Skip to content
Sudominos

What's New

Stay updated with the latest features, improvements, and changes to Sudominos.

Results Button UI Improvements

We’ve improved the results button user experience with better positioning and polished animations.

What’s improved:

  • Better Layout: Results button moved into the normal document flow for more reliable positioning
  • Smooth Animations: Toast notifications now fade out smoothly instead of disappearing abruptly
  • Improved Styling: Button styling is more consistent with the overall design
  • Better Functionality: Fixed edge cases where the button didn’t work as expected
  • Cleaner Code: Removed unused code and improved UI alignment

These changes make interacting with the completion screen feel smoother and more polished.

Physics-Based Falling Dominos on Game Over

We’ve added a fun visual effect when you run out of lives - your dominos now fall with realistic physics!

What’s new:

  • Realistic Physics: Dominos tumble and rotate naturally using physics simulation
  • Visual Feedback: Each domino falls at a slightly different time for a cascading effect
  • Satisfying Animation: The falling effect provides clear visual feedback that the game has ended
  • Smooth Transitions: The animation flows seamlessly into the game over screen

This small touch makes the game over experience more engaging and provides clear visual feedback when you’ve used all your lives.

Improved Game Over Share Text

We’ve updated how the game over share text looks to make it clearer and more visually distinctive.

What’s improved:

  • Clear Game Over Indicator: Now uses ❌ (red X) emoji instead of flag padding
  • Better Visual Communication: The red X immediately signals that you didn’t complete the puzzle
  • Consistent Formatting: Maintains the same clean layout as successful completions
  • Social Media Ready: Looks great when shared on Twitter, Bluesky, and other platforms

This makes it easier for others to see at a glance whether you completed the puzzle or ran out of lives when you share your results.

iPhone Dynamic Island Compatibility

If you’re playing on an iPhone 14 Pro or newer, the game now properly accounts for the Dynamic Island to ensure the header is always visible.

What’s improved:

  • Safe Area Support: Header now uses safe-area-inset to avoid the Dynamic Island
  • No More Obscured Logo: The Sudominos logo stays fully visible on all iPhone models
  • Better iPhone Experience: Properly respects all iPhone notch and Dynamic Island configurations
  • Consistent Layout: Header maintains proper spacing across all devices

This ensures everyone gets the best experience regardless of which iPhone model they’re using.

Improved Game Cards Display

We’ve redesigned how game cards are displayed to provide a cleaner and more intuitive browsing experience.

What’s improved:

  • Better Card Layout: Refactored the game cards display system for improved visual hierarchy
  • Enhanced Readability: Cards now present information more clearly and consistently
  • Smoother Experience: Optimized rendering and layout calculations for better performance
  • More Polished Look: Refined spacing and alignment for a more professional appearance

These changes make it easier to browse and select puzzles, contributing to an overall more pleasant user experience when navigating the game.

Lives System Enhancements

We’ve significantly enhanced the lives system to make the game more enjoyable and informative while you play.

What’s improved:

  • More Lives: Increased from 3 to 5 mistakes before game over, making the game more forgiving
  • Visual Lives Display: Hearts now appear above the game board showing your remaining lives
  • Elapsed Time Tracking: See how long you’ve been working on the puzzle with a real-time timer
  • Better Progress Saving: Your lives and elapsed time are now automatically saved as you play
  • Improved Layout: Hearts and timer are neatly displayed in a clean, left-aligned header above the game

These changes make it easier to learn the game and give you more room to experiment with different strategies without immediately losing your progress.

Fixed Progress Saving Bug

We’ve fixed a critical bug that was affecting the game’s progress saving system.

What was fixed:

  • Clean Progress Saves: Only correct domino placements are now saved to your progress
  • No More Phantom Errors: Previously, incorrect placements would persist after page refresh
  • Proper State Restoration: Your game now restores exactly as it should, with only valid moves in place
  • Better Game Flow: You can refresh the page without worrying about corrupted game state

This fix ensures that when you return to the game, you’ll always see a clean board with only your correctly placed dominoes, making for a much more reliable playing experience.

Carousel Navigation Enhancements

We’ve made several improvements to the carousel that displays previous puzzles, making it easier and more intuitive to browse.

What’s improved:

  • Mouse Drag Support: You can now drag the carousel with your mouse on desktop, not just on touch devices
  • Hidden Scrollbar: Cleaner appearance with the scrollbar hidden while maintaining scroll functionality
  • Better Card Snapping: Cards now snap precisely to their positions - first card left-aligned, last card right-aligned, middle cards centered
  • Enhanced Peek Effect: Optimized card sizing and spacing to show just the right amount of adjacent cards
  • Improved Card Width: Cards are now 90% width with proper padding for a better visual balance

These refinements make browsing past puzzles feel smoother and more natural, whether you’re using a mouse or touch input.

Fixed Domino Drag Hitbox

We’ve fixed an issue that made dragging dominoes feel imprecise. The drag hitbox now matches the actual domino shape instead of including the drop shadow area.

What was fixed:

  • Precise Dragging: The clickable/draggable area now matches exactly what you see on screen
  • No More Ghost Dragging: You can no longer start dragging from seemingly empty space around the domino
  • Better Feel: The game now responds more intuitively to your touch or mouse input

This small but important fix makes the game feel more polished and responsive, especially on mobile devices where precision is crucial.

Better Error Messages for Rule Violations

We’ve enhanced the game’s error messaging system to provide more helpful feedback when you’re stuck. The game now prioritizes showing Sudoku rule violations over generic “no place for” messages.

What changed:

  • Smarter Error Detection: The game now identifies and highlights specific rule violations (duplicate numbers in rows, columns, or boxes)
  • Clearer Feedback: You’ll see more specific error messages that point directly to the problem
  • Better Learning: These improved messages help you understand what went wrong and learn the game mechanics faster

This update makes it easier to identify and fix mistakes, especially for players who are still learning the game’s unique combination of Sudoku and domino placement rules.

Comprehensive Offline Caching System

We’re excited to announce that Sudominos now works offline! We’ve implemented a comprehensive offline caching system that allows you to continue playing even when you lose your internet connection.

What’s new:

  • Service Worker Caching: Static assets (game files, images, scripts) are automatically cached for offline use
  • LocalStorage Puzzle Cache: Today’s puzzle is saved locally so you can continue playing offline
  • Offline Detection: The game automatically detects when you’re offline and shows helpful messages
  • Smart Error Handling: Clear feedback when trying to load past puzzles while offline

This means you can start playing your daily puzzle with an internet connection, and then continue playing even if you go offline during your commute or lose connectivity. The game seamlessly handles offline scenarios while respecting your privacy preferences.

Enhanced Share Text Format

We’ve updated the puzzle completion share text to be more readable and visually appealing when you share your results on social media.

What’s improved:

  • Stopwatch Emoji: Your completion time now displays with a ⏱️ emoji for visual clarity
  • Better Layout: Time is now shown above the domino symbols for improved readability
  • Consistent Padding: Share text is padded to 12 symbols for a cleaner look
  • Simplified URL: Removed “.com” from the share text to make it more concise

These changes make your shared results look better on Twitter, Bluesky, and other social platforms where you want to show off your solving skills!

Puzzle Complete Screen Improvements

We’ve refreshed the puzzle completion screen to make celebrating your wins even more enjoyable!

What’s new:

  • Cleaner Design: Removed line dividers for a more modern, streamlined look
  • Softer Visual Elements: Updated the logo with a softer border for a more polished appearance
  • Seasonal Logo Support: The game now supports seasonal variations like our festive Christmas logo
  • Better Visual Hierarchy: Improved layout makes it easier to see your time and share your results

The puzzle completion screen is where you celebrate your success, and we wanted to make sure it looks great and feels rewarding. These visual improvements set the stage for future seasonal themes and special events!