Achievements and Accomplishments Thread

[Naboka]

Maybe this should be under a heading: failed achievements and accomplishments.

Next to the last item on my bucket list is to outscore ThunderRock in a game. Just seems fair considering the endless stream of games he's topped me on.

This is the second time that hurried fingers led to failure on a possible win. The first time I only missed by 5 points but had "typed in" several words that didn't enter. This time I was off by 20 points, but know that I "typed" resiles (12 points) rassle (10) sease (8) cens (6) and lessers (12). (Also tried lesserness, but it ain't a word, so...)

Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Damn those fumbly fingers.

Maybe I should call the brother-in-law and reinstall those word boosts that would make typing completely unnecessary.

I could use my nose...or tongue...to activate that single key.

Take that, stupid fingers!

Who needs you?

Oh well, guess there's some solace in finding the best and longest words after the game had been played 40 times.

Screen Shot 2024-04-27 at 6.28.49 PM.png
ps: this board demonstrates the recycle thresholds for 4x4. It's 41 games played or 701 points.

[JedMedGrey]

I'm going to pat myself on the back for
Best word: TOADLETS (14 pts.) New record!
Longest word: TOADLETS (8 letters) New record!

Game had been played 12+ times. It is considered an ultra-rare word, but it is a fairly common one in this household, particularly when the tiny toadlets show up in the garden. I think the nearest breeding site is about 1/4 mi away, 200 ft lower elevation. It always amazes me to think of them climbing the hill. Why? Are there so many that the pressure from those just transformed and leaving the water keeps pushing the earlier metamorphs further, thus higher?

I haven't been here much lately, so it was enjoyable to catch up a bit on posts. Take care, all!

[jbud1980]

Congratulations. That thrill of getting a new personal best...

A couple of new players are definitely incredible. They're crushing flesh and blood. Even Megaword must feel humbled. It's almost like watching Marvel characters. The Wordtwist version of Cosplay.

Just ran across a game by asdf. Surprised his games are still in play. With the new boards his score was no longer perfect--he had 118 words verses the 128 now available. The new crew could probably zap-pow-bam! that easily.

Brings back memories of first encountering Wordtwist. I would watch my wife play and noticed Unbeatable always got perfect boards. Guess that skill set will always be with us.

User names ... reincarnation?

What can you say.

Il faut cultiver notre jardin.

Did you ever get around to reading The Art of Learning? Another of my favorite books.

Hi Naboka, happy playing as usual. I hope all has been well with you. I have not had a chance to read The Art of Learning as there are a few others I've been meaning to read first. On the WordTwist note, I've hung up my 5X5 hat for the time being. My hands are starting to hurt playing so much, but maybe I'll revisit 5X5 in the future.

[oddcouple]

Got another one tonight. A puzzle that had been solved over twenty time and I came up with three unique words, one of which gave me both longest word and highest scoring word. The three words were unusual, unusualness, and unusualnesses. 6points, 20 points, and 26 points respectively.

[bwt1213]

Second 4x4 game I played tonight was fun. I came up with two new words on a puzzle that had been played over 30 times, bring the total of words played to exactly 100 out of 105 possible. The two new words were obsession and obsessions. The latter word set a new record on the puzzle. Happy to get one of those occasionally.

It's those little achievements that make life pleasant. The game makes them clear, unlike the more mundane and transient moments in life.

[oddcouple]

Second 4x4 game I played tonight was fun. I came up with two new words on a puzzle that had been played over 30 times, bring the total of words played to exactly 100 out of 105 possible. The two new words were obsession and obsessions. The latter word set a new record on the puzzle. Happy to get one of those occasionally.

[lalatan]

Naboka, congrats on your new personal best of 118 UR words played. An astounding achievement once again. I also noticed your best word for the month: Quadragintiremes.
A quirky and exotic qu- word I never saw before.

Last night I played my best/longest be- word: beghosting for 18 pts, 10 ltrs. Longest and probably the strangest too.

[Naboka]

I bested my highest scored playing 4X4.

Highest Score:

735 points

There are so many new players who are amazingly good...

Congratulations. That thrill of getting a new personal best...

A couple of new players are definitely incredible. They're crushing flesh and blood. Even Megaword must feel humbled. It's almost like watching Marvel characters. The Wordtwist version of Cosplay.

Just ran across a game by asdf. Surprised his games are still in play. With the new boards his score was no longer perfect--he had 118 words verses the 128 now available. The new crew could probably zap-pow-bam! that easily.

Brings back memories of first encountering Wordtwist. I would watch my wife play and noticed Unbeatable always got perfect boards. Guess that skill set will always be with us.

User names ... reincarnation?

What can you say.

Il faut cultiver notre jardin.

Did you ever get around to reading The Art of Learning? Another of my favorite books.

[jbud1980]

I bested my highest scored playing 4X4.

Highest Score:

735 points

There are so many new players who are amazingly good...

[bwt1213]

Question for you lalatan and Naboka: Can you explain how one could get "only" rare words in a 3 minute game of Wordtwist? How could you not slip in a few common words accidentally? Getting that many obscure words without a common seems impossible. I'm probably unaware of a different way to play or a different version that allows the game to be slowed down. Please explain, that would help a lot!

You could probably go back in Naboka's posts to find the details, but I remember him discussing many notebooks filled with ultra-rare words that he would memorize for use in the games. And even then, it took years of practice to become skilled at using only those words (he compared it to learning a new language). After all that, games in which he did not achieve his goals were dumped and he'd start over with a new game, counting only those games meeting his standards. Those are what I understand the bare bones of his method are. If you follow in his footsteps, there is a lot of work before you.

[Naboka]

You're so close to MegaWord you could tap him/her on the shoulder. If I were that close, I'd consider it a banner achievement. But, in fact, I'm not going to get that close to anyone of MegaWord's capabilities. I'm just not that good and I can recognize that as reality. So I'm not in your league, either.

Ah, Megaword was probably just having a bad game. I'm not anywhere near his ability.

Mostly, the post was showing off the word atelophobia or the fear of being imperfect. (Throwing around big words always makes me feel smarter than I am.)

I build forts with big words and hide behind them.

We've got kids in kindergarten who have this weird incipient fear of not being perfect. They just freeze up in near-terror about not knowing how to do something. It's sometimes a real struggle to get them comfortable with making mistakes and failing. At that age, the fear isn't usually paralyzing and you can get them out of it. They're a bit young to have dug such deep mental trenches they can't get out.

Another one is atchiphobia or the fear of failure or being judged negatively.

Thing is you've got to get the kids (and yourself) comfortable with failing and imperfection to improve their (your/my/our) chances of learning.

I've noticed these things in myself and other adults. That weird discomfort with failure and being imperfect. Kind of silly. I would guess we're all on a scale of these things, but I'm not a psychologists, so...

I would bet a gallon of Ben and Jerry's that there are lots of areas where I'm not in your league. Not even in the same building. Such as computers and programming. Or math.

My iMac's got so much memory tied up that even with all it's capacity, it's running like a geriatric up Pike's Peak. I don't have a clue how to remedy it. Probably will just use some of the wife's money to buy myself a new one. Being a kept man has its benefits.

I still have to get the wife's help adding someone to my phone contacts. You'd think... Annoys the hell out of her that I'm such a technological idiot.

So, any bravado I might exhibit is probably a mushy version of hubris oatmeal.

[bwt1213]

You're so close to MegaWord you could tap him/her on the shoulder. If I were that close, I'd consider it a banner achievement. But, in fact, I'm not going to get that close to anyone of MegaWord's capabilities. I'm just not that good and I can recognize that as reality. So I'm not in your league, either.

[Naboka]

Sometimes...

you know it's not gonna happen...

you know it's gonna hurt all of your averages...

you know it's....

but...

you gotta try.

just because.

And even when you fail...

it's just ..

learning.

Atelophobia be damned.

Failing is half the fun.

right???

And certainly the path to improvement is paved with failures.

(Or so they say.)

Screen Shot 2024-03-22 at 1.05.53 PM.png

There were only 50 ultra-rare words and I usually avoid those games.

And all those common words!

Not my bailiwick.

[dannyb]

Looks like 900 is just around the corner. I'm sure that you will get there.

[Naboka]

Am beginning to recognize which games to speed up on. Third personal best high score this month: 882, then 890, then 894.

If I could only figure out how to relax through the frazzles and jitters towards the end of the game--where getting too excited and too sped-up causes all those errors.

As it is, my wrists, hands and fingers have to take a break after games like this to recover.

(helps finding a game with relevant z's and k's.)

record 894 .png