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I probably will never break a fastest record. I hate not solving a cryptogram that i have gotten cryptograms in more than 60000 seconds. I have gone to sleep and solved some the next day. I have gone through many pages of famous quotes to find the answers to a lot of cryptograms. My fastest cryptogram record is 20 secondos and i amproud of that. No matter how good you are you should be proud but never put anybody down for their records
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You're quite a tenacious one! When I solved for 100% walking away to take a brain break often helped. Even for a few hours. -
I started the last cryptogram yesterday and no matter what combination i tried i couldn't figure it out. Iam done with it this morning.Comment
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I feel the same way. I'm a "hunt and peck" typer on the computer, so I'm slow anyway but if I see an unsolved on recent games, I have to try solving it, unless it's one I gave up on. I'll never be a 100%. I tried but one really stumped me in the second half of the month, so I did give up.Comment
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I wish they would wipe out the high scores occasionally like they do on other games. Wordtwist wipes the score on each grid after 50 plays.
I'd be happy if they reset scores on cryptograms every 3 to 5 years, especially since I saw comments saying some of the highest scorers were known cheaters. Us newbies don't have a chance of ever seeing the baron when a bot or someone with a computer program solved a 20 word crypto in 3 seconds.Comment
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LillyLilly, not all the uber fast players cheat, Bansaiquoia was one of the best at this game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCnn4dgZuPY
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Lilly, I think the only known cryptogram cheaters were those whose 1-second solve times would be impossible without an app that both solves and executes keystrokes for you. According to posts I've seen from admin Stephen Ryder, he works persistently to remove all known cheaters' times from the charts. The remaining fast times, all longer than 1 second, are totally legitimate.
To your suggestion, and I'm speaking just for myself, I would never want this site to clear score charts to make it easier for newer players to break records. This site has a deep competition history that feels like the Olympics or Major League Baseball: when somebody breaks a long-held Bansai record, for example, it's a big moment, like when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record. (Okay, maybe not that big, but for a fleeting moment that's what it feels like.) I would rather see new players break records the old-fashioned way -- by working at it and slowly building their skills. By then, of course, they would no longer be "new" players, but honestly, isn't that how it works in any real competition?
Another big reason I wouldn't want the charts cleared has to do with community. This site is virtually inhabited by a community of players whose presence -- even after they stop playing or even die -- is preserved in their past best scores. For example, UniversalMom played and fully engaged for a few years and then had to stop due to an injury, but her best scores are still on the charts. Bansaisequoia, whose crazy-fast times convinced new players that he must be a robot, died in 2019, but his legend remains in the charts and elsewhere. And Pootie, who more than anyone turned this site into an actual community, passed away in 2013, before I even knew this site existed. Eight years later, her best scores still stand in many top-20 charts, and it does my heart good to see her there.
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LillyLilly, I forgot to mention: Every so often, the admin dumps thousands of new quotes into the Cryptogram site's puzzle repository. When that happens, it's like a carnival where everybody wins. Even slowpokes and newcomers get to set records, and the fun lasts for a few weeks.Comment
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Awesome points, LLapp! I fully agree.Comment
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And it's been about 3 years since the last quote dump, I believe. Maybe we're due another??Comment
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Well said, LLapp.Comment
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MiG_Fulcrum, don't be discouraged! I see you just joined. From experience, I can tell you that it takes time and lots of practice to achieve fast times. Keep at it!!!
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I think almost everyone starts off very slow. When I first started, I had to use hints and still took a minute or two to solve an average cipher. I think a very satisfying part about playing cryptograms is seeing the improvements in your statistics playing month after month (and you will improve).
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I have to laugh at myself when I finish a crypto and think I've done pretty well, then I look over at the top 20 chart to the left and see that I'm not even on it. Or when I AM on the chart, my newer time is slower, ha-ha.Comment
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Same thing happens to me, Skeeter! I often will struggle with a quote and then see I hold the record on it. Always wonder where my brain went, LOL!!Comment
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