The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[JasonLion-Admin]

SudoCue is a freeware sudoku generator, helper and solver for the Windows platform. (requires version 2 of the .Net Framework)

{ broken link to image = www.sudokuvault.com/images/sudocue310.png }

The latest release 3.1.0 (final) is available since August 22, 2007.

The installer can be found if you follow this { broken link = www.sudokuvault.com/SudoCueV310.msi }

Update Jan 2013: Working download sites are becoming rare. You can download a copy of 3.2.0 from here. JasonLion

To see what has changed, read the release notes

This is the only program that fully supports these variations with the full suite of solving techniques:
- Sudoku-X (diagonals)
- Windoku (NRC)
- Windoku-X
- Disjoint Groups (DG)
- Center Dot
- Asterisk
- Clover
- Clover-X

Puzzles can be entered in many ways:
- Opening Sudoku puzzle files (.ss, .sdk, .sdx, .sdm, .sds, .txt) see my page on file formats.
- paste puzzles from this forum (copy also possible)
- drag & drop puzzle files or strings into the program
- copy pencilmark grid, copy image
- manual entry, download daily puzzles from several popular websites.
- random puzzle generator - user selected symmetry and difficulty

Among the tools are:
- 2 modes: setup, play - 2 colored pens.
- undo & redo
- erase pen 2
- confirm pen 2
- Focus on a digit
- Filter on single digit, groups of digits or pairs.
- Show cross-hatching for a digit
- Coloring (cells) with 14 different colors in the palette.
- Pencilmarks (dots or small numbers)
- Coloring of candidates (ultracoloring)
- Peer view show only pencilmarks for the selected cell, and highlights its peers.
- Links - show small arrows for all strong links
- Interactive solver log (with automatic coloring)
- hints, vague hints, step solve, show solution, techniques analyzer
- recalculate pencilmarks, solve from here
- Transpose grid in Row+Number (RN) and Column+Number (CN) view.

User configurable solving techniques include:
- easy to spot: full house, last digit, mixed single, unlocked single
- basics: singles, locked candidates (5 different types)
- naked and hidden pairs, triples and quads
- Remote Pairs
- X-Wing, Swordfish and Jellyfish, including Finned and Sashimi varieties
- XY-Wing, XYZ wing, Aligned Pairs
- Skyscraper & 2-string kite
- Empty Rectangles (ER)
- Sue de Coq
- single and multi-coloring
- XY-Chains
- advanced 3D Medusa coloring
- Almost Locked Sets (ALS) xz rule.
- Uniqueness Tests 1 through 4 (also for variants!)
- BUG+1
- Nishio (Templates)
- brute-force solver (dancing links)

Manipulate puzzles with these tools:
- Scramble
- Canonicalize
- Optimize

As of version 3.0.0, you can create and maintain collections with the program. New features include:
- Canonicalize file
- Batch rate a file
- Append puzzles from another file, or use "paste append"

The user interface can be customized to your personal taste:
- Change the colors for digits, pencilmarks and background
- Choose one of 5 different sizes
- Choose one of 10 different skins
- Compact mode removes title bar and menu bar

And all of that completely free!

Feedback will be appreciated. Many of you have contributed to the program.

Enjoy,
Ruud

(this post is updated with the latest release info)

[Finlip]

sounded like a very good software

downloaded a 522 kb file named sudocuev141 from my slow compie at home and it required something else to be downloaded

maybe i'll get some help here

tried joining another forum to get help but it didn't accept the confirmation code.

[daj95376]

Ruud forgot to mention that his solver only runs under the Windows .NET environment.

[Ruud]

The relevance of these last two messages escapes me. [Edited: Refers to two posts that have just been deleted, Luna]

Back on topic: The original post does mention the .Net FrameWork. I also have a topic near the beginning of the online user guide explaining why this framework is required and what it does.

Ruud

[Ruud]

I just released SudoCue version 1.5.0. As I state on my website, this release is a Must Have.

There have been many changes since the last version I posted on this forum, so you might be interested in a (free) upgrade to the latest version.

The following changes are most noticable:

The solver is completely rewritten. The 20+ techniques have been split into 40+ separate techniques. e.g. naked subsets has been split into naked pairs, triples and quads. Coloring has been split into simple coloring eliminations (color trap), self-contradicting chains (color wrap) and multi coloring (color wing). You can enable or disable each of these tricks, and reorder them according to your personal preference. You can even add a personal touch to the score that will be calculated for each trick.

The outlandisch, but interesting analysis of "traveling pairs" by Timothy Hamilton, which has been further developed into "braid analysis" by David P Bird in this thread requires a lot of administration before you can make any deductions. This administrative task can now be done by the program.

SudoCue now supports 3 popular sudoku variations:
- Sudoku-X (for those who like to shop in Diagon Alley)
- Windoku (a.k.a NRC-Sudoku, with 4 extra box constraints)
- Disjoint Groups sudoku (DG)

(for killers, jigsaws, and jigsaw killers, you can use SumoCue)

Choose your own cell naming format. If you prefer J9 to r9c9, just change the naming format, and the new coordinates will be shown on screen and every hint will use this naming format.

The solver has learned many new techniques. The most recent additions are XY-Chains and Aligned Pair Exclusions. All techniques are also adapted to be used in the 3 supported variations. A 42 cell BUG+1 is an amazing sight, but not uncommon in Windoku.

Thanks to the feedback of many users, the user interface has been improved a lot. There are now people who actually like it.

For more information, check this link: www.sudocue.net/releasenotes.php You can also download the program from the same page.

Enjoy,

Ruud

[Finlip]

I wonder if I'll be able to carry the .NET framework home on a 32 mb pendrive and then install it there. I'd rather check out the site instead.

I wonder if it would be a nice idea to release a version which doesn't require the .NET framework.

[Finlip]

I was able to take the software and install it elsewhere but at home, it required Windows Installer 3.0 I hope someday I'll be able to play Sudocue at home. This really looks like a good program.

[Ruud]

Forum visitors must have guessed that I was working on something big.

The new version of SudoCue has so many improvements, that I decided to call it version 2. Learning advanced solving techniques has never been easier than with the great new candidate highlighting. Colors show exactly which candidates form a pattern, and which candidates are eliminated as a result. In addition, the affected houses are also colored, placing the solving step into the right context.

You can select fresh new styles for the user interface. Like a wooden style or marble? Prefer metal to parchment? Try all 8 of them.

Grid size now has 5 predefined settings. This had to be done to fit in the candidate highlighting, but it has the additional advantage that all screen elements (fonts, buttons, cell markings) are better synchronized. No need to try and find a font that fits into the cell size you entered.

3D Medusa coloring expands the power of coloring to multiple digits. 4 new tricks were added to the solver using this power.

Enjoy the new version, and feedback is appreciated as usual.

For more information and download, see the release notes.

Ruud

[Finlip]

I really think you have a bunch of great programs, Rudd. Sadly, I've not been able to check them out and have to do with Simple Sudoku. Maybe your programs will run when I finally upgrade my computer.

Anyway, I've been enjoying the other stuffs on your website on a regular basis.

Congratulations on doing such a great job.

[emm]

This looks like a terrific programme, Ruud. I need to get .NET too before I can download it.

I luurrved the Crossword Killer. I wondered if with words, you could be sure there was just one answer, but it worked out OK, so I guess I have the correct solution.

[Ruud]

I need to get .NET too before I can download it.

Yes. You need to install .NET once. If you are running XP, you should already have it on your computer.

I luurrved the Crossword Killer. I wondered if with words, you could be sure there was just one answer, but it worked out OK, so I guess I have the correct solution.

When I create these puzzles, I collect all words that can be made from these 9 letters from the Internet Anagram Server. Using this set of words, the puzzles have a unique solution.

I posted a second Crossword Killer on my website. I was not thinking of you when I came up with the 9 letter word.

cheers,
Ruud

[emm]

How about the 5 letter word?

[Ruud]

Definitely!

Did you solve it already?

[emm]

Yeah. Are you surprised?

I solved it yesterday and I bet some others did too, to check out the 9 and 5 letter words.

[Jon]

Interesting

Here is a link to a free sudoku solver. No need to download and install anything. All you need is your browser. You'll see, it is very easy to use and very fast. It will also tell you if there are more than one solution for your sudoku.

Here is the link: Good Camel's Sudoku Solver!

Happy Sudoku