26.10.2009, 14:09
First of all, I think the portal should be indeed a place where you can find specialty-puzzles.
But what is a specialty puzzle?
I think that are puzzles that you
1) don’t find in magazines, or
2) do find in magazines, but in those magazines the puzzles are for example much easier or smaller.
Specialty-puzzles also can be variations to puzzles in magazines or puzzles with a ‘spitzfundigheit’. So far, most of the puzzles in the portal match one of the criteria.
It is not really a problem if puzzles in the portal are offered in a repeating way (with bigger time-intervals between the different postings) or in a series that builds up in difficulty.
What is a problem (in my opinion) is when a lot of puzzles are posted at once by one author.
When someone makes a puzzle and posts it in the portal, he/she is curious when it is solved first, and by whom, and how often, and if reactions are written, and what the number of stars will be and… So if someone posts a puzzle, and shortly after that someone else posts 10 puzzles in a row, the puzzle of the first author is hidden under a huge pile of other puzzles. I.e. it can hardly be found anymore. (Example: Pwahs made a nice puzzle Saturday evening, which is now ‘lost’.) So the puzzle of pwahs is a) not to find and b) fighting for attention with 10 other new puzzles. That is no fun. Every puzzle deserves attention, and therefore I suggest that a limit is put to the number of puzzles that one can post per day (2/3) and per week (4/5). That means fair chances for all authors.
Earlier I have warned that the puzzle portal should be a puzzle portal, and not turn into a sudoku-variants portal. But that is what seems to happen now. I think that should be avoided, and it will be by putting a limit to the number of posts.
When it comes to new solvers I wonder if they are happy with a website where you can find only specialty puzzles. So also classic puzzles should be offered, or like now the ‘anfänger-series’.
For what it is worth, these where my first thoughts.
Richard
But what is a specialty puzzle?
I think that are puzzles that you
1) don’t find in magazines, or
2) do find in magazines, but in those magazines the puzzles are for example much easier or smaller.
Specialty-puzzles also can be variations to puzzles in magazines or puzzles with a ‘spitzfundigheit’. So far, most of the puzzles in the portal match one of the criteria.
It is not really a problem if puzzles in the portal are offered in a repeating way (with bigger time-intervals between the different postings) or in a series that builds up in difficulty.
What is a problem (in my opinion) is when a lot of puzzles are posted at once by one author.
When someone makes a puzzle and posts it in the portal, he/she is curious when it is solved first, and by whom, and how often, and if reactions are written, and what the number of stars will be and… So if someone posts a puzzle, and shortly after that someone else posts 10 puzzles in a row, the puzzle of the first author is hidden under a huge pile of other puzzles. I.e. it can hardly be found anymore. (Example: Pwahs made a nice puzzle Saturday evening, which is now ‘lost’.) So the puzzle of pwahs is a) not to find and b) fighting for attention with 10 other new puzzles. That is no fun. Every puzzle deserves attention, and therefore I suggest that a limit is put to the number of puzzles that one can post per day (2/3) and per week (4/5). That means fair chances for all authors.
Earlier I have warned that the puzzle portal should be a puzzle portal, and not turn into a sudoku-variants portal. But that is what seems to happen now. I think that should be avoided, and it will be by putting a limit to the number of posts.
When it comes to new solvers I wonder if they are happy with a website where you can find only specialty puzzles. So also classic puzzles should be offered, or like now the ‘anfänger-series’.
For what it is worth, these where my first thoughts.
Richard