Deja vu of "how do you explain this"

[Naboka]

It's almost like evolutionary theory.

Is it possible that a player got caught...

disappeared...

learned from the flagrant tells indicating something wasn't right,...

made adjustments.

Returned...

with a new identity...

reincarnated as an entirely new player with eery similarities to that individual's past life as a player?

Twighlight Zone?

[2cute]

Sure, anything is possible Naboka.

[lalatan]

Naboka, possibly you could send an e-mail to admin about your concern. Stephen may be able to tell what his "typing speed" is or how long it took him to complete the game to determine if he's a cheater.

[Naboka]

Naboka, possibly you could send an e-mail to admin about your concern. Stephen may be able to tell what his "typing speed" is or how long it took him to complete the game to determine if he's a cheater.

Assumed admin reads these posts. Nothing to be done really with someone who's managed to moderate some program to give them high scores and records. Each individual game seems fine, it's just the "something ain't right here" feeling with the overall body of work.

Overseeing the honesty of individual players just seems like an undue burden on admin.

So what if someone cheats to get unearned glory? If we know they've cheated, what glory do they get? They might as well earn their gratification watching porn. All they get from here is a bit of scorn. Not much of a high being scorned.

Since perfection is the major red flag, I suspect the last one modified their approach. It's something I was anticipating. When what they were doing became suspicious, they disappeared and possibly regrouped. After all, what drove them in the first place is still driving them. Probably that urge to show all the rest of us what suckers we are and how much brighter they are than us.

Sort of the weird thinking of someone riding a motorcyle in a race to show all the other runners who's really the best runner. Makes no sense at all.

Odds are that the new one is just the old one with a new identity, who's learned from the last foray.

Their stats are almost identical. A bit better in the new version, with an emphasis on not piling up so many records--which was the last red flag.

However, addicts just can't help themselves. Whatever high they get is going to dominate. For the first couple hundred games, everything looked doable. Then...

From game 248-287 they gained 34 record highs out of 39 games played. With an average over 567 points per game. The 567 isn't suspicious by any stretch.

Though, the average and percent of records certainly mirror the last incarnation.

There are other tells which, if revealed, would just provide an opportunity to back off and reincarnate with an adjusted strategy, which seems to be happening now. Why bother to tell them, if all they're going to do is make an adjustment and try again?

Odds are greatly against two players with the capability of megaword, ThunderRock, Mackers2 suddenly appearing in back to back months and dominating. In the 3 years I've been playing openly, and the 2 years I've actively studied the game, I've never seen it happen a single time. Not once.

Other than someone using a program.

I asked my brother-in-law, who's a tech honcho at Apple how it's done, describing what's happening. He told me. It's apparently not all that difficult. So, whatever feelings of "superiority" Todd is getting from riding his motorcycle, it's something pretty much something anyone could do if they had such low feelings of self esteem that they had to cheat to feel superior

Then again, maybe the player's legit and I'm just a suspicious jerk.

Or, as Judy Collins sang:

"Don't you love farce?
My fault, I fear.
I thought that you'd want what I want...
Sorry, my dear!
And where are the clowns
Send in the clowns
Don't bother, they're here."

[lalatan]

As usual you've made a number of good points. Stephen has shown he's concerned about cheaters so I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. I know the poor man is stretched in 50 diff directions at times but he seems to have tools (like how many times a specific word appears in puzzles etc.) we are not privy to that zoom in pretty quickly on different aspects of the boards played. I think he primarily reads the threads he has started and then some of our threads when he has the time. Just my impression and I could be wrong. I liked your analogy of the motorcycle in a foot race; made me chuckle.

[bwt1213]

Look, I've written just about every kind of software there is, and I've done it just about as well as it can be done. Not bragging, fact. And if I wanted to cheat at this game, no one would ever know. If anyone even suspected that I was a cheater, I would prove myself to be too stupid to even cheat.

I'm not even worried about it. I play the game for me. Naboka and lalatan play the game for themselves. And if anyone outscores them by cheating, scroom. Guarantee: if I ever outscore either of them, there will be no cheating involved. Further guarantee: Ain't gonna happen.

[Naboka]

Bwt1213,

Not sure what "scroom" means. Looked it up but couldn't find anything that satisfied the curiosity.

In a weird way, if you've developed skills honestly, being accused of cheating is a compliment. You've accomplished something that someone with lesser skills simply can't imagine.

That said, not everyone is honest. Some people want the glory without the work. And because we want to trust, just as strongly as we want to love, we become vulnerable to conmen/conwomen.

Having a healthy sceptism when probability variance begins to lean heavily towards improbability helps you keep the rain out of the kitchen when a bad roofer tries to sell you a lie instead of a roof.

During the last incarnation, Estive (one of two players I've never beaten in 4x4) tried to replicate the improbable accomplishments of the new roofer. Didn't happen.

Yesterday, out of 22 games played, 19 records got highest scores, averaging over 560 points. Just like the last incarnation. Funny how that is.

Since we have a good roof, rain doesn't fall in our kitchen. But, I still feel an obligation to tell the neighbors that the roofer at the front door is most likely a conartist.

Best not to give a bad roofer money--

nor a cheater the admiration they desperately crave.

[2cute]

Bwt1213,

Not sure what "scroom" means. Looked it up but couldn't find anything that satisfied the curiosity.

In a weird way, if you've developed skills honestly, being accused of cheating is a compliment. You've accomplished something that someone with lesser skills simply can't imagine.

That said, not everyone is honest. Some people want the glory without the work. And because we want to trust, just as strongly as we want to love, we become vulnerable to conmen/conwomen.

Having a healthy sceptism when probability variance begins to lean heavily towards improbability helps you keep the rain out of the kitchen when a bad roofer tries to sell you a lie instead of a roof.

During the last incarnation, Estive (one of two players I've never beaten in 4x4) tried to replicate the improbable accomplishments of the new roofer. Didn't happen.

Yesterday, out of 22 games played, 19 records got highest scores, averaging over 560 points. Just like the last incarnation. Funny how that is.

Since we have a good roof, rain doesn't fall in our kitchen. But, I still feel an obligation to tell the neighbors that the roofer at the front door is most likely a conartist.

Best not to give a bad roofer money--

nor a cheater the admiration they desperately crave.

Wow! Congrats! And I was thrilled about this:
WT 5x5 Tpts 209 Twrds 47 w 41 uniques 05.06.22.png

[Naboka]

Wow! Congrats! And I was thrilled about this:
WT 5x5 Tpts 209 Twrds 47 w 41 uniques 05.06.22.png

Unfortunately, wasn't me setting 19 records out of 22 tries. I'm lucky to get 2 or 3 records in 22 tries.

Congrats on all the green and the record. Green is lots of fun. Shows you're contributing something new to the board.

[2cute]

Unfortunately, wasn't me setting 19 records out of 22 tries. I'm lucky to get 2 or 3 records in 22 tries.

Congrats on all the green and the record. Green is lots of fun. Shows you're contributing something new to the board.

Ohh, it was the cheater that did that, is that what you're saying? I wouldn't be surprised if it were you as you're a good player.

Thanks, I like the unique words too, especially since I found so many. Yep, so exciting to create the 'for the time being' record!

[BoredInTheCar]

Bwt1213,

Not sure what "scroom" means. Looked it up but couldn't find anything that satisfied the curiosity.

Possibly a very contracted from of "screw them"? We often say "screw 'em" and this is just one step further down the road of elision. I'm only guessing, though.

[dannyb]

Scroom is a character in the game Guardians of Ga'Hoole. It is a ghost of an owl who has unfinished business on Earth.

[bwt1213]

Possibly a very contracted from of "screw them"? We often say "screw 'em" and this is just one step further down the road of elision. I'm only guessing, though.

You are correct. I had thought everyone would understand, not realizing that wordsmithing would complicate the matter. And, of course, nearly everyone here is a wordsmith of one kind or another.