Comment by pompomsheep

Just a vote since I'm seeing a lot of anti-timer sentiment: I like the timer because it creates a conclusive way for the game to end, and causes me to spend a lot less time on the game, I imagine. But I also think it makes sense to have a non-timer mode. It would also be cool to have like 3 shuffles that you are allowed to use. As an exit to the non-timer mode, I think it would be fine to have an "I give up " button.

This is not a game for me - I don’t enjoy scrambled letter games in the first place, and I don’t really respond to time pressure in games. That said, I don’t think you should change it. It’s conceptually clear as it is, and adding a forgiving mode would just make it wishy washy. The simplicity is appealing and it doesn’t have to be for everyone!

Shared this with my co-workers and they all immediately found it incredibly addictive.

Be careful about applying all these complaints and suggestions. Most people here aren’t game designers.

What you have is quite successful (timer, losing, red countdown at 10 seconds, etc.). Unusually so. Too many changes could ruin it.

I suggest real testing with players of any tweaks, or having a completely separate mode where you test something more casual.

Otherwise touch nothing about the current game and give it time to gain popularity.

I like the time pressure. Maybe add a wildcard type of a button that shuffles the letters for me so I see the pattern better. Still hard but gives a life line or an illusion anyway

Complete gut reaction to your first question, my preference would be two fold: 1. An option to start the game in timeless mode 2. When I fail a word, prior to showing me the word, give me the option to enter timeless mode for the rest of the run, such that it doesn't ruin the current round, and that run is now excluded

As for the second, that's more suggestive and I don't care as much either way. Personally me for me I've just been going down the archive trying each day. I enjoy competitive games, so once I miss a word I don't have much interest in continuing on.

I’d prefer a timer, but when it runs out of time, you just don’t get credit for the word.

You click next and it goes to the next word.

I don’t want hints but I can see how others might want that. But you still don’t get credit for hints. Or it shows “x hints used”

Final score can show that you got the first N words in <30s (as it is now), and you can have other stats:

* Total number of consecutive words (even if over time)

* Total number of words

* total words <30 seconds

* Plus whatever hint based metrics you want

If you're not set on a "survival mode" design, could you design it as counting up instead of counting down? And maybe showing a "par" time, that way players can opt into the challenge vs. just a morning brainteaser.

I'm totally fine with the way it works, because, well, it's a game, losing should be losing. I mean, I kinda want to continue, but I'm glad I'm not allowed to. I didn't make it. There will be another chance tomorrow.

But I'd like to propose allowing keyboard input. Losing because of your mouse skills in a pattern recognition game is annoying.

1. keep the timer counting up

2. add a multiplier depending on the number of seconds until solved. [30s / [taken]s = score

    eg.: 10s solution gives x3 score 
         30s = 1 score (1x1)
         40s = 0.75
         60s 0.5

3. add button to give up

Really Fun Game 1. for the version without a timer, i would suggest hints not a skip. Maybe a letter placed in the right order in the blocks to guide the player 2. Get a final score but not out of 18. Make it out of 100 and adjust the weighting of the scores by the length and difficulty of the word

For me the timer makes the game. Most popular word games have no timer stress so it makes it unique, versus just "Boggle but one word at a time".

I would like the option to continue when you miss a word, but I also like the "miss a word and it's over" nature for the actual daily game.

You're not going to please everyone here. You might simply need to let the player pick a difficulty level, for example:

- Relaxed - No timer, keep going when you miss / Hurried - Timer, keep going when you miss / Rush - Timer, stops when you miss (default daily)

I think you really have something here! I love word games, and a new one that I would play daily doesn't come along often. Nice job!

I am someone that generally is not a fan of timers in my games, but this one was not very restrictive and the punishment for failing it was minor (missing that question instead of ending the game).

So I would say No to #1 and yes to #2.

Careful taking advice from nerds over-complicating things, it's beautiful as-is. Maybe have it be 7s per letter instead of a fixed 30s.

Someone replied with "survival mode" which is a great way to phrase it.

Maybe a few different modes? How many can you get out of 18, how long can you last (unlimited), and just a chilled relaxed mode.

I would like a chance to play a puzzle I failed on to just practice what comes next. I don't need rewards or anything after the initial fail.

Fun game, thanks for sharing!

A button to jumble the letters would be nice too.

I like the timed version, but would like to be able to just miss the word and get moved to the next one with a final score out of 18.

I also like some of the comments about the non-timed version to just chill and play without stress. Having a back catalog of timer-less puzzles would be a fun way to use my brain and kill some time.

Hey! The game is awesome.

Instead of just revealing letters when completely stuck, it would be cool to get a hint showing where or how the word is used.

Also, on completion or failure, instead of immediately loading the next challenge, it would be great to have an option to 'learn more' about the word and its usage. It would be amazing for learning new words, and you can just add a 'next' button for those who want to keep playing!

In my dream version of this:

a) the timer would be cumulative, so that solving the early words faster gives more time for the harder words,

b) going negative wouldn't end the game, it would just turn the time red or something, with the goal being to finish all of the words with the highest time-remaining possible, rather than just to win/lose.

I'm fine with the timer if at least the game isn't stopped after a fail.

Just reduce the final score, as someone else here also suggested, but I'd like to at least always get to try all 18 words.

I think I'd like a hybrid. The timer + when it expires it reveals the 1st letter, resets, then the 2nd letter, etc. Might be nice to be able to reset the time by tapping/clicking it too if you feel you just need a bit more time but aren't ready for a hint.

Nice game!

I don't think you need any non-timer version. The archive is there for people to play more.

Some suggestions people have made around being able to shuffle or place letters - maybe. But the game is pretty perfect as it is.

I'm timer-ambivalent--at the very least, I'd like to be able to continue through the sequence after getting stumped on one.

Maybe distinguish perfect/timely runs with the "trophy" you mention, or a "rank" from a scale (Bracket City's [0] "offices in a hypothetical city government" scale is cute). Or even a simple daily score. But I prefer to complete the daily puzzle even if I don't do it perfectly—and I find that "streak" oddly motivating despite myself. I dunno: "completed" and "completed perfectly" are two different flavors of reinforcement, both motivating.

As it is now, it feels like the game is punishing me for getting stuck on a single early puzzle, by withholding the other X puzzles in the set. And I feel like a consequence is that the game doesn't have a fixed "serving size" in my mind: it's either a 30-second single-clue game, or a 9-minute 18-clue game, and I don't know going in whether I'm getting the single cracker or the full afternoon tea today. I have to make 9 minutes of potential time for it, but I might only get 30 seconds of fun if I screw up.

As to your question 1), I'd like to see two things:

* A "shuffle" button. Often rearranging the letters helps me see it. I feel like I should be able to hit shuffle as much as I want with no cost in terms of the game mechanic--kind of analogous to playing with my (physical) Scrabble tiles.

* As far as a more helpful/"costly" chickening-out for when you're stumped and ready to give up... With Bracket City fresh on my mind, I like their approach with a single, progressive "help" mechanic. Hit it once, you get the first letter; hit it again, you reveal the full word and move right on (at some cost to your score, but blunting the disappointment by immediately giving you the fresh energy of the next clue).

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43160542

First, this is fantastic! Really fun.

I really like everyone's idea of finding some way of letting the player play all 18 words. Either count up time, and use total time as the score (while allowing pausing). Or else just count the total score at the end, and if someone fails a word it's reduced from the score. So you got 16/18 word or something.

As someone who definitely gets worked up when there’s a timer (still got all 18; top 1% really? Might be good to show a rough number of total players), I don’t really get it without a timer.

I am with the people asking for a scramble/ shuffle button. I have to do anagrams all the time in cryptic crosswords and sometimes it requires seeing things in a totally different order to unlock the answer.

1. I'd prefer to reveal letters ... each press of the hint button reveals the position of one random letter.

2. I don't have a preference.

Very cool and well done.

It's really good, love it!

My vote would be no countdown, but you could have a hidden timer and use that for ranking at the end, so that there's still and incentive to think fast.

If you can have infinite time on each turn, then I think hints may not be as required.

The timer seems essential to the gameplay. If I can’t get the word in thirty seconds, I lose. That’s how word games with hourglasses worked in board boxes for years. The scoring system is fine. This is a tightly designed game and it would be less enjoyable if it catered to any other needs than went into its design.

1. You can have a button for both.

2. Yes

3. I got stuck and couldn't get past RILGUN -- it'd be nice to know what the word you were going for actually was.

I like the timer but just give the option - play with timer (pro), play without timer (relax). split the results as well.

1. Yes, hints, like maybe the position of a random letter, then another, etc. The game could allow you to "buy" more letters with your existing score (and maybe an initial amount: everyone starts at, say, 36?)

2. Yes being able to continue would be great, it's frustrating that the game just stops.

Great work anyway!

Many option to have a set time (best if selectable, 30, 45, 60 - hard/med/easy) per word, and a set time per game - 6, 8, 10 (hard/med/easy) minutes

The timer is OK, IMHO, but longer words should give you more time to guess. Makes little sense to give people 30 seconds to guess both a four-letter and a seven-letter word.

That would also let you scale to any arbitrary word length.

Nice! It felt fun and frictionless.

I'd keep the timer but make it an hour. I like its simplicity; I'd keep it without hints.

> 2. For those who like the timed version would you prefer to continue when you miss a word and then get a final score out of 18?

Absolutely, I had to reopen it a bunch of times in incognito to make it to the end xD

Very fun!

We should let players choose their own timer from default to # minutes or no rewards for correct answers.

I'd like more common words?

"Baith" is incredibly esoteric.

Keep the timer, but after 30 seconds, deduct a point, after 60 seconds show an option to reveal the word / give up.

Timer should be like in chess tournaments: an initial budget of X, increase by Y for each word you guess.

How about a hint provided for the last 5 seconds, for 7 letter words or greater.

And at the end there is a “used a hint” badge or not.

Nice work OP! Love this!

The timer adds more pressure and excitement.

Really simple and slick game - well done OP and congrats on the launch!

Do something so you don't lose on time while "typing" the solution!

Adding a second for each letter you type is a crude version.

I don’t mind the timer, but if I “lose” on a word I’d like to keep going or trying myself.

Those are all good options.

Also a version in which your unused time is accumulated for future rounds would be interesting

I'd probably rather it just tell me the answer and give the option to continue :)

2. Yes! Allow continue for no score after timeout

I like it just the way it is. Fun!

how about a version that shows all the words at once and you can work on them in the order you want, skip and go back. (for a phone show one and a person can click "later" to move a difficult word to the end of the queue)

and the whole thing is timed counting up, and how long it took is the score.

the way it is now with a countdown timer for each word, the player doesn't get a reward for solving something quickly

Personal take:

I immediately liked the game and was inspired to try multiple days,

my single biggest frustration was that once a day is attempted, it's locked, and, you can't continue after a single failure.

The "single point of failure" having heavy consequences would likely make me bounce off and not return.

Might I suggest an alternate design to try:

Keep the incentive to speed, but reduce the punishment.

Proposal:

Score is points-per-word as a function of time to complete.

With a non-linear asymptomic point curve.

Bonus for very fast, long tail decreasing from 1.x points to 0.x, after 30s you get 0 points...

...but critically you are not loocked out of the game and can take as long as you like.

Bonus for caching this state so you can return later

There are variations, e.g. a total time budget for all words... perhaps you retain a sense of tier, with players able to select a "league" which gives higher reward for fastest responses but more quickly drops you to zero for the rest of the game...

You can still have a leader board (implicit or explicit) where points are fungible.

You could even then have a "no stress" league which gives a flat 0.25 points per success with no timer at all or something.

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