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Show HN: I built a word game. My mom thinks it's great. What do you think?

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Re: Show HN: I built a word game. My mom thinks it's great. What do you think?

#71

Post by Y444 »

Product manager ex. game designer with a number of puzzle/word game in operation here.

- Having a timer (urgency) is usually not a very good idea for thinky games. If you insist on having a timer consider making it count upwards.

- Additionally as other commenters mentioned is the game is a time trial it needs an explicit “Start” button. Also stop the timer when user is not playing e.g. reading the rules.

- There’s no point of having a “Play again” option for a Wordle style daily game, the thinking part is already done, so any replay is just an exercise in dexterity.

- It’s okay to be US-centric actually, doesn’t matter unless you are very serious about monetizing it, and even then being US-centric will work.

- Consider showing rules for first time users before staring the puzzle.

- Consider having some sort of overarching thing in your puzzle, so it’s not just five words on a specific topic to guess, but something more, like a hidden word across all five etc. This makes a delightful discovery moment and sometimes might work as a clue.

Re: Show HN: I built a word game. My mom thinks it's great. What do you think?

#72

Post by zem »

angry_moose wrote: post #64
enlyth wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish there was a more internationally friendly version of NYT Games, they're so fun and I play them daily but a lot US cultural knowledge is required at times

It cuts both ways. Cryptic Crosswords are almost impenetrable from the US as they're so deep in UK specific words, spellings, and trivia.

there are some good american and canadian cryptics but i agree, it's a largely uk-centred pastime.

Re: Show HN: I built a word game. My mom thinks it's great. What do you think?

#73

Post by massive-fail »

fl4tul4 wrote: post #30

To tell you a brutal truth, I dislike any timed game.

Same! However, I think the OP has done a good job. On mini games like this, I guess it doesn't bother me. I only get frustrated if I have invested time and they throw a timer in. Such a dated mechanic.

Re: Show HN: I built a word game. My mom thinks it's great. What do you think?

#74

Post by angry_moose »

zem wrote: post #72
angry_moose wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It cuts both ways. Cryptic Crosswords are almost impenetrable from the US as they're so deep in UK specific words, spellings, and trivia.

there are some good american and canadian cryptics but i agree, it's a largely uk-centred pastime.

Interesting. Any suggestions?

I've looked in the past and didn't have much luck.

Re: Show HN: I built a word game. My mom thinks it's great. What do you think?

#75

Post by nrjames »

I made a word game while playing with a few ideas, like anonymous usernames and leaderboards. I still poke at some aspects of it. There’s a rare scoring bug I need to isolate and fix. Anyhow, feel free to look. :)

https://www.gorillasuit.io/

Edit: coming up with a reasonable algorithm for scoring is far more difficult than it looks. I guess most of the word games floating around don't have scoring for a reason.

Re: Show HN: I built a word game. My mom thinks it's great. What do you think?

#77

Post by JKCalhoun »

Y444 wrote: post #71

Product manager ex. game designer with a number of puzzle/word game in operation here. - Having a timer (urgency) is usually not a very good idea for thinky games. If you insist on having a timer consider making it count upwards. - Additionally as other commenters mentioned is the game is a time trial it needs an explicit “Start” button. Also stop the timer when user is not playing e.g. reading the rules. - There’s n…

Agree that timers suck the fun out of a game like this. I avoid any solitaire game with a timer for example.

Re: Show HN: I built a word game. My mom thinks it's great. What do you think?

#78

Post by angry_moose »

pnm45678 wrote: post #34

It seems not to accept a correct answer, "ladel" for Wednesday, March 26, 2025 (minor spoiler, apologies!)

"Ladel" isn't actually in the dictionary:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ladel

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ladel

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/spellcheck/english?q=la...

OED has it as an incorrect/unusual variant:

https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=ladel

It's misspelled constantly on the internet, but "ladle" is the correct spelling.

Re: Show HN: I built a word game. My mom thinks it's great. What do you think?

#79

Post by JKCalhoun »

mft_ wrote: post #20

Nice concept, but US-centric short/slang sports teams' names is a bit misjudged as the very first puzzle when introducing your new game to an international audience. I solved them because they're (mostly) words rather than them having meaning to me.

Yep, didn't even notice they were supposed to be sports teams. I wondered why there were so many plural words.
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