region sum lines HAVE to be in more than one region. I could very easily see a setter making a fog puzzle where it didn't, and a puzzle relying on tricking the solver just made it even more likely.
My thought about normal Sudoku rules no longer applying but still keeping it solvable - seems to me that one way to do that would have been making the region sum line only work if you put a 7, 8 or 9 on it.
Omg, I only spotted the red was now a blue to get the final solve. Didn’t go back over the blues and check they could be reds, but sure enough they work both ways. This is clever stuff.
Thanks for doing, uh... "Karl's" puzzle! We're so glad you enjoyed. :) (Regarding the emoji at the top: on our devices and in all the browsers we tried, SudokuPad renders it as a single "face in the fog" symbol: 😶🌫 Sorry for the graphics glitch!)
the only thing that this puzzle could've done better is ending with a deadly pattern that had to be resolved with one of the un-used "given" digits in the corner :)
I half expected the Silent emoji to be implying a forgotten Whispers line rule, which would have gotten a great reaction out of Simon if he'd uncovered a surprise third colour. But this explanation makes a lot more sense.
This is one astonishing, brilliant and entertaining puzzle!! Thank you. p.s. The one thing that could top this would be a 9x9 version if you ever find the time!
@@darrenbent7601 Besides that I guess CTC people is supposed to (and typically does) solve *CTC Greatest Hits* using the sudokupad link provided in each page, *CTC Cosmic Hits* will be quite a less primitive kind of book. It will be available throughout the *Cosmic Union* and will be printed by *Integalactic Press* on virtual paper. This means that each page will be actually a touchscreen display connected to *InterSnet,* the Intergalactic Sophonic net. 🤪 By the way, on *Cosmic Tube* gazillions of viewers love puzzles featured on CTC, _"Made on Earth"_ by single-brained Humans and solved by Mark and Simon.
Seriously. I really love how this has evolved from intricate logic puzzles to intricate logic puzzles with storytelling. Same with the rat series. The fog always adds so much tension and readability too. I wonder who came up with it.
Yeah, same for me 😂 It broke almost everything I understood from previous clues, and I was still right😅 When it said "lines can go diagonally", I had to delete blue line drawn in the 6th box, muttering "you evil bastard". And that reveal about lines colours... And I checked all previous lines... I had only curses on my tongue 😂😂😂 This puzzle made me feel both fooled and clever at the same time!😂
Amazing and innovative idea, BUT... in the hands of 99% of constructors, the execution would have led to a confusing and frustrating mess of a puzzle. To pull something like this off with such logical rigour and attention to detail is something that could really only have been done by two geniuses like Stu and Michael. For them to have kept track so intricately of what the solver would know at every step, which specific cells would be revealed, in what order, and how this affected and updated what is known. It boggles my mind to think about. Bloody love it, well done chaps. And Simon, your reactions to such nonsense, especially at those big plot twist moments, are always spot-on and incredibly satisfying to watch as the constructor of said nonsenses. That's why we love you
The above from you...just elegantly written and such beauty, about 2 other fabulous , majestic setters and what they can do and showcase..is why i constantly have such respect for you, these 2 and ALL others in this entire community!!
You have stated this so well, from a mere solver/viewer's perspective, Marty. What a work of genius this puzzle is, and Simon was absolutely the person I would most have wanted to watch solve it!
Completed the puzzle before watching the video, and now I've never been more excited to watch some complete a puzzle I know the solution to. What a treat
Yeah, I’ve started watching the channel this summer, and I’m doing all of the sudokus before the videos, and normally I’m just interested in seeing how quickly they pick up on things that take me longer, looking for different paths through the puzzle, and looking out for whether or not I made any unjustified leaps in logic (and every so often with the really difficult ones when I get stuck I’ll take a look at the video to just get a bit of an idea how to get started or make a bit of progress, though I try to do that as little as possible), but with this one I had a ton of fun with the changing logic and was just excited to see the puzzle
Any time it's tempting to think "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be able to see that" in a fog puzzle, I think it helps to consider all the very clever ways constructors have found since the development of fog sudoku to hide stuff they _don't_ want the solver to see yet, and give the constructor credit by assuming that if you _can_ see it they meant for you to see it
I think one of the most mind bending things about this is not just that the rules keep changing, it's the the puzzle always obeys the rules as they are stated at the time. At ALL times. It's not like it changes the rules and the bits you already solved don't follow the new rules but never mind. You may have made deductions using that older logic but the new logic is still 100% consistent with the puzzle at any stage of reveal. I didn't really spot that while solving it until I watched the video afterwards and Simon pointed out that the blue lines were correct from a modularity standpoint. To make that the case is utter genius by all involved. (Wayne's World 'We're not worthy' bows)
Yeah I didn't realize that while I was doing the puzzle so I did it on hard mode, being careful to not put in digits unless it was revealing fog in case the rules changed. Simon gave me SO MUCH ANXIETY when he kept doing sudoku before reading newly-revealed rules, without regard for whether the new rules invalidated his prior pencilmarks like the first reveal did. 😫
Oh but you DO have friends! You have very special friends who would all share their special secret with you … the secret that every row, column and box of a 9x9 sudoku adds up to exactly 45!
Simon, let me just tell you something very important - you completely misunderstand just how important your work, your channel, is. There is a VERY simple reason why so many of us find so much comfort watching you and Mark solve puzzles with logic and good humor, and it is NOT because you are boring. You, my good man, are never boring. You are kind. You are gentle. You are humorous, and you are brilliant. And we watch you every night because the world can be so cruel, so painful, so chaotic and so difficult to make any sense of - and you bring peace. You sooth hearts, souls and bring comfort to racing minds. Please, never denigrate the importance of creating a space where people of all types, from all over the world, can sit quietly... relax.. smile.. and focus on something that makes sense, something that is logical and beautiful and hurts no one at all. Simon, it makes perfect sense why so many people fall asleep watching you and mark do puzzles - because while we watch you, for a minute or two, the crazy world slips away, and we are somewhere safe and full of wonder. Sincerely ... thank you.
I also watch at bed time, but has nothing to do (and I'm certain I talk for everyone else who does tha same) with you or Mark being boring 😂. It's because I need something calm and soothing but still entertaining to wind down from the day. It's like a relaxing night routine for me now and I'm so grateful for having found the channel ❤
People say boring things put them to sleep, but I don't know a single person who *wants* to be bored before bed. Calm and soothing is exactly what you want.
This was so much fun. And it kept surprising me - just like Simon, I was astonished by the line colour reveal; by that point I was expecting tricks but I never saw that one coming. And the moment I completed it, I had to watch Simon's solve right away, because I knew his reactions would be priceless.
I've been following the channel for a couple of years now, and this is (IMHO) BY FAR THE BEST sudoku puzzle featured! And that speaks volumes, because there were plenty of gems so far! I do hope this one will "outrun" even the Miracle sudoku in the number of views, it certainly deserves it!! 😀
This is an amazing, amazing puzzle. I don't think I've ever chuckled to myself about a puzzle like this before. The way the rules give you just enough to place a digit before revealing that the rules were incorrect to begin with! Absolutely beautiful.
I've solved many enjoyable puzzles from this channel, but few have put as stupid a grin on my face as this one. This was hilarious and the best part was the anticipation of "just wait until Simon gets to this point". Truly a gem.
"You're kidding me.....nooo.....nooooo...that can't be right..." 🤣🤣 I lost it at this reaction! You can visibly see the gears in his brain grind to an absolute halt.
Dear Peddling Pianist and Michael, hats off. I nearly screamed when the line rules were reversed, and this is the first time a sudoku solve literally felt like watching a thriller unfold. Jesus
It's incredible how Fog of War mechanic allows setters set these creative puzzles. It is really one of the greatest inventions of Sudoku. I had so much fun and laugh solving this.
Seeing the clues show up exactly in the correct order at the cells we uncover made me sure I did what the setter intended. I was worried because technically, incorrect reasoning brought me to the digits I placed, but I was supposed to reason in this way, so it was correct reasoning. Somewhat like multi-staged puzzles. This is not only a logical puzzle, but was psychologically engineered, this felt like a two-way conversation between the setter and the solver. Ingenious.
You are not boring!!! You are calming. I love your personality and sense of humor. Your voice and way of speaking relax me. Sometimes, the puzzles are too complex for my brain at that time of day, and it shuts down. Which is an absolute godsend, as I have AuDHD and insomnia. But I continue the videos the next day. You are wonderful, Simon, please know that! A very grateful listener 🙏🏼
The thing at the top is supposed to be a face partially obscured by fog. But Simon's version of Windows doesn't support the emoji so it displays it decomposed as a face with no mouth and fog next to each other.
I choose to call this an Everything is Fogn puzzle 🤪 (I also appreciated how Simon's leftover blue line in box 6 happened to comply with the modularity rule.) Loved it 👍
Simon’s ability to talk through his logic so effectively and teach while figuring it out himself is something so special. I’ve played through all of the puzzles on the cracking the cryptic app and have learned so much but have so much to go and i am excited to download one of the other apps now !
Hi Simon and Mark, big fan here. Just wanted to say, I watch a sudoku at night, and its not because either of your voices lull me to sleep! The videos just quiet my mind, because you make the problems so fun and approachable that I can completely focus on them, and then afterwards I can sleep. Thank you!
If I can speak on watching before bed, Simon, it’s not because you’re boring (perish the thought; you’re great!); it’s because you’re soothing! I watch during the day with no problems but also habitually wake up at 2-3 am, and it’s been so unbelievably helpful to have these videos to distract and tire my racing brain with logic problems, narrated by someone very kind and clever!
Making art right is impressive enough. These constructors did something even more amazing, which is to do it wrong on purpose in a clever way. What an absolute delight.
"......This is the greatest puzzle of all time." And it just kept getting better from there! Absolutely insane that this exists, and I'm so glad it does. Take a bow, you two, you've earned it.
Where I got stuck was that I didn't think a region sum line had to actually exit a box. To me, the wording means that _if_ you were to cross a box border, _then_ that box border would separate the line into multiple segments. Not that there _need_ to be multiple segments or that a line _had_ to be divided by a box border. Edit: In closing, I believe that, especially with a puzzle where the whole point is subversion of expectation, expectations should be clearly communicated, without any presuppositions. But I of course understand that certain things can seem very obvious to someone who has set, or at the very least solved, many variant sudokus.
Maybe that's just a well known unspoken rule about region sum lines? To me, a region sum line that stays within one region still does not break the rule that all its segments must have the same sum. It just happens to be one of them.
@@barmetler Yes, it's a bit unfortunate that very commonly used rules, like region sum lines, tend not to get fully explained in the rules as would be helpful for people new to the convention. As you indicated, region sum lines are always in at least two boxes (in every puzzle I've seen them used), though a tricky puzzle like this could very well ignore that in the future :)
I was about to comment the same. The rules as written work fine for non-FoW puzzles, because you can see the whole line. In this puzzle, I think it should make it explicit that Region Sum lines need to visit at least two boxes.
I watch your videos before sleeping because they're the only thing interesting enough to keep my attention but low-key enough to relax me and keep me from waking back up if I happen to drift off to sleep!! Discovering your channel has been a real blessing for for an insomniac like me! You're not boring in the slightest ❤
Watched this walk-through specifically to see Simon's face when the rules start going haywire. Sheer sadistic delight. You can actually see the springs and cogs tumbling out of his ears from the 20-minute mark.
This takes top spot for me as the most beautiful, creative, and fun to solve sudokus of all time! The switcharoo at the end with the lines blew me away!
This is hands down the funniest solve on your channel 😂 What a genious sudoku, I am in awe of the setters. Also, they have the best sense of humour. It's just brilliant how fluidly the rules change as the fog recedes - amazing!
For me, sleep requires two key ingredients: a complex subject explained clearly and a calm, soothing voice. Your videos almost perfectly capture this combination. However, I don’t just watch your videos to fall asleep
They contain just enough mathematics to calm a busy brain. I watch the rest in the morning because some of these puzzles are works of art. Simons' cute mannerisms and his naughty sense of humour also help.
It took me a little longer than Simon to get the first digit, but I was less shocked by the rules changing repeatedly. Simon's reactions to the twists were the best part. Brilliant puzzle and video!
Commenting 6 minutes in… you’re not boring. I watch before bedtime because that’s when I have time. And when it’s over I’m not ramped up by news or anything I’m relaxed and ready for bed. It’s not a bad look on you. I love your videos.
If there was a Nobel prize awarded for sudoku setting, this would win it hands down! By far, the most remarkable, enjoyable, and genius puzzle I have seen in my LIFE! Thank you for such a wonderous event! It literally brought a tear to my eye at solves end!
Honestly, this puzzle is my favorite puzzle done on the channel. I never thought you could get better than the Miracle, but here we are. The way that the rules are slowly corrected in ways that logically lead to the next deduction is something I want to do myself, but don't have the experience to do as such. It's built entirely on the adsumption that the rules you have are the correct rules, before it's pulled out from under you like a rug pulled from beneath your feet. I've watched this video, like, 4 times in the last couple days. This is my 5th. I always chuckle on the inside at that first rule change. Please make more of these, Michael and PedalingPianist. I see tons of potential with puzzles like this one. Perhaps you could even add in something that starts claiming it's a yagusan-kagusan or however you spell it, but then something is revealed saying that "actually, this is a Yajilin". Then something could come up that says that some or all clues are lying in some way. As I said, lots of potential.
Holy Cow. Left me genuinely astonished. Currently at a complete loss for words. So perfectly executed - any alternate solving route would have led to completely different solutions.
I'm so excited by this - I had the idea of a puzzle like this but with no idea how you would even begin to set it. I'm so glad someone was able to do it so satisfyingly. Well done Karl the Fog!
I finished in 35:15 minutes. I don't think I've ever been this bullied by a puzzle before. It's absolutely incredible what this puzzle has done. Hats off to the constructors! It's such a cool idea to have a shifting puzzle that changes as you go along. This has to go up there as one of my favorites. Great Puzzle!
I watch these videos before going to sleep - they are CERTAINLY not boring, but rather are a pleasant, calming way to end my day each night. You have a very soothing voice as well! I also enjoy that these videos are not the super-cut rapid-paced content elsewhere on the internet vying for my endless attention
Simon - your voice is calming and reassuring- NOT boring ( as I’m watching this before sleeping and allowing your voice to comfort me and release the stress of the day as I relax and drift into sudoku land where everything makes sense and Simon conquers all the boogey men throwing challenges in his way.)
I think you would be a fan of Karl, the San Francisco fog, Simon! They have a really fun instagram The bio reads “all that is sunny does not glitter, not all those in the fog are lost”
39:05: “There's another rule change. Let me fill in some digits based on pencilmarks that may no longer be valid before I read it.” 😣 Luckily, no harm was done.
Scrolled to find this comment. Exactly. As soon as he entered the 5 in box 5, he should have wiped out the 12 in r5c5 because the line could move diagonally into it.
Scrolled to find this comment. Exactly. As soon as he entered the 5 in box 5, he should have wiped out the 12 in r5c5 because the line could move diagonally into it.
If, like me, you're one of the many people who initially solved this the way Simon did, leaving all previously entered digits and pencilmarks in the grid as the rules evolved, then I encourage you to go back and try to re-solve it the following way. If you make a deduction and enter a digit that clears some fog, then this is a confirmed correct digit (since it cleared fog). Colour these "confirmed" digits as you go, so you can track them. Every time the rules change by revealing a speech bubble, *DELETE* everything in the grid except for these confirmed digits! Then proceed with only the previously confirmed digits and the new understanding of the rules. For instance, the 3 in r3c4, if entered, should be deleted since it didn't clear any extra fog and is therefore not a confirmed correct digit. Also, when the speech bubble in r6c3-4 is revealed, note that this introducing an ambiguity, and isn't necessarily forcing a switch. Any pencilmarks in r1c1-3, for instance, may or may not be correct, so should be removed. It's a harder puzzle to solve this way, but your appreciation for it will probably increase. Mine did.
I'm very glad you discovered this solution path! We were very careful to design it such that it can be solved regardless of how vigorously the solver retrospectively deleted previous deductions when rules changed :)
@@ThePedallingPianist @RichSmith77 I think it's more than deleting unconfirmed digits: when we have (falsely) believed the C shaped box, we could either put in the 3 in r3c4 or a 6 in r2c1. Simon found the 3 first. In my first solve, I found the 6 first... ARGH! Then means you can no longer deduce the 3. I think also possible uncover the diagonal rule before dealing with the big (blue) region sum line. Slightly harder solve, but I do admit I went back to explore routes, and all work, and all of course have the mic drop moment of line colour swap. Astounding, hats off!
I actually first tried it this way and got stuck for about 10 minutes with most of the grid just having 1245 pencil marks. I could not wrap my head around how to proceed so I said to myself let’s first trust the setter that existing pencil marks are still correct and did it like Simon
I remember you've done a puzzle like this before, and it was great. The clue that stands out from that puzzle was the "no repeats along the blue line" which looked like a standard diagonal constraint, until you cleared fog and the "diagonals" went a-wandering
The deduction at 29:45 seemed a bit of a stretch of the rules. At least when I was solving, I didn't interpret the rules as written to mean that region sum lines always have more than one region. We've seen cheeky one-region lines before. After re-reading, I can see that as a possible interpretation, but for a puzzle that depends on a close reading of the rules, it seemed an unsafe assumption. In any case, lovely puzzle, and lovely solve!
This is one of the most brilliant rules I have seen on a Sudoku. In fact, I am very impressed with this rule set because it has a real world implication. We used to have this fun exercise at work and it involved teaching us a lesson that we shouldn't be limited by available information at the beginning of a project. New information or new rules can develop or become available as time (or project) goes on. And this puzzle totally reminded me of that and I highly recommend this type of puzzle as a learning tool.
As a bedtime watcher, it's not because it's boring, it's just because the videos are very relaxing! You have a really soothing voice and cadence and it's comfortable to play while I'm getting settled for the night. If it was boring I wouldn't be able to listen, it's explicitly because it's nice that makes it good bedtime watching.
39:39 I keep coming back to this. There is a moment in the first "miracle sudoku" when the placing of the threes is like the universe singing to us. I will die on the hill that this moment is equal to that. It's sublime, in the absolute meaning of the word.
Thank you so much for such a brilliant and incredibly punctual feature of this one! Juggler is a creative genius and a lovely person and it was a real pleasure setting with him! Shout outs also need to go to my dad (bellal), Justin V (PuzzlePusher), and ViKingPrime for very thorough testing - which, as you can imagine, this puzzle needed!
(spoilers, and indeed a bit of a dissertation(!) for those interested in how it was set, below)
The concept was inspired by some of the recent gdc puzzles on the channel, which involve being able to extend seemingly unremarkable lines surprisingly deep into the fog, resulting in a digit being found somewhere very unexpected. Those deductions in themselves are absolutely breath-taking and I admire gdc enormously for designing them so beautifully, although they leave the setter with a problem.
The thing that makes a deduction like that (and many others in any puzzle, especially Fog of War) so stunning and enjoyable for the solver is the fact that it's so surprising, but now, the really long line that the solver proved had to exist under the fog is very powerful in leading to many further logical deductions, none of which are surprising any more because the solver already proved that the line had to exist.
So then it occurred to me that a beautiful logical step like that doesn't rely on the really long line actually existing under the fog, it relies on the solver *believing* that the really long line must exist under the fog - there's a subtle difference, which I thought needed to be exploited!
My original plan for the theme was a little more serious and philosophical: sometimes in life, a person (in this case the setter) has to tell white lies to someone they care about (the solver) in order to help them, for example tricking a drug addict into attending an intervention, and the person receiving the help needs to keep the faith that the lies are well-intentioned.
When Michael got on board with the idea, the theming became much more light-hearted as he blessed the puzzle with his inimitable finesse, and I'm very glad that it went in that direction - I think it's much more entertaining as a result!
You mentioned that setting this would require working backwards... to be honest, I got fairly lucky with the first draft, which I set "forwards", in that I always found places to put the twists I had planned and the draft was made quite quickly. Refining it, though, was one of the fiddliest exercises I think either of us have ever gone through!
We both worked extremely hard with the help of the testers to ensure that we crammed in as many twists as possible as elegantly as possible, whilst keeping it solvable and unique no matter how meticulous the solver is with their deletion of pencil marks and even digits (if they didn't clear fog) that retrospectively don't work with the updated rules. It was quite the challenge, but definitely worth the effort!
The only regret is that we weren't able to finish with Michael's hilarious idea of announcing that normal sudoku rules no longer apply for the last few cells! If there are any setters reading this who reckon they could get that to work with an unambiguous solve path, we need to talk!
Thanks again for your enormously entertaining solve of this puzzle, and more generally for providing such a wonderful platform for slightly mad puzzle addicts like myself to share our passion!
Great work, I was worried for a second that not deducing the three when I could would mean I made the puzzle harder for myself. I suppose this sort of puzzle would need to ensure that any digit deducible with a prior ruleset need to be correct in the end.
BTW, this might just be me, but I think it was a bit unclear if region sum lines HAVE to be in more than one region. I could very easily see a setter making a fog puzzle where it didn't, and a puzzle relying on tricking the solver just made it even more likely.
Thanks for creating such a wonderful puzzle - I think this was the most fun I have ever solved!
BRAVO!
My thought about normal Sudoku rules no longer applying but still keeping it solvable - seems to me that one way to do that would have been making the region sum line only work if you put a 7, 8 or 9 on it.
This was amazing -- such a witty puzzle. I was laughing loudly through the whole thing. 😸
That final reveal switching the lines when you recheck all the blue ones & they work is one of the greatest moments in Sudoku history
Omg, I only spotted the red was now a blue to get the final solve. Didn’t go back over the blues and check they could be reds, but sure enough they work both ways. This is clever stuff.
I'd say put it the next book, but sadly fog puzzles don't work in books.
The plottwists felt like a well written movie, and Simons reactions were just great!
No question.
It's the
Thanks for doing, uh... "Karl's" puzzle! We're so glad you enjoyed. :)
(Regarding the emoji at the top: on our devices and in all the browsers we tried, SudokuPad renders it as a single "face in the fog" symbol: 😶🌫 Sorry for the graphics glitch!)
the only thing that this puzzle could've done better is ending with a deadly pattern that had to be resolved with one of the un-used "given" digits in the corner :)
I half expected the Silent emoji to be implying a forgotten Whispers line rule, which would have gotten a great reaction out of Simon if he'd uncovered a surprise third colour. But this explanation makes a lot more sense.
This might be the greatest puzzle I've ever seen. Fabulous setting!
Such a clever puzzle! So fun! :)
This is one astonishing, brilliant and entertaining puzzle!! Thank you. p.s. The one thing that could top this would be a 9x9 version if you ever find the time!
This sudoku belongs in a museum. It cannot be categorized as anything else but a work of art. I'm not even exaggerating.
It certainly also belongs in the next *CTC Cosmic Hits* book.
@@Paolo_De_Leva Being a Fog of war puzzle, that could be quite challenging to put into a physical book,... but it could awesome.
@@darrenbent7601 Besides that I guess CTC people is supposed to (and typically does) solve *CTC Greatest Hits* using the sudokupad link provided in each page, *CTC Cosmic Hits* will be quite a less primitive kind of book.
It will be available throughout the *Cosmic Union* and will be printed by *Integalactic Press* on virtual paper.
This means that each page will be actually a touchscreen display connected to *InterSnet,* the Intergalactic Sophonic net.
🤪
By the way, on *Cosmic Tube* gazillions of viewers love puzzles featured on CTC, _"Made on Earth"_ by single-brained Humans and solved by Mark and Simon.
Seriously. I really love how this has evolved from intricate logic puzzles to intricate logic puzzles with storytelling. Same with the rat series. The fog always adds so much tension and readability too. I wonder who came up with it.
Holy shit this puzzle was amazing. Every time I revealed fog I was shouting "you son of a bitch" and getting so giddy. What a clever construction.
Exactly what I was thinking throughout :)
Exactly my words! what a great puzzle!
Excatly my thoughts
Yeah, same for me 😂 It broke almost everything I understood from previous clues, and I was still right😅 When it said "lines can go diagonally", I had to delete blue line drawn in the 6th box, muttering "you evil bastard".
And that reveal about lines colours... And I checked all previous lines... I had only curses on my tongue 😂😂😂
This puzzle made me feel both fooled and clever at the same time!😂
Amazing and innovative idea, BUT... in the hands of 99% of constructors, the execution would have led to a confusing and frustrating mess of a puzzle. To pull something like this off with such logical rigour and attention to detail is something that could really only have been done by two geniuses like Stu and Michael. For them to have kept track so intricately of what the solver would know at every step, which specific cells would be revealed, in what order, and how this affected and updated what is known. It boggles my mind to think about. Bloody love it, well done chaps. And Simon, your reactions to such nonsense, especially at those big plot twist moments, are always spot-on and incredibly satisfying to watch as the constructor of said nonsenses. That's why we love you
The above from you...just elegantly written and such beauty, about 2 other fabulous , majestic setters and what they can do and showcase..is why i constantly have such respect for you, these 2 and ALL others in this entire community!!
You have stated this so well, from a mere solver/viewer's perspective, Marty. What a work of genius this puzzle is, and Simon was absolutely the person I would most have wanted to watch solve it!
This is easily one of the most entertaining sudokus ever solved on the channel. I cackled out loud several times with those fog reveals :D
100%. Legendary quality puzzle right here.
I may have been cursing Karl's name, but in terms of the puzzle's sheer cleverness it definitely deserves some serious kudos.
there was another puzzle like this one that he has done. same concept. with tricking the solver.
@@spin-rg9ib WROGN puzzles have the same sort of creative license to mess with our heads.
@@crazypantaloons yes but this one is more similar to an earlier one simon did on how the creator tricked the solver.
Completed the puzzle before watching the video, and now I've never been more excited to watch some complete a puzzle I know the solution to. What a treat
Yeah, I’ve started watching the channel this summer, and I’m doing all of the sudokus before the videos, and normally I’m just interested in seeing how quickly they pick up on things that take me longer, looking for different paths through the puzzle, and looking out for whether or not I made any unjustified leaps in logic (and every so often with the really difficult ones when I get stuck I’ll take a look at the video to just get a bit of an idea how to get started or make a bit of progress, though I try to do that as little as possible), but with this one I had a ton of fun with the changing logic and was just excited to see the puzzle
Any time it's tempting to think "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be able to see that" in a fog puzzle, I think it helps to consider all the very clever ways constructors have found since the development of fog sudoku to hide stuff they _don't_ want the solver to see yet, and give the constructor credit by assuming that if you _can_ see it they meant for you to see it
That is a very smart remark.
Karl the Fog is the nickname for the nearly ever-present fog in San Francisco.
and Karl the Fog has its own Instagram account lol
he took a day trip elsewhere yesterday. I hope he enjoyed himself.
The look on Simon's face at the first trick thrown at him is priceless.
When I had that reveal during my solve I had to stop and see how Simon reacts.
@@danielszanto2955 I did the same! 😀
Haha I thought of that, but I still waited till the end of my solve to watch Simon's reaction!
I had expected mad cackling like I got myself but this was almost better.
They lead the solver through the puzzle like a mystery author leads readers past all the red herrings and plot twists. Wonderful!
I think one of the most mind bending things about this is not just that the rules keep changing, it's the the puzzle always obeys the rules as they are stated at the time. At ALL times. It's not like it changes the rules and the bits you already solved don't follow the new rules but never mind. You may have made deductions using that older logic but the new logic is still 100% consistent with the puzzle at any stage of reveal.
I didn't really spot that while solving it until I watched the video afterwards and Simon pointed out that the blue lines were correct from a modularity standpoint.
To make that the case is utter genius by all involved. (Wayne's World 'We're not worthy' bows)
Yeah I didn't realize that while I was doing the puzzle so I did it on hard mode, being careful to not put in digits unless it was revealing fog in case the rules changed. Simon gave me SO MUCH ANXIETY when he kept doing sudoku before reading newly-revealed rules, without regard for whether the new rules invalidated his prior pencilmarks like the first reveal did. 😫
"Please share this with your friends"
Simon, you assume I have friends who do variant Sudoku.
Indeed, Simon, you assume I have friends at all 😂
@@PassionPopsicle thanks for making me do a spit take with my soda!
Oh but you DO have friends! You have very special friends who would all share their special secret with you … the secret that every row, column and box of a 9x9 sudoku adds up to exactly 45!
@@AnyaJoPillingyou can’t just be telling that to anybody!
@@AndyCalderbank 😱 I’m so sorry. I guess I just make friends too easily 🤷♀️ 😂
Simon, let me just tell you something very important - you completely misunderstand just how important your work, your channel, is. There is a VERY simple reason why so many of us find so much comfort watching you and Mark solve puzzles with logic and good humor, and it is NOT because you are boring. You, my good man, are never boring. You are kind. You are gentle. You are humorous, and you are brilliant. And we watch you every night because the world can be so cruel, so painful, so chaotic and so difficult to make any sense of - and you bring peace. You sooth hearts, souls and bring comfort to racing minds. Please, never denigrate the importance of creating a space where people of all types, from all over the world, can sit quietly... relax.. smile.. and focus on something that makes sense, something that is logical and beautiful and hurts no one at all.
Simon, it makes perfect sense why so many people fall asleep watching you and mark do puzzles - because while we watch you, for a minute or two, the crazy world slips away, and we are somewhere safe and full of wonder.
Sincerely ... thank you.
Couldn't have said it better.
I also watch at bed time, but has nothing to do (and I'm certain I talk for everyone else who does tha same) with you or Mark being boring 😂. It's because I need something calm and soothing but still entertaining to wind down from the day. It's like a relaxing night routine for me now and I'm so grateful for having found the channel ❤
People say boring things put them to sleep, but I don't know a single person who *wants* to be bored before bed. Calm and soothing is exactly what you want.
Me too, but this Sudoku was way too fun and exciting! How am I supposed to sleep while laughing?
It's always fun to see how Simon becomes sad, when new digit doesn't clear the fog, when it couldn't 😁
The reveal that the two colours of lines are the wrong way around is amazing.
It's actually a bit easier to make that work in a 6*6 Sudoku with 3*2 regions.
Tbh, as soon as Simon placed the first 6, revealing that the rules were liable to change, I assumed the colors swapping was a given
I’ve not laughed so much doing a Sudoku ever. Flipping genius, well done setting that.
This was so much fun. And it kept surprising me - just like Simon, I was astonished by the line colour reveal; by that point I was expecting tricks but I never saw that one coming. And the moment I completed it, I had to watch Simon's solve right away, because I knew his reactions would be priceless.
I've been following the channel for a couple of years now, and this is (IMHO) BY FAR THE BEST sudoku puzzle featured! And that speaks volumes, because there were plenty of gems so far! I do hope this one will "outrun" even the Miracle sudoku in the number of views, it certainly deserves it!! 😀
I totally agree
This is an amazing, amazing puzzle. I don't think I've ever chuckled to myself about a puzzle like this before. The way the rules give you just enough to place a digit before revealing that the rules were incorrect to begin with! Absolutely beautiful.
Definitely had to do it myself when I saw a 6x6 fog of war, but also had to watch the video because I knew Simon’s reactions would be priceless. 😂
Love seeing Simon getting pranked by a Sudoku Puzzle :D
I've solved many enjoyable puzzles from this channel, but few have put as stupid a grin on my face as this one. This was hilarious and the best part was the anticipation of "just wait until Simon gets to this point". Truly a gem.
"You're kidding me.....nooo.....nooooo...that can't be right..." 🤣🤣 I lost it at this reaction! You can visibly see the gears in his brain grind to an absolute halt.
Dear Peddling Pianist and Michael, hats off. I nearly screamed when the line rules were reversed, and this is the first time a sudoku solve literally felt like watching a thriller unfold. Jesus
It's incredible how Fog of War mechanic allows setters set these creative puzzles. It is really one of the greatest inventions of Sudoku. I had so much fun and laugh solving this.
Seeing the clues show up exactly in the correct order at the cells we uncover made me sure I did what the setter intended. I was worried because technically, incorrect reasoning brought me to the digits I placed, but I was supposed to reason in this way, so it was correct reasoning. Somewhat like multi-staged puzzles. This is not only a logical puzzle, but was psychologically engineered, this felt like a two-way conversation between the setter and the solver. Ingenious.
Most entertaining, mind-bending puzzle I've seen since The Miracle. Bravo, well done.
You are not boring!!!
You are calming. I love your personality and sense of humor. Your voice and way of speaking relax me.
Sometimes, the puzzles are too complex for my brain at that time of day, and it shuts down. Which is an absolute godsend, as I have AuDHD and insomnia.
But I continue the videos the next day.
You are wonderful, Simon, please know that!
A very grateful listener 🙏🏼
The thing at the top is supposed to be a face partially obscured by fog. But Simon's version of Windows doesn't support the emoji so it displays it decomposed as a face with no mouth and fog next to each other.
I nearly fell out of my chair when I read the line colors flip rule. Total genius, well played!
I choose to call this an Everything is Fogn puzzle 🤪 (I also appreciated how Simon's leftover blue line in box 6 happened to comply with the modularity rule.) Loved it 👍
Simon’s ability to talk through his logic so effectively and teach while figuring it out himself is something so special. I’ve played through all of the puzzles on the cracking the cryptic app and have learned so much but have so much to go and i am excited to download one of the other apps now !
Hi Simon and Mark, big fan here. Just wanted to say, I watch a sudoku at night, and its not because either of your voices lull me to sleep! The videos just quiet my mind, because you make the problems so fun and approachable that I can completely focus on them, and then afterwards I can sleep. Thank you!
The setting was amazing and I Really liked Simon's reactions!
If I can speak on watching before bed, Simon, it’s not because you’re boring (perish the thought; you’re great!); it’s because you’re soothing! I watch during the day with no problems but also habitually wake up at 2-3 am, and it’s been so unbelievably helpful to have these videos to distract and tire my racing brain with logic problems, narrated by someone very kind and clever!
This is the most clever puzzle ever done on the channel.
Making art right is impressive enough. These constructors did something even more amazing, which is to do it wrong on purpose in a clever way. What an absolute delight.
"......This is the greatest puzzle of all time."
And it just kept getting better from there! Absolutely insane that this exists, and I'm so glad it does. Take a bow, you two, you've earned it.
Where I got stuck was that I didn't think a region sum line had to actually exit a box. To me, the wording means that _if_ you were to cross a box border, _then_ that box border would separate the line into multiple segments. Not that there _need_ to be multiple segments or that a line _had_ to be divided by a box border.
Edit: In closing, I believe that, especially with a puzzle where the whole point is subversion of expectation, expectations should be clearly communicated, without any presuppositions. But I of course understand that certain things can seem very obvious to someone who has set, or at the very least solved, many variant sudokus.
Maybe that's just a well known unspoken rule about region sum lines? To me, a region sum line that stays within one region still does not break the rule that all its segments must have the same sum. It just happens to be one of them.
You are correct. The puzzle is not solvable without guessing. 😞
Me too. Totally stuck at that point.
@@barmetler Yes, it's a bit unfortunate that very commonly used rules, like region sum lines, tend not to get fully explained in the rules as would be helpful for people new to the convention. As you indicated, region sum lines are always in at least two boxes (in every puzzle I've seen them used), though a tricky puzzle like this could very well ignore that in the future :)
I was about to comment the same. The rules as written work fine for non-FoW puzzles, because you can see the whole line. In this puzzle, I think it should make it explicit that Region Sum lines need to visit at least two boxes.
Absolutely brilliant concept and execution. Love this puzzle.
I watch your videos before sleeping because they're the only thing interesting enough to keep my attention but low-key enough to relax me and keep me from waking back up if I happen to drift off to sleep!! Discovering your channel has been a real blessing for for an insomniac like me! You're not boring in the slightest ❤
This is the greatest 6x6 sudoku puzzle I’ve ever seen. This ruleset is amazing.
Watched this walk-through specifically to see Simon's face when the rules start going haywire.
Sheer sadistic delight. You can actually see the springs and cogs tumbling out of his ears from the 20-minute mark.
This takes top spot for me as the most beautiful, creative, and fun to solve sudokus of all time! The switcharoo at the end with the lines blew me away!
This is hands down the funniest solve on your channel 😂 What a genious sudoku, I am in awe of the setters. Also, they have the best sense of humour. It's just brilliant how fluidly the rules change as the fog recedes - amazing!
For me, sleep requires two key ingredients: a complex subject explained clearly and a calm, soothing voice. Your videos almost perfectly capture this combination. However, I don’t just watch your videos to fall asleep
They contain just enough mathematics to calm a busy brain. I watch the rest in the morning because some of these puzzles are works of art. Simons' cute mannerisms and his naughty sense of humour also help.
It took me a little longer than Simon to get the first digit, but I was less shocked by the rules changing repeatedly. Simon's reactions to the twists were the best part. Brilliant puzzle and video!
I finished the solve already, but had to come back to watch Simon do the full thing. This is too much fun :)
Same! I'm hoping his reactions validate mine as I progressed through the solve 😂
Commenting 6 minutes in… you’re not boring. I watch before bedtime because that’s when I have time. And when it’s over I’m not ramped up by news or anything I’m relaxed and ready for bed. It’s not a bad look on you. I love your videos.
Easily one of the most fun puzzles I’ve ever seen
If there was a Nobel prize awarded for sudoku setting, this would win it hands down! By far, the most remarkable, enjoyable, and genius puzzle I have seen in my LIFE! Thank you for such a wonderous event! It literally brought a tear to my eye at solves end!
Honestly, this puzzle is my favorite puzzle done on the channel. I never thought you could get better than the Miracle, but here we are. The way that the rules are slowly corrected in ways that logically lead to the next deduction is something I want to do myself, but don't have the experience to do as such. It's built entirely on the adsumption that the rules you have are the correct rules, before it's pulled out from under you like a rug pulled from beneath your feet. I've watched this video, like, 4 times in the last couple days. This is my 5th. I always chuckle on the inside at that first rule change. Please make more of these, Michael and PedalingPianist. I see tons of potential with puzzles like this one. Perhaps you could even add in something that starts claiming it's a yagusan-kagusan or however you spell it, but then something is revealed saying that "actually, this is a Yajilin". Then something could come up that says that some or all clues are lying in some way. As I said, lots of potential.
Holy Cow.
Left me genuinely astonished. Currently at a complete loss for words.
So perfectly executed - any alternate solving route would have led to completely different solutions.
I'm so excited by this - I had the idea of a puzzle like this but with no idea how you would even begin to set it. I'm so glad someone was able to do it so satisfyingly. Well done Karl the Fog!
Incredibly clever, I was grinning while solving it. Kudos to the setters!
I finished in 35:15 minutes. I don't think I've ever been this bullied by a puzzle before. It's absolutely incredible what this puzzle has done. Hats off to the constructors! It's such a cool idea to have a shifting puzzle that changes as you go along. This has to go up there as one of my favorites. Great Puzzle!
Absolutely fell in love with this puzzle with the first digit placed, and it only got better. Perplexing setting skills on display here
This is the most I have laughed while watching a CTC video..this was just super super fun!
Of all the very incredible puzzles and rule sets seen on this channel, this is my absolute favourite! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
I watch these videos before going to sleep - they are CERTAINLY not boring, but rather are a pleasant, calming way to end my day each night. You have a very soothing voice as well! I also enjoy that these videos are not the super-cut rapid-paced content elsewhere on the internet vying for my endless attention
stumbled upon this channel accidentally: was not a sudoku fan previously at all but now i'm absolutely intrigued! thanks for the interesting video!
I’m one digit into the puzzle, but that opening is clever and hilarious.
Revisited this today, 2 weeks after it was released. Absolutely fantastic. It is still my favourite video on the channel. ❤🎉😂
I think this is my favourite puzzle you have done in the past few weeks. Brilliant video and an amazing puzzle.
This puzzle creation is a work of absolute genius
Simon - your voice is calming and reassuring- NOT boring ( as I’m watching this before sleeping and allowing your voice to comfort me and release the stress of the day as I relax and drift into sudoku land where everything makes sense and Simon conquers all the boogey men throwing challenges in his way.)
I suspected the twist with the lines, but that just made it more satisfying when I reached out without assuming! What a wonderful puzzle!
That was such a delightfully fun ride. What a great puzzle! I loved watching that.
I think you would be a fan of Karl, the San Francisco fog, Simon!
They have a really fun instagram
The bio reads “all that is sunny does not glitter, not all those in the fog are lost”
Absolutely my favorite puzzle ive ever solved. It was so fun beginning to end.
39:05: “There's another rule change. Let me fill in some digits based on pencilmarks that may no longer be valid before I read it.” 😣 Luckily, no harm was done.
Scrolled to find this comment. Exactly. As soon as he entered the 5 in box 5, he should have wiped out the 12 in r5c5 because the line could move diagonally into it.
Scrolled to find this comment. Exactly. As soon as he entered the 5 in box 5, he should have wiped out the 12 in r5c5 because the line could move diagonally into it.
This has to be one of the most unique and creative sudoku I've seen in a while. I find it astonishing that it's even possible for this to exist
If, like me, you're one of the many people who initially solved this the way Simon did, leaving all previously entered digits and pencilmarks in the grid as the rules evolved, then I encourage you to go back and try to re-solve it the following way.
If you make a deduction and enter a digit that clears some fog, then this is a confirmed correct digit (since it cleared fog). Colour these "confirmed" digits as you go, so you can track them. Every time the rules change by revealing a speech bubble, *DELETE* everything in the grid except for these confirmed digits! Then proceed with only the previously confirmed digits and the new understanding of the rules.
For instance, the 3 in r3c4, if entered, should be deleted since it didn't clear any extra fog and is therefore not a confirmed correct digit.
Also, when the speech bubble in r6c3-4 is revealed, note that this introducing an ambiguity, and isn't necessarily forcing a switch. Any pencilmarks in r1c1-3, for instance, may or may not be correct, so should be removed.
It's a harder puzzle to solve this way, but your appreciation for it will probably increase. Mine did.
I'm very glad you discovered this solution path! We were very careful to design it such that it can be solved regardless of how vigorously the solver retrospectively deleted previous deductions when rules changed :)
@@ThePedallingPianist @RichSmith77 I think it's more than deleting unconfirmed digits: when we have (falsely) believed the C shaped box, we could either put in the 3 in r3c4 or a 6 in r2c1. Simon found the 3 first. In my first solve, I found the 6 first... ARGH! Then means you can no longer deduce the 3. I think also possible uncover the diagonal rule before dealing with the big (blue) region sum line. Slightly harder solve, but I do admit I went back to explore routes, and all work, and all of course have the mic drop moment of line colour swap.
Astounding, hats off!
I actually first tried it this way and got stuck for about 10 minutes with most of the grid just having 1245 pencil marks. I could not wrap my head around how to proceed so I said to myself let’s first trust the setter that existing pencil marks are still correct and did it like Simon
first time going back to the video after a successful solve just to watch Simons reaction to the puzzle. was not disappointed!
I remember you've done a puzzle like this before, and it was great. The clue that stands out from that puzzle was the "no repeats along the blue line" which looked like a standard diagonal constraint, until you cleared fog and the "diagonals" went a-wandering
The reveal that the line rules were backward, was amazing. Like holey moley how satisfying.
okay, for me that was the coolest puzzle since classic "everything is wrogn". Such a cool idea and execution.
I had an absolute blast solving this one. Literally laughed more and more with each of the hidden messages, this was a piece of art
This is an amazing puzzle! I didn't attempt it myself, just watched the video, but the reveals made me literally laugh out loud. Kudos!
The deduction at 29:45 seemed a bit of a stretch of the rules. At least when I was solving, I didn't interpret the rules as written to mean that region sum lines always have more than one region. We've seen cheeky one-region lines before. After re-reading, I can see that as a possible interpretation, but for a puzzle that depends on a close reading of the rules, it seemed an unsafe assumption. In any case, lovely puzzle, and lovely solve!
I agree, with the amount of trickery often seen in foggy sudoku's it was not all that clear to me either that it had to extend to another cell
Hmm, I guess, but what purpose does a region sum line have if it doesn't visit at least two of them?
@@Zeekfox
shenanigans
Loved this puzzle. So happy I solved it before watching. Was soooo looking forward to see Simon's face when he revealed the first "twist"!
This is one of the most brilliant rules I have seen on a Sudoku. In fact, I am very impressed with this rule set because it has a real world implication. We used to have this fun exercise at work and it involved teaching us a lesson that we shouldn't be limited by available information at the beginning of a project. New information or new rules can develop or become available as time (or project) goes on. And this puzzle totally reminded me of that and I highly recommend this type of puzzle as a learning tool.
This my be my favorite puzzle I’ve seen yet. My gosh.
This is an amazing construction! And I was truly giggling the whole time whenever a rule was changed
The funniest sudoku i ever done. Just awesome!
39:20 - Hahaha - That was brilliant, and VERY original! Loved it!
This is the best puzzle i have ever seen, absolutely briliant! Chapeau bas!
As a bedtime watcher, it's not because it's boring, it's just because the videos are very relaxing! You have a really soothing voice and cadence and it's comfortable to play while I'm getting settled for the night. If it was boring I wouldn't be able to listen, it's explicitly because it's nice that makes it good bedtime watching.
This is probably my favorite application of fog I've ever seen in a puzzle , such an enjoyable and memorable puzzle that more people need to see !
What an absolutely brilliant puzzle. I am in awe, both for the setters and the solver. And, well done Mark for sending this to Simon.
Most brilliant thing I've seen in my life. Have never enjoyed a solve this much before
This puzzle is insanely good! I've never had more fun solving any sudoku. How on earth do you come up with this? Brilliant!
In my opinion the best puzzle ever featured on the channel
39:39 I keep coming back to this. There is a moment in the first "miracle sudoku" when the placing of the threes is like the universe singing to us. I will die on the hill that this moment is equal to that. It's sublime, in the absolute meaning of the word.
This was the most fun I've had in solving a Sudoku in awhile, I'd love to see more puzzles like this!
This is absolutely insane. I have never gotten so excited over a puzzle😂
Very clever and amazing setting. I was enjoying it like a stroll in the park... Unhurried and just enjoying the experience. Thanks for the puzzle!