Technology-wise, I wanted to try out two things that I hadn't tried before for this project.
One was to use Expo to release on web and mobile at the same time. I've used React Native quite a bit in a professional capacity, so I wanted to check out the Expo landscape. I discovered that the web part (react native web) didn't quite deliver on what I was looking for, so I scrapped it and ported to Vite/react-ts and dropped native completely.
The other was to see if I could find a low-friction way of setting up subscriptions for a static web frontend with no first party backend. That is the reason why there is a premium subscription tier for a small weekend game like this. Turns out that this was pretty straight forward with Gumroad! In the end, I was pretty happy with the way the flow turned out (except that Apple Pay isn't supported without stepping out of the flow and heading to Gumroad directly).
The OP now added "About", with weasel-worded reference to Wordle. Jesus. How hard is it to just acknowledge other people's work that you are directly borrowing from.
Yeah, buying a newspaper with a crossword on the last page is (well, used to) be way cheaper. But think of ecology! Ditching printing the news on paper in exchange for spending more electricity on charging your phones probably helped it. Maybe. Did it?
These are both copies of TV game called “lingo” which apparently first aired in 1987. All I know is that it was quite popular in France where it was called “Motus”
Apparently doesn't have the word "topsy" in its dictionary though. Perhaps this isn't a US English word. It's not in SOWPODS but is in the app I use for help with cryptic crosswords.
A fun game, but it is not definitely worth the subscription. You can find other alternatives that have a greater value but at the same time are enjoyable and free.
Love the touch of showing word definitions after each guess. This is something I wanted to do but ultimately avoided in favor of keeping it all client side.
Interesting to hear about your subscription exploration too. Will keep that in mind if I ever decide to try and monetize.
32 comments
[ 64.8 ms ] story [ 476 ms ] threadOne was to use Expo to release on web and mobile at the same time. I've used React Native quite a bit in a professional capacity, so I wanted to check out the Expo landscape. I discovered that the web part (react native web) didn't quite deliver on what I was looking for, so I scrapped it and ported to Vite/react-ts and dropped native completely.
The other was to see if I could find a low-friction way of setting up subscriptions for a static web frontend with no first party backend. That is the reason why there is a premium subscription tier for a small weekend game like this. Turns out that this was pretty straight forward with Gumroad! In the end, I was pretty happy with the way the flow turned out (except that Apple Pay isn't supported without stepping out of the flow and heading to Gumroad directly).
What you did is highly unethical - it's a blatant rip-off, with no credit to the original AND it's a for-profit. Shame on you OP. Flagged.
After explicitly mentioning in a comment that the game was derived from Wordle - "I came across https://bert.org/2021/11/24/the-best-starting-word-in-wordle... on HN the other day".
The OP now added "About", with weasel-worded reference to Wordle. Jesus. How hard is it to just acknowledge other people's work that you are directly borrowing from.
It’s not like he’s getting rich off three dollars a month. He’s providing a free service.
Does Wordle have a link to their inspiration?
I support people being creative, if he wants to earn a few bucks and disrupt the word game market with a new business model, fine by me.
One hour later...
Apparently doesn't have the word "topsy" in its dictionary though. Perhaps this isn't a US English word. It's not in SOWPODS but is in the app I use for help with cryptic crosswords.
What dictionary does it use?
Love the touch of showing word definitions after each guess. This is something I wanted to do but ultimately avoided in favor of keeping it all client side.
Interesting to hear about your subscription exploration too. Will keep that in mind if I ever decide to try and monetize.