"One Of The Best Puzzles I Ever Solved": WARNING: VERY Hard!

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ต.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 432

  • @davidenas
    @davidenas 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +825

    Purple water? Grey islands? Relevant comment from Mark on a video a while ago: "I'm not going to make the water cells orange, I'm not Simon."

    • @Vanziethel
      @Vanziethel 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +28

      That sounds hilarious, do you remember the video? I remember the time (or at least one of the times) Simon coloured the water orange, but not that Mark comment.

    • @dontmindme2844
      @dontmindme2844 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +26

      All I know is I wouldn't want to drink the water from Simon's tap!

    • @DekarNL
      @DekarNL 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

      That was some emotion inducing colouring by simon to be fair😂

    • @77kaczka77
      @77kaczka77 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Les Rivières pourpres (2000) after Purple Rain (1984).

    • @davidenas
      @davidenas 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      @@Vanziethel The video title is "Become a Harbor Master with Sudoku Skills!"

  • @hom-sha-bom
    @hom-sha-bom 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +365

    Purple and grey are the most unhinged color choices for water and land.

  • @brobzoid
    @brobzoid 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +424

    "grey is the right colour for an island, not green" an extremely english statement 😅

    • @sonalita_
      @sonalita_ 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      "And did those feet in ancient time
      Walk upon England's mountains GREEN?"
      Green is indeed the correct colour Simon!!!!

    • @stevesebzda570
      @stevesebzda570 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      😂
      He's not so bad with the grey actually.
      Every island popping up thru the sea, is firstly bedrock (including the volcanic islands).
      "Bedrock" I'm tellin' ya.
      Now to deal with the purple or magenta sea all around.
      Lighter than that blue, actually.
      Probably better.
      Funny though 😂

    • @benspringer6880
      @benspringer6880 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Simon will Simon.

  • @Vivisions
    @Vivisions 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +178

    I’m sitting here under a gray palm tree on my little gray island, enjoying the wonderful view of the azure-pink sea and looking forward to a new episode of Cracking the Cryptic.

  • @puritan7473
    @puritan7473 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +160

    I just took an epic 2 1/2 hour journey on a ship. I thought I was promised a relaxing cruise visiting some islands but instead I was in constant awe of the mad genius captain that managed to navigate the toxic waterways using a nearly useless map with most of the information missing. Instead of visiting the islands, he crashed into the rocks 21 times, hitting every possible island and blaming the map each time but at least he only hit each one once!

    • @andy-kg5fb
      @andy-kg5fb 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Underrated comment

    • @stevesebzda570
      @stevesebzda570 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Puritan, and your name is "puritan" like the "pilgrims" who landed at Plymouth rock.
      Cool

  • @drlabos
    @drlabos 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +113

    As an update to the anniversary shoutout, Kelly has agreed to marry me. ❤ Tobi and Kiki are very pleased. Thank you Simon and Mark for highlighting these major milestones in all our lives. Your little sudoku channel means so much to so many.

    • @kamalidimock8726
      @kamalidimock8726 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Congrats!!

    • @wooferzfg
      @wooferzfg 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      congratulations!!

    • @Killrrhubarb
      @Killrrhubarb 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Congrats!

    • @alicehutchings1755
      @alicehutchings1755 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Congratulations 🎉

    • @Anne_Mahoney
      @Anne_Mahoney 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      All congratulations and best wishes!

  • @abcde_5949
    @abcde_5949 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +204

    29:00 Simon is going for this huge deduction why this can't work, while missing the first line of the rules: Water cells must be orthogonally connected. :D

    • @toms7114
      @toms7114 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      This is only true if the loop must be an orthogonal loop and can not transit diagonally, which is not prohibited by the rules. The puzzle breaks if the loop is allowed diagonal traversal though, and as such the rules should be updated for clarity.

    • @crwall05
      @crwall05 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

      @@toms7114 The rule says "All water cells must be orthogonally connected". So what Simon was trying (9 as an island) would not work at all since it forces the 1 water cell to be isolated and keeps it from connecting to any other water orthogonally (regardless of whether the loop can move diagonally or not, which as you mention is not specified.)

    • @blahfasel2000
      @blahfasel2000 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      @@crwall05 Yes, but without the "loop only moves orthogonally" restriction the loop could go diagonally from R8C9 to R7C10 (the "1" clue), which means R8C10 wouldn't have to be island and could serve as a way out for the water.

    • @359Aides
      @359Aides 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@toms7114 while this is true, I'm pretty sure Simon went in with the assumption that the loop was orthogonal (at least in that line of deduction) and probably it was an oversight on the rules. With that in mind it was really a convoluted way of proving it when he could have seen the single isolated water cell he's drawn up in his coloring.

    • @acantilado
      @acantilado 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      @@toms7114not sure what you are talking about. In Simon’s deduction around 29:00 he is ignoring the fact that there is an isolated water cell with no possible orthogonal connection. It has nothing to do with the loop

  • @wooferzfg
    @wooferzfg 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +139

    thank you for solving this one - a wonderful belated birthday present!
    also lovely to see a non-sudoku pencil puzzle on the channel. it would be cool to see more pencil puzzles (ideally far easier than this one!), even if the audience is initially a bit smaller :)

    • @johncox7169
      @johncox7169 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Happy Birthday! :D

    • @davidrattner9
      @davidrattner9 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Just loss for words!! Phenomenal from you!!!

    • @ttto_ok
      @ttto_ok 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      thank you for the ww rando tools :) wild but great to see you also on this channel

    • @McMedicful
      @McMedicful 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Very cool puzzle! Thank you!

    • @njihnjihnjih
      @njihnjihnjih 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Really enjoyed the puzzle \FrankerZ/

  • @neilkightley3451
    @neilkightley3451 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +274

    21:48 Simon: "Grey is the right colour for an island, not green". Proof that Simon is not from planet Earth!

    • @Hetpust
      @Hetpust 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      love that 💯💯💯

    • @martinbull-gundersen8878
      @martinbull-gundersen8878 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      Proves he's not Irish at the very least 😀

    • @WimmekeVL
      @WimmekeVL 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      th-cam.com/video/ZlNh3lXzgvE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=i4Di0mm6Xy1Ut006&t=33

    • @rishinz
      @rishinz 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Grey Britain.

    • @RealNovgorod
      @RealNovgorod 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Britain recently left the Earth Alliance, so that's correct.

  • @maximilianosalvador9559
    @maximilianosalvador9559 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +406

    In what universe is gray the right colour for an island over green?! 😂😂 and purple for water? This is a madman

    •  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      Clearly a madman. Purple water and grey land...

    • @sonalita_
      @sonalita_ 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      @ He's obviously played "No Man's Sky" where it is indeed possible to find planets with purple water and grey land!

    • @inplfw
      @inplfw 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

      He explains it very clearly in no uncertain terms at 21:28

    • @Hetpust
      @Hetpust 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      @@inplfw naaah..... nah!

    • @maxt7449
      @maxt7449 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Came to the comments after 20 minutes to find this comment haha! Very entertaining this is Simon's opinion 😅

  • @enchanter1520
    @enchanter1520 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +57

    Simon always makes jokes about don't talking to him in parties because of what he finds interesting. In that case, I shouldn't even be invited to parties, since I'm sitting here and watching a man solve a puzzle for 3 hours because I find it interesting.

  • @suspicious_door
    @suspicious_door 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +105

    I think I’ve decided that solving this is a great way of avoiding my final exams coming up, wish me luck

    • @longwaytotipperary
      @longwaytotipperary 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Good luck!🍀

    • @srwapo
      @srwapo 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Good luck!

    • @adipy8912
      @adipy8912 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      When I saw your name, I didn't recognize the profile picture, so I went to Defender1031's video about Emoletional Trollercoaster to see if it were the same person and saw that you've changed the picture. It's so cool to see yet another Super Mario Maker 2 creator appearing in CTC's comment section.

  • @RoderickEtheria
    @RoderickEtheria 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +73

    Green is a perfectly reasonable color for an island. If you look at the globe, it is not appearing as purple touching gray, but as blue touching green.

    • @Hetpust
      @Hetpust 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      no it is gray....definitely grey... listen to Simon, he knows.... and purple. for now on.... 😂

    • @michaellautermilch9185
      @michaellautermilch9185 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Simon could sell his own globes.

    • @Andrewcompton22
      @Andrewcompton22 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      unless you're color blind. then your point lands a bit flat. Simon is very color blind friendly

    • @RoderickEtheria
      @RoderickEtheria 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @Andrewcompton22 So a dark green and a light blue, or a light green and a dark blue would still be possible. Even colorblind people can see the difference between lighter and darker.

  • @dty999
    @dty999 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +65

    21:42 "Blue and green. No, that doesn't feel right to me." Madness. Utter madness. In all seriousness, they have much better contrast than purple and grey for us colourblindies. Also... islands are green, and water is blue. smh

    • @phueal
      @phueal 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Out of curiosity how would yellow and blue be? It did occur to me that this could be a desert island…

    • @dty999
      @dty999 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      @@phueal They would be fine too. The yellow and the light green are practically impossible to tell apart. This is for me, of course. Others will differ. But my colour blindness is the most common type.

    • @Tof0986
      @Tof0986 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@phueal Exactly my choice ^^

  • @MrWaffles1030
    @MrWaffles1030 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

    The fact that THAT square of all squares was the final one to be colored is a thing of true beauty. A perfect way for a loop puzzle to go full circle.

  • @馬善萄
    @馬善萄 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +22

    I do dare have a go with this one, and I'm glad that I managed to solve it in 138:42 ! But every single second spending on this is worthy and I can see that every clue is carefully put together and formed a masterpiece! And the most lovely clue imo is the "?" clue in the middle of the top row, which is amazing!

    • @tempota7792
      @tempota7792 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yep, that lonesome ¿sland standing sentinel in that canal lock was also what allowed me to crack this thing wide open as well. But seeing that the 2 loose ends extend out of the core in opposite directions, it became obvious that we needed at least 1 loop back somewhere, and the only way we can double-weave something is to have at least ONE lonely island inside the canal lock! That honestly put the lynchpin in place.

  • @sacredsock8031
    @sacredsock8031 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +79

    Anyone remember the days when Simon used to apologize for a long vid when he was hitting the 45minute mark?

    • @Hetpust
      @Hetpust 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      time just flown by...nah

    • @gredangeo
      @gredangeo 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      We're lucky to see videos shorter than that now.

  • @davidrattner9
    @davidrattner9 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

    Wow...jaw dropping when saw the length. Lets settle in for popcorn and movie night!! Cant wait. 😁

  • @blackjackfitz
    @blackjackfitz 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +35

    What madness is this? Oh I love the long ones, better settle in for this one!

  • @glum_hippo
    @glum_hippo 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    Stonking! Love the long puzzles with unorthodox rule sets. Never be shy to post more of these

  • @Wampoe
    @Wampoe 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    What an extraordinary puzzle! 2h20m of absolute joy to solve this. Without any help of Simon. Thank you for showcasing these to us and a deep bow to the makers!

  • @celestia7411
    @celestia7411 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    Thank you for the birthday shoutout! And a puzzle from my favorite pair of constructors is a nice treat. Though devastated that Simon forgot about me after my puzzle that he featured on the channel in March 2023 !

    • @stevesebzda570
      @stevesebzda570 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Don't feel bad.
      My bday is this week, and I've been here a long time, and I've never asked for a shout out.
      Happy Birthday.

  • @crashtextdummie
    @crashtextdummie 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    It's neat how this puzzle evokes a feeling of going on a journey or an adventure whenever the loop leaves an island to venture into an unmapped strip of water.

  • @sh4dowchas3r
    @sh4dowchas3r 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

    25 mins I'm already yelling at Simon for ignoring the rules. there's a much easier reason for that 1 to not be water, it won't be orthogonally connected to the rest of the water.

  • @emilywilliams3237
    @emilywilliams3237 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    I was intrigued by the shape of the grid, then saw the video length - and even though I don't have time to watch the whole video today, I definitely tuned in for the birthdays and other greetings. I almost never know a soul you're wishing a happy birthday to, but I am always so glad to hear them. I may (or may not) finish watching this video ... in the next day or two!

    • @davidrattner9
      @davidrattner9 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Able to finish the video today. Hope you are to. Simon's bdays and announcements always special for me.

  • @Gonzalo_Garcia_
    @Gonzalo_Garcia_ 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +55

    2h45mins LMAO. And here I was, thinking 'I'll solve today's puzzle quickly and go to bed early'. Yeah I don't think so.

    • @Cpchurch87
      @Cpchurch87 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Knowing some of your exceptional times, I was half expecting to see you’d done this in about 17 minutes 😂 what a tough puzzle. This is a grab some popcorn and watch kind of video

    • @hubertnnn
      @hubertnnn 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I decided to use this video as my go to sleep video (I fell asleep easier when watching something), but its so interesting that it just kept me awake.

    • @mikew6644
      @mikew6644 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Exaaaaaactly my thought

  • @SirJefferE
    @SirJefferE 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    45:46 "how are we ever going to know whether that's an island?"
    If you're Simon, you're going to spend the next two hours solving the puzzle before you can figure it out. If you're a dirty cheater like I am you'll go "If this puzzle has a unique answer, you have to be able to disambiguate that cell. The only possible way to disambiguate that cell is if the island to the left has a numbered size. The only number it can reach is 13, so that island definitely connects to 13, which is also an island."
    I know puzzle creators don't usually intend for uniqueness to be part of the solution, but I just have too much fun using it whenever I can.

    • @stevesebzda570
      @stevesebzda570 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yes, that "?" clue is not going to determine that cell, so it has to turn.
      That cell could never be determined by an unnumbered clue.
      I think that was used nicely.

  • @originalelijah9541
    @originalelijah9541 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Thank you so much for solving. One of the most enjoyable (if not the most enjoyable) solves I’ve watched on the channel!

  • @trancemission5799
    @trancemission5799 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +44

    Blue and Green felt right to me - I will go and sit in the corner. and ask mysef what I was thinking.....

    • @kamalidimock8726
      @kamalidimock8726 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Lol!!!!!!!!

    • @NinjarioPicmin
      @NinjarioPicmin 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      that's trancemission5799 in the corner, losing their religion

    • @kpopthinker3268
      @kpopthinker3268 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      simons complete dismissal of the idea too... like of course, simon, of course that doesnt make any sense...

    • @RichSmith77
      @RichSmith77 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Just Google "Earth Maps" and I'm sure you will be inundated with pink and grey maps...oh, hang on...perhaps if just Google "island maps" and ... no, wait, that's not it. One second...

    • @arlothe_ariel
      @arlothe_ariel 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      blue and green would be great, but even if Simon didn't like that, there still was the option of blue and orange!

  • @JohnDBlue
    @JohnDBlue 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    I think the rules should specify that the loop moves orthogonally between cells - although the example puzzle does seemingly clarify that is the case

  • @berryl9653
    @berryl9653 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    I am so overjoyed that the one cell in the center that got left uncolored at the start was the final cell to eventually be colored in at the end!

    • @JasperJanssen
      @JasperJanssen 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Jeez, spoilers.

  • @BumperChip_
    @BumperChip_ 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    honestly, ive never really known puzzles like these exist until very recently and i have fallen in love! these videos have really taught me a lot. thank you cracking the cryptic!

  • @AndrewMooreMar
    @AndrewMooreMar 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

    At 2:17:00, Simon decides tthe 4 can't be water, because in that case, the two lose ends of the loop would join having two distinct clues. However, I don't see at this point why the lower end couldn't turn left (to a cell that would be island, to avoid a 2x2) and not break. I'm sure there's something that later disproves that path, but I don't see Simon going through that logic at that moment. Is there anything obvious that I'm missing?

    • @DoongXiouHua
      @DoongXiouHua 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Same here. I think Simon got a bit lucky there.

    • @tottle321
      @tottle321 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Darn, noticed this too and was hoping there was something I missed. But it seems like it was indeed a logical misstep and luck that it was the wrong path for other reasons

    • @yapayzeka3183
      @yapayzeka3183 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      yes i did not get that as well, probably the only step simon overlooks something

    • @QonQuest0
      @QonQuest0 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I'm very new to this kind of stuff and i'm not 100% sure i'm making sense, but the top end of the line has to touch the 6 cell island after which it has to touch the question mark below it, which makes the 4 have to be an island, because you can't go from island to island.

    • @madeking4
      @madeking4 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Yeah. There are 2 or 3 reasons I can see at a glance why that breaks, I don't think he saw them and simply didn't consider he could go through the new island.

  • @futurefox128
    @futurefox128 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

    Of course there is no solution. You didn't even find a single digit Simon. :P

  • @brenthooton3412
    @brenthooton3412 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +48

    Simon characterizes this as being not only just "hard," but "VERY hard" (in all caps) and takes two and a half hours to solve it.
    For an average solver like me, that means: "Abandon hope all ye who enter"!
    Or, more likely, "Don't even bother... just sit back and enjoy the show."

    • @lavarel
      @lavarel 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Probably will be the week's project for me.
      Slowly finishing alongside the video,

    • @danielbriggs991
      @danielbriggs991 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Only took me 4:20:09, and some of the sudoku-based puzzles on here take me four times as long they take our associates here in the comments, or I end up unable to finish altogether.

    • @MrBlbll
      @MrBlbll 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      And what a show it was! Wonderful performance, both from solver and puzzlers.

    • @Tof0986
      @Tof0986 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      In fact, it is long, not so hard. I would say I solve 60% of the puzzles of the channel without help, and this one belongs to the 60%.

    • @MattYDdraig
      @MattYDdraig 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Exactly. There's probably one quite difficult deduction to be made, the rest is stamina. Well worth trying.

  • @six_5000
    @six_5000 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    At one point, I fell asleep. When I woke up 20 minutes later, Simon was still working on the same loop section 😂

  • @Mithical9
    @Mithical9 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Usually I'm happy to just watch the omega videos but the high rating enticed me to give it a try. It was a very involved 4 hour endeavor but I did it! The realization of the four 2x2 regions on the perimeter is a big breakthrough moment but it still fights you every step of the way. And then the opening ambiguity being the last thing to resolve is just perfect.

  • @alienrenders
    @alienrenders 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Just under 2h for me. This puzzle is a masterclass in game design implementation. The center section teaches you a bunch of simple and basic techniques on how the puzzle works. Water streams needing a clue before it can go on land. The implications of no 2x2 water blocks. How all cells with digits around an island must be water. And then you get stuck and you have to think about the overall path of the loop in each section. The puzzle just builds on each technique as you make progress. It's really incredible how it was able to accomplish this.

  • @jimi02468
    @jimi02468 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    It's like a puzzle marathon. It took Simon similar amount of time to solve it as it takes many people to run a marathon.

  • @benterra4029
    @benterra4029 12 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    29:47 "But Simon!" I scream, tears streaming down my face "All water cells have to be originally connected!"

  • @Gonzalo_Garcia_
    @Gonzalo_Garcia_ 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Around 2 hours for me. What a brutal puzzle, I can't believe I managed to solve it. I love how you need some different type of logic to break into each corner of the puzzle. Fantastic one!!

  • @turbochrist
    @turbochrist 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Water clue
    Couldn't escape if I wanted to
    Water clue
    Knowing my fate is to connect the loop
    Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Water clue
    Finally facing my Water clue

    • @myrtinyrtti
      @myrtinyrtti 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      🤣🤣

  • @angec9908
    @angec9908 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    “How do I think about this in a way that is sensible?” Sorry Simon, but “sensible” went out the door when you decided water is best represented by purple and land was best represented by gray.

  • @iuriikononenko9238
    @iuriikononenko9238 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    why there is no statement in the rules regarding the diagonal potency of the loop?

  • @skosichm
    @skosichm 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Just got to watch this yesterday and today. I was enthralled. Kudos to Simon for sticking to such discipline with logic no matter how tired he was getting. And for such great positivity the whole of the nearly 3 hours. I felt committed to stay with you the whole way.
    Shame you couldn’t hear me at the end of the video (for several obvious reasons 😂), but I was feverishly pointing at the 10 island that had 11 grey cells. Just one switch to purple and you were done! And to be clear I would have made a mess of this on my own, and I have learned a TON from you about constructing logic around puzzling. Thank you!

  • @johnharriman85
    @johnharriman85 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    This puzzle fits on a go board, which makes me very happy.

  • @kayleighlehrman9566
    @kayleighlehrman9566 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    "Do have a go!" he says, with another two and a half hours left in the video

    • @michaelmatter1222
      @michaelmatter1222 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I think he meant GO to the kitchen to get popcorn and lemonade (or other yummy drink)

  • @vertaz47
    @vertaz47 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I eventually solved this over the course of several days and found it surprisingly approachable. Extremely satisfying for all these small deductions to build on each other to finally complete the whole thing.

    • @tempota7792
      @tempota7792 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Same here. 41 hours myself.

  • @tempota7792
    @tempota7792 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Only took me 41 bloody hours, but I actually managed to do it.
    Simon's 9-1 disambiguation start, and my own recognition the the line must loop back thru 1 of the 4 locks, and that the North lock must be the place, helped me to crack this kracken. Very glad I persisted and dug 95% of this out by myself.

  • @valkopuhelin2581
    @valkopuhelin2581 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What a great puzzle! The rules just play so well together with the loop and colors pushing forward together and independently. Wow.

  • @rossmcguinn2256
    @rossmcguinn2256 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    I haven't watched yet, but after the example puzzle, I was positive Simon would use proper coloring for water and islands. After scrolling down and reading the comments, all hope was lost.

  • @sh4dowchas3r
    @sh4dowchas3r 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    ah now we know where Simon went on holiday with the colour scheme, it was the Rift Valley where the Flamingoes hang out.

  • @МихаилСвятловский
    @МихаилСвятловский 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Well I risked some hours of my free time and procrastinated somewhat, but I am so proud I finally did it! Thanks for featuring

  • @ianoz1
    @ianoz1 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Can't pat myself on the back for this one... made progress, then hit a logic wall... watched Simon up to where I got & moved forward. 17 walls later, I got there, then realised I had a 2x2 in r/c 13/14. D'oh! Amazing puzzle. Really glad I attempted it.

  • @samspackman8750
    @samspackman8750 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This was scintillating from beginning to end. What a marvel! Great solve Simon!!!

  • @jbruuuu
    @jbruuuu 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I really liked that the very final cell to be coloured is exactly opposite the first cell you are able to colour and start the puzzle with.

  • @calculatrguy
    @calculatrguy 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    This requires so much concentration, I thought at one point the water was connected which led me down a rabbit hole

    • @stevesebzda570
      @stevesebzda570 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      The water is connected (whether there's a loop line is to be determined).
      That almost tricked me, too.

  • @roccov3614
    @roccov3614 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Crazy that I'm trying this. Making some progress when I realized that the way I'm doing it, the line would have to eventually pass by the outside of one of the 4 areas which is impossible because of the 2x2 water rule. Might have to restart taking more care.
    Edit: I think I figured it out. There is a clue at the top of the puzzle that could be a 1 sized island and let the loop pass twice. That will make the loop I'm seeing possible.

  • @lisannesibma
    @lisannesibma 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What a lovely puzzle, some beautiful pieces of logic in there! Although the video is very long, there was a really nice flow in it, making it not unpleasant to watch, although I did put it on 1,5 times speed, which I normally don't do for this channel. Very grateful that you showed us this puzzle Simon, thanks to you and the setters!

  • @michaelhtritter
    @michaelhtritter 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    2:44:25 Grateful and glad, indeed. I broke up watching this over 3 sessions across 3 days, and was always anticipatory to get back to it and see its evolution. Brilliant construction and solve. Enjoyed this immensely.

  • @angec9908
    @angec9908 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +29

    Only Simon would use purple to represent water and gray to represent land. 😂

    • @Hetpust
      @Hetpust 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      can't you see it? it is obvious

    • @zmaj12321
      @zmaj12321 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Duh, the ocean is made out of strawberry lemonade

  • @Twiztedgoalie
    @Twiztedgoalie 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Orange or yellow are perfectly good island colors. They can be desert islands. Then you get blue water

  • @dennisvandok4238
    @dennisvandok4238 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Normally I would not dare try a puzzle that is ranked 'very hard' and takes Simon over two hours to solve (taken by the lenght of the video). But as soon as the solve started, I realised that I might actually be able to do it. Somehow I find this much easier than Sudoku! Still took me three hours but I never felt that I got stuck. Thank you for this excellent and very enjoyable puzzle.

  • @juliedaigle6762
    @juliedaigle6762 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Wow, what generosity, Simon, to give 2:45 of your day for a solver's birthday and your viewers enjoyment. Thanks, I am in awe.

  • @tehhamstah
    @tehhamstah 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This puzzle made you fight hard for every single deduction. Amazing.

  • @mahmoudabdelghany7112
    @mahmoudabdelghany7112 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Keeptng track of the connectivity and getting cues out of that.. brilliant setting!.. a very fitting Saturday puzzle haha

  • @sudahmakan9083
    @sudahmakan9083 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Uhhh... i put over 36 hours into this puzzle, and the link doesnt work anymore!! 😭😭😭 halp, please!
    The tiny url still works, but i am so sad!

    • @tempota7792
      @tempota7792 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Oy, that's tragic. I put 41 hours off and on in this myself.

    • @sudahmakan9083
      @sudahmakan9083 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@tempota7792don't give up! I just finished it! My final time was 156 hours or 6.5 days, but I did it! Im so proud of myself! What a great puzzle!

  • @megaclpb2623
    @megaclpb2623 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    48:34 I love it when it's possible to use the fact that a puzzle only has one solution to solve the puzzle

  • @crazypantaloons
    @crazypantaloons 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    blue water, greed island, yellow outline of island for sand, red loop (preferrably dotted)

  • @DekarNL
    @DekarNL 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I love how this video is 3 hours and I fell asleep after 3 minutes😊

  • @MaierFlorian
    @MaierFlorian 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    Fascinating puzzle (which I defenitely couldn't do on my own...) - but I have one question: where in the rules is exactly stated that the loop has to move orthogonally? "through the center of cells" can also be achieved by diagonal movement, can't it?

    • @pascal6871
      @pascal6871 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      You are right, the rules don't say that. Standard loop rules do say orthogonal which is why Simon thankfully didn't consider it because the puzzle clearly wouldn't be solveable

    • @JasperJanssen
      @JasperJanssen 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Hell, even by knights move, technically?

  • @fatemehpezhman
    @fatemehpezhman 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    by just looking at the time, I knew this was going to be a brilliant puzzle!! and truly it was.

  • @dimitrosskrippka2154
    @dimitrosskrippka2154 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What a puzzle, its so cool trying to deduce something while watching Simon solving

  • @wowitscoldout1119
    @wowitscoldout1119 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    TWO HOURS FORTY FIVE MINUTES YEAAAAHHHHH‼️‼️‼️‼️

  • @msgeryjo
    @msgeryjo 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    A Simon video is never too long. It pleasurably postpones all the dreary chores (and work) I have to do, love the long ones. Amazing how much angst there is in the comments about the color choices. What cracked me up is that I am sure he has done puzzles in the past that used blue and green. The leopard can indeed change his shorts.

  • @MattYDdraig
    @MattYDdraig 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    69:34
    This was an absolute magnum opus of a puzzle. Some incredible logical steps, some beautiful twists, and the lovely way that singular cell in the central area resisted completion until everything else was finished.
    I've not done a lot of nurikabe before but I doubt I'll see many better in the future.

  • @alextheshycat
    @alextheshycat 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    8 seconds ago holyyyy. and almost three hours long! it's going to be a blast!

  • @mwoody_
    @mwoody_ 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    One of my favourites that you've showcased on the channel

  • @Zeher-vy2xo
    @Zeher-vy2xo 23 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I think this is the first time I ever saw how to start a puzzle before Simon did!

  • @princessbenny9909
    @princessbenny9909 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    So I recognized the name wooferzlg, and it’s cause he developed the Windwaker Randomizer Tracker (Windwaker is a Zelda game set in the great sea dotted with islands) which seems fitting with this puzzle, don’t think it’s a coincidence!

  • @michaurbanski5961
    @michaurbanski5961 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Do the rules specify the loop can't go diagonally?

  • @RecreationallyCynical
    @RecreationallyCynical 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    One idea for the solution checker is to have the solver put into the cells that the loop visits (that don't have numbers already) the lengths of the runs in water cells and the sizes of the islands in island cells; if a number is more than 9 use the ones digit. For example, a run of 12 water cells, followed by a 4-large island, followed by 3 water cells, followed by a 5-large island would have "2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 3 3 3 5" in the cells on that part of the loop. Cells the loop doesn't visit are left blank.
    More formally:
    For each cell that the loop visits that is either blank or has a question mark (ie, no given digits):
    - if the cell is water put the length of that run of water cells
    - if the cell is land put the size of the island
    If the number is larger than 9 put only the ones digit

  • @jamiebakri4744
    @jamiebakri4744 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    "Green isn't right for an island, Grey is". Possibly the most British thing I've ever heard

  • @SamAHill
    @SamAHill 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I was daunted at first, and I felt no shame doing this puzzle along with Simon, but it was incredibly fun all the same, and I did catch a few things before Simon did for which I was rather proud. :) It's the sort of hard puzzle where you can steadily make progress once you get the hang of it. I rather wish I had another puzzle of this same sort I could apply my skills too…
    Anyway, thank you so much, Simon!

  • @travisporco
    @travisporco 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I know it would be rough to do a mega solve like this every time, but thanks for taking on the heavies now and again!

  • @pirukiddingme1908
    @pirukiddingme1908 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    “Do have a go” I think I’m more likely to beat Usain Bolt over 100 metres than solve this in less than a week so I’ll just leave it for Simon lol

  • @HalcyonAcorn
    @HalcyonAcorn 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Alright folks! Get out the popcorn and a couple bottles of wine 🤣 fantastic job Simon!! I really don’t care about the length, I love watching and listening to you solve!

  • @sjm6280
    @sjm6280 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    At 2:16:55, why does he say those loop segments must join? That situation can be proven wrong because there wouldn't be enough clues for islands or water segments, but Simon discards that alternative without those considerations

  • @ChrisLonner
    @ChrisLonner 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Great solve. Really long, but great solve !!! Did I miss something, or is there anything in the rules that prevents the loop from moving diagonally from cell to cell?

  • @mritty115
    @mritty115 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    2:17:00 "And therefore that closes the loop". Why? Why does Simon conclude at that point that the 'bottom' piece of loop *must* continue upwards and not into the land he just put into R16C14?

    • @AnteroPedro
      @AnteroPedro 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Because that cell would need to connect to the “?” clue that later proved to be water. And as the loop crosses there, it wouldn’t cross the land slightly upwars with the “?”. It wouldn’t have space to go up without crossing the (later) water “?” twice.

  • @anaayoung9142
    @anaayoung9142 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Lord of the Rings extended version! You are super right. I was very entertained and we have a super satisfying ending when you happily painted the last cell in gray!! 🎉

  • @abj136
    @abj136 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Really enjoyed figuring out the crux of this puzzle!

  • @FreakzWasTaken
    @FreakzWasTaken 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    How incredible that the area colored at this point in the puzzle (1:17:20) is forming an arrow that points towards the topside canal.

  • @ServantOfSatania
    @ServantOfSatania 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    123:15 For me, what a beautiful (and absolutely humongous!) puzzle with some absolute gems of deduction! I can tell the constructors were giggling with glee when they put in that cheeky 13 clue

  • @JasperJanssen
    @JasperJanssen 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    “That is hugely powerful, but it still hasn’t done anything”, Simon says directly after filling a dozen or two cells. If your only definition of “done anything” is “can’t have to look twice to find the next step”, that seems like a huge recipe for frustration, especially if you’re doing difficult puzzles.
    (I mean, I guess he enjoys frustration, that’s definitely a thing, but still.)

  • @TheMaskedDonut
    @TheMaskedDonut 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is a nightmarish good time! Great solve!

  • @AndyStarr0
    @AndyStarr0 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    a nearly 3-hour video? hell yes guess i know what i'm doing this evening

  • @AugustoValentini
    @AugustoValentini 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    After all these years watching CtC and seeing Simon menting uniqueness I want to see a puzzle where one of the explicit rules is "there is one and only one solution to the puzzle" and where it is necessary at some point during the solve.

    • @drlabos
      @drlabos 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      There was one like that maybe a year ago but I sadly don’t remember the name. It was all about showing how uniqueness works.

    • @studgerbil9081
      @studgerbil9081 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Both Mark and Simon have stated that they run the puzzles though testers to ensure that a puzzle has a unique solution, but that they cannot use that knowledge alone to disambiguate a specific cell or group of cells; but they must use logic from the rules and clues to do so, the point being that if they cannot do that, then there can be no unique solution based on the rules and clues provided. They honestly have to go into every solve without the knowledge that the puzzle is unique. It's tough to do that.
      What helps we the viewers is that a puzzle without a unique solution based on the rules and clues will not be shown on this channel. It is a failed puzzle unless the setter specifically states that the puzzle has two solutions (I think I recall one that was specifically set that way).

    • @kevinbrownsword9558
      @kevinbrownsword9558 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@studgerbil9081there were a few with different difficulties based on the digit the user puts in a cell. So they had 3 different valid solutions

  • @jkid1134
    @jkid1134 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    When you didn't immediately start talking about ports and maritime routes and Marco Polo and such, I knew this would be an epic battle of Simon vs puzzle. (your water and islands look quite British, I must say) (also thank you for solving this cool puzzle for me sir)

  • @80fajoogaloo80
    @80fajoogaloo80 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This was a super fun puzzle! I'm still amazed about how powerful the question mark clues were. Haven't started the video yet, but I'm excited to see how long it takes for Simon to realize the loop must go in and out of the channel at the top of the grid. It seemed impossible to break into the puzzle before making that somewhat meta deduction :)