Why I built Deduce

I wanted to build something of my own

I have always liked the idea of running my own website. Not just making a page for practice, but building something real that people could visit, use, and hopefully come back to. As I started learning more about coding, Deduce became the project where I could actually try that.

I like coding because there is always another problem to figure out. A feature can begin as a rough idea and slowly turn into something that works on a real screen. Building a full website gave me a reason to learn things I would not have learned from small exercises alone.

Why daily games

I already enjoyed playing daily puzzle games, so they felt like a natural thing to build. I like having a small challenge that changes every day, comparing results with other people, and seeing how a simple set of rules can create a completely different puzzle each time.

I also play several different kinds of them. Some days I want geography; other days I would rather identify a logo, compare cars, sort words, or guess a year. Putting those ideas together on one site sounded useful, but more importantly, it sounded fun to make.

Learning by building the games

Deduce has been a much bigger learning project than I expected. Every game brings a different coding problem. The map games need geography data and distance calculations. Redraw needs a canvas and a way to compare an image. Logo Crop needs to reveal the right amount of an image after each guess. Then there are accounts, statistics, friends, daily resets, and all the small details that make the site usable.

Some parts went well the first time and plenty did not. I have rebuilt features, changed designs, fixed strange bugs, and learned a lot by doing all of it. That process is a big part of why I have kept working on the site.

Making each one feel different

One of my favorite parts is deciding how each game should look and work. I did not want every page to be the same guessing box with different words above it. If a game is about placing countries, I want the map to be the main part of it. If it is about drawing a flag, I want it to feel like a small drawing tool.

That is why Ping has a radar screen, Guess the Year has a draggable timeline, and Pinpoint lets you place and move pins directly on a blank world map. Designing those interactions is more work, but it is also the work I enjoy most.

How it became a whole collection

I did not begin with a plan for a large collection. I made a couple of games, enjoyed building them, and kept thinking of more. Each new game gave me another idea to test and another reason to improve the shared parts of the website.

The variety also reflects what I like as a player. I do not always want the same kind of puzzle, and I assume other people feel the same way. You can play everything, or just open the one or two games you enjoy.

What I want to do next

I am still learning, and Deduce is still changing with me. I want to keep improving the games that are already here, add new ideas when I have one worth building, and get better at every part of running the site.

If you find something that is broken, confusing, or could simply be better, please tell me. The contact page goes straight to me. Feedback has already helped shape the site, and I read all of it.

Thanks for playing and for helping me improve it.