Discovering patterns leads you to breakthroughs in game play

As of this writing, Xypher has barely been released, and so far little has been done to promote it. That's on purpose as I try to see how the early adopters fare with game play. The good news is the first leaderboard is starting to fill in. The leaderboards are based on players' average scores, and require you to solve 10 puzzles before being eligible. As expected, all of the activity so far has been on the 4x4 board. What surprises me, though, is how quickly a few of the players were able to post very low scores! I can speak from my own experience when saying that to achieve these kinds of scores you have to develop an understanding of the patterns of the game, so clearly people are connecting with it.

I can also say from experience that discovering new patterns and figuring out strategies to solve for them are some of the most fulfilling moments of the game. It is truly a game that rewards studying game play and adapting to what you learn.

So I'd like to encourage those of you who are enjoying the game but looking to lower your scores to study the game. There are patterns to the game that are the natural outcome of its design - many of which I had to discover for myself!

Some patterns show up in obvious ways, but others are not so obvious. Keep looking! I found that as I discovered a new pattern, it took some time to digest it and figure out a way to use it to my advantage. But when I did, it usually led to a new discovery, which gave me an opportunity to lower my scores even more! I think this is a lot of the fun of the game. It's not just solving the puzzle, but figuring out how it works.

I hope you enjoy playing Xypher and discovering its "secrets" as much as I do! While I still really enjoy playing it, it has been especially rewarding to share the game and watch others engage with it. Thank you for playing, and happy solving!