On the title screen of this program, you saw the statement, "The# most advanced program of its kind ever!" This is because, as far as I know,# it is the only word search puzzle generator that is capable of producing# puzzles that are as good as those created by professional human puzzle# makers. Since to expect the user of this program to accept my word on this# claim would be unrealistic, I have written the following explanatory text.# This text only explains *a few* of the unusual or unique features of Super# Pro Word Search Puzzle Maker. To find out about other features, choose# UPDATES - PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE in the IMPORTANT INFORMATION menu.# # An editor of one of the more popular word search puzzle magazines# was kind enough to tell me the guidelines that professionals follow when# creating a puzzle. Firstly, I will list the guidelines with an explanation# of how other puzzle generator programs either failed to implement them or did# so inadequately. Having explained how other programs perform relative# to these guidelines, I will then show why my program does a better job# meeting those professional criteria. Finally, I will discuss certain# "unspoken" criteria which exist that are as important as the officially# accepted ones.# # @# *** FORMAL GUIDELINES ***# # # 1) MOST WORDS SHOULD OVERLAP OTHER WORDS AND WHEN THEY DO, THEY SHOULD USUALLY# SHARE LETTERS. PREFERABLY, MANY OF THESE WORDS SHOULD SHARE LETTERS WITH# MORE THAN ONE WORD.# # Though almost all word search programs overlap words, many of them# will do it only by having the words cross each other between letters thusly:# @# E# # X E G# # C C R# # I E E# # O A L# # H T# # C# # # Ideally, most words that cross each other should share a common letter# with AT LEAST one other word as illustrated below:# @# E S# # X E G# # C R R# # I E# # O A N L# # H T E# # C# # # Most programs that do allow the sharing of letters between words will# produce a puzzle that has few instances of letter sharing. The reason there# are so few letter sharing words arises from the fact that in most programs# the place where a particular word is to go is based soley on the output of# @# a random number generator. In such a case, sharing only occurs by chance# when the program just happens to place a word in the puzzle where identical# letters in each word coincide.# # Super Pro Word Search Puzzle Maker *tries* to place each word in a# puzzle in such a way that it will share letters with other words! As a result# letter sharing in a puzzle will be the rule rather than the exception. This# can result in the puzzle being much smaller - up to half the size it would# have been with no or few shared words!# # # # 2) THERE SHOULD BE AT LEAST ONE WORD IN EACH OF THE FOUR DIRECTIONS.# # # A proper word finding puzzle should have words arranged horizontally,# vertically, along a left diagonal, and along a right diagonal. Again, a# random number generator chooses the direction in which a word is to lie in# most puzzle programs. Thus, it is possible through chance that a puzzle will# completely lack words in a particular direction.# @# As long as there are at least six words to be hidden in a program,# Super Pro Word Search Puzzle Maker will make sure there is at least one word# in each of the four directions.# # # # 3) MANY OF THE WORDS SHOULD BE SPELLED BACKWARDS IN THE PUZZLE.# # # Some programs don't even attempt to reverse words. Most of the# ones that do reverse words do so totally at random, so that even though it is# possible for a fair number of words to be backwards, it is also possible that# *none* will be.# # Super Pro Word Search Puzzle Maker will try its best to reverse# words if it sees that few or no words in the puzzle are reversed.# @# *** INFORMAL CRITERIA ***# # # 1) PHRASES OR IDIOMS MUST APPEAR WITHOUT SPACES OR HYPHENS WITHIN THE PUZZLE.# # # Many professionally made puzzles contain hidden phrases and/or idioms# as well as single words. Such multiple word constructions will typically# contain space characters or hyphens between the words. For example,# "THE GREAT GATSBY" or "JACK-IN-THE-BOX" will appear in the word list# unchanged; however, in the puzzle they should show up as "THEGREATGATSBY" and# "JACKINTHEBOX".# # Since most programmers of word search puzzle programs assume that# the user will only enter individual words, spaces or hyphens don't get# removed from multiple word constructions. Not only does the puzzle look# strange with spaces or hyphens in the middle of all those letters of the# alphabet, but they make the constructions easy to find.# @# Super Pro Word Search Puzzle Maker will strip spaces and hyphens# from phrases and idioms in the puzzle while leaving them untouched in the# word list.# # # # 2) WORDS IN A SOLUTION PRINT SHOULD BE ENCIRCLED.# # # A professional puzzle maker always makes a *solution print* which is a# second copy of the puzzle with each hidden word circled. Such a print is# used by the player to check what he has done after he finishes the puzzle.# # Puzzle programs other than Super Pro Word Search Puzzle Maker don't# circle words, instead, they will print the words as they appear in the puzzle# without the surrounding random letters. The problem with this type of# solution print is that the words sometimes blend together to such an extent# that it is not always easy to tell where one word ends and another begins.# Case in point . . .# @# + + + L + + + + + + + +# # + + + E + + + R + + + E# # + + + V + + E + + + A +# # + + + O N T + + + R + +# # S E E N E E + + L + + +# # + R E V E N V Y + + + +# # + + I U T O + + + + + +# # + R S + X V + + + + + +# # + E + + I A + + + + + +# # R + + + S + + + + + + +# @# The above solution print could have been generated for a puzzle with# the word list: ENVY, EARLY, NEVER, NOVA, NOVEL, ONE, RIVETER, SEEN, SIXTEEN,# TEN, USER. If you have trouble finding some of the words for this example,# just think about a solution print with a lot more words! To be fair, it# might not be too hard if the puzzle was produced by a program that doesn't# allow words to share letters.# # Super Pro Word Search Puzzle Maker also displays a solution print# without the random letters. The difference is that it also encircles the# words as you can see below!# @# _# + + + |L| + + + + + + + +# | | /\ /\# + + + |E| + + + / R / + + + / E/# | | / / / /# + + + |V| + + / E / + + + / A / +# | | _ /_ / / /# + + + |O| |N|/|T|/ + + + / R / + +# .|-|-|/|-|=|- -. / /# + + + ||N|/|E|/|E| S| + / L / + + +# .---------/--|-|-|-|------/. /# + ( R E / V/(|E| |N|) V \Y)/ + + + +# '-----/---/\-|-|-|=|------\/# + + /I / U/ |T| |O| + + + + + +# / / / | | |-|# + /R / S / + |X| |V| + + + + + +# \/ / | | | |# + /E / + + |I| |A| + + + + + +# / / | | - # /R / + + + |S| + + + + + + +# \/ -# @# The above example is not as good as an actual solution print produced# by the program. In a real solution print it is even easier to see the# individual words because a printer can print more than one encircling# character ( /, \, | or _). The registered user's edition of Super Pro Word # Search can do even better; that is, on certain printers it can actually # *smooth circle* the words using graphics! (See UPDATES - PAST, PRESENT, # AND FUTURE.)# # # # 3) THE PUZZLE SHOULD BE THE OPTIMUM SIZE FOR THE WORD LIST.# # # Some programs try to make all puzzles the same size, regardless of# how many words are in the list. Of course, if more words are entered than# can fit in the fixed puzzle space, the program will hang up while futilely# trying to fit them all in.# # # Many word search puzzle programs require that the user tell the# computer the size (i.e., height and width) of the puzzle before he types the# word list. The problem with this method of determining puzzle size is that# @# there is no certain way for the exact size of the puzzle to be determined# ahead of time because of the haphazard way the words will be oriented in the# completed puzzle. The user may enter dimensions that are too small, so that# the problem mentioned in the previous paragraph could occur. Conversely,# entry of dimensions that are too large can cause large gaps in the puzzle# with very little sharing of letters between words. Too large a size can also# lead to all of the words being clumped together in the center of the puzzle# with the rest of the surrounding puzzle devoid of words.# # Super Pro Word Search takes a different approach. After all of the # words in the list have been given to the program, it figures a *theoretical* # optimum size for the puzzle. If the program realizes during the creation of # the puzzle that the figured size is not big enough, it increases the size of # the puzzle proportionate to the number of letters in the remaining words and # the relative size of the words. Thus, there is no way for the program to # get hung up during the creation of a puzzle. Should it seem that the # determined size is going to be too large, the program will down-size the # puzzle "on the fly" while it is creating the puzzle.# @# The previously mentioned information covers just a small fraction of# the features included in Super Pro Word Search version 2.x. To see a more# complete listing of features, choose the UPDATES - PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE# option at the IMPORTANT INFORMATION menu.# %
