How points work
How each game scores is told in one place, a sheet opened from a "How points work" text button on the leaderboard, which replaced the line "Points add up from every Compete board."
Context
Only the Daily board shows points while you play and when it ends. Longest word ends on your word and your time, and Trivia on how many you solved, so a player saw the month total jump by 18 or 30 with nothing saying why. The help deck has no Trivia card, and its "Climb all month" card says only that each daily board adds to the month. Ru asked how scoring works and how to tell players without overloading them.
Options
Every option was mocked on the real game with sample data before choosing.
| Option | Where | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Before you play | the rule on the Longest word and Trivia cards on Home ("3 pts a letter", "5 pts an answer") | Taller cards; Home cards are compact by rule. Not chosen |
| When you earn it: one line | "+18 to your October total · 6 letters × 3" under the title of each game's end screen | Teaches each time; not chosen |
| When you earn it: a result card | "6 letters × 3 pts +18" with "October 1,059 · 2nd" | Clearest maths, heaviest. Not chosen |
| When you earn it: the month moves | "October 1,041 → 1,059, +18 from Longest word" | Not chosen |
| When you ask | a text button, "How points work", under the leaderboard's title, opening a sheet | Chosen by Ru: all in one place |
| The link as an outline button | the same, as a button | Heavier above the board. Not chosen |
| Nothing on the page | the "?" opens the sheet on this screen | The "?" already means the help deck. Not chosen |
Decision
The leaderboard's title is followed by a text button, "How points work ›", in the place of "Points add up from every Compete board." (Ru: with the button, that line can go). It opens a sheet: "Your three daily games add up to your month."; the Daily board, every word you find (3 letters 1 pt, 4 letters 2, then letters − 2; a 6-letter word is 4); Longest word, your longest word (3 pts a letter, +10 if it reaches the goal; 6 letters is 18, 9 of 9 is 37); Trivia, every answer (5 pts each, hints and skips free; 6 answers is 30); then "Points count once, when you finish. Rooms and solo games don't add to the month." The rules and examples are computed from partyScore, TOPWORD_PTS_PER_LETTER, UNLOCK_BONUS and TRIVIA_PTS.
In the same release, Longest streak left the records, because the month strip shows every run, and October's "+744 from Oct 1–9" note went, to cut noise (Ru).
Evidence
Measured in Chromium against the real build, with the database stubbed:
| The button | 145×44px at 390 and 320 wide |
| The sheet | closes on its ✕, the scrim and Esc; fits a 320×568 screen |
| The records | three rows: Best Daily board, Longest word found first, Best Trivia run |
Consequences
- Longest word and Trivia still end without points; the sheet and the month board are where points are explained.
- The rules can't drift from the scoring: the sheet reads the same constants.
- The help deck is unchanged: it still has no Trivia card.