Thanks Mike for a challenging variant using Ruud's original cage pattern. Maybe the A35 thread on Ruud's site was so short because nd posted a short walkthrough for it within hours of the puzzle appearing. That's probably why I never posted my walkthrough which had 48 steps although the first 18 of those were Prelims for 2-cell cages.
Maybe I was too much influenced by the SS score but for some time I resisted using steps 17 and 21 until I found that the only alternatives I could see were harder techniques.
Here is my walkthrough for A35 V1.5.
Prelims
a) R1C12 = {29/38/47/56}, no 1
b) R1C56 = {13}
c) R2C23 = {29/38/47/56}, no 1
d) R3C34 = {59/68}
e) R4C45 = {16/25/34}, no 7,8,9
f) R45C9 = {17/26/35}, no 4,8,9
g) R56C1 = {59/68}
h) R5C56 = {89}
i) R56C8 = {49/58/67}, no 1,2,3
j) R6C67 = {17/26/35}, no 4,8,9
k) R67C9 = {29/38/47/56}, no 1
l) R7C56 = {59/68}
m) R7C78 = {19/28/37/46}, no 5
n) R8C34 = {29/38/47/56}, no 1
o) R8C56 = {15/24}
p) R8C89 = {18/27/36/45}, no 9
q) R9C45 = {19/28/37/46}, no 5
r) R9C89 = {18/27/36/45}, no 9
s) 19(3) cage at R1C3 = {289/379/469/478/568}, no 1
t) 10(3) cage at R2C1 = {127/136/145/235}, no 8,9
u) 20(3) cage at R2C5 = {389/479/569/578}, no 1,2
v) 11(3) cage at R3C5 = {128/137/146/236/245}, no 9
w) 10(3) cage at R6C2 = {127/136/145/235}, no 8,9
Steps resulting from Prelims
1a. Naked pair {13} in R1C56, locked for R1 and N2, clean-up: no 8 in R1C12
1b. Naked pair {89} in R5C56, locked for R5 and N5, clean-up: no 5,6 in R6C1, no 4,5 in R6C8
1c. R8C89 = {18/27/36} (cannot be {45} which clashes with R8C56), no 4,5
2. 45 rule on C12 2 outies R29C3 = 7 = {25/34}/[61], no 7,8,9, no 6 in R9C3, clean-up: no 2,3,4 in R2C2
3. 45 rule on C89 2 outies R17C7 = 12 = [48/57/84/93], no 1,2,6, no 7 in R1C7, no 9 in R7C7, clean-up: no 1,4,8,9 in R7C8
4. 9 in N9 only in R7C9 + R89C7
4a. 45 rule on N9 3 innies R7C9 + R89C7 = 17 = {179/269/359}, no 4,8, clean-up: no 3,7 in R6C9
5. 45 rule on N9 1 innie R7C9 = 1 outie R9C6 + 1, no 3,7,9 in R9C6
6. 45 rule on C2 3 innies R129C2 = 21 = {489/579/678}, no 1,2,3, clean-up: no 9 in R1C1
7. 45 rule on R89 1 innie R8C2 = 1 outie R7C1 + 2, no 6,7,8,9 in R7C1, no 1,2 in R8C2
7a. 10(3) cage at R6C2 = {127/136/145/235}
7b. 7 of {127} must be in R8C2 -> no 7 in R67C2
8. 45 rule on R12 1 outie R3C9 = 2 innies R2C18 + 2
8a. Min R2C18 = 3 -> min R3C9 = 5
8b. Max R2C18 = 7, no 7,8,9 in R2C18
9. 1 in R2 only in R2C189
9a. 45 rule on R2 4 innies R2C1489 = 14 = {1238/1247/1256/1346}, no 9
10. 45 rule on R8 3 innies R8C127 = 19 = {379/469/478/568} (cannot be {289} because R8C2 only contains 3,4,5,6,7), no 1,2
11. 45 rule on C1234 2 innies R49C4 = 1 outie R6C5 + 3, IOU no 3 in R9C4, clean-up: no 7 in R9C5
11a. 7 in N8 only in R789C4, locked for C4
12. 45 rule on N5 2 innies R46C6 = 9 = {27/36}/[45], no 1, no 5 in R4C6, clean-up: no 7 in R6C7
13. 11(3) cage at R3C5 = {236/245}, no 7,8, clean-up: no 2 in R6C6 (step 12), no 6 in R6C7
13a. 3 of {236} must be in R4C6 -> no 6 in R4C6, clean-up: no 3 in R6C6 (step 12), no 5 in R6C7
13b. 7 in N5 only in R6C56, locked for R6, clean-up: no 6 in R5C8
14. 45 rule on N5 2 outies R3C56 = 1 innie R6C6 +2, IOU no 2 in R3C5
14a. 11(3) cage at R3C5 (step 13) = {236/245}
14b. 2 in 11(3) cage only in R34C6, locked for C6, clean-up: no 4 in R8C5, no 3 in R7C9 (step 5), clean-up: no 8 in R6C9
14c. 6 of {236} must be in R3C5 -> no 6 in R3C6
[At this stage I spotted the interesting
Hidden grouped killer pair 8,9 in R2C56, R5C56 and R7C56 (plus others in C56) for C56, R5C56 contains both of 8,9, R7C56 contains one of 8,9 -> R2C56 cannot contain both of 8,9 -> no 3 in R2C7.
I didn’t use it because the SS score suggests there must be an easier way. Also eliminating 3 from R2C7 doesn’t achieve much at this stage.]
15. Killer pair 5,6 in R3C34 and R3C56, locked for R3
16. 45 rule on R1 3(2+1) outies R2C4 + R23C9 = 16, min R2C4 = 2 -> max R23C9 = 14, no 7,8 in R2C9
[Alternatively Min R1C789 = 13 (cannot be {245/246} which clash with R1C12) -> max R23C9 = 14, no 7,8 in R2C9.]
17. R7C56 = {59/68}, R8C56 = {15}/[24] -> combined cage R78C56 = {59}[24]/{68/15}/{68}[24]
17a. R9C45 = [19/73/91] (cannot be {28/46} which clash with combined cage R78C56), no 2,4,6,8
18. 45 rule on N8 3 innies R78C4 + R9C6 = 15 = {159/168/249/357} (cannot be {258/456} which clash with R8C56, cannot be {267/348} which clash with R78C56)
18a. 4 of {249} must be in R9C6 -> no 4 in R78C4, clean-up: no 7 in R8C3
19. 4 in N8 only in R89C6, locked for C6, clean-up: no 5 in R6C6 (step 12), no 3 in R6C7
19a. 11(3) cage at R3C5 (step 13) = {236/245}
19b. 4 of {245} must be in R3C5 -> no 5 in R3C5
20. 12(3) cage in N5 = {147/156/345} (cannot be {237} which clashes with R4C6, cannot be {246} which clashes with R46C6), no 2
20a. 2 in N5 only in R4C456, locked for R4, clean-up: no 6 in R5C9
21. R8C56 = {15}[24], R8C89 = {18/27/36} -> combined cage R8C5689 = {15}{27}/{15}{36}/[24]{18}/[24]{36}
21a. R8C127 (step 10) = {379/469/478} (cannot be {568} which clashes with R8C5689), no 5, clean-up: no 3 in R7C1 (step 7)
21b. R8C34 = {29/38/56} (cannot be [47] which clashes with R8C127), no 4,7
22. 45 rule on C1234 3 outies R469C5 = 14 = {149/239/356} (cannot be {167} which clashes with R6C6, cannot be {257} because R9C5 only contains 1,3,9, cannot be {347} = [473] which clashes with 12(3) cage = {14}7), no 7
23. R6C6 = 7 (hidden single in N6), R6C7 = 1, clean-up: no 7 in R45C9
24. R2C5 = 7 (hidden single in C5), clean-up: no 4 in R2C3
24a. 20(3) cage at R2C5 = {479/578}, no 3,6
24b. 4 of {479} must be in R2C7 -> no 9 in R2C7
25. R7C9 + R89C7 (step 4a) = {269/359}, no 7, clean-up: no 4 in R6C9, no 6 in R9C6 (step 5)
25a. R67C9 = {29} (cannot be {56} which clashes with R45C9), locked for C9, clean-up: no 6 in R4C9, no 7 in R8C8, no 4,5 in R9C6 (step 5), no 7 in R9C8
25b. Naked pair {35} in R45C9, locked for C9 and N6, clean-up: no 8 in R6C8, no 6 in R8C8, no 4,6 in R9C8
25c. 8 in N6 only in R4C78, locked for R4
26. 12(3) cage in N5 (step 20) = {156/345}, 5 locked for N5, clean-up: no 2 in R4C45
27. R4C6 = 2 (hidden single in N4), R3C6 = 5, R3C5 = 4 (step 13), clean-up: no 9 in R3C34, no 3 in R4C4, no 9 in R7C5, no 1 in R8C5
[I could have got R4C6 after step 23 using R46C6 = 9.]
28. Naked pair {68} in R3C34, locked for R3 -> R3C9 = 7, clean-up: no 2 in R8C8, no 2 in R9C8
29. Naked pair {89} in R25C6, locked for C6 -> R7C6 = 6, R7C5 = 8, R5C56 = [98], R2C6 = 9, R2C7 = 4 (step 24a), R9C6 = 1, R7C9 = 2 (step 5), R6C9 = 9, R6C1 = 8, R5C1 = 6, R6C8 = 6, R5C8 = 7, R45C7 = [82], R3C7 = 3 (cage sum), R7C8 = 3, R7C7 = 7, R1C7 = 5 (step 3), R1C56 = [13], R9C5 = 3, R9C4 = 7, R4C5 = 6, R4C4 = 1, R6C5 = 5, R8C56 = [24], R4C8 = 4, clean-up: no 6 in R1C2, no 2 in R2C3, no 3,5,8,9 in R8C3, no 9 in R8C4, no 6 in R8C9, no 8 in R9C8, no 6,8 in R9C9
30. R8C34 = [65], R3C34 = [86], R7C4 = 9, R89C7 = [96], R9C89 = [54], R9C3 = 2, R9C12 = [98], clean-up: no 5 in R2C2, no 3 in R2C3, no 4 in R7C1 (step 7)
and the rest is naked singles.