Simplified game board

[KeepItGoing]

Having played more with the simpler board, I now find the normal board distractingly cluttered.

I don't know that this is an improvement in the board exactly, but what I'd like to see is a "lock" button beside each clue that I can check when I'm confident I've answered it correctly. I often erase all the letters in a long word in the quote and then having to scroll around and re-fill the letters in the obviously correct clues—or else I have to take the time when erasing to determine whether a letter came from a clue I'm going to stick with, which still means scrolling.

I'd like to be able to delete all the letters of a word, but have the board leave in the letters from locked words. (Alternatively, I suppose that the locked letters could be in a different color, although that would be a bit distracting. Maybe some more subtle indication?)

Of course, I'd also like to be able to unlock a word when I realize that the clue that was obviously correct is totally wrong!

[KeepItGoing]

sorry, double post!

[VannaLark]

I prefer the original format.

[BigJon]

Maybe this is late in the game, but...
I've tried this new board for awhile, and I'm unhappy to disagree with the webmaster, but I don't fine it simpler.
I just don't like when you don't have a clear reference between the hints and solution words.
Scrolling up and down looking for light yellow is tiresome.
As others said, maybe if there was a different/brighter highlighting color, I'd like it more.

[sewaneesue]

I'm wondering if the fastest times could be changed in all the new puzzles, since I don't think that the players are getting anywhere near them, and so cannot earn many points. In other words, I think it is unrealistic to expect that most players can score that high. Other opinions?

[DogMa]

Do you mean you think players are just moving to another puzzle when they draw one that's new, rather than solving the new one? I don't see how previous solvers' times would keep new solvers from scoring high. We're all being scored on how long it took us to solve a given puzzle, we're not being graded on a curve.

[sewaneesue]

I think that how many points we earn playing one of the new puzzles is based on the number we can see of someone (if anyone) scored the highest that the puzzle had been solved. I think that players are scoring way way below that, and that the one listed is unrealistic to attain. Have you been scoring close to the highest score listed, DogMa?

[DogMa]

I haven't been keeping track. I have gotten the highest score a few times, which I almost never do any more on a puzzle that is not new. I don't think your theory about scores is correct, but maybe Admin will weigh in.

[sewaneesue]

You got highest scores on the new puzzles, DogMa? Good for you!! They are so very long that I get headaches.

[DogMa]

One good thing about the longer ones is that they give you more opportunities to make guesses and to cross-check between clues and patterns in the box containing the solution. For instance, _'_ almost has to be I'm or I'd, _her_ is probably where or there. Once you get an idea of the context of the quote (how to succeed in business, history of war, one of those young-adult fantasy things [ugh]) you can make guesses about words that frequently occur in that context (leadership, market, population, retreat; can't think of examples for the last type of quote) and then try out the letters from those words in the word list below. If there are only 12 clues and you know only 3 of the answers, it's more difficult.

When I get the high score on a new puzzle, I think, it's because so few other people have solved it.:-)

[Guru]

As with the previous board 'upgrade', is there a way to offer players the option to play the current board OR the 'new' (uncoded) board? (And I agree that improved highlighting would be VERY appreciated)

[DogMa]

It's cumbersome, but you can go back to the link to the simplified board published in the first post in this thread, or bookmark it.

https://acrostics.puzzlebaron.com/init2020.php

But if you do click that link and solve the resulting puzzle, you'll have to click on it again to continue using the simplified board. Using the "next puzzle" option will give you the old, coded board.

[asmileyface]

Hiyo, I am a professional cryptographer. Need any help?

[genevoise]

I don't mind the simplified game board, but I am completely bumfuzzled by the new scoring system. I thought a score was supposed to represent how you did in comparison to others. How then did I just score only 579 points when setting a new record?

[PatienceCrabstick]

The scoring system is based on how well you did in comparison to other scores, not other players. If the average completion time is 300 seconds and you solve in 150 seconds, you get XXX points - and it makes no difference if your 150 seconds was fast, very fast, or a new record. IMHO this type of scheme disincentivizes players from trying newer and/or longer puzzles.