frozen boards

[lalatan]

Thanks Naboka. Every time I set a new record, I record the tally (just numbers, not words) on a spreadsheet. If I set some records playing on my phone, I screenshot it and add them to the records I set on my PC. I like how it does all the math for me.

I understand your reluctance to pass up playing the tempting game. I reeled off 21 records in 50 mins during my night session. I just wanted to keep going it was so enjoyable. But I remembered a username which I think is hilarious: ForHeavensSakeGettoBed. So I did. I think you could've played the game after 40 mins although I don't know exactly when the ability to do so times out. I do know, if you don't play it for a few hrs, it won't load.

Like you I wouldn't want someone to hand me the trophy; I'd rather earn it although I'd appreciate the altruistic gesture. Congrats on all your 600+ pt games last month. That's an awesome achievement in 4x4, I think. You'll reach 700 soon.

[Naboka]

Thanks Naboka. Every time I set a new record, I record the tally (just numbers, not words) on a spreadsheet. If I set some records playing on my phone, I screenshot it and add them to the records I set on my PC. I like how it does all the math for me.

I understand your reluctance to pass up playing the tempting game. I reeled off 21 records in 50 mins during my night session. I just wanted to keep going it was so enjoyable. But I remembered a username which I think is hilarious: ForGod'sSakeGettoBed. So I did. I think you could've played the game after 40 mins although I don't know exactly when the ability to do so times out. I do know, if you don't play it for a few hrs, it won't load.

Like you I wouldn't want someone to hand me the trophy; I'd rather earn it although I'd appreciate the altruistic gesture. Congrats on all your 600+ pt games last month. That's an awesome achievement in 4x4, I think. You'll reach 700 soon.

Just for clarification: when you set a record for a word that is both longest and best, is that 2 records? Saw one of yours a couple of days ago, some conconction about
malaria. " cracked me up that you could find such a thing. It was worth 20 some points.

[lalatan]

That's right. I usually get both records but very occasionally I only manage to get 1. For instance, I played a game recently where the best/longest words were worth 12 pts, 13 ltrs. When I played the game I saw that they had found the longest word already: CONGLOMERATIONS. From my experience, I knew GLOMERATIONS was worth 18 pts. So I played that and submitted the game.

Yeah, that was a fun one. I spotted -ologies early on but couldn't find anything to pair with it. I eventually noticed malari- and thought the word would be malarial. Not so but I tried MALARIOLOGIES and it was valid! Last week I saw GRAMMATISTS on a board but knew it wouldn't be worth many pts. Then I spotted lipo- which is usually the combo form for fat in medical/scientific words. A voice in my head told me to play LIPOGRAMMATISTS, even though it made no sense logically. I did and it was accepted. I looked up the definition (one who writes lipograms. Lipogram: a piece of writing from which all words containing a particular letter have been deliberately omitted. Apparently complete books have been written in this style. Go figure...) and realized I had played it before a long time ago. For some reason once I've seen a word I tend to remember it when I see it again on a board.

[2cute]

I had jury duty on Wednesday. The air temperature was -17 F, and of course there was a breeze. I don't know what the wind chill was, because it didn't matter. It was miserable, even though I used the handicapped parking space and walked the least distance to the door. There was a line. It was ten minutes until I could get inside. Then I wasn't called and won't be now for another four years. If I had been called, I'd have been excused, anyway. I am a former police officer, I have been robbed repeatedly, I have been swindled, I have sued people and companies (and won, incidentally, every time) and no prosecutor or defendant will want me. At least that's what I think. Five years ago, I did serve on a jury. I was certain I would not be acceptable, for all the reasons mentioned. But there was one more. It was a child molestation case. My brother is a registered sex offender. Child molestation. I told the court. They thought I'd be perfect, and I served. I guess justice is cold. The state failed to prove their case (I wonder why they even bothered) and we were a hung jury -- 11 - 1 to acquit. And I wasn't the holdout. Now, on Monday it was a snowstorm and the roads were awful and I had to come in for jury duty, too. But that was just awful driving, and the temperatures were at least ten degrees F. I saw only one wreck, so it wasn't so bad.

I know you meant well bwt by you sharing this about your life, it hasn't made me feel better. This is the watch 'the news' approach to survival. Hearing how hard your life was (or is) on this day makes me feel worse (and sorry you had to go through that), not better.

Now had you said while waiting in line in the freezing cold to go do something you hate, someone found a song on their iphone that was cheerful, put it on speaker so everyone could hear and you all enjoyed it so much you began dancing and thus the rest of your day wasn't so bad because that 10 minutes was uplifting and unexpected, that would have more helpful. I I get more out of finding someone who can make lemonade out of lemons. Meaning who finds the silver lining in all things that are hard.

Finding that person is the difficult part, so I try to do that for myself. Sometimes I'm successful, sometimes I'm not.

[Naboka]

Lalatan, thanks. I could not for the life of me remember what word was connected to malaria. Malariologies.

This is cracking me up. Some of these words just open entire worlds I never knew existed. Writing something while deliberately omitting words containing a particular lette? Part of me just wonders WHY?????!!!! Writing's hard enough.

Guess we love problems and puzzles.

Weird how parts of words just jump out. Like in a movie scene where some part of the image is highlighted and enlarged.

Just played a game and immediately saw contra. Knew udogu (feel like it myself sometimes) had gotten a 16 letter word worth 30 points so ... saw var...variance? Ah, contravariancies. Okay, my long word for the month.

Usually, even when I see the long words I don't bother to type them. Takes too much time and cuts into the total points, which is my focus. For me, typing in a 12 letter word that's worth 11 points is counterproductive. Unless a word contains elements that produce high point densities I leave it alone. Especially if it's 6.7,8, letters or longer. Of course,. if a board only offers a bunch of 3 points words...what other option is there?

Wish I had your ability to remember these words from a long time ago.

Which brings up a bit of funny. I played a game a few days ago that I had played just a game or two previously. Seriously, there was less than 10 minutes between the original play and the replay. Since it was worth a lot of points and I had thoroughly studied it, the second play gave me one of my 600 point games last month. Fortunately, it wasn't an all time best so I didn't have to feel tainted and guilty.

A day and a half into this month and already have 3 600 pointers.

Wonder why the forum boards have gone so quiet lately.

[Naboka]

I know you meant well bwt by you sharing this about your life, it hasn't made me feel better. This is the watch 'the news' approach to survival. Hearing how hard your life was (or is) on this day makes me feel worse (and sorry you had to go through that), not better.

Now had you said while waiting in line in the freezing cold to go do something you hate, someone found a song on their iphone that was cheerful, put it on speaker so everyone could hear and you all enjoyed it so much you began dancing and thus the rest of your day wasn't so bad because that 10 minutes was uplifting and unexpected, that would have more helpful. I I get more out of finding someone who can make lemonade out of lemons. Meaning who finds the silver lining in all things that are hard.

Finding that person is the difficult part, so I try to do that for myself. Sometimes I'm successful, sometimes I'm not.

One of the most vivid memories from the sixties was a buddhist monk self-immolating as a protest to the war in Vietnam. How could someone sit there so calmly, purposely setting themselves on fire, and not screaming in pain?

I volunteered to go there and fight. The fictional Colonel Kurtz wasn't wrong. "The horror of it all."

"Hard"? Sure. Finding silver linings? Perhaps.

There's an intensity of feeling that only comes from putting it all on the line. It's an adreneline rush that can become addictive. There are moments when life becomes almost unbearably precious and vivid. Feelings that fill one with awe, that lift one beyond normal experience. Look at all the wonderful bravery that came out of 911. Bravery can't exist in a vacuum.

After experiencing pretty much ever human emotion at various levels of intensity, I wouldn't put "happy" or "content" high on the list. There have been far, far too many times when pushing through the pain, the challenges, the suffering brought the greatest rewards.

The hard road seems to offer the most rewards.

Embracing the worst has its own payday. I prefer the attitude of getting smashed in the face, looking up and asking, "is that all you've got? You'd better have more because I'll just keep getting up and coming after you until you give up."

It's always a matter of exploiting your opponent's weaknesses. And living is filled with opposition. And the opposition always has weaknesses. Always.

Being able to make one's own lemonade has benefits. But for me, being able to make your own cinnamon rolls with tons of cinnamon... That'll bring the friends over.

[lalatan]

Got flagged as spam after editing 2 words.
Naboka wrote:
This is cracking me up. Some of these words just open entire worlds I never knew existed. Writing something while deliberately omitting words containing a particular letter? Part of me just wonders WHY?????!!!! Writing's hard enough.

Which brings up a bit of funny. I played a game a few days ago that I had played just a game or two previously. Seriously, there was less than 10 minutes between the original play and the replay. Since it was worth a lot of points and I had thoroughly studied it, the second play gave me one of my 600 point games last month. Fortunately, it wasn't an all time best so I didn't have to feel tainted and guilty.

A day and a half into this month and already have 3 600 pointers.

Wonder why the forum boards have gone so quiet lately.
I had the same reaction. One guy wrote a novel and omitted the letter A, which is pretty common. I think he should try omitting E and see how that goes. Last week I watched a half hour YouTube video produced by Guinness Book of Records about various records set in 2021. 2 Chinese guys working as a team solved a Rubic's cube in 13 secs and change: underwater. Lol, WHY??? Another guy held his breath underwater for 24 mins 37 seconds. Unreal. Some California gal spent 40 some mins spinning a hula hoop using only her butt. I guess it's the human search for significance I once read about.

I don't think you'd have to be ashamed at all if you'd set an all-time best. You would be just a benefactor of the random routing of games. 5 times in WordTwist I had the same game routed to me immediately after I played the first one. (I've played 81k games.) I analyzed the board after playing the first game and twice I played the word I found in the next one. The other 3 I was just as clueless as the first time. As I've written before I used to get upset if I saw a word to play at the last moment and missed typing it. Now I know it'll likely reappear the same day, 3 days from now, 3 weeks or so or a few months away.

Looks like you've stepped up to another level after your word studies and are now establishing consistency. Breaching 700 is not far away.

The forum could be quiet from people dealing with Omicron infections. The case count was low through the first 4 waves of COVID-19 here on Vancouver Island but now it's galloping along in the 5th wave. In the previous 4 waves I only knew of 2 people who got it. Now I know over 20 who have it or had it.

2cute: Sorry that you're still suffering. Maybe this will make you a teeny tiny bit better. You were the best word record holder at 13 pts on a game I played and I couldn't find a better one or the word you played.

[Naboka]

lalatan, have no clue how many games exist on Wordtwist, but it's got to be a lot considering the record totals accumulated amongst current players.

I'm not as optimistic about seeing games appear again--though I've experienced the oddities, such as the one nearly back to back incident. I seldom see games where I have records and there must be hundreds. If that hundreds is a representative sampling which includes rare reappearances of a game...

Just mathematically, it's all boggling.

I have noticed that the same set of words can appear as different boards. Such as if "capitalizing" were the longest word, another game might have variations of capitalize as the central theme. Capitalization or recapitalization or the like.

It would seem that making enough playable boards would require using certain theme words serve multiple boards while making each distinct. Serving this community with enough distinct playable boards must be a challenge.

I know that with my new approach of using memory rather than looking exclusively at the board, I'll often mentally run through entire groupings of connected words that are on other boards I played that day. It would be easy to assume that the boards are the same, when they contain differences.

The exposure to certain letters just offers opportuntities for combining and recombining those letters into multiple words. The more words you've got in your mental library, the more words you can form. And if (as for you) those stored words run beyond 25 letters, so much the better.

But it's not just individual words. It's stockpiles of anagrams using those words.

After reading posts from boysmom and megaword, I've concluded a key to success in finding the most words rests on having fluid access to layers and layers of interconnected anagrams that can be plugged in without having to think about them.

Those anagrams thread through lots and lots of boards. Some reappear frequently. Some rarely. But the reappearance can create an illusion of board repetition in my opinion.

This is distinct from using word elements to build word groupings--or longer and longer words.

Apologies for the lack of clarity in what's written here. It's the result of having a bunch of emerging ideas that haven't been clarified.

[lalatan]

lalatan, have no clue how many games exist on Wordtwist, but it's got to be a lot considering the record totals accumulated amongst current players.

I'm not as optimistic about seeing games appear again--though I've experienced the oddities, such as the one nearly back to back incident. I seldom see games where I have records and there must be hundreds. If that hundreds is a representative sampling which includes rare reappearances of a game...

Just mathematically, it's all boggling.

I have noticed that the same set of words can appear as different boards. Such as if "capitalizing" were the longest word, another game might have variations of capitalize as the central theme. Capitalization or recapitalization or the like...

But it's not just individual words. It's stockpiles of anagrams using those words.

After reading posts from boysmom and megaword, I've concluded a key to success in finding the most words rests on having fluid access to layers and layers of interconnected anagrams that can be plugged in without having to think about them.

Those anagrams thread through lots and lots of boards. Some reappear frequently. Some rarely. But the reappearance can create an illusion of board repetition in my opinion.

This is distinct from using word elements to build word groupings--or longer and longer words.

Apologies for the lack of clarity in what's written here. It's the result of having a bunch of emerging ideas that haven't been clarified.

If you click the Records tab next to the Forum feed on the right side of the game page you'll see that each board is numbered. There are over 1/2 million now, as you will see. Before Stephen added new games last year we were in the low 300k's. (Of course I don't know how many of those numbered games are still available for play.)

Keep in mind that once a board is recycled (Seems to be done after 40 plays right now. There used to be recycling done after a certain high point value was reached but I don't know if that's still the case now.) all the record holder's names disappear off those games and the records they set only show in their scorecard thereafter. That may account for the lack of seeing your records very often.

Our experience is bound to be different since I look for different types of games than you do and we have different objectives in playing. I can only speak from my experience playing the long word game. I agree with what you said about knowing large sets of anagrams for success in seeking high scores and words. (The first word game I played was anagrams and I loved it. Still do.)

No problem. I wasn't confused by anything you wrote. Enjoy the quest.

[bwt1213]

I have absolutely no doubt that I am playing a board I have played before. When all the words I find are the same, the high score and the person who set the high score are the same, the longest and highest-point words are the same and set by the same person, then the board is a repeat. That said, repeats don't happen often.

I will agree that the total number of boards may well be a half-million. But at any given moment, how many of those boards are being circulated for play? I would suspect a much smaller sample. I might guess that having a smaller number of boards available might make the game server more responsive -- faster. But that's just a guess, not knowledge. But I see repeated boards far more than I would if 500K boards were in circulation. Recall that I can remember the whole board without looking at it after perhaps a minute of play. So when I stumble on an identical board, trust me. I know it.

[jbud1980]

I have absolutely no doubt that I am playing a board I have played before. When all the words I find are the same, the high score and the person who set the high score are the same, the longest and highest-point words are the same and set by the same person, then the board is a repeat. That said, repeats don't happen often.

I will agree that the total number of boards may well be a half-million. But at any given moment, how many of those boards are being circulated for play? I would suspect a much smaller sample. I might guess that having a smaller number of boards available might make the game server more responsive -- faster. But that's just a guess, not knowledge. But I see repeated boards far more than I would if 500K boards were in circulation. Recall that I can remember the whole board without looking at it after perhaps a minute of play. So when I stumble on an identical board, trust me. I know it.

I once played a grid and the next grid I played immediately afterward was the same. I, however, bested my score, but was still way below the high scores.

[2cute]

Got flagged as spam after editing 2 words.

Yep, me too. I wrote a response for another discussion and I got flagged for adding 2 consecutive comments.

2cute: Sorry that you're still suffering. Maybe this will make you a teeny tiny bit better. You were the best word record holder at 13 pts on a game I played and I couldn't find a better one or the word you played.

Yes, lalatan, you found just the right thing. THANK YOU!!!

[lalatan]

...It's so true that we attach meaningfulness (don't think I ever played that word yet) to accomplishments in different ways. 4 years ago I set a personal best of 1,225 best/longest word records in a month. I was hard at it every day all day and even played in the evening some days. As of yesterday I have set 1,207 records for this month and should easily pass the mark today. Wherever my monthly total winds up, this personal best is more meaningful for me because I've been playing part time by comparison. I play on and off from 11-4 most days and a late night session of 30-45 mins. I'm really enjoying this month because I know all my efforts of the last 4 years have paid off.

Naboka, I had to use "advanced search" to find where this post was. I tried finding the one where I said my total for Jan. came to 1,384 best/longest word records but the search said it was too common.

Anyway, you said in another thread that the competition for long words is fierce. You are correct. I have never seen as many different users with best/longest word records in 4x4 and 5x5 since the new games were added Feb. 2021. I thought maybe the increased competition would decrease my numbers but that hasn't happened. On my stats spreadsheet I added a formula that averaged the number of best/longest records I set for each day of the month. The results were interesting. Aside from my playing frenzy March and April 2021, my monthly avg has ranged from 11-35 records/day with some occasionally going up to 40. Last Nov-Dec I started liftoff at 37. Jan 2022 was 47, Feb 48 and for this month I'm currently averaging 56.8/day. I haven't played more games or done more studying than usual. Yesterday I lost 1.5 hrs of my usual playing time in the dentist's chair and still wound up setting 66 records for the day. It seems I've stepped up to another level. I know I'm getting faster at finding words. After finding a good word I look at the time remaining and more often I see that <15 seconds has expired. It seems that I'm offered more new games than before but no major increase. Some may construe this post to be bragging (maybe it is; I'm quite pleased about it) but I'm also surprised by it. Possibly it will inspire others to keep playing and developing. You just don't know what could happen.

While reading through this thread I saw that you first started getting 600+ pt scores not that long ago. You started studying to find more high scoring words and now you are above 700 pts. That is remarkable progress!! Congrats on your achievement. How many 700+ pt games did you wind up with last month?

[Naboka]

Naboka, I had to use "advanced search" to find where this post was. I tried finding the one where I said my total for Jan. came to 1,384 best/longest word records but the search said it was too common.

Anyway, you said in another thread that the competition for long words is fierce. You are correct. I have never seen as many different users with best/longest word records in 4x4 and 5x5 since the new games were added Feb. 2021. I thought maybe the increased competition would decrease my numbers but that hasn't happened. On my stats spreadsheet I added a formula that averaged the number of best/longest records I set for each day of the month. The results were interesting. Aside from my playing frenzy March and April 2021, my monthly avg has ranged from 11-35 records/day with some occasionally going up to 40. Last Nov-Dec I started liftoff at 37. Jan 2022 was 47, Feb 48 and for this month I'm currently averaging 56.8/day. I haven't played more games or done more studying than usual. Yesterday I lost 1.5 hrs of my usual playing time in the dentist's chair and still wound up setting 66 records for the day. It seems I've stepped up to another level. I know I'm getting faster at finding words. After finding a good word I look at the time remaining and more often I see that <15 seconds has expired. It seems that I'm offered more new games than before but no major increase. Some may construe this post to be bragging (maybe it is; I'm quite pleased about it) but I'm also surprised by it. Possibly it will inspire others to keep playing and developing. You just don't know what could happen.

While reading through this thread I saw that you first started getting 600+ pt scores not that long ago. You started studying to find more high scoring words and now you are above 700 pts. That is remarkable progress!! Congrats on your achievement. How many 700+ pt games did you wind up with last month?

There's a distinct difference between bragging and being thrilled with an accomplishment and wanting to share it.

If we had no means to share the really special things in our lives, living could become such a pile of suckishnesses that getting up in the morning would hardly be worth the effort.

Why try at all if no one cares?

Anytime I see, hear, taste something incredible I just want to share it with my friends and family.

Some accomplishments are group specific. If you stopped someone on the street and told them you found a 50 point word this morning, they'd lean away and wonder how to get around you.

I suppose that accomplishments are met here with the same degree of negative human response (though unspoken) that have occurred thoughout history. You can be a certain degree of good, but if you get too good, the resentments begin to build. Just common, typical human reaction. Look at how many people hate Tom Brady. (me included)

People are people, with that heady mix of explicable and inexplicable.

Nothing to be bothered by. We each bear the burdens of our own responses. Not those of others.

So, hearing your accomplishments makes me smile. Brightens the day. Those are crazy numbers you're talking about. Didn't take it as bragging at all.

I've notice a huge influx of new boards. I don't play those. I prefer games that really good players have played so I can learn new words. Floundering in my own ineptitude doesn't help me advance. I could study a fresh board and completely overlook that I'd missed "zouk" and "zerk" because I had no idea the words existed at all.

We tend to only see what we know in advance--and that's a pretty flawed process to begin with.

With so many new boards, there must be rich opportunities for best/longest words.

As for the 700's, I did 3 last month: 700, 726 and 745.

Not a single 700 so far in March, but I've already done 16 600's this month--while only getting 15 for all of February so things aren't going badly. Of course 5 of those 600's happened in a single day, so...

Last month I was trying to keep a string of 500's daily. This month, it's become 600's.

Improving typing skills has helped a lot. If only the fingers didn't suffer ADHD. It's all their fault.

[lalatan]

Some accomplishments are group specific. If you stopped someone on the street and told them you found a 50 point word this morning, they'd lean away and wonder how to get around you.

That made me laugh; true story.

I suppose that accomplishments are met here with the same degree of negative human response (though unspoken) that have occurred throughout history. You can be a certain degree of good, but if you get too good, the resentments begin to build. Just common, typical human reaction. Look at how many people hate Tom Brady. (me included)

People are people, with that heady mix of explicable and inexplicable.

Nothing to be bothered by. We each bear the burdens of our own responses. Not those of others.

Very true, I came to the same conclusions over time. I noticed if some average players post about some milestone reached, there are pats on the back but not so w the top players. In the past you may have noticed I have at times been effusive in my praise for the accomplishments of MegaWord, ThunderRock, RussDNails et al. They are doing things nobody else can and I think they deserve some accolades.
I too dislike Tom Brady because I've seen him win too many Super Bowls. Nevertheless I admire his skills and accomplishments.

I admire your wisdom re: the human condition.

I believe there will be more 700+ pt games coming for you. Sometimes it takes 1 good day to break through.