Lock Down Mode
Lock Down is a no-timer, fully strategic word game played on the hexasphere. Unlike timed modes where played tiles are destroyed and new tiles spawn under pressure, Lock Down permanently locks played words in place. The board starts fully populated and never gains or loses tiles — letters are only rearranged (via actions) or replaced (via Randomize).
Core Loop
- Scan the hexasphere for word opportunities
- Select tiles forming a word
- (Optional) Spend coins on actions to rearrange letters
- (Optional) Randomize tiles to get new letters
- Play the word — tiles lock permanently and rise in relief
- Score points and earn coins
- Repeat until you press Done or no moves remain
Lock Mechanics
When you play a word, each tile in the selection is locked:
- The tile is raised to positive relief — visually distinct from the flat unlocked surface
- The letter remains visible (the word stays readable on the sphere)
- The tile becomes non-selectable — it cannot be part of any future selection
- The tile cannot participate in any action (Swap Ends, Reverse, Cycle, Randomize)
- Locking is permanent — there is no unlock mechanic in Lock Down mode
Strategic Consequences
- Obstacle creation: locked tiles fragment the remaining unlocked area, limiting future word paths
- Spatial tension: a low-scoring word in a key area may block access to high-scoring opportunities
- Visual progress: the growing landscape of raised tiles shows your progress and remaining territory
- Efficient packing: adjacent locked words minimize wasted unlocked gaps between them
The Randomize Action
Randomize is the only way to introduce new letters in Lock Down mode.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Requires | Selection of 2+ unlocked tiles |
| Effect | Replaces each selected tile's letter with a new random letter (frequency-weighted) |
| Cost | 3 coins per tile |
| Undo | Fully undoable — restores original letters, refunds coins |
Randomize is a gamble: new letters may enable a word, or may be worse than what you had. At 3C per tile, a 5-tile Randomize costs 15C — roughly the score of a decent word. This makes it a meaningful investment, not a casual action.
Board Setup
- All cells populated with frequency-weighted random letters at game start
- No empty cells, no initial relief variation — every tile is flush and active
- No spawn timer, no tile spawning during play
- Starting coin balance: 1,000 coins
Scoring
Same as the base game: each word's score is the sum of its letter values. The same amount is earned as coins. Maximizing your score requires:
- Long words — more letters means a higher base score
- Rare letters — J, Q, X, Z contribute more per tile
- Coverage — locking more tiles means more scoring opportunities realized
- Efficient packing — adjacent locked words minimize wasted unlocked gaps
End Conditions
The game ends when any of these conditions is met, checked in priority order:
1. Voluntary: Done Button
Press "Done" at any time to finalize the game with your current score.
2. Automatic: No Moves Remaining
After each word play, the engine checks:
- Are there any playable words among the remaining unlocked tiles?
- Do you have enough coins for a minimum Randomize?
If both answers are no, the game ends automatically.
3. Perfect Game: All Tiles Locked
If every tile on the hexasphere is locked, the game is complete. This is the theoretical maximum score.
Why Lock Down
Lock Down is designed as the ideal first experience:
- No time pressure — self-paced, puzzle-like
- Immediately engaging — the full board of letters is a rich word-finding canvas from turn one
- Strategic depth — permanent locking creates real consequences for every play
- Visual satisfaction — watching the sphere develop a topography of your played words is rewarding