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**twskinner** · 01-28-2015, 10:39 PM

I haven't been around here long, so there are probably others who can answer much better than I. But I think the site makes it much faster by only making you type each letter once, as it fills in that letter each other time it appears. So it doesn't require very fast typing - with no mistakes, a maximum of 26 characters, and in reality not more than 15-20. Mistakes do slow it down, but if one makes fewer mistakes on a given puzzle, typing 15-20 characters in under 10 seconds is realistic even without very fast typing.

**imported_Lurker** · 01-29-2015, 12:52 AM

I have the same problem with the program not keeping up with my typing and putting a later letter in the box. I intentionally type slower while solving puzzles to minimize the problem. It isn't fast typing that solves puzzles quickly, it's not going back to fix mistakes.

One trick you can use to speed up the start of a puzzle is to press Tab to get to the first letter (or to advance a single space mid-puzzle). Using the equal sign centers the puzzle on your screen and gets the cursor to the first spot. Also, hitting Enter instead of "Check it" sends you to the solution page a bit faster.

**ddph** · 01-31-2015, 02:26 AM

So which is more important? Fast times or solve rate? I try to do both, and over 50% of the time I'm in the "very fast" portion of the arc, but I almost never give up on solving a crypto. So although I can get a 10-15 second solve, I also get three to four 5 and six minute solves a week which really slows down my average speed. I admire bansai and people like him for their records, but it seems like there are also 15-20 100% solve rates every month. Some of the fastest average solvers will only have about an 80% solve rate or so. Then there's someone like nanrich who seems to get records, a 100% solve rate and a top five speed rate. What do you think is the optimal balance?

**imported_Lurker** · 01-31-2015, 04:45 AM

This is your game; it's your free time. If maintaining 100% at all costs is what is important to you, do that. You will find that the longer you spend at 100%, the faster you start to solve because you have solved every puzzle at some point and they do start to look familiar. It is far more important to enjoy yourself here than to stress over records, ribbons, and trophies.

**imported_alina** · 01-31-2015, 10:00 PM

Lurker, those are some very good and helpful tips, thank you.

I'm one of the people who go for the 100% solve rate, so my average time is never very fast. I have no ambitions to achieve both, I suspect that those who do just learned the whole site by heart. I like the process of solving the cryptogram, so I have no intention of doing that. Usually I don't care about the typing speed, because who cares if I got 437 or 438 points for a puzzle.

But it would be nice to get a record once in a while. The reason that I raised this subject is that sometimes (very rarely) I recognize the cryptogram almost immediately - after only a few seconds, and when I type it in, very pleased with myself, I get the time of 16-19 seconds, which is never enough to set a record. 16 is my personal speed record, and when I achieved that, the actual record was 5 seconds by nanrich. I know that I can't compete with nanrich or bansai, but I see some records by "regular" people as well, and I don't understand why I'm so much slower than them.

**ddph** · 02-01-2015, 01:46 AM

Give it time, Yorkies. I've had about a dozen records since I started, but haven't seen my name attached to a record for a while. You know what they say "Records are meant to be broken"-hey wouldn't that be a great crypto. Anyway, I broke someone else's, mine have probably all been broken. Sometime you'll get that aviator congratulating you on a new record time. Enjoy it while it lasts. Someday your record will be broken too.

**wvwoman** · 02-01-2015, 12:41 PM

i played for a few years before getting my first records--and i'm pretty sure i got those because someone had been cheating, so all his/her record quotes were cleared and i just happened to play them and get records before any of the fast folks got to them! (my record times were all in the 25-60 points range.) that, and maybe i caught the occasional newly added quote. since i'm not super fast, those are no doubt the only way i'll ever get records, but i'll take 'em! (i do occasionally solve a quote in under 20 seconds, but of course those are always solved by a very fast player in under 10, so those never get records.)

BUT...
i find my own rewards:
i'm always pleased when i solve a puzzle with under a 20% success rate--and rather shocked (and extra pleased) if i solve one with under a 10% rate!
it makes me feel good to land in the "very fast" section of the bell graph, especially on a puzzle i found tough.
and then there's the enjoyment from so many of the players--their comments on puzzle pages, in the chat room, on the forum and in personal messages. (i love you guys!)

**momof7** · 02-02-2015, 07:54 AM

Comments

You mentioned that the comments section is one of the aspects you enjoy on this site. I often find that the comments are wittier, more clever and funnier than the actual quote.

**wsgray48** · 02-06-2015, 03:13 AM

I assume the super fast players are using a simple program that accesses a database of quotes and then fills the blanks with the answer with no human input. It's a bit hard to believe that some people can solve a cryptogram in less than 10 seconds. It's kind of like someone claiming to run a mile in 10 seconds.

**mikehallbackhoe** · 02-06-2015, 04:08 AM

Originally posted by Highpoint View Post

I assume the super fast players are using a simple program that accesses a database of quotes and then fills the blanks with the answer with no human input. It's a bit hard to believe that some people can solve a cryptogram in less than 10 seconds. It's kind of like someone claiming to run a mile in 10 seconds.

you would assume wrong. there are folks on this site who are really fast, and the database they access is their own brain. the longer you play here, the more puzzles you will remember, and you will get better at recognizing word patterns. I doubt a simple program would be as fast as these players.

**gryhnd51** · 02-06-2015, 02:20 PM

I am so tired of new players who assume....wrongly...that fast solve times can only be acquired by cheating. Bansai, for one, has some videos on utube that show quite clearly that he's just inhumanly fast at solving. I've been here long enough to know that our other really fast folks are equally innocent of "cheating".

**wvwoman** · 02-06-2015, 02:29 PM

youtube helps

i'm sure it gets tiresome when you've been around for a while and know, personally, that these folks aren't cheating--however, i think it's natural to doubt...i had the same suspicions when i first started a few years ago, so i completely understand.
here's the link to a forum thread where some folks posted youtube links of themselves solving with some very fast times--it's far easier to believe once you've seen it!

Cryptograms | Page Not Found

http://www.cryptograms.org/forum/showthread.php?t=669&highlight=youtube

**gryhnd51** · 02-06-2015, 07:38 PM

wvwoman, I thank you for posting that link! If I knew how to find it I would have done so myself....unfortunately, I'm an old idiot when it comes to computer tools! I hope some of the new folks will take a look at it....maybe that link should be posted once a month?? !!!

**wvwoman** · 02-07-2015, 04:01 AM

well--

i could put it on my calendar...

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