Kickstarter

I nearly didn't post this today, worried that it's been so long since you've heard from me, this might be construed as an April Fool's message. But it's been way, way, way too long since I've given you an update, and it just can't wait another minute!

The puzzle is done, and has been for quite a while... and now, CRUX's computer program to solve it (in Windows, Mac or iPad) is pretty much done too. Both the puzzle and the app need test-solvers, though, and we've been slow to find hardy volunteers. I have, however, heard from at least one satisfied solver who laid hands on an early version and tunneled through the upper half of it without incident.

So I'm making an open call: if anyone is willing to handle the "beta" version of this puzzle, contact me here and we will send it to you. Once we get enough reports, and adjust both the program and puzzle as necessary, we will get you all the "alpha" version.

I am also hard at work on the last reward I promised donors, some time ago: an e-book version of "Callin' Then Squares." It has taken this long because the book has expanded significantly beyond my initial vision for it. It now encompasses virtually every aspect of the crossword-solving and crossword-making experiences I can find, including the classifications of "Callin' Them Squares," but also tournament stories, the rise of Dr. Fill, crossword ethics, industry history, the new crosswordese, crossword-inspired political protests, the Scrabbliest words of all time, and much more. Financial difficulties and other projects have slowed this book's development down, but it should reach top donors later this month, and when it does, I think you'll be extremely satisfied.

At that time, I will also make the book available for download, so if you are not a top donor, you'll still get a chance to read it! (And at that point, I'll be asking you to spread the word, as the book project will have a marketing budget of approximately "pocket lint.")

Between now and then, I'll be releasing a sample segment of the book for general perusal, to whet your appetites. Look for that next weekend!

Thanks for all your patience in your support. The CRUX developers and I very much appreciate it!

Proceed to http://www.ubercross.com.

Crossworlds is out of beta, and the Ubercross C-Spot is completed!

I hope this won't be an unpopular decision, but I've elected to make these materials free on the website for now. I'll be e-mailing you all private copies in the next 24 hours, and naturally, you're getting everything you're entitled to. But I want to bring this work before a wide audience, and give it a chance to go viral.

In the coming days, I'll be tweaking the interface and trying to add a working "save" button to the online version of the puzzle. In the meantime, I strongly recommend Crossword Solver, with its "save" feature, as the medium of solving. Across Lite doesn't seem able to cope with crosswords of this size at present.

The "Callin' Them Squares" e-book is coming next, and the most generous donors are entitled to free copies! That will be quite a production in its own right.

Thanks so much for all your support and patience as I've completed this journey! The best is yet to come.

This project has been all too free of updates of late. There is a reason for that! I've discovered an obstacle that I need to work my way around.

The reason is not because I've had difficulty finishing the Ubercross C-Spot grid. I certainly had plenty of that, but the grid is now done! Now I just have to write 4208 clues for it. And then comes the editing, but more about that in a minute.

I am also just about finished with the Crossworlds project-- 50 crossword puzzles, plus a diagramless and a word search, for the science-fiction lover. Some of you have purchased  Crossworlds and some of you haven't, but you'll all want to pay attention to this.

My problem has been the test-solving. Because this collection of crosswords is so big and so nichey, I can't rely strictly on my friends to tell me when parts of the puzzle are too hard, too easy (yeah, right) or just plain wrong. My previous professional editors have stressed that science fiction clues aren't in their wheelhouse. So I feel like the puzzle collection needs more outside perspectives applied to it before I can call it complete.

And so, for a limited time, I am opening up Crossworlds as a free beta release. If you yourself are a crossword constructor, or a frequent solver, or otherwise want to help me perfect this recipe, head on over to http://faans.com/xworldz/ and witness the fruits of my labors. If you're a good and enthusiastic test-solver, I will be more privately inviting you to test-solve the Ubercross C-Spot as well (because I'm anticipating problems getting that one edited too, again due to its size and ambition).

Those who purchased Crossworlds will be getting the fully vetted version of the puzzles, after which time I'll be taking the xworldz page down. (I expect to be doing that around early December, but we'll see how fast the results come back.)

More info on the e-book and the C-Spot coming before Thanksgiving! (To clarify, that would be AMERICAN Thanksgiving, not October 2012 in Canada.)

P.S.: I've also been lagging on some mailouts of the Ubercross Fiddy, for which I have no good excuse. I'll be completing those all before this week is out!

Well, I wasn't lucky!

The Ubercross C-Spot grid is more than half completed. Currently it contains about 2400 words out of a total 4208. However, I've realized there's no way I can keep track of "near-repeaters" like FOG and FOGS. These can't make it to the final draft, so all the fill I'm doing right now has to be considered a first run. Once I'm done, I'll use the "word information" feature to hunt all the near-repeaters down, and change as much as I have to change.

Thankfully, the design I've picked allows lots of interlock for solvers but is still fairly friendly to changes in the shorter words, especially 4-letter words and 3-letter words. It has more 4-letter words than 3-letter words and more 5s than 4s. Thank Robert Stilgenbauer for THAT design idea! I feel guilty for picking on him in the original promotions-- the man may have used his era's now-outdated standards of vocabulary, but he sure could design a crossword "staircase."

There are "staircases" of 5-letter words, 6-letter words, alternating 7s and 3s, alternating 8s, 4s, and 3s, alternating 9s and 4s, and alternating 10s, 5s and 4s. (Rounding things out are a smattering of 11s, 12s, 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s, 18s and 22s.) It's the staircased 6s that are the real killers: it takes HOURS to build one of those that doesn't rely on too much obscura. And I'm sure that mountain will get tougher to scale in the final stretch!

Still, I'm hoping to have a first-draft grid done by next Saturday. And I definitely *will* be sending out copies of the Ubercross Fiddy to $20-and-up contributors. If you qualify for that and I don't have your mailing address, please send it to tcampbell1000@gmail.com. Many thanks!

"Callin' Them Squares" wrapped up today... and the C-Spot has committed to a grid!

I've play-tested this grid pretty thoroughly and it seems like it'll get me through.

Next week: the complete fill... if I'm lucky!