Following Wordle success, NYT debuts Countdown-like number game Digits
Sumbody had to tell you.
The New York Times has lifted the lid on Digits, a daily maths-based puzzle game.
Digits is in its beta, and is essentially Countdown's numbers-based segment. Those of you who enjoy a bit of early afternoon brain stimulation will know exactly what I mean.
In Digits, players are given a number that they need to reach through mathematical manipulation.
They are then presented with a selection of six numbers, along with the mechanics required to either add, subtract, multiply or divide these numbers. Once a player submits their answer, Digits will then give a star rating based on their workings. Unlike with Wordle where it is a one and done situation, with Digits there are five calculations to try and solve each day.
You can see an example of how Digits looks in the image below.
Meanwhile, if you fancy having a crack at today's Digits puzzle selection, you can follow the link here. Please note, however, this is a limited time beta, and will only be available this week. Then, depending on how Digits is received by players, the NYT will decide how to proceed from there.
"While the beta version of the game is being tested, any bugs that are found are watched carefully by the team, but only the most urgent -- those that may interfere with gameplay or scoring -- are fixed at this point. Diving in to fix everything can interfere with the responses to the beta test," a NYT article all about Digits reads.
"Based on the results of the test, the [NYT] greenlight committee decides whether to move it into the development phase, where the game is coded and the designs are finalised. If the response to the game isn't what the team is hoping for, the committee must decide whether further tuning would be helpful or if the development of the game should end."
I had a little go with Digits, and needless to say I am not a maths-person. Wordle is definitely more my forte (currently, my best streak is 112). So, instead of detailing my attempts at today's selection of puzzles, I will leave you with this joke instead...
We know that six was afraid of seven - since seven ate nine - but why did seven eat nine in the first place? Because it wanted three square meals a day.