https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-reconciler

I built this game for fun. There are no ads, and I currently cover the LLM costs myself.

I’m not sure why you’re being so hostile toward the idea of a daily puzzle game. Wouldn’t it make more sense, ideologically, to direct your criticism at pay-to-win games designed to keep you playing for hours a day? This is a simple daily puzzle — a two-minute break that never asks for more of your time. How is that even remotely comparable?

Here's how it works: 1. Enter your first word to reveal the AI's word of the day. 2. Don't think too hard about it. It's just a starting point. 3. Both of you think of a word that connects the two. 4. To win, you need to say the same word. 5. You have 8 guesses to converge. 6. Need a hint? The AI will drop a riddle in your final two guesses.

HOW DOES IT WORK? After the user_word + ai_word are submitted, I trigger two separate LLM calls which return structured data that I use to advance the game: 1. `evaluate_match`: this reasons about the match to decide if it should be counted as a convergence, and returns the reasoning, a bool, and a similarity score (this is what powers the rings that get further/closer to eachother in the game background and the green squares in the share results) 2. `guess_word`: this takes the two words, reasons about what a good next word might be, and returns the reasoning and new word.

I store the new word without revealing it to the user, so that after the user has time to decide and input their word, the AI has already had its next word selected since the last round ended.

I used BAML with OpenRouter to quickly iterate on prompts and easily switch between LLMs to compare outputs. I settled on gemini-2.0-flash as the right combination of quality, speed, and cost.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43937230

Points: 11

# Comments: 14

Converge No. 11 (7/8)

peanut / *** shell / ascent jacket / climb parka / hike mountain / trail peak / path summit

Due to alleged copyright infringement with Wordle, they requested I immediately remove Reactle, the similar word game and open-source codebase that I maintained that garnered 4k stars on Github and spawned 100s of fun variations in many different languages and themes (anyone remember Taylordle?). These downstream apps also received requests for takedown.

Then the media caught wind. 404 Media broke the story, and over the next 2 days, CBS, Gizmodo, AP, and NPR reached out over LinkedIn for comments. It was a whirlwind of attention I wasn’t ready for.

Now, 1 year later, I’m seeking vengeance!

How you ask? Well…. I built a brand new daily puzzle game. Friends, family and colleagues have already been enjoying the challenge daily and I’d love you to try it too.

Here’s how it works: You choose any word. The AI starts with the daily word. You get 8 chances to meet in the middle. That’s it.

Can you converge?

P.s. here's a link to the NPR story: https://www.npr.org/2024/03/13/1238142507/cease-desist-new-y...

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611161

Points: 5

# Comments: 3

Kyros is a venture-backed Minneapolis-based start-up that has built the world’s first recovery management platform. Our platform provides instant, centralized access to resources, provider care, and peer support for individuals suffering from substance use disorder.

Tech used: React, NodeJS, Typescript, Postgres, AWS

Apply here: https://kyros.applytojob.com/apply/txFrDzU3k3/Senior-Softwar...

https://github.com/cwackerfuss/word-guessing-game/blob/49279...