What is the "No S rule"?

"I can put an 's' if it changes the meaning of the original word"!

Although it may be argued, it simply means that a player cannot append an 's' to an existing word on the grid _ a word is composed of two or more letters.

Argument: "I can put an 's' if it makes a new word":  I don't agree as there are many words for which "Wordox" provides no meanings.  So what do the players do, argue?

Also, even if meanings did exist for every single word, a player can append the 's' and then argue that the meaning is different.  Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and the other player misses a turn_now what do you do?

Recommendation: Keep the rules simple and focus on the game.

What is the policy regarding skipping turns?

Big topic. To me, it is very simple. A 'no skipping' policy or rule cannot be enforced since it cannot be policed like other rules.

Example: 'No Pinks, No S' can be enforced. The act is concrete: it can be measured. A player putting an S at the end of a word is very measurable. A player placing a letter on a Pink tile is also very measurable.

Example: A player skipping a turn: not concrete. Did the player really run out of time? Did the player not know the word? Did the player pick up wrong tile by accident? Did the player have mouse problems? Ladies and gentlemen, this opens up a serious can of worms (pardon the use of cliché).

Statement: If something cannot be measured, it cannot be policed. If it cannot be policed, then logically it cannot become a policy.

Statement: I will skip if there is no advantage in putting down a word.

Recommendation: The only way a 'no skipping' rule can be applied is if WORDOX itself deducts points if a word can be made on a turn where the player did not successfully place a word on the board.

Final statement: If you don't agree with the above, don't play me _ save yourself much aggravation. The goal is to have great games, where no one feels they were cheated out of a victory. A player's skill deserves respect.

What do you regard as cheating?

Another big topic.  You can follow the logic as outlined in the previous section, therefore  I hope not to bore.

It comes down to what is controllable vs. what is not.

Concrete example of cheating: Two players, call them A and B, decide to play "No Pinks, No S".  The game progresses well ...  right up until B decides to place a a letter on the Pink tile.  As a result B cashes in the gold points and ends up  winning. That was a concrete violation of the rule.  B cheated.

Not-so-concrete example: A and B, in an alternate universe, still really good friends, decide to play the game without the aid of an external media  ( such as tables, descramblers,  WordLord's).  The game is progressing really well ... up until B decides to place a word that A has never seen before.  A slams the "virtual table" and calls B a "cheat".  B answers that the word just placed was  from a previous game with another player. Can you believe B? This game they are playing is online.  They are not face to face, so this kind of rule cannot really be enforced.  It is sad that A and B are in conflict over something they cannot control.

Recommendation: If two or more players want to enforce a rule and judge the outcome of their game by it, it should be a concrete rule.  Anyone of these players could be at a disadvantage for adhering to a vague rule without being certain the others are doing the same.  If you are going to hold tournaments and judge players by the number of wins vs. the number of losses, be prepared to do it under circumstances where the opponent's actions can be measured and if an action cannot be measured concretely, do not hold it against them.  What is this really about?

Final statement: WordLord will use all possible ways available to play the best game it can muster.  If you don't agree with the above, don't play WordLord and save yourself much aggravation.  The goal is to have great games, where no one feels they were cheated out of a victory. A player's skill deserves respect, even if it is a program (because a player like you built that program).

What happens if there are no more solutions on the board and the game score is even??

Right now we have the ability to "/close", so instead of waiting for tiles to run out, I will "/close". If left to the game, once tiles run out, the game ends and the players' scores are unaffected.

What's with all the oxoxoxxoxoxoxxo's?

LOL. If you're of the opposite gender, I will usually send you many kisses. Otherwise I make use of handshakes or paw-shakes (Garfield^).

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