Achievements and Accomplishments Thread

[Naboka]

I'm not exactly sure why you're so preoccupied with this but given that this derogatory post (and others) is regarding me, I'll address it.

The primary purpose of intentionally playing 'your' games, or those of a couple other players, is not to beat your scores. Yes, they provide a challenge which I enjoy, but whether or not I outscore you isn't particularly important. This game is relatively new to me, and though I have played extensively on other sites, they generally use outdated versions of the TWL dictionary. In order to get better here I need to learn and incorporate a new, very large set of words into my existing foundation.

If the site provided a complete word list after the completion of each board I would have no real reason for singling out any particular game or player(s). The reason I choose to target your games is because you have the most extensive knowledge of the dictionary used here - something that has undoubtedly taken significant effort. I analyze the word lists of games you have played, as they are likely to contain many words unfamiliar to me, and then try to incorporate them into larger boards with the hope of achieving a personal best - I feel like this method is fairly standard. I realize I could simply study word lists, and save your ego the cost of some lost records, but I already spend enough time on Aerolith and engraining new sets and combos requires a fair bit of practice as well.

So, no, I don't see you as a "dastardly villain" though the public belittlement in your post over something so trivial has certainly tarnished my opinion of you. But hey, perhaps I need therapy.

ps: not sure how effective your decision to learn words from boards I play will be. As demonstrated by the above post, most of the words are pretty common here. Just a few new ones. But certainly not words that you're not going to find on boards played by the top tier players. Nor words missing from scrabble dictionaries.

And having a surplus of overly exotic words is only marginally helpful rather than being a game changer. A 7 letter red word is worth 12 points, 8/14, 9/16, 10/18 etc. Regardless of how esoteric. The only difference is added value from letters like q, k, z.

And 200 words typed is 200 words typed.

As an experiment, I clicked through 125 games. Passed several with 150 or more red words. A couple of games with over 200. The only top ten APPG player in that 125 was Skinnylaura2.

Most days I don't even run across a single game with my records. At most there will be 2 or 3, most of which I ignore. I have no idea how many games you have to click through in your quests. There are days that Megaword doesn't appear. And I've only seen one game ever played by ThunderRock. I think I've only seen a single game with your name attached.

Which leaves me curious about the other players you like to play. Who you stop to ask to dance.

For me, it's mostly about potential red words without a thought to who's done what. At most, the longest/best word will provide clues about what extra value letters are in play. A 16 letter red word without extra value letters will always be 30 points. Without variation. Doesn't matter if it's the rarest of ultra-rares or the most common. A 33 pointer will have a z, usually a combination of -Izations.

I don't really play "words" anyway . Mostly it's letter patterns completely divorced from meaning.

You're obviously a far more skilled player than I am. And learning tricks from skilled players can improve one's game. A lot of how I play is a hybrid of things I've learned from other players here--with credit given. So, I'm just curious if there's something to learn here. A trick I've overlooked. Something magical.

[Naboka]

Almost dumped this game three words in because I'd typed ane which is a rare rather than ultra-rare so I knew immediately I'd ruined the chance for a red board.

Glad I didn't. Ended up with my 2nd highest board ever. Also second highest number of red words.

On the assumption that other players want to learn extra words for their game, here's the readout.

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a.png bb.png ccc.png ddd.png

[Naboka]

I'm not exactly sure why you're so preoccupied with this but given that this derogatory post (and others) is regarding me, I'll address it.

The primary purpose of intentionally playing 'your' games, or those of a couple other players, is not to beat your scores. Yes, they provide a challenge which I enjoy, but whether or not I outscore you isn't particularly important. This game is relatively new to me, and though I have played extensively on other sites, they generally use outdated versions of the TWL dictionary. In order to get better here I need to learn and incorporate a new, very large set of words into my existing foundation.

If the site provided a complete word list after the completion of each board I would have no real reason for singling out any particular game or player(s). The reason I choose to target your games is because you have the most extensive knowledge of the dictionary used here - something that has undoubtedly taken significant effort. I analyze the word lists of games you have played, as they are likely to contain many words unfamiliar to me, and then try to incorporate them into larger boards with the hope of achieving a personal best - I feel like this method is fairly standard. I realize I could simply study word lists, and save your ego the cost of some lost records, but I already spend enough time on Aerolith and engraining new sets and combos requires a fair bit of practice as well.

So, no, I don't see you as a "dastardly villain" though the public belittlement in your post over something so trivial has certainly tarnished my opinion of you. But hey, perhaps I need therapy.

Thanks for clearing this up.

Sometimes the best way to get an answer is provocation.

I used to (and still do) play all of Megaword's games to find words I don't know. He's got a bunch of games on YouTube that I scavenged. I'm just not inclined to search for his games anymore.

As a raving egotist, I'm often fascinated with any interest shown me. Just that craving lust for attention. Insatiable. All-absorbing. Can't get enough of it. Sort of the Gollum of pathetic need

Which becomes problematic when the laundry is soaked with slobbering need. Apparently there aren't any stain fighters for need.

Since I used to go days without losing records, the anomaly of suddently losing a couple, or six a day caught my attention.

Sometimes the game itself does weird things with records, like adding or subtracting them with no relation to games played. (Ask lalatan) So, after noticing, when I was playing and would lose a record, I'd check to see who was on line. Sometimes it was Megaword or Thunderrock, but you started to register.

A lover of puzzles, I simply found this fascinating. It's a meager whodunit. Heros and villains, detectives and criminals. A minor page turner.

And you got to admit, I figured out whodunit.

By page 50.

The only thing missing was motivation.

Finding new words is a good thing. I applaud your efforts. Decades of science and medicine and reading crap like Thomas Wolfe certainly provide a stockpile of words.

Not sure that I posted about this but once else, though the memory sometimes fails. And it didn't get a response, so the unrelenting curiosity...

As for opinions, I would have trouble finding any of my own that aren't tarnished. Have a photographer friend who's fond of capturing images of rust, peeling paint and that ilk. All the beauty in that imperfection. Just stunning images. Fascinating. How the light hits the surface and creates texture.

Perfect opinions usually turn out to be less than desirable.

Just like perfect people.

Since you're lately to Wordtwist, you probably missed the word evolution I'd processed over time. Used to keep bunches of notebooks on new words. Would study them whenever free moments arrived. Like standing in line, sitting on the throne, waiting at a stop light.

Then gravitated to ultra rare because the challenge of getting a board completely red with over a hundred words just seemed interesting. And playing the other way just wasn't.

When ultra rare words popped up I'd put their point values in a scrabble dictionary. Convenient having an alphabetized hardback.

Not that scrabble dictionaries are adequate. Just convenient for the common stuff. It certainly lacks the medical, philosophical and scientific terms. Especially anything approaching 16 letters.

That's probably more effective than studying my stuff. I've got some huge memory lapses these days. Was looking at a plant in the back yard and it took about 3 hours before I remembered it was an azalea, not a rhododendron.

(Taxonomic terminology can be really hit or miss with Wordtwist. It's kind of frustrating to waste time trying them, failing and wondering if the word simply was misspelled or not accepted.)

As for the records, not a problem. I've tried telling clerks at various stores how many records I have here, and none of them seem interested. For a while I would stand at stop lights with a sign that read "homeless vet, please donate your Wordtwist records." When my wife convinced me to stop hoarding them, I relented, but couldn't sell a single one at our last garage sale. And my kids just roll their eyes when I plead with them for admiration over my Wordtwist records. The Salvation Army didn't even want them when I tried the donation route.

Have fun with the games. Hope I at least give you a bit of a challenge now and then since your typing speed is about double mine.

As for "my" games, it's more an idiosyncrasy of pronouns rather than consideration of ownership. Just like "my" wife is really the boss with a mind of her own--over which I have little influence, and certainly no control.

[mpd]

I'm not exactly sure why you're so preoccupied with this but given that this derogatory post (and others) is regarding me, I'll address it.

The primary purpose of intentionally playing 'your' games, or those of a couple other players, is not to beat your scores. Yes, they provide a challenge which I enjoy, but whether or not I outscore you isn't particularly important. This game is relatively new to me, and though I have played extensively on other sites, they generally use outdated versions of the TWL dictionary. In order to get better here I need to learn and incorporate a new, very large set of words into my existing foundation.

If the site provided a complete word list after the completion of each board I would have no real reason for singling out any particular game or player(s). The reason I choose to target your games is because you have the most extensive knowledge of the dictionary used here - something that has undoubtedly taken significant effort. I analyze the word lists of games you have played, as they are likely to contain many words unfamiliar to me, and then try to incorporate them into larger boards with the hope of achieving a personal best - I feel like this method is fairly standard. I realize I could simply study word lists, and save your ego the cost of some lost records, but I already spend enough time on Aerolith and engraining new sets and combos requires a fair bit of practice as well.

So, no, I don't see you as a "dastardly villain" though the public belittlement in your post over something so trivial has certainly tarnished my opinion of you. But hey, perhaps I need therapy.

[Naboka]

Sometimes you just have to laugh at human behaviour.

The grudges, obsessions, whatever that drive players for rational or irrational reasons.

With games being so popular, studies of game psychology must exist. Why humans do what they do. The good and the bad.

We've all seen players who just can't stand another player. Often for something best understood in therapy.

I suppose I can take it as a compliment that a player with a high score 450 points more than anything I've ever done has become preoccupied with beating my games. Clicking through hundreds of games to find that dastardly villain deserving a lesson. You don't play a quarter to a third of your games against one player by accident.

Seems there are higher goals in life than beating an arthritic guy who just turned 75 in a typing competition.

But, hey, to each their own.

Think I'll find someone in a wheelchair and challenge them to a hundred yard dash. Yeah, that's the ticket. With bad knees, I can't run, but...

When the breeze stirs the windmill, the dragon must be slain.

[JedMedGrey]

Thank you, Naboka! and also bwt and crazycate.

[Naboka]

and my meager contribution to this thread:

Best word: SOOTED (10 pts.)
Longest word: LESSENED (8 letters) New record!

PUZZLE STATS:
Played: 17 times

Not meager at all. If it brings you joy or satisfaction,

that's really pretty important.

Comparing ourselves to others is just self defeating. At the gym, there are guys moving ungodly amounts of weight. So much weight that the bars are bending. So much noise with that much weight clanging and banging. Very competitive, testosterine loaded individuals. Conversations with them leave you feeling they aren't especially happy. Maybe it's the roid rage.

Think I'd rather be happy than killing myself trying to impress others.

In the kindergarten class last year, we had a kid with dysgraphia. He was also barely old enough to be there. (but free babysititing, so...) And he came from a background where academic learning was just a joke. Anyways, heavily handicapped, couldn't even figure out how to draw a vertical or horizontal line. Couldn't even draw a straight line. He was in shock and overwhelmed and depressed. No fricking way was this kid passing kindergarten. No way.

But he did. A lot of extra exercises. A lot of extra work made pleasant. A lot of hugs and positive reinforcement for little successes. And by the end he could write so we could read it. (No one else would be able to, but we had learned how he made his letters.) And he could read! No one in the class made as much progress as he did.

Of course, by the end of the year, he still was nowhere near the academic level of some of the top kids on their first day. We had a boy, probably a genius, who could have been reading at 5th grade level if he had put in the effort. But he was superior, knew it, and felt put upon at the suggestion there was something he didn't know.

The point is: we were far more proud of the kid who surpassed all expectations. We were proud of the other achievers also.

All of us are different. All of us come to the plate with different resources. What matters most is how we use our own resources to meet challenges we set for ourselves. And the satisfaction that brings us.

I wish more people posted their successes. Those successes are at least as important as those who put up unreal results. Those results and success are what most of the players here can identify with. Those are the successes that the majority of the players here can appreciate-and not be left feeling "I'm no good at this."

This game is good mental exercise. And just like being at the gym, it's good to exercise. Bending the bar and making everyone's eyes pop out really isn't a standard anyone else should use for their own progress.

Being healthy. Being happy.

"Seizing the day" is often best accomplished with delicate hands and appreciative hearts.

[JedMedGrey]

And those particular words can take us back to elementary school when we somehow managed to get a higher score on a maths or vocabulary quiz than the "smart" kids! Well done, CrazyKate!

[crazykate]

Your style of play is like taking a walk and counting success when you see a friend, and giving yourself a pat on the back when you've made that friend's day brighter. It's a more relaxed style of play. I ought to adopt it.

While I currently have a similar playing style to Jed (smiling at unique words and patting myself on the back for records), I personally don't see it as quite so altruistic as you make it sound - like making a friend's day brighter. It's more like making my own day a little brighter ... And even though I'm not playing in a very competitive way, I'm not above a little gloating, particularly if I find a good word that the current record holders missed, and even more so if the word itself sounds a little smug.
Kind of like this result, on a game that had been played 16 times before, and I recognised the names of the three current record holders:

[bwt1213]

And another minor achievement:
Best word: QUORUMS (10 pts.) New record!
Longest word: QUORUMS (7 letters) New record!

PUZZLE STATS: Played: 13 times

When finding words others have not in games that have been played more than 10 times, I get to smile. When those are the longest or best words, I pat myself on the back.

Your style of play is like taking a walk and counting success when you see a friend, and giving yourself a pat on the back when you've made that friend's day brighter. It's a more relaxed style of play. I ought to adopt it.

[JedMedGrey]

And another minor achievement:
Best word: QUORUMS (10 pts.) New record!
Longest word: QUORUMS (7 letters) New record!

PUZZLE STATS: Played: 13 times

When finding words others have not in games that have been played more than 10 times, I get to smile. When those are the longest or best words, I pat myself on the back.

[JedMedGrey]

and my meager contribution to this thread:

Best word: SOOTED (10 pts.)
Longest word: LESSENED (8 letters) New record!

PUZZLE STATS:
Played: 17 times

[Naboka]

Very, very impressive. I think that you will eventually get your "all red" score card in the not too distant future.

A question: I think that some words have been moved between categories (Rare, common etc,) over the years. Does any one else feel this way?

hadn't noticed that--not that it hasn't happened.

have slowly become aware of what really isn't in the category I would expect. Like truly esoteric terms falling into wide or rare rather than ultra rare. Or fairly common terms being in ultra rare.

(The choice of ultra seems like a stretch.)

been filling in a chart of points per letter per word for each category. kind of puts it all into perspective. If I could figure out how to do charts, I'd put it all together and post it for the rest of you.

Takes a lot of the mystery out of it. Not all but a enough.

As we both know, there are still various words that aren't accepted that leave fingers scratching the skull.

[dannyb]

Very, very impressive. I think that you will eventually get your "all red" score card in the not too distant future.

A question: I think that some words have been moved between categories (Rare, common etc,) over the years. Does any one else feel this way?

[Naboka]

Comments are limited to 5 uploads. The game stats for the above, summarized:


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