The concepts keep on coming, today with veggie games fresh from the kitchen cutting board to our makeshift mockup machine. First up, a high-scoring game of SpellPeppers, where bell peppers get the letter-drop treatment. No special rules or scoring this time, though one color (pick purple?) may end up being worth more when we’re through. We may also turn up the letter difficulty to keep scores reasonable.
Another fine mesh
One thing we can say about this kind of webby pattern (lots of triangles, etc.) is, the number of permutations of potential words to check really skyrockets, requiring a faster checking algorithm. The same thing happened previously with Spellonious. For its part, Blu Yonder’s 504 point effort with 154 words was instantaneous upon tapping the switch icon (second from right at top after finishing a game).
Cooking the books
For the second set, knobby ginger root lends itself well to a nice type of pattern we call Ginger Trail. As with the peppers, green lines help show which letter areas are connected. For both veggie games, we go off-road to hunt down some savory faux-cabulary. These are words that didn’t make the scoring cut, but which we sliced and diced anyway and cooked up meanings for that might fit in a pinch.
We actually goofed on the setup for Ginger Trail here. At the lower left of our 259-point game, connections between the E and an S, and between the I and an S, really shouldn’t be connections. These games are one-off minimalist prototypes of potential future in-app-purchase options, perhaps as parts of add-on packs, so they’re sketches in progress. Besides that type, we also have other variations we hope to add to the app proper as regular updates at no extra cost.
Aloverse: Having a fear or dislike of small talk.
Velba: A smooth sauce of black raspberries spread on thin toast.
Scenoric: (Of a travel spot) Historic as well as scenic.
Blovose: Bloviating and verbose. Not like this batch of definitions: The blovose are anything but aloverse.
Crastle: A small castle or fort built into a steep or remote, craggy cliff or peak.
Soregon: An ointment of natural oils and native plants traditionally used for pain relief by U.S. Pacific Northwest outdoorspeople: Rub some on and the sore is gone. (commercial copy)
Acrost: A complicated pommel horse maneuver requiring exceptional wrist strength and agility.
Bivnog: A pungent seasonal drink originally made from dandelions, apple vinegar and rainwater or condensation collected from campsite leaves.
Warning: some readers may find sweets below irresistible
Frissets: Twisted fried dough buttered and rolled in cinnamon sugar, nutmeg, allspice, mace and cloves.
Saleric: Related to maintaining good physical health.
Firate: Fumingly angry.
Sicumine: (Of animals) Given to chasing other animals or people perceived as threats.
Ersane: Formerly mysterious or unknown but now understood: Zebra stripes seem to be joining the world of the ersane. Is yawning next?
Anesic: Not responding to painkillers or medicine: Either this soregon has gone off or I’m anesic.
Fenaster: To perforate or make holes in; To deceive or bamboozle.
Ecrets: Flaky, bite-size chocolate-filled cornet desserts: The saleric effects of ecrets and frissets have never been closely examined. This is probably all for the best.
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