1.53.0
2023-09-25
A bunch of small improvements. The main changes:
- An improvement to the Spotlight feature. If there are any squares where the spotlight value is the only candidate value, these are shown highlighted as single cases, even if there are other squares in the same row or column which also have the value as a candidate.
- The option to show inverted combinations now takes effect whenever a sum value is tapped twice, even if two blocks are not present. Previously, the combinations were only shown inverted if there were two blocks, when double tap also inverts the selection.
- Improvements to the way the difficulty of newly-generated puzzles is estimated for cases involving expert complexity.
- Fixes for a number of small anomalies.
- Further improvements to help explanations.
1.52.1
2023-08-18
A new feature makes it possible to delete combinations individually. This is especially useful for solving large puzzles! Also in this version:
- The general settings are now split over two pages, instead of having all settings on one long page.
- 8x8 puzzles are generated faster, with less load on the battery.
- The puzzle generator observes the difficulty weighting more closely for all puzzle sizes up to 8x8.
- Small cosmetic improvements.
- Version 1.52.1 also includes a fix for the suspected cause of a small number of crashes in 1.52.0.
1.52.0
2023-08-15
A new feature makes it possible to delete combinations individually. This is especially useful for solving large puzzles! Also in this version:
- The general settings are now split over two pages, instead of having all settings on one long page.
- 8x8 puzzles are generated faster, with less load on the battery.
- The puzzle generator observes the difficulty weighting more closely for all puzzle sizes up to 8x8.
- Small cosmetic improvements.
1.51.1
2023-07-16
Enhancements to the spotlight feature and fixes for some reported issues. The changes in detail:
- The spotlight feature now supports three modes of highlighting, which can be selected in the settings. The default mode makes it much easier to spot when a value only occurs once in a row or column. Another new mode highlights paired values too, which advanced players may find particularly helpful.
- Fix for an issue where tap gestures were not aligning correctly with app content. This was happening when resuming play if the app had previously been put in the background while an overlay sheet was showing.
- Fix for an isolated crash that was reported as happening when a puzzle was paused.
- Other cosmetic improvements.
- Version 1.51.1 also includes a fix for help explanations not showing properly (especially on iPad).
The advanced solving technique that uses paired values is explained in more detail in the FAQ at the support site (section Settings). A link to the FAQ can be found by tapping the info symbol below the main menu of the app.
1.51.0
2023-07-10
Enhancements to the spotlight feature and fixes for some reported issues. The changes in detail:
- The spotlight feature now supports three modes of highlighting, which can be selected in the settings. The default mode makes it much easier to spot when a value only occurs once in a row or column. Another new mode highlights paired values too, which advanced players may find particularly helpful.
- Fix for an issue where tap gestures were not aligning correctly with app content. This was happening when resuming play if the app had previously been put in the background while an overlay sheet was showing.
- Fix for an isolated crash that was reported as happening when a puzzle was paused.
- Other cosmetic improvements.
The advanced solving technique that uses paired values is explained in more detail in the FAQ at the support site (section Settings). A link to the FAQ can be found by tapping the info symbol below the main menu of the app.
1.50.0
2023-06-13
Celebrating 50 releases of Sumaddle! This 50th release includes two new categories of puzzle packs, each with 3 brand-new packs. The Challenge Trail also has a new look and there are a few naming changes. The changes in detail:
- New puzzle packs: new categories added for Quirky and Scary puzzles, each with 3 new packs. The Quirky packs contain out-of-the-ordinary puzzles, the Scary packs are aimed at skilled players and include a pack of premium 9x9 puzzles.
- A new kind of selector is used for switching between the categories of puzzle packs and the contents of the packs are described in more detail.
- Challenge Trail makeover: this section of the app has a new look, more consistent with the woodland themes used elsewhere in the app. There is also better support for dark mode.
- Naming changes: the section Puzzle Sets is now called Puzzle Packs, the section Random Play is now called Puzzle Generator.
- Also included: a fix to the way the next puzzle is selected in the puzzle packs, to avoid going back to skipped puzzles after the app is restarted; a fix to prevent the puzzle generator from occasionally whirring forever; corrections and improvements to the help explanations.
1.49.1
2023-05-15
Improvements to the built-in puzzle generator. The Random Play puzzle generator now generates puzzles that are more fiendish than ever (play modes Advanced and Expert). Improvements have also been made to the help explanations.
Version 1.49.1 is a patch update to 1.49.0 which includes a fix for an issue with the help. The help was occasionally not able to show the next step for puzzles generated in Random Play using expert mode.
1.49.0
2023-05-14
Improvements to the built-in puzzle generator. The Random Play puzzle generator now generates puzzles that are more fiendish than ever (play modes Advanced and Expert). Improvements have also been made to the help explanations.
1.48.0
2023-04-17
Improvements to the built-in puzzle generator and other small enhancements. The changes in detail:
- New logic has been added to the Random Play puzzle generator. This makes it possible for puzzles generated in Expert play mode to be harder than ever!
- Improvements to the way the difficulty rating is estimated for puzzles generated by the puzzle generator in Random Play.
- When the help is used to fix mistakes and the option to clear the puzzle is selected, an “are you sure?” popup is now shown. This is to help prevent the puzzle from being cleared accidentally.
- Items in a popup menu are easier to select: blank space next to an item is also sensitive to tapping.
- A fix for the wrong list of leaderboard entries sometimes being shown when switching between the current and previous Random Play leaderboards around the time of the daily leaderboard reset.
- A fix for double-tap value elimination when used on the last free square of a multiple selection. Previously, double-tap wasn’t working in this case.
- Improvements to help explanations.
1.47.1
2023-03-26
Some small improvements in connection with the new way of displaying leaderboards that was introduced in 1.47.0.
- A fix for the wrong leaderboard sometimes being shown when switching between leaderboards.
- When a leaderboard is viewed on a narrow device, long player names can wrap over two lines if they need to.
- Improvements to animations and transitions.
1.47.0
2023-03-18
A new way of displaying the leaderboards, no more penalties when help is used for Easy puzzles and some scoring tweaks. The changes in detail:
- There is no longer any penalty for using the built-in help with Easy puzzles, no matter how much the help is used. This is aimed at giving better support to new players who are just learning how to solve the puzzles.
- Some small tweaks have been made to the scoring. In particular, 8x8 puzzles now score more points.
- When the option to view a leaderboard is selected from an Options menu, or when the points for a completed puzzle are tapped, the leaderboard is shown in a new way.
Some of the benefits of the new leaderboard display style are:
- it is expected to work more reliably
- dark and light display modes are respected in the normal way
- on narrow screens, player names are not truncated
- it resolves an issue being seen on iPads where a leaderboard was sometimes showing as dark text on a dark background
- it is quick and easy to switch between different leaderboards (just tap the leaderboard picture).
The standard Game Center display style is still used when viewing the leaderboards via the Game Center dashboard, reached by tapping the player symbol on the menu page. For players who prefer the standard leaderboard display style at all times, an option in the Sumaddle app settings makes it possible to restore the previous leaderboard display style.
1.46.1
2023-03-10
A new spotlight feature for highlighting numbers and improved 9x9 puzzle generation. All changes in detail:
- The new number spotlight feature makes it quick and easy to highlight numbers of the same value. The How To Use and Tips sections of the introduction have been updated to show how the feature works.
- 9x9 puzzles are now generated faster and the puzzles are more likely to involve advanced or expert complexity, when generated at these levels.
- An issue has been fixed where the finish button would sometimes turn active while there will still squares with pencil markings, even though not all blocks had been placed.
Version 1.46.1 is a patch update that adds a setting to allow the spotlight buttons to be turned off, for the benefit of players who do not require the new functionality.
1.46.0
2023-03-06
A new spotlight feature for highlighting numbers and improved 9x9 puzzle generation. All changes in detail:
- The new number spotlight feature makes it quick and easy to highlight numbers of the same value. The How To Use and Tips sections of the introduction have been updated to show how the feature works.
- 9x9 puzzles are now generated faster and the puzzles are more likely to involve advanced or expert complexity, when generated at these levels.
- An issue has been fixed where the finish button would sometimes turn active while there will still squares with pencil markings, even though not all blocks had been placed.
1.45.2
2023-02-27
The puzzle generator built into the app can now generate 9x9 puzzles! Other functional improvements are also included. The changes in detail:
- The Advanced and Expert modes of Random Play now support generation of 9x9 puzzles. 9x9 puzzles can also be launched from any play mode when the option to select the size of the next puzzle is enabled in the Random Play settings. The free preview of Random Play has been supplemented with some examples of 9x9 puzzles.
- When puzzles are generated with hidden sum values, the difficulty weighting selected in the settings is now observed more closely.
- Empty squares have a slightly darker appearance than squares with numbers. This gives a clearer distinction between squares where it is known that a number will appear and squares where a block might still be possible. It also helps to make pencil mode easier to use.
- A new app setting makes it possible to disable Game Center completely. The app settings can be found in the section Sumaddle of the device settings.
- The screens for the in-app settings have been de-cluttered by moving additional information into info items which are collapsed by default.
- More improvements to help explanations.
Version 1.45.2 is a patch release to fix a small issue where candidate values that had already been eliminated were sometimes re-appearing when a combination was applied to a multi-select selection.
1.45.1
2023-02-23
The puzzle generator built into the app can now generate 9x9 puzzles! Other functional improvements are also included. The changes in detail:
- The Advanced and Expert modes of Random Play now support generation of 9x9 puzzles. 9x9 puzzles can also be launched from any play mode when the option to select the size of the next puzzle is enabled in the Random Play settings. The free preview of Random Play has been supplemented with some examples of 9x9 puzzles.
- When puzzles are generated with hidden sum values, the difficulty weighting selected in the settings is now observed more closely.
- Empty squares have a slightly darker appearance than squares with numbers. This gives a clearer distinction between squares where it is known that a number will appear and squares where a block might still be possible. It also helps to make pencil mode easier to use.
- A new app setting makes it possible to disable Game Center completely. The app settings can be found in the section Sumaddle of the device settings.
- The screens for the in-app settings have been de-cluttered by moving additional information into info items which are collapsed by default.
- More improvements to help explanations.
Some small usability issues were being encountered in version 1.45.0. When a square was tapped, it would sometimes lose focus immediately, which meant it had to be tapped again to be selected. Selection of squares by swiping was also not always working correctly. These problems are fixed in patch version 1.45.1.
1.45.0
2023-02-21
The puzzle generator built into the app can now generate 9x9 puzzles! Other functional improvements are also included. The changes in detail:
- The Advanced and Expert modes of Random Play now support generation of 9x9 puzzles. 9x9 puzzles can also be launched from any play mode when the option to select the size of the next puzzle is enabled in the Random Play settings. The free preview of Random Play has been supplemented with some examples of 9x9 puzzles.
- When puzzles are generated with hidden sum values, the difficulty weighting selected in the settings is now observed more closely.
- Empty squares have a slightly darker appearance than squares with numbers. This gives a clearer distinction between squares where it is known that a number will appear and squares where a block might still be possible. It also helps to make pencil mode easier to use.
- A new app setting makes it possible to disable Game Center completely. The app settings can be found in the section Sumaddle of the device settings.
- The screens for the in-app settings have been de-cluttered by moving additional information into info items which are collapsed by default.
- More improvements to help explanations.
1.44.1
2023-02-08
Sound effects and haptics have been added!
Version 1.44.1 includes a fix for a small issue found in 1.44.0. The issue concerns the setting of a combination of numbers on a group of squares that have been selected together (multi-select). Occasionally, candidate numbers were being set that were not valid.
1.44.0
2023-02-06
Sound effects and haptics have been added!
1.43.0
2023-01-15
A return to the regular look following the Holiday Special edition. The extra set of puzzles is still included and can be played until the end of January.
Also in this version:
- New logic has been built into the puzzle generator. This may be used when puzzles are generated at Expert skill level in Random Play. Puzzles that involve the new logic can be harder than ever!
- Some improvements to the way that operations are performed on a group of squares that have been selected together. This applies when the squares between two blocks are selected, either by tapping the sum value or by swiping, or when this selection is inverted by tapping the sum value again.
- More improvements to the help explanations.
1.42.0 (Holiday Special)
2022-12-21
A special edition, featuring an additional free set of puzzles. The extra set is a hand-picked selection of puzzles with a twist, including a rare example of a 9x9 puzzle. We hope players will enjoy straining their brains with the special puzzles during the holiday period!
Also in this version:
- full support for Split View on iPad
- tweaks to the scoring: difficult and very-difficult 8x8 puzzles score slightly more points than previously
- the feedback shown when help is used is more sympathetic!
1.41.0
2022-11-23
A new setting for showing just the combinations with the right number of values and some re-factoring to help improve stability.
1.40.0
2022-11-02
Some small enhancements:
- In the previous release, a way to invert a selection was introduced (please see the previous release notes for details). To complement this feature, a new setting makes it possible to show the sum combinations in inverted form too.
- After playing a puzzle in the section Puzzle Sets, the overview of puzzles now brings the puzzle just played into view automatically. Previously, it was sometimes necessary to scroll down to find the puzzle just played.
- Also included: an attempted fix for occasional crashes that have been reported as happening on iPhones running iOS 16.
1.39.1
2022-10-14
Added another way to play faster and more contextual information for Random Play puzzles. The changes in detail:
- Players will already be familiar with the technique of tapping a sum value to select the squares between two blocks. A second tap now inverts the selection and selects the squares outside the blocks. This makes it possible to apply updates to all the squares outside the blocks simultaneously, in the same way as it works for the squares between the blocks when these are selected together.
- In Random Play, the mode used to generate a puzzle is shown on the outcome page.
Version 1.39.1 is a patch update to version 1.39.0, with a fix for a small issue concerning the new inverted selection. This was not working correctly when an inverted selection was applied to a row with a single square between the blocks.
1.39.0
2022-10-13
Added another way to play faster and more contextual information for Random Play puzzles. The changes in detail:
- Players will already be familiar with the technique of tapping a sum value to select the squares between two blocks. A second tap now inverts the selection and selects the squares outside the blocks. This makes it possible to apply updates to all the squares outside the blocks simultaneously, in the same way as it works for the squares between the blocks when these are selected together.
- In Random Play, the mode used to generate a puzzle is shown on the outcome page.
1.38.0
2022-10-01
Some small corrections and enhancements. The changes in detail:
- The page showing the outcome of a puzzle now includes summary information to describe the puzzle just played (this is shown at the top).
- In the performance analysis, the analysis at group level now shows the average points for the puzzles in a group, instead of the total points.
- Long help explanations can now be scrolled. This ensures that the explanations are able to fit within the display space available.
- In Random Play, when the setting for selecting the size of the next puzzle has been turned on, a new option lets players choose to see the outcome page of the previous puzzle when Random Play is first launched. This makes it possible to select the size of the first new puzzle to be generated.
- Also included: some cosmetic improvements, a fix to the way the candidate values for empty puzzle squares are determined and more corrections to the help explanations.