The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[sudokumaestro]

Sudokus are not about "number values" , it is all about a geometric positioning. Hence this technique.
Within the cosmos of sudokus you will find three levels, and when you've reached the smallest squares (cells), it is there that dottin expands your perception, much like a fractal.
Dottin takes the solver to the micro-level and the patterns created are easily recognizable.
A beginner may use it to ease the path of discovery and a master may use it to "read" the patterns of possibilities.
Dottin has a magic of it's own and by the nature of continuing the pattern of nines through the cells, it expands your vision.
If you are like me, you are a traditionalist (no freaking computer programs nor on-line puzzles).
Just the brain the puzzle and the pen, that is all that is needed.

Dottin can be used with any other technique, dottin creates patterns of recognition.
Once you've started thinking in DOTS, you'll never go back.

try it
http://sudokusolvingsys.blogspot.com/

[Luke]

Cool. I always wanted to use "multyponumerographic" in a sentence .

[everett]

I write in numbers for candidates, but I position them in the cell in the dot-in pattern you use. So all little nines go in the lower right of the cell, all little fives in the centre and so on. That definitely speeds up pattern recognition for me (compared to having little sequential lists of candidates in each cell).

It also allows for doing a first round of scanning filling in bilocations and trilocations in the boxes (which can aid in scanning and lead to solving cells through later elimination). If you just have two twos in a box, for instance, they are to be read not as candidates, but as the only options for twos in that box.

Later, if and when it becomes necessary to fill in candidates, you can still do so, and the numbers are never in each other's way or out of order because each number has its designated spot within the cell.

Just how I do it... I enjoyed the coincidence of reading about your system which is substantially the same if I understood it correctly.

[sudokumaestro]

OK, I have tried numbers, but in most puzzles there isn't enough room for them all. Meanwhile dots always fit the cell.
Furthermore, you can easily write the solved number over the dots.
To the initiate this transition may be tedious.
I still believe it worth your while, why?
Because dottin (with the added locked cells technique) will eventually, provide a quick way to scan over all the possibilities within the puzzle.
Anyways this has been my personal experience and it would be interesting to hear from folks out there. after they had tried it for a reasonable amount of time.
Thinking in dots has a unique synergy !?..
I believe that there are patterns to discover within the dots, more research is definitely needed.