Plain Game Scoring: Points, Altitude & Golden Rounds

Plain Game awards points for how close your accepted answer is to the target. Each point lifts your plane by ten metres. In timed modes, your plane also descends while you think, so accuracy points and final altitude are different measures.

How Plain Game scores positive values

For a positive target and a positive answer, the base score is:

round(100 × exp(−2 × abs(ln(answer / target))))

The comparison uses ratios. An answer twice the target and one half the target earn the same base score. You do not need to calculate this during play: aim for something close to the target and use the reveal to understand the result.

An answer within a factor of 1.01 earns a Bullseye and 25 bonus points. That range runs from target / 1.01 to target × 1.01; it is not an exactly symmetric percentage interval. A zero answer to a positive target earns no accuracy points.

A worked scoring example

These are illustrative numbers, not a claim about a particular object in the question bank. With a target of 100:

The result labels describe closeness: Bullseye, So close, In range, Partial credit (within a factor of 2, 25 to 54 points), Wide and Far off. Far off is a Wide answer that is at least five times too high or too low (or, for a year, more than 60 years away). They help you read the reveal; the numerical calculation determines your points.

Because distance is a ratio, an answer 11 times the target scores about 1 point, not a negative number: the reveal shows it as "11× the target" so you can see the scale of the miss.

Years use a different calculation

For a calendar-year question, distance means the absolute number of years between your answer and the target:

round(100 × exp(−years_off / 16))

Only the exact year receives the 25-point bonus. One year off earns 94 base points; ten years off earns 54. Do not apply the ratio rule to years.

One round counts double

Each flight contains a hidden Golden Round. Its base score and any Bullseye bonus are doubled. You discover which round it is after answering, so there is no need to save your best guess for a visibly marked question.

Seven perfect answers, including one doubled round, earn the maximum 1,000 accuracy points. A perfect ordinary round is worth 125 points; a perfect golden round is worth 250.

Why altitude is lower than points times ten

Every point adds ten metres. In a timed round, the first three seconds are free reading time. After that, altitude falls at four metres per second, up to 108 metres over the round. The calculation uses elapsed time, including time away from the tab; refreshing does not restart the clock.

For example, 125 points after 12 seconds give 1,250 metres of lift minus 36 metres of drift: a net gain of 1,214 metres. A skipped or timed-out round earns no points and can still incur drift. Altitude never falls below zero.

Discovery mode has no time-based descent. Its altitude should not be used as a like-for-like comparison with a timed flight.

Should you answer faster or think longer?

One extra accuracy point is worth ten metres, while one more second after the grace period costs four metres. A short pause can be worthwhile if it helps you choose a substantially closer answer. But an accepted answer locks in, and waiting until timeout gives no lift.

Unknown names let you try again while the clock continues. Choose a suggestion when spelling or ambiguity is the problem. See the FAQ for input help.

Play Plain Game to try a flight, or choose a practice mode to explore the scoring without using tomorrow's challenge. Scores are stored locally; friend comparisons are for fun, not verified competition.