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Scrabble game that doesn't require wifi access?

I

itm

Member
Does anyone know of a scrabble game for Android that can be played with a friend offline (e.g. on a flight)? I've tried the EA Scrabble game and it's crap - it bombards you with full-screen adverts and insists on wifi being switched on the whole time.
 
My own game, CrossCraze, let's you play against the computer or with a friend, and includes a lot of extra features not found in regular Scrabble.

A FREE version (with no ads) is available from the Play Store here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ortsoftware.crosscrazeFree

The full PRO version is here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ortsoftware.crosscrazePro

CrossCraze-shot480-1.jpg


For more information, please see the game's homepage (where you can also get a Windows version):

CrossCraze
 
As I said in its review: Finally – A solo scrabble that only takes 600K internal memory and runs very nicely... 7 Stars!

May even buy it someday. Letter values are not all correct, but I can’t complain.
 
Thanks for the recommendation. I've just taken a look and it definitely has potential. The letter values are strange as you say, and it's a shame that the free version doesn't allow 2-player "pass it around" play, but at least it'll work offline.
 
Glad you like the game!

I've tried to make the letter values and distributions a bit more in line with the actual frequencies of letters in the language. After all, when Alfred Butts designed Scrabble, he didn't have the analytical tools we have today, so he based it all on a single page from a newspaper.

It's true that the FREE version does have a few options disabled, but it's fully playable and ad-free, and I would argue that it still has more features than the paid versions of any alternative app. And, if you want the FULL version, it will only cost you about the same as a cup of coffee!

Owen Thomas
 
Okay, having been addicted to this game for a few weeks, I have this to say:

Is its dictionary from Google or its own? It allows some goofy words.
It'd be nice if the lead player alternated between me and the computer.
It causes my music app to start playing at random times.
It occasionally freezes. Usually just going home and back fixes it, but yesterday it froze everything, forcing me to yank the battery and start over.

Even with those foibles, I'm still addicted and may actually buy it someday.
 
The game's English vocab has been very thoroughly checked and I'm not aware of any errors, but please email me if you think I've missed one (ort@ortsoftware.com).

That said, the English language does contain a huge number of very obscure and unlikely-looking words, which expert players love to exploit (e.g. 'aa' is a type of lava). If you don't think they should be allowed, don't play them. If you don't want the computer to play them either, just avoid the Master AI.

There are quite a few free apps and websites which will let you check the validity of words, and there are even books for Scrabble which list the game's entire vocabulary.

The PRO version does let you choose who goes first.

I've never heard of the game causing a music player to start, but I have received occasional reports of freezes, which I'm looking into. Unfortunately, it never seems to happen on any of my test machines, so if you spot a pattern of behaviour that reliably triggers a freeze, please do let me know!

Owen
 
It has behaved since I yanked the battery, so maybe that hard boot fixed something on my end... we shall see.
 
Meant to say 'hasn't,' not 'has,' but it did play music since I wrote that. Of course, I can't prove that it is your app causing it, but (a) it never did that before, (b) it still doesn't do it unless (c) I'm running your app. It's just playing MP3s off my SD card, not off the web.
 
Dngrsone said:
Owen, does your game run off standard dictionaries, like SOWPODS?
Click to expand...

The game's vocab was generated by cross-checking words against multiple different sources. It's broadly similar to SOWPODS, but a bit more extensive as SOWPODS was designed for Scrabble which has a maximum board size of 15 squares, whereas on CrossCraze's largest boards, you could theoretically play words of up to 21 letters.
 
Owen, that sounds great. I would suggest that you provide a means of selecting and/or editing the dictionary for those players who want to use certain words or word groups, such as those who may be training for a Scrabble competition and need to use the SOWPODS.
 
ORT, I think you're in a funny spot. A lot of droiders were hoping that the official Scrabble would have a good solo game, but it turned out awful. Other games didn't even come close to doing so. And suddenly yours comes along and provides nearly just what we're looking for. It's the 'nearly' that pus you in a funny spot. Editing the dictionary as you see fit, even though I like it, might ruffle feathers.

But it's your app, do what you like with it.
 
But then again, the more the app behaves like the S-app, the deeper the legal hole you've dug for yourself, especially if you want to charge money for it.
 
jefboyardee said:
But then again, the more the app behaves like the S-app, the deeper the legal hole you've dug for yourself, especially if you want to charge money for it.
Click to expand...

Now I wonder that.

IANAL but the original patent for the Scrabble(making up words using letter tiles on a square board) game has long since expired:-
Patent US2752158 - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Can't call it Scrabble or make it look exactly like Scrabble because that's a registered trademark and Hasbro's game is still protected by copyright.

It might attract the attention of Hasbro's legal department if one is not careful though.

There's many lookalike products made quite legally now, where the original patents have expired. e.g. Lego. Presumably someone could now legally make a property trading board game based on the rules of Monopoly.
 
Well, it would be more of a problem with any patent that may be issued for a software program emulating the MB Scrabble game...

I know I had a program on my PDA that did what we are talking about, so I know this has been done before, but precedent doesn't mean permission, nor immunity from lawsuit.
 
Dngrsone said:
Well, it would be more of a problem with any patent that may be issued for a software program emulating the MB Scrabble game...
Click to expand...

Yeh, I think because that's an issue of prior art, and trying to patent something that's not original, but then IANAL. :)

Dngrsone said:
I know I had a program on my PDA that did what we are talking about, so I know this has been done before, but precedent doesn't mean permission, nor immunity from lawsuit.
Click to expand...

It does happen, developers of Tetris clones regularly find themselves in legal hot water.
Tetrada developer receives cease & desist from Tetris company | Windows Phone Central
....and Apple have removed and disallowed many "unauthorised" Tetris clones from the iTunes Store. Same thing with Bejeweled clones as well.

...programming a Tetris type game is actually a standard programming exercise on many software development courses.
 
There are a lot of grey areas with regards to patent, trademark and copyright law, but if a big company decides to sue you, it doesn't really matter who's in the right, but whether you can afford to fight the case, so I've always taken care to steer well clear of any possible infringements.

CrossCraze doesn't infringe anyone else's trademarks and doesn't claim to be identical to any other game. It doesn't have the same tile scores or frequencies as other games. It has different board layouts and sizes. The 'look' of the board and tiles are also different. And there are quite a few extra features that are also unique to the game (e.g. tile stacking).

CrossCraze v1 for windows was released about 14 years ago now, and I haven't had any legal problems so far at least (fingers-crossed).

That said, you do see an awful lot of apps on the Play Store which are quite clearly using someone else's trademarked name in their title (or a poorly disguised variation), and I do wonder how they manage to survive.

Likewise, I'm surprised at how many word game apps blatantly state they're using someone else's word lists. You could argue that a list of words can't be copyrighted, but using the name of the list is really pushing their luck.

Owen Thomas
ORT Software
 
Fair enough.

I will say that I do like the game you have built and will be buying the full version in the near future (as soon as I have money in my account).
 
Great game Owen. Having read the reviews went straight for the PRO version. I've been a Scrabble addict for longer than I care to think about but CrossCraze is on a different level altogether.

I've got it on my HTC One and my wife's Desire S, so at half a cup of coffee per device I've absolutely no complaints!!

:)
 
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