Dear Quackle users, I am grateful to announce that FISE's (Federación Internacional de Scrabble en Español - International Federation of Scrabble in Spanish) first official lexicon development concluded today January 15th as expected.
By 'lexicon' I mean a computer readable file with all valid words and just those. So far we looked words up directly in the dictionary for studying and adjudicating challenges. However, from now on the door to word study programs and challenge adjudicating programs is open. Also open seems to be the door to AI programs like Quackle, since adapting the game to foreign alphabets with a different number of tiles and building the corresponding strategy files are to my understanding doable things, although personally I have no idea on how to do it, let alone writing another AI program. Also doable seems the task of making Quackle exchange tiles and let the player exchange his or her tiles too when there is at least one tile in the bag. Organized tournaments in Spanish have this feature so ideally an AI program would have it too. If, when and how the lexicon will be freely distributed is still on talks, but maybe some exceptions might be done, although I don't decide these things, I am just the lexicon developer, lexicon which will change how Spanish Scrabble players view the game and their approach to it all over the world. I would be grateful to hear the opinions of the Quackle developers, John O'Laughlin and Jason-Katz Brown, as well as anyone's who can help or inform us, or who would like to share his or her opinion with us. Of important notice is the fact that I am speaking just in my name and as the lexicon developer. Hence, my words should be taken as just mine, since I am not representing FISE or any part or member of it, nor am I speaking in their name or in FISE's name. In a nutshell, this is just a personal message. Cristian Richart.
