# Big changes at Scrabulous/Lexulous **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 3, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515 "2008-12-03T16:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/21 "2008-12-07T00:48:34Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Does anybody else play at the Internet Scrabble Club? (www.isc.ro) You have to download an application, but it’s just like real Scrabble. What’s this “interface” they want me to install? Are they selling me to White Slavers? Will my PC become a zombie pawn to spammers? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/22 "2008-12-08T01:57:55Z")
Okay, I’m there as twickster and have played two games. It’s going to take me a while to get used to having to avoid illegal moves myself, rather than relying on the computer to do it! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/23 "2008-12-08T02:06:22Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > It’s going to take me a while to get used to having to avoid illegal moves myself, rather than relying on the computer to do it! What does it mean, “illegal moves”? Mrs. Plant is quite fond of cheating…err, having the game determine if a word is legit. It is much more difficult with the new Lex board to make an extra word score yet prevent my opponent from doing so. About that “Death to Twickster” thing…I don’t tease people unless I like them. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/24 "2008-12-08T02:20:06Z")
Yeah, I figured. It will just add a little more pleasure the next time I squash you like a bug. 😛 Illegal moves – at Lexulous, it won’t let you make them, just dumps the tiles back on your rack so you can try again. At the new place, it won’t let you make them – it dumps the tiles back on your rack and counts it as a “pass.” Harrumph. I’d gotten super lazy about letting the computer keep me legal. And, yeah, the proximity of the big multipliers to each other on the new Lexulous board calls for a very different strategy – one I’m not sure I want to devote the time to developing. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/25 "2008-12-08T02:45:10Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Yeah, I figured. It will just add a little more pleasure the next time I squash you like a bug. 😛 I hardly think that winning by 300 points qualifies as “squashing me like a bug”. :sniff: ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/26 "2008-12-08T02:51:22Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Yeah, I figured. It will just add a little more pleasure the next time I squash you like a bug. 😛 > > Illegal moves – at Lexulous, it won’t let you make them, just dumps the tiles back on your rack so you can try again. At the new place, it won’t let you make them – it dumps the tiles back on your rack and counts it as a “pass.” Harrumph. I’d gotten super lazy about letting the computer keep me legal. Actually there’s a way of doing that here, too. If you specify, I think it is, “no void” it will tell you if you’ve made an illegal move. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/27 "2008-12-08T14:17:40Z")
Cool – thanks! As I said, I’m still figuring out how the “standard” features work – it wasn’t till the end of the second game that I figured out that there is a point-counter gizmo that you can see _before_ you hit enter so you can evaluate moves (lower right corner, if anyone is still looking for it). That’s helpful for me because I’m number dyslexic, and counting points to choose between two moves can take me for-freaking-ever. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/28 "2008-12-12T23:17:20Z")
Is there some bug here? I sought out a 5/10 game, and suddenly the times have gone up to where they’re like 85 minutes on each side. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/29 "2008-12-13T23:57:52Z")
You can adjust your settings to add increments of time after each play. (1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.) So you could start off with a 1-minute game, but after each turn you add 2 minutes or whatever, and you could wind up with 20+ minutes on your side. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/30 "2008-12-14T18:19:42Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > You can adjust your settings to add increments of time after each play. (1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.) So you could start off with a 1-minute game, but after each turn you add 2 minutes or whatever, and you could wind up with 20+ minutes on your side. Ah, apparently it was minutes when I wanted seconds. Damnit… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/31 "2008-12-14T18:42:02Z")
Yet another setting there that seems totally bass-ackwards when you’re used to Lexulous. I’m still not entirely sure how to get the unplayed-letters chart to display, though it always seems to appear by halfway through the game. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/32 "2008-12-14T18:46:45Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Yet another setting there that seems totally bass-ackwards when you’re used to Lexulous. I’m still not entirely sure how to get the unplayed-letters chart to display, though it always seems to appear by halfway through the game. Yeah…I was wondering about that, too. I guess after 40 or 50 letters, it appears? Oh well. I preferred the lexulous set up but this is better than the new lexulous. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/33 "2008-12-24T04:46:22Z")
ICS scrabble isn’t letting me connect tonight. Anyone else experiencing this? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/34 "2008-12-24T19:15:12Z")
Can log on now, and based on conversation in the room, apparently WordBiz was just down. Does anyone else know how to chat in the lobby room? I can chat with individuals I’m playing with, but no one else. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/35 "2009-01-12T02:37:24Z")
Update: They’ve gotten rid of the horrendously obnoxious version, but there are still enough differences from the “real” game to keep the Hasbro people happy. “Four times” squares are gone and the TWSs have moved back towards the corners (though the diagonals of DWSs aren’t there) – but you’re still playing with eight letters. Meh. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/36 "2009-01-12T02:43:30Z")
How are you liking WordBiz, **twickster**? I think I’m going to stick with it, since it is scrabble. No eight letters for me! Can you even get bingos with this new Lexulous? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/37 "2009-01-12T03:12:30Z")
Mrs. Plant has me playing on Facebook. Anyone tried it? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/38 "2009-01-12T03:56:13Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > How are you liking WordBiz, **twickster**? I think I’m going to stick with it, since it is scrabble. No eight letters for me! Can you even get bingos with this new Lexulous? Apparently you get a regular bingo if you use 7 letters, and a super bingo if you use 8 – dunno what the respective points are. I haven’t been playing Scrabble at all over the last few weeks – been busy with other things. Need to get back to it. ---
**Author:** ![criminey.jicket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@criminey.jicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/criminey.jicket)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/39 "2009-01-13T13:30:30Z")
I’m happier now that the 4x squares are gone. I don’t mind that there’s 8 tiles. I’ve been managing 7 and 8 letter bingos with my usual frequency–one every three games. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515/40 "2009-01-15T02:52:00Z")
I tried to play one game, and got very irritated when I realized, after the fact, that “swap tiles” and “submit” are buttons of the same size and general appearance and are right next to each other and both start with S and there’s no confirming involved. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-changes-at-scrabulous-lexulous/475515.md?page=3)