c4countdown

JimBentley wrote: I know Innis has survived about 70 odd rounds of conundrums

Actually almost double that: 137

Having had the 8 vowels and 8 consonants Duels this week (both outside the normal allowed selection parameters), how about a one-off Duel, at some unspecified point in the future, with 5 or 6 large in Touch Numbers? I'd hate playing it, but I'd love to see how the Numbers experts would cope. You may want to opt for Stepdown scoring, in case a number of rounds are not exactly solvable.

(No response necessary, Charlie. Just whack it in as a Duel one time, if you think it's a good idea.)

I'm assuming that it's just too much of a faff to bother with, but I figure I should add my voice to the 'can something be done about blind?' camp. It just seems far too easy to cheat, even when it's goatblind like today's duel) when you can just note down letters/words (indeed, I was having to rely on being a blindy so I didn't accidentally get an advantage from seeing my noted-down words). Is it impossible to, say, make the text you use for noting words white?

(I appreciate that a blind duel is pretty rare, and so really who cares, but when you know there are people who'd cheat at quiz machines about...)

Michael Wallace wrote:Is it impossible to, say, make the text you use for noting words white?

Then you wouldn't know if you had a typo until it was time to declare it…not that that hasn't happened to me anyway…

From today's News: "Slightly increased the conundrum difficulty cap for most players, since not enough people were enjoying the delights of 10/10 conundrums." If a conundrum was 10 and everyone started getting it, would it then become a 9? Or if it was a 9 and no-one got it for a while, would it become a 10?

Miriam Nussbaum wrote:

Michael Wallace wrote:Is it impossible to, say, make the text you use for noting words white?

Then you wouldn't know if you had a typo until it was time to declare it…not that that hasn't happened to me anyway…

There is that, yeah, but you could keep the text in the little box you declare in black, so you can check before you hit enter and send it into the notes box below. I know you could still just cheat by typing the letters into the little box first, but you can always just write the letters down on a piece of paper so at least this would stop people accidentally cheating by having a list of words in the notes box.

(Yes, I know the more I write about this the more retardedly pathetic it sounds, I really don't think I care any more.)

Get rid of blind.

Jon O'Neill wrote:Get rid of blind.

Down with drapes!

Curtains for curtains.

Marc Meakin wrote:Curtains for curtains.

Who else but Meakin?

Ryan Taylor wrote:

Marc Meakin wrote:Curtains for curtains.

Who else but Meakin?

giggidy.

Adam Gillard wrote:From today's News: "Slightly increased the conundrum difficulty cap for most players, since not enough people were enjoying the delights of 10/10 conundrums." If a conundrum was 10 and everyone started getting it, would it then become a 9? Or if it was a 9 and no-one got it for a while, would it become a 10?

Yep, the numbers are updated every few months (which might sound slow but the system is actually pretty stable so not many of them change). The details of the system might be of some interest to you. But we only use the first time each person is given each conundrum, so if you learn TAIKONAUT after the first time (as many people do), you won't push the difficulty of it downwards for newbies.

To clarify what's actually changed, we now round *up* the decile that you're in, so the top 10% of players can all now get the 10/10 bastards.

Charlie Reams wrote:so if you learn TAIKONAUT after the first time (as many people do)

I give up. What's the answer?

Spaces in the TTT, since it can be surprisingly difficult in Times New Roman to distinguish EALEDFID from EALEDFTD.

Hi, would it be possible to freeze out the opponent on the conundrum if they're more than 10 points behind you please? Because the conundrum is apparently an irrelevance to the person trailing, whereas the person leading might like the conundrum to achieve some kind of max game or personal record. This change would be in-keeping with the ethos that COUNTDOWN IS ALL ABOUT WINNERS.

Jon Corby wrote:Hi, would it be possible to freeze out the opponent on the conundrum if they're more than 10 points behind you please? Because the conundrum is apparently an irrelevance to the person trailing, whereas the person leading might like the conundrum to achieve some kind of max game or personal record. This change would be in-keeping with the ethos that COUNTDOWN IS ALL ABOUT WINNERS.

But it's surprising how often the person who's behind actually gets the conundrum, isn't it!

Jon Corby wrote:Hi, would it be possible to freeze out the opponent on the conundrum if they're more than 10 points behind you please? Because the conundrum is apparently an irrelevance to the person trailing, whereas the person leading might like the conundrum to achieve some kind of max game or personal record. This change would be in-keeping with the ethos that COUNTDOWN IS ALL ABOUT WINNERS.

Yes, the taking part is completely irrelevant. That is for girls.

Sadly tho the margin of victory's taken into account when ratings are calculated so all points must at least be made available to both players.

FEATURE REQUEST: Change the ratings system to incorporate this - maybe knock 10 off to start with for being so far behind. If they're that far behind anyway it's all they deserve

(At a rough calculation tho this would make my rating somewhere below Prune's. )

GENUINE feature request - how about a collection item for not going for a max word even if it isn't a 9? Not a whole chicken, obviously, but at least a feather. A big yellow one.

Just a thought.

A facebook app that reports your newly gained pencils to your friends' newsfeeds, so you can bewilder them.

Ben Hunter wrote:A facebook app that reports your newly gained pencils to your friends' newsfeeds, so you can bewilder them.

This made me smile hard. Fuck I'd love this. Especially as I'm not Facebook friends with fucking Bayfield.

Lesley Hines wrote:GENUINE feature request - how about a collection item for not going for a max word even if it isn't a 9? Not a whole chicken, obviously, but at least a feather. A big yellow one.

Just a thought.

Cancel that shite idea. I've earned enough tonight to fill duvets for my house, and I've got 10 bedrooms.

Matt Morrison wrote:

Ben Hunter wrote:A facebook app that reports your newly gained pencils to your friends' newsfeeds, so you can bewilder them.

This made me smile hard. Fuck I'd love this. Especially as I'm not Facebook friends with fucking Bayfield.

Recognition for my obscure pencil-mining! That always makes me happy.

Incidentally, I am facebook friends with no-one, although I have nothing against the site. I might bother to register a FB account at some point in the future, if I can be dragged screaming into the technological age.

Please could you add a comments facility to the "Skills" pages, e.g. Way of the Parrot

Adam Gillard wrote:Please could you add a comments facility to the "Skills" pages, e.g. Way of the Parrot

Also, the comments facility has disappeared from the "Items" pages, e.g. Most chickens

Opportunity to select different time limits for letters, numbers and conundrums

Dmitry Goretsky wrote:Opportunity to select different time limits for letters, numbers and conundrums

Um, custom game?

Eoin Monaghan wrote:

Dmitry Goretsky wrote:Opportunity to select different time limits for letters, numbers and conundrums

Um, custom game?

No, FULLY custom. Set 50 sec for numbers, 40 for letters and 30 for conundrums, for example

This wouldn't be a bad idea for practice games, you'd get more time for the one you're least good at (Numbers for me, for example) and then less for your preferred, or better one.

OMG, I just agreed with Dmitry.

Stats requests- most multitalented/multilingual by number of maxes, total points scored leaderboard (admittedly part of superstats but I can't find it in statland anywhere). For the most played variants, maybe a spot on the high score page showing deciles, e.g. '10% of players achieved a score over __ in 15 rounders'?

Would it be possible to put in people's profiles if they come in the top 10 of some of the stats lists? Not sure how, maybe under the icon or on a separate tab.

Thanks very much

Lesley Hines wrote:Would it be possible to put in people's profiles if they come in the top 10 of some of the stats lists? Not sure how, maybe under the icon or on a separate tab.

Thanks very much

Is this different to the Glory Roll?

Charlie Reams wrote:

Lesley Hines wrote:Would it be possible to put in people's profiles if they come in the top 10 of some of the stats lists? Not sure how, maybe under the icon or on a separate tab.

Thanks very much

Is this different to the Glory Roll?

No! In fact, exactly the same!! Amazing. It's as if someone had the idea, and implemented it, before I'd even thought of it. Who'd've thought? Even on the user's profile and everything. Excellent work

Off to be a police witness.

Lesley Hines wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:

Lesley Hines wrote:Would it be possible to put in people's profiles if they come in the top 10 of some of the stats lists? Not sure how, maybe under the icon or on a separate tab.

Thanks very much

Is this different to the Glory Roll?

No! In fact, exactly the same!! Amazing. It's as if someone had the idea, and implemented it, before I'd even thought of it. Who'd've thought? Even on the user's profile and everything. Excellent work

Off to be a police witness.

No problem, I consider it reassuring when people suggest features that already exist, albeit a fair criticism of my penchant for naming things creatively rather than logically.

Skill listings for all remaining variants. Suggestions:

Unlimited jnr: larva
Goatdown jnr: kid
Touch jnr: whelp
Omelette: hen
Dogfight: fox
Nasty: fer-de-lance
Aegilops: Wheat fly

Charlie Reams wrote:penchant for naming things creatively rather than logically

I like that. Besides, Glory Roll sounds like something you could do with a mars bar

Another statland page request- greatest variety of items?

I think more could be made of the Nasty variant. Maybe, in letters rounds, you only need at least 1 consonant and 1 vowel. And I think it should become an official format (together with Nastynums and Nastycons).

Can we have a different item for pencils gained in Aegilops so that when I spot Darrens such as POTJIEKOS or VANQUISHABLE in Hypertouch I actually get something other than another measly baseball cap for it? Alternatively you could just replace each of Bayfield's Aegilops pencils with "a piece of turd" so that they would be available again. Thanks in advance.

I have a suspicion that this was requested before, but anyway: Shortcut keys for the numbers (0 1 2 3 4 [5 6 etc for hyper]). I know I can hit tab, and I do hit tab, but still.

Also: I know you've described the conundrum code as hanging together by fingernail clippings and baling wire (not a direct quote), but: can you maybe keep listening for "buzzes" even when the other player has already buzzed in, or maybe stop the clock while your opponent is typing? For instance, in this game, I got the conundrum and started typing but wasn't fast enough and didn't get a letter in before my opponent. But since he took more than 1.3 seconds to get it wrong, I didn't get a chance to buzz in after.

Also: can we make classic games go away when you disconnect/stop/whatever, instead of just sitting in your challenge window being non-resumable?

Kai Laddiman wrote:I think more could be made of the Nasty variant. Maybe, in letters rounds, you only need at least 1 consonant and 1 vowel. And I think it should become an official format (together with Nastynums and Nastycons).

Or pick either one consonant or one vowel, like that one pair of duels the other week.

Andrew Feist wrote:I have a suspicion that this was requested before, but anyway: Shortcut keys for the numbers (0 1 2 3 4 [5 6 etc for hyper]). I know I can hit tab, and I do hit tab, but still.

Sure.

Also: I know you've described the conundrum code as hanging together by fingernail clippings and baling wire (not a direct quote), but: can you maybe keep listening for "buzzes" even when the other player has already buzzed in, or maybe stop the clock while your opponent is typing? For instance, in this game, I got the conundrum and started typing but wasn't fast enough and didn't get a letter in before my opponent. But since he took more than 1.3 seconds to get it wrong, I didn't get a chance to buzz in after.

I don't know if this is broken but AFAIK the clock has always stopped once your opponent buzzes in.

Also: can we make classic games go away when you disconnect/stop/whatever, instead of just sitting in your challenge window being non-resumable?

They're meant to be resumable, is that not the case?

Charlie Reams wrote:

Andrew Feist wrote: Also: I know you've described the conundrum code as hanging together by fingernail clippings and baling wire (not a direct quote), but: can you maybe keep listening for "buzzes" even when the other player has already buzzed in, or maybe stop the clock while your opponent is typing? For instance, in this game, I got the conundrum and started typing but wasn't fast enough and didn't get a letter in before my opponent. But since he took more than 1.3 seconds to get it wrong, I didn't get a chance to buzz in after.

I don't know if this is broken but AFAIK the clock has always stopped once your opponent buzzes in.

Maybe there's some lag calculation that is taken care of along the way, but right or wrong, the clock always jumps when your opponent buzzes in.
Click here for screenshot

Charlie Reams wrote:

Also: can we make classic games go away when you disconnect/stop/whatever, instead of just sitting in your challenge window being non-resumable?

They're meant to be resumable, is that not the case?

I've had a classic game against Steven Briers hanging around for a week or so.

Further to Kai's comment above, an alternative option for "Nasty Letters" would be to change the letter distribution. Perhaps there could be an equal number of each vowel in the vowel pile, and an equal number of each consonant in the consonants pile. Would lead to some very short maxes, but would possibly increase the frequency of some unusual words, thus increasing people's vocab.

Matt Bayfield wrote:Further to Kai's comment above, an alternative option for "Nasty Letters" would be to change the letter distribution. Perhaps there could be an equal number of each vowel in the vowel pile, and an equal number of each consonant in the consonants pile. Would lead to some very short maxes, but would possibly increase the frequency of some unusual words, thus increasing people's vocab.

I like this idea, it's pretty cool. I remember when I wrote my Countdown game, I made it so that you could switch between about seven or eight distributions and one of them was pretty much as Matt suggests. Another one was the normal distribution, but with all the 'E's removed, which could also be an absolute bastard.

JimBentley wrote:Another one was the normal distribution, but with all the 'E's removed, which could also be an absolute bastard.

Absolut bastard, shurely?

JimBentley wrote:

Matt Bayfield wrote:Further to Kai's comment above, an alternative option for "Nasty Letters" would be to change the letter distribution. Perhaps there could be an equal number of each vowel in the vowel pile, and an equal number of each consonant in the consonants pile. Would lead to some very short maxes, but would possibly increase the frequency of some unusual words, thus increasing people's vocab.

I like this idea, it's pretty cool. I remember when I wrote my Countdown game, I made it so that you could switch between about seven or eight distributions and one of them was pretty much as Matt suggests. Another one was the normal distribution, but with all the 'E's removed, which could also be an absolute bastard.

I like this idea too. The only problem is that we already have high scores for Nasty 15, which would be completely unbeatable if I changed the distribution. The only real option is to retire all the old Nasty 15s, which I guess wouldn't be too terrible, it's not that prestigious a record.

Charlie Reams wrote:

JimBentley wrote:

Matt Bayfield wrote:Further to Kai's comment above, an alternative option for "Nasty Letters" would be to change the letter distribution. Perhaps there could be an equal number of each vowel in the vowel pile, and an equal number of each consonant in the consonants pile. Would lead to some very short maxes, but would possibly increase the frequency of some unusual words, thus increasing people's vocab.

I like this idea, it's pretty cool. I remember when I wrote my Countdown game, I made it so that you could switch between about seven or eight distributions and one of them was pretty much as Matt suggests. Another one was the normal distribution, but with all the 'E's removed, which could also be an absolute bastard.

I like this idea too. The only problem is that we already have high scores for Nasty 15, which would be completely unbeatable if I changed the distribution. The only real option is to retire all the old Nasty 15s, which I guess wouldn't be too terrible, it's not that prestigious a record.

Bye bye 2000...

JimBentley wrote: Another one was the normal distribution, but with all the 'E's removed, which could also be an absolute bastard.

This. It would be awesome to learn the words that crop up time and time again but with no E...the ones that get you out of pickles, like ROSARIA, INDUSIA, INDUNAS, UNHANDS etc.

Suggestion: interface
You can click on cards instead of writing word on keyboard

Dmitry Goretsky wrote:Suggestion: interface
You can click on cards instead of writing word on keyboard

I suspect this feature was implemented in around July 2008, but I may be wrong...

Can we have a Leaderboard for longest none mover in pro ranks. I imagine Kirks current run at top would be first by miles. I've been #5 for 9 weeks!

When someone gets a pencil, can it say what language it was in please? (In aptochat)

Ryan Taylor wrote:When someone gets a pencil, can it say what language it was in please? (In aptochat)

...just when it's not a normal English one.

Matt Morrison wrote:

Ryan Taylor wrote:When someone gets a pencil, can it say what language it was in please? (In aptochat)

...just when it's not a normal English one.

ITYF that's a bronze pencil.

While we're in suggestion mode here: Just like when you get an item, it says "items [new]" in the tab, can you do the same for chat when a new chat message appears? (Occasionally I forget to switch back when I'm playing an actual person.) Also, the bots don't talk any more, which I don't really miss, but could you have a switch for "verbose" mode (where they make comments during the game) that triggers if you say something to them?

Kai Laddiman wrote:

Matt Morrison wrote:

Ryan Taylor wrote:When someone gets a pencil, can it say what language it was in please? (In aptochat)

...just when it's not a normal English one.

ITYF that's a bronze pencil.

No, bronze and non-bronze pencils separate English ODE and all others. CSWs are still English but are not bronze, and Ryan's original message also is about which specific language, not just "English or not". Hebrew, Russian, and Greek are pretty obvious but German/Dutch and French/Italian/Spanish can be confused with certain words.

Is there a way to mute the clock already? If there isn't, could there be please? It's kind of weird listening to music with the clock in the background.

craig wrote:Is there a way to mute the clock already? If there isn't, could there be please? It's kind of weird listening to music with the clock in the background.

Settings link, just under Play.

Tbh, all the cool kids just have the clock music in a file somewhere, and play it every round. Much more authentic.

Charlie Reams wrote:

craig wrote:Is there a way to mute the clock already? If there isn't, could there be please? It's kind of weird listening to music with the clock in the background.

Settings link, just under Play.

Cheers mate.