HOW TO PLAY
Rules
These notes describe what the current tester build actually does. They are meant to remove guesswork, not to sound fancy.
Goal
Build valid characters from the visible rack of elements and lock in as many as you can before the hand runs out of possibilities.
A hand is complete when no more characters can be made from the remaining visible elements. That still counts as a completion, not a loss.
Basic Flow
1. Tap elements in the rack to move them into the assembly area.
2. When the chosen elements form a valid character, that character appears in the center frame.
3. If more than one character fits the same elements, use the left and right arrows to switch between them.
4. Press `Submit` to lock the character, score points, and refill only the elements you used.
5. Press `Clear` to remove the current selection.
6. Press `Shuffle` to reshuffle the visible rack only. It does not create new elements.
What The Board Means
`Points` shows the value of the current center character.
The smaller text inside that same card shows your total score and current best lock.
`Used` shows how many elements have been consumed out of the full hand total.
The small percentage and pulsing star show overall hand progress.
The long bar above the locked-character strip is the overall hand-progress bar.
The strip above the board shows characters you have already locked in this hand.
Important Rules
You need a minimum of 2 elements before a character can be built.
Some elements have partner forms such as `人 / 亻`, `心 / 忄`, `火 / 灬`, `手 / 扌`, `水 / 氵`, and similar component variants.
Those partner forms can behave as the same family inside larger characters, but variant-only forms do not count as completed standalone characters if they are not real stand-alone hanzi.
If the center frame glows or pulses, your current partial build may still grow into a larger character that is genuinely possible from the visible rack.
Range Selection
You can play with the full simplified pool in `Unlimited`, or choose cumulative HSK ranges from `HSK 1` through `HSK 7-9`.
The chosen range is a learning guide, not a hard ban.
If your selected elements also form a valid character above your chosen range and you know it, the game will still accept it.
Those above-range discoveries use a different award-style background in the locked row, the main frame, and the character popup.
This is intentional. The range helps focus practice, but the game should not teach the false idea that real combinations outside that range are impossible.
Unlimited
Full curated simplified prototype pool with the widest character coverage.
HSK 1
Cumulative beginner pool using HSK 1 vocabulary characters.
HSK 2
Cumulative learner pool using HSK 1-2 vocabulary characters.
HSK 3
Cumulative learner pool using HSK 1-3 vocabulary characters.
HSK 4
Cumulative learner pool using HSK 1-4 vocabulary characters.
HSK 5
Cumulative learner pool using HSK 1-5 vocabulary characters.
HSK 6
Cumulative learner pool using HSK 1-6 vocabulary characters.
HSK 7-9
Cumulative learner pool using HSK 1-7 vocabulary characters.
Scoring And Completion
Longer or richer characters, rarer elements, and first-time discoveries are worth more points.
There are no loss states in this prototype. A hand ends when no more builds are possible. Your result is judged by score, discoveries, and any range or accomplishment rewards you unlocked.
Tester Help
If something feels unclear, broken, repetitive, satisfying, or unexpectedly good, please use the feedback form. The privacy notice explains exactly what this tester phase collects.