The chinchilla has landed

[ensiform]

Have the times for the puzzles moved about thirty minutes later since yesterday? (Again? A fat finger or -- I forget the phrase Alan used before [memory is failing!]?)

An operator finger fault, but I like yours just as well.  "Couldn't do the job, sorry.  Fat finger."

[Alan W]

Maybe I should tell the people at the hosting service that, if they can't take a bit more care, I'll publish their email address here, so the first Chi-ite who spots something wrong can notify them!

Perhaps I'm being unfair, as they're grappling with some technical issues that are evidently hard to deal with, so they may need to re-start the server several times in a short space of time. (Although I would have thought there would be some system utility that would go online to get the correct time.)

[Alonzo Quixote]

Quote from rogue_mother:

I'm enjoying playing with the new toy! I've noticed, though, that in my Safari browser, the "100%" is not centered in the green ball.
I have Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer, and I have noticed the same thing—the "100%" is displaced to the left in all three puzzles.

I'm thinking that with installation of the new three-puzzle setup, minor tweaks are sometimes needed. 

I've noticed a change in the message when one enters a word already played; the clock at the bottom of the screen counts down by the second just before the next puzzle is released.

I think Alan has done a remarkable job in implementing the new three-puzzle setup.   

[Alan W]

I haven't noticed any issue with the "100%". Mind you, it's been a fair while since I've seen the "100%" at all - you guys are just boasting. 

I'll check it out and make the necessary adjustments before too long.

[anonsi]

Oh. She meant 100% as in getting them all right. I was thinking she meant 100% as in full-screen mode. Now it makes sense why I couldn't see the green ball she was talking about.

[rhino]

My 100% is also to the left of the green ball ...

Rhino

[mymermaid]

Hi Alan,
At least once a day I am having trouble getting into the website. It is not a problem with my internet as other sites I have no problems.
And then, when I have got the page open I want to see the other time situation on the other puzzles so press one of them - then I have trouble getting into the website again. It drives me crazy.
So - I was thinking - maybe it is possible to put a small box on each page showing the current time of each puzzle?

Its just an idea.

[birdy]

I had the same problem the other day: tried to switch over to one of the other puzzles and couldn't get back into any of them.

[Alan W]

Yes, I'm sorry to say that server problems are continuing, from time to time. I'll be taking steps to improve things, but for the time being all I can suggest is, if the site's not working, come back later and try again. Once again, my apologies for any disappointment you experience.

MM, I like your idea of an indication of the time situation of each of the puzzles, just for the convenience of knowing what's happening without having to flit from puzzle to puzzle. I'll look into it.

[TRex]

First, a suggestion: the description for the Forum's 'Word Games' reads Discuss Chihuahua, Letterbox and other word games on this site -- Chinchilla might be added. 

Second, some questions: when playing Chihuahua and submitting a word already used, it now says 'You've already played <word>!' Has that always been the wording? Also, just above the words one has got, it reads 'n common words still to be found (n with all the letters)' -- didn't it use to be '(n with 9 letters)'? (My questions are in no way a complaint; they are meant to determine if my memory is getting even worse!) 

[pat]

I think you're right about both changes, TRex. I think it used to say 'You already got ...'

[Alan W]

Full marks for your powers of observation, TRex and Pat, and Alonzo Quixote too, who noted the change of message earlier in this thread.

The change from "You already got <word>" to "You've already played <word>" was prompted by an email from a player who wrote:

I hate the idea that a word puzzle of this status has "you already got" as a phrase to mark a duplicate word. Surely you can come up with something else that is proper English!

I wasn't convinced that the previous message was ungrammatical, but I thought it did read awkwardly, and could be improved. (Also, I was buttered up by "a word puzzle of this status"!)

You're correct, too, about "with all the letters", TRex. Rather than having a different text depending on the number of letters in the puzzle, I made the message refer to the pertinent issue - that we're counting the (star-worthy) words using all the puzzle's letters.