字得其乐WordJoy · published · build 25909870
October has brought crisp autumn weather. After the scorching summer heat, gentle breezes and soft drizzles feel like a welcome change. In this relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, I've finally completed a major update for Wordjoy!
This update brings larger character cards, a new combination preview feature, an expanded Five Elements skill system, and multilingual support. From the overall experience to strategic gameplay, quite a lot has changed.
The first thing you'll notice when launching the game is that the cards have grown considerably larger.
Since the game is all about combining Chinese character components, larger cards simply make sense. Previously, the characters looked like tiny tofu cubes, which wasn't particularly satisfying. With larger cards, everything is easier to read, and more importantly, complex or easily confused components are much easier to distinguish.
I once received feedback from an overseas player who asked, "Why do the same components sometimes produce different characters? That's so strange!"
When I took a closer look, I realized I couldn't blame him. The components in question were 口 (kǒu) and 囗 (wéi). They look almost identical, but they're actually two different components, which is why they can produce different characters like 吕 and 回.
With larger cards, this kind of confusion should happen much less often. Even notoriously similar components like 已, 巳, and 己, which differ only in tiny details, are now easier to tell apart.
Originally, the reward screen after completing a level only displayed the available component cards and their information panels. Later, I added a deck view to make it easier to check existing components.
During development and testing, however, I found myself repeatedly opening the deck window every time I wanted to pick a new component card, just to figure out which one would be the best addition.
After doing this countless times, it became tedious. So, purely for testing convenience, I added a combination preview panel in the bottom-right corner. It shows whether the new component can form valid Chinese characters with components already in your deck, without having to open the deck window.
Once I added this temporary preview panel, though, I simply couldn't bring myself to remove it. It was just too convenient!
At first, I worried that it might make the game too easy, almost like an open-book exam. But it turns out I was overthinking things.
The way components are broken down is somewhat similar to the Wubi Chinese input method. Some combinations are surprisingly difficult to figure out in reverse, even when you can see the individual components. Unless you've encountered them before, you'd probably never think of certain combinations, such as forming 丘 from 亻 and 工.
The latest version of the game is v6.5.1. That version number alone should give you an idea of how many times I've rebuilt and redesigned the core gameplay.
The reason is simple: there wasn't really an existing game I could use as a reference.
After plenty of experimentation, I introduced tabletop-style scoring mechanics, combined them with a Five Elements skill system and a nine-grid board. Finally, the game started to gain some real strategic depth.
Each of the Five Elements has its own identity:
Wood bends and grows. Wood components focus on permanent growth. For example, the more times they're used in combinations, the faster their point values increase.
Fire rises and consumes. Fire components have destructive abilities, allowing them to devour other component cards and absorb their points.
Earth nurtures and sustains. Earth components develop steadily on the board, creating opportunities to synergize with skills from other elements.
Metal shapes and refines. Like a pair of sharp scissors, Metal components specialize in precisely adjusting point values.
Water flows and circulates. Water components trigger various effects when they cycle back into the deck.
These different elemental abilities can interact in all sorts of ways, adding more strategic possibilities to every combination.
Since the core gameplay revolves around combining Chinese character components, I expect the game to appeal mainly to Chinese learners on international platforms, which is admittedly a fairly niche audience.
Steam's traffic statistics also suggest that most visitors come from East Asia. For now, the game supports four languages: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, and Japanese.
Of course, with the help of AI, adding localization support has become much easier. If players from other regions show interest in the game, I'd be happy to add more languages in the future.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported the game!
What started as a little idea I came up with purely for my own amusement has gradually turned into a real game. Knowing that other players can now enjoy something I created brings a sense of happiness that's hard to put into words.