I read the dictionary to make a better game (2023)
The development of the word search game Tauggle focuses on achieving 100% completion on each board by curating a dictionary with common words. Balancing inclusivity and exclusivity enhances player satisfaction.
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The article discusses the development of the word search game Tauggle, aiming to create a game where players can realistically achieve 100% completion on each board. The main challenge addressed is the vast number of words in dictionaries, making it difficult for players to find all words in existing games. To tackle this, the developer manually curated a dictionary to ensure it only includes common words known by the majority of players. By removing obscure words, the game aims to provide a satisfying experience where players can complete each board. The article highlights the importance of balancing between inclusivity and exclusivity in word selection, ultimately aiming for player satisfaction. The curated dictionary, derived from the 2of12inf and 3of6game word lists, underwent a meticulous curation process to meet the developer's standards. Testing results indicate that players can now achieve 100% completion on boards with reasonable effort, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Players are encouraged to provide feedback on word additions or removals to maintain the dictionary's quality.
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3 commentsDid you consider getting some other people to do this manual curation process? You could then use roughly the intersection of all lists.
The best I could come up without going through the dictionary word-by-word like you did was to use data from actual games played, to see what words were actually being found by the players.
Here is the word frequency from about 900 days of daily challenges (about 15 players per day), ranging from TEE found 4636 times to LAWYERED found once: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OY32E-JyHh2C4A_1ADy4...
In this game the goal is not completion but to get a high score that you can compare against others (and yourself from previous days). So far I haven't done much with the list of word frequencies except an experimental feature where you can see stats about your game using "commonly found words only", e.g. what percentage of commonly found words did you find.
You can try the game here: http://crosswordislandhopper.com/playGob And the daily challenge: http://crosswordislandhopper.com/dailyChallenge
Perhaps words in this category should be on a banlist where you never generate puzzles where it would be a valid guess.
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