Cheating?

[StrawberryCancer]

Why would people cheat? To be honest, you don't get anything out of it (other than stats), so why do it? The people who do cheat are not bettering themselves by cheating- only racking up stats. The people who play the game the right way increase their WPM and their knowledge.

That is not to say that cheating doesn't happen; I'm sure it does. But why worry about it? That only makes it THAT MUCH MORE AWESOME when you get a new record on a puzzle.

Jus' sayin'.

[AFishaNada]

You start to recognize the same names consistently getting high scores... and sharing high stats in general. These people are clearly just loving the game, playing it often, and getting better and better and better.

I got 415 today (big whoop de doo.... heh). That's a HUGE difference from a few months ago when I couldn't even fathom getting 200 consistently, or even breaking 300 even once.

This game is fun, it streamlines your typing skills, you recognize patterns, start getting good at "seeing" words you didn't see before, and if you see words you didn't know on the results page (god knows I usually do), you can click on the word, learn the definition, and learn a little somep'n somep'n.

I get a big old thrill when I set a 'new record.' If a games been played less than 10 times, I'm starting to be likely to set one! heh. Sometimes even if it's been played less than, say, 60 times, I set one! Before the really awesome players have had a chance at the puzzle.

But truth to tell, I'm just happy as punch if a game's been played more than 100 times and I find a word nobody else got yet - it appears in GREEN on the results page and I do a little happy dance.

heh

[StrawberryCancer]

Originally Posted by AFishaNada

But truth to tell, I'm just happy as punch if a game's been played more than 100 times and I find a word nobody else got yet - it appears in GREEN on the results page and I do a little happy dance.

Haha. I love when that happens too! Or sometimes when I end up typing in an extra letter- and its a word- I also do another dance.

[midnight]

A number of us have posted videos of high scores, so you can see how we play (I posted a video of a 764 point game a while back). I also know several of the top players from other forms of the game (Prolific, Noggin, and Scramble on Facebook mostly) and they seem completely legit. I have been playing for almost 3 years; there are players here who have been playing various forms of the game for over 10 years. I am only 60wpm in regular typing speed, but there are top ability players with typing speeds of 160wpm and more; I see no reason why they couldn't comfortably break the 1000 barrier on a number of boards without cheating.

[debbiedoo]

I was amazed when I saw the first video of Crovax...I know Midnight's scores are legit...amazing...

Some of my favorite moments have been when I find a word when over 400 people have played a board. Once I found an 18 pointer after it had been played 482 times...I was stoked...I can't cheat. I don't know how and wouldn't want to. I'll take my measly scores and have fun getting the best words I can...like in scrabble..

Happy boggling!!!

[kassius]

I was a very competitive yahoo "word racer" player (which is basically this game against people) so speed and recognition of obscure words is something I've built up over the last few years. Now having discovered Word Twist, I am averaging about 250 points per game, or 300+ if it's a decent board.

It's really about knowing the words you can make and more importantly getting as many short ultra rares out of the way instead of going for long common ones. For example, "lyes" nets you more points than a word like "grassier".

When I started playing I felt the 300-400 scores are something to shoot for. I hope to increase to that level.

[vimy100]

I can see why I'm have trouble... I drag the mouse. Never occurred to me to type :-). I have been playing for about two weeks now and my average scores have gone from the 120's to about 160. I now get over 200 regularly. I wonder what I could do if I could type? I like the game ~ it's a pleasant way to spend a few minutes waiting for a download to finish etc.

[blah]

At what point is it safe to assume cheating? When someone plays over 350 words in a two minute game, or starts averaging in the 1000s for 4x4? When someone suddenly doubles their average, or starts posting records for practically every game that they play, when previously they only posted a few? As someone who frequently breaks 700 playing legitimately (I have also produced several videos proving the fact, and would be happy to do so again) it really annoys me when other people cheat to get ahead.

Having played online Boggle for years, I know many of the top performers from various other forms of the game, as well as from this site. I also know the signs of cheating and have literally caught dozens of cheats in my time, a number of them in the actual act. When cheaters start taking over, legitimate players start to lose interest. Most of the top players know other top players in person (I have met a dozen or so online Bogglers in person and they have seen me play) and/or have others to vouch for them. I have seen at least two top tier players on this site playing live.

My point in all of this is that, if you are a cheat, you almost certainly aren't fooling anyone who has been playing for a while. You are just ruining the game for others. You take ranking positions from people who actually deserve them.

[moga]

Dear Administrator: Thank you much for continuing to provide this site and the fine way you operate it, not wasting a moment of our feverish typing, or our lazy typing, when we need to wind down, Can hardly think about aches, pains, loneliness, or anything else, while thoroughly immersed in the board of letters --- for me this a great escape, as well as a surrogate calming agent. Start out addled and wound a little too tight, but by finish am calm, cool, relaxed. Better med than those the docs would have us use to achieve the same effect!

To your question of cheating:
I will not say anyone here is doing that. I will say I have played on other sites where many people do. The Tangle Word game was cursed by those who had an application on their computer which has the words solved before I can find my home row keys! There are copious quantities of resources free for the dishonest that fill their bill. I don't know anyone could ever possibly get any real pleasure out of using such an application. But then I a simple old widow lady, honest to the bone, win or lose, just wants to play.

As for strategies: I have boggled with the old Hasbro cardboard tabletop box set; little board with dome for shaking, paper slips, mini pencils, and the little sand glass timer for more than thirty one years. I type 95 wpm with average of two errors, so that is pretty speedy for these old fingers. Basic typing, growing faster along the way, works well if you scan the board and zero in on letters that can make the same spelling pattern over and over by just changing one or two of the letters to make new words. Simple put, I and my son knew by heart all the full length Dr. Suess stories. So I grab on and then work that one small area of the board where I can "use up" all the rhyming words first, then edge out a bit and bring in the three letter wannabees like "sag', 'tap, 'rug'. Then I see if these little word are adjacent to letters to build onto them. Can "tap" become tapered? Worth a quick glance. At some point I draw back and try to see the board as a whole, no longer working in the ever growing sections. This gives me an overall look at he board, "the bigger picture". Most likely this is when I might be lucky enough to snag more than a six letter word! And by that point, I really do have to hurry!

That sorta works for me, but everyone finds their own combination. Maybe my way will give some ideas to players
who are just starting out. I hope so. Word games are my favorites. (retired English teacher here) I am all in favor of more players, and players happy with their scores.

There are ways to detect the use of computer generated solutions and that might be something our sponsor will be interested in one day, but the fact is cheaters always find a way. I just ignore them......growl a little, and really, really, wish they would go away!

Below is an example of an app for solving board. Just a glimpse of it. There are hundreds out there. I learned about them while played "Tangled" for four years. We played against each other in rooms, and we players were drive-by targets: cheaters would come in after the game was in play, solve the board to the tune to maybe 1200-1600 points and be out of the room before we even knew she, he was there. That lowered the ratings of everyone in the room. At least here, let's be thankful that can't happen here. This game is set up so well, that cannot happen here.

Happy gaming, all! If any tanglers are around, it be a hoot to get together. I have missed you.

In the meantime, please don't think I am using a cheat ap; Please remember I have been Boggling
since the mid 1970's at our table and since 2000 online.

The Puzzle Baron Rules! I only play on this site now ---way too much! Thanks.

Sample Cheat Program listing below: To answer the question, "How do they do that?" NOT to encourage its use.

Best free boggle solver downloads. dilutions, conversions ...
Boggle 2.1, Rajat Bhargav, Released: Jun 21, 2006 ....

[blah]

My comments are obviously slightly targeted. I put a lot of effort in to get first in the average score and words per game in 4x4 last month, in a fierce race with Testdummy, who I have seen play live and can vouch for. Since both of us were beaten to the top spot by someone who is almost certainly a cheater, we have both lost much of our interest in playing here. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth.