# Wordle Clone -- Brainstorm Intent

## Core Premise

A 5-letter, 6-attempt word-guessing game with green/yellow/gray positional feedback -- familiar Wordle mechanics reimagined around fairness, learning, and adaptive challenge rather than raw competition.

## Key Differentiators from Original Wordle

### Adaptive Difficulty
- Track per-word global average attempts. Words self-sort into difficulty tiers organically -- no manual labeling.
- Hidden MMR/skill rating drifts with player performance vs. global averages. Surfaceable as badges, not a raw number.
- System starts players at mid-complexity words. Difficulty adjusts over time based on their performance against global averages for each word.

### Computer Baseline Solver
- Pre-compute solves for every word using known algorithms. This produces a difficulty reference independent of player volume.
- The same solver engine powers: word difficulty ranking, difficulty-tier assignment, and solvability validation.
- Post-solve: show optimal solver replay as a teaching moment alongside the player's own path through the word.

### Percentile Ranking (Not Absolute)
- Result display: percentile among all players who guessed the same word (e.g. "top 15%" not "#14,327").
- More meaningful and less demoralizing than absolute rank. Removes toxicity from leaderboards.

### Streak Quality Weighting
- Streaks on harder words count more than streaks on easier words.
- Percentile ranking plus quality-weighted streaks together create a "leaderboard without toxicity."

### Standardized Hints (Attempts 5-6)
- Weak hint on attempt 5, stronger hint on attempt 6. Same hints for every player on a given word.
- Keeps global stats comparable. Fair: strong players solve in <=4 attempts anyway. Serves as a retention mechanic for struggling players.

### Post-Solve Learning Layer
- Word definition, etymology, example sentence, and picture/illustration shown after solving.
- Transforms the game into a vocabulary-learning experience.

### Word Bank
- Curated by recent internet usage frequency (last ~5 years). No obscure or archaic words.
- Words are validated by the computer solver baseline before entering the pool.

### Daily Word --> Infinite After-Play
- One daily word shared by all players (the "event").
- After completing or failing the daily, players may continue with more words from the pool as long as they want.

## V1 Scope

**In:**
- 5-letter word length, 6 attempts, green/yellow/gray feedback with highlighted keyboard
- Adaptive difficulty with computer baseline solver and organic word-tier emergence
- Percentile ranking on results screen
- Quality-weighted streak tracking
- Standardized hints on attempts 5 and 6
- Post-solve learning: definition, etymology, example sentence, picture
- Daily word with infinite after-play flow
- Word bank curated by recent internet usage frequency
- Lifetime statistics with attempt-count histogram
- Computer-guess subgame (player picks word, computer solves -- teaches strategy, measures word complexity)

**Out (post-V1):**
- Real-time 2-player mode (both guess same word simultaneously)
- Variable word length (3-7 letters)
- Position-blind hard mode (yellow/gray only, no green)
- Rotating-target-word chaotic variant
- User-submitted words (rejected permanently)
- Time-penalty mechanics (rejected permanently)

## Core System Insight

The computer baseline solver, adaptive difficulty engine, and word-bank curation form a single integrated system. One solver drives ranking, tiering, and validation. Percentile ranking and quality-weighted streaks together make leaderboards meaningful without breeding toxicity. Standardized late-game hints are a retention feature, not a compromise.
