5 ms·

I really like the execution on this. One piece of feedback is that the timer gave me anxiety and I closed it. I do puzzles to phase out from stress not to chall

by msoad 5y ago

I really like the execution on this. One piece of feedback is that the timer gave me anxiety and I closed it. I do puzzles to phase out from stress not to challenge myself in a time bound environment

beepy 5y ago
I hear you. I personally found the game less interesting before I added the "threat" of losing stars — it felt to me more like trial-and-error work. However, I think there is value in embracing its more meditative side and offering untimed (and I supposed, star-less) play as well.
- cush 5y ago
  The stars could stay if the timer is removed. You’d just lose them only if you get a red guess on them
- woodgrainz 5y ago
  The casual nature of Wordle is one of its biggest strengths. Don't underestimate the allure of the zen/meditative angle of the game. It's something to look forward to everyday because of it.
- criddell 5y ago
  Definitely get rid of the timer or make it something you can turn on. As soon as you have a clock ticking, it adds an element of stress to it. Part of the charm of games like Wordle is that it’s all about delight. Casual is good. Get rid of the threat. If you really want something to formulate a score, count the number of guesses.
- jamincan 5y ago
  I think you could keep the timed aspect, but the current format of the game makes it too prominent for those of us who are primarily interested in reducing the guesses. The first thing I'd do is get rid of the sad faces for missed stars at the end. As silly as it sounds, it feels like being penalized for approaching the game more methodically. If you just show the number of stars the player got at the end without emphasizing what they missed, those who are playing for speed are rewarded with more stars, those who are playing for low guesses are rewarded for a low number.
- bonestamp2 5y ago
  A "Competitive" mode and a "Zen" mode.
iainmerrick 5y ago
I agree... I think there are actually a couple of niggles that work together: - there's a timer - solutions are not always unique Often in Wordle, you'll have three or four green letters, which leaves several possible answers, and you just have to guess which one is correct. Some days you'll be lucky, some days you won't! But it feels OK because you're not working against a clock; so you have time to mull over the possibilities and decide which one feels better. In Three Magic words, because you're racing against the clock, once you see a solution you immediately want to put it in. But sometimes it gets rejected! For example, on Tuesday's puzzle: Gur pbeerpg fbyhgvba jnf CRRYF naq OHYXL, ohg V gevrq CRRXF naq OHYYL juvpu V guvax jbhyq nyfb unir orra inyvq. Somehow that feels more unfair than the Wordle case. I wonder if it might be better just to accept any valid solution that uses known common words?
- beepy 5y ago
  There are a few reasons I didn't pursue that — one of them that comes to mind because of having to deal with repeats - for example, let's say in round 1 you have TRIAL and in round 2 you have TRAIL. You see TR---, guess TRAIL in round one and the game marks it correct. In round 2, you see TR--- and guess TRAIL again. I think that solution lock you experience - it's a little uncomfortable, but once you learn to wriggle your way out of it, you get that "aha" feeling I'm going for.
  - mattmcknight 5y ago
    I actually think it would be much more fun if it could accept multiple solutions. You could even have 5 words and a letter bank. That part of it, quickly finding ways to use the letters, is fun. The speed bonus would make a lot more sense then. > I think that solution lock you experience - it's a little uncomfortable, but once you learn to wriggle your way out of it, you get that "aha" feeling I'm going for. This is the part that gives me the "ugh" experience.
cush 5y ago
Completely agree. You could simply remove the timer and it would instantly be a better game. People can compare scores by number of guesses
m12k 5y ago
The timer also really doesn't mesh well with the slow "letters falling down" animation between rounds. The UI is sending very mixed signals with "how quickly can you do this?" and "hold on, gotta wait here for a bit" at the same time.
- jointpdf 5y ago
  I like the time pressure aspect, but I agree the animations should be snappier. Different TOKES for different FOLKS, I GUESS. I’d also enjoy some form of global leaderboard of some sort (maybe a scatterplot comparing time and accuracy?), so I can assess how inferior/superior I am to others.
- lbriner 5y ago
  Yeah, if you want the dropping animation and you can't start typing before then, then don't start the timer before the animation finishes. There is also the age-old argument about British-English vs American English e.g. Armor is not spelled that way in British English so it takes a lot more effort to work these out. Pretty slick though.

by msoad 5y ago

I really like the execution on this. One piece of feedback is that the timer gave me anxiety and I closed it. I do puzzles to phase out from stress not to challenge myself in a time bound environment

beepy 5y ago

I hear you. I personally found the game less interesting before I added the "threat" of losing stars — it felt to me more like trial-and-error work. However, I think there is value in embracing its more meditative side and offering untimed (and I supposed, star-less) play as well.

cush 5y ago
The stars could stay if the timer is removed. You’d just lose them only if you get a red guess on them
woodgrainz 5y ago
The casual nature of Wordle is one of its biggest strengths. Don't underestimate the allure of the zen/meditative angle of the game. It's something to look forward to everyday because of it.
criddell 5y ago
Definitely get rid of the timer or make it something you can turn on. As soon as you have a clock ticking, it adds an element of stress to it. Part of the charm of games like Wordle is that it’s all about delight. Casual is good. Get rid of the threat. If you really want something to formulate a score, count the number of guesses.
jamincan 5y ago
I think you could keep the timed aspect, but the current format of the game makes it too prominent for those of us who are primarily interested in reducing the guesses. The first thing I'd do is get rid of the sad faces for missed stars at the end. As silly as it sounds, it feels like being penalized for approaching the game more methodically. If you just show the number of stars the player got at the end without emphasizing what they missed, those who are playing for speed are rewarded with more stars, those who are playing for low guesses are rewarded for a low number.
bonestamp2 5y ago
A "Competitive" mode and a "Zen" mode.

iainmerrick 5y ago

I agree... I think there are actually a couple of niggles that work together: - there's a timer - solutions are not always unique Often in Wordle, you'll have three or four green letters, which leaves several possible answers, and you just have to guess which one is correct. Some days you'll be lucky, some days you won't! But it feels OK because you're not working against a clock; so you have time to mull over the possibilities and decide which one feels better. In Three Magic words, because you're racing against the clock, once you see a solution you immediately want to put it in. But sometimes it gets rejected! For example, on Tuesday's puzzle: Gur pbeerpg fbyhgvba jnf CRRYF naq OHYXL, ohg V gevrq CRRXF naq OHYYL juvpu V guvax jbhyq nyfb unir orra inyvq. Somehow that feels more unfair than the Wordle case. I wonder if it might be better just to accept any valid solution that uses known common words?

beepy 5y ago
There are a few reasons I didn't pursue that — one of them that comes to mind because of having to deal with repeats - for example, let's say in round 1 you have TRIAL and in round 2 you have TRAIL. You see TR---, guess TRAIL in round one and the game marks it correct. In round 2, you see TR--- and guess TRAIL again. I think that solution lock you experience - it's a little uncomfortable, but once you learn to wriggle your way out of it, you get that "aha" feeling I'm going for.
- mattmcknight 5y ago
  I actually think it would be much more fun if it could accept multiple solutions. You could even have 5 words and a letter bank. That part of it, quickly finding ways to use the letters, is fun. The speed bonus would make a lot more sense then. > I think that solution lock you experience - it's a little uncomfortable, but once you learn to wriggle your way out of it, you get that "aha" feeling I'm going for. This is the part that gives me the "ugh" experience.

cush 5y ago

Completely agree. You could simply remove the timer and it would instantly be a better game. People can compare scores by number of guesses

m12k 5y ago

The timer also really doesn't mesh well with the slow "letters falling down" animation between rounds. The UI is sending very mixed signals with "how quickly can you do this?" and "hold on, gotta wait here for a bit" at the same time.

jointpdf 5y ago
I like the time pressure aspect, but I agree the animations should be snappier. Different TOKES for different FOLKS, I GUESS. I’d also enjoy some form of global leaderboard of some sort (maybe a scatterplot comparing time and accuracy?), so I can assess how inferior/superior I am to others.
lbriner 5y ago
Yeah, if you want the dropping animation and you can't start typing before then, then don't start the timer before the animation finishes. There is also the age-old argument about British-English vs American English e.g. Armor is not spelled that way in British English so it takes a lot more effort to work these out. Pretty slick though.