Field Research
(Published on 11. December 2024, 00:10 by ChinStrap)
For my first fog puzzle I thought I'd try the new dynamic fog out. Many thanks to gdc for advice on cosmetics and to gdc and marty_sears for testing.
Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Dynamic Fog: The grid is covered in fog. Placing a correct digit in a cell lifts fog in that cell and possibly other cells; revealing new clues.
Index Lines: On an index line, the digit in the Nth cell along the line (starting from the diamond) indicates the position along the line where the digit N appears. Eg: 3214 would be a valid line with 3 as the diamond; the 1st digit, 3, indicates that the 3rd cell contains a 1, the 2nd cell a 2, and so on.
Inequality signs point to the smaller of the two digits. Digits separated by a white dot are consecutive. Digits separated by an X sum to 10. Not all such symbols are necessarily given.
All feedback (positive or critical) appreciated!
Solution code: Row 1 from left to right (9 digits)
Comments
on 30. December 2024, 10:10 by wuc
Awesome puzzle that deserves a much higher rating. Very rewarding fair deductions. Great fun to solve thx.
on 29. December 2024, 23:54 by novato
Absolutely spectacular puzzle - harder than a 3 star for me but so rewarding to get those fog clears.
on 11. December 2024, 21:52 by PuzzlePatzer
You got me in the middle (no details to avoid spoilers) but that was a very enjoyable and satisfying puzzle. Thank you for sharing!
on 11. December 2024, 15:30 by Snookerfan
Very nice puzzle with some lovely steps! Thank you
on 11. December 2024, 09:32 by rudaass
I learned something new about the index line thanks to this puzzle, so I am double greateful for it :)
on 11. December 2024, 07:12 by gdc
Very nice use of dynamic fog. The timing and amount of the fog clearance felt intuitive and rewarding.
on 11. December 2024, 05:35 by antiknight
An incredibly clever puzzle with cool interactions and a brilliant ending!
on 11. December 2024, 03:36 by ViKingPrime
Quite the tricksome little puzzle. Nice one!
on 11. December 2024, 01:04 by sujoyku
I agree with everything that Marty said. Fantastic puzzle! For me, it rather felt like 3 stars difficulty, but who cares anyhow? Thank you for setting and sharing this delightful challenge, ChinStrap!
on 11. December 2024, 00:21 by marty_sears
Another fantastic index line puzzle from Chinstrap, and my favourite execution of dynamic fog that I've seen so far. This flowed so smoothly and was an excellent difficulty level for me. Lots of brilliant design choices about where and when to reveal fog led to lots of nice cheeky little moments that made me smile. R9C3 was particularly pleasing :)
