What Game Settings Should I Use?
When you start a game on woogles.io , the first thing you see is a prompt to choose your settings. Many players, especially new ones, don’t always understand which settings they should use and what problems they might have if they choose the wrong ones. This guide is meant to help clarify that.
Some of the settings are easy. If you are matching a bot, you choose the bot you want to play from the dropdown menu. If you want to play a friend, you type in their woogles.io username.
The Game type is generally Classic, but you can also choose the other options when you want to try something different.
The Dictionary, meaning the list of words that are considered acceptable to play, can be chosen based on agreement between the players.
The Challenge rule relates to what happens when an invalid word is played (based on the chosen Dictionary).
- Void means that no invalid words are playable. If you play an invalid word, you get a warning and must remove it from the board. It is still your turn and you can make another play. Void challenge is useful when learning the game and when playing bots, as they always have perfect dictionary knowledge.
- 5 points (10 points) means that if you challenge a valid word, the person who played the word gets 5 (10) extra points, and you still get to take your turn. If it is an invalid word, the person who played it loses their turn.This challenge rule puts more responsibility on the player of the word to know it, since the penalty for challenging a good word is very low. This challenge rule may have the effect of minimizing the effect of bluffing.
- Double means that if you challenge a valid word, you lose your turn. If it is an invalid word, the person who played it loses their turn. This challenge rule puts more responsibility on the challenger to know their words, since the penalty for challenging is very high. This challenge rule allows the aspect of bluffing to be a greater part of the game.
- Single means that you can freely challenge words. If the play was valid, you don’t lose your turn.
- Triple means that whoever is wrong in the challenge (the player who played an invalid word or the player who challenged a valid word) immediately loses the game. This is generally just used between friends or in other special situations.
The Initial minutes slider has four ranges:
- Ultra-Blitz! is up to 1 minute per player
- Blitz is 2 to 5 minutes per player
- Rapid is 6 to 13 minutes per player
- Regular is 14 to 60 minutes per player
The Time setting controls what happens when a player’s time has expired. Overtime means that X number of extra minutes are allowed, with a -10 penalty for each minute (or partial minute) used. If a player’s overtime expires, they immediately lose the game. Use increment means that X number of seconds are added to your clock after each of your moves.
SHOULD I PLAY RATED OR NOT RATED?
The final option is whether the game is Rated or not. This is actually a very important setting to consider, because rated games are automatically monitored for proper play and an automatic suspension from playing rated games will take effect if these rules for proper play are not followed. You can read the Woogles Terms of Service, which explain what is not allowed, at https://woogles.io/terms .
Actions like repeatedly resigning or timing out from rated games, slow playing rated games, playing a high number of phonies in rated games, and other similar behaviours that can interfere with the accuracy of the rating system are not allowed. If you do these things only rarely (life happens), it will take a long time to reach the threshold of suspension. If you do them often, it will happen quickly. Note that a suspension from Rated games means that you can still play Unrated games. In fact, Unrated games (perhaps with Void challenge too) can be ideal when you are learning how to play. Also, if you want to play a relaxed game that you might not finish or want to play phonies for fun, you absolutely should play Unrated.
Of course, a Rated game auto-suspension eventually ends (the end date/time is shown in the notification). However, if you continue to play inappropriate rated games, you will be auto-suspended again, and each subsequent suspension will be longer.
The main point is to think carefully before playing a rated game! Treat it like a tournament game, meaning you will play it seriously and to the end to the best of your ability.