Vdopa Rush preview: when puzzles become a race
From the start we wanted puzzle solving in Vdopa to be something you can also enjoy with friends. That is where Vdopa Rush comes from. This article covers the thinking behind it; the full rules are on the Vdopa Rush page.
Same puzzle, same moment
Rush is built on fairness. Everyone in a room sees the same puzzle at the same second, and whoever reveals and enters the code first wins. Simple to say, but making it truly fair takes care:
- The clock lives on the server. Start and stop times are measured on our server, not players’ devices, so a slightly slower connection does not distort timing.
- Answers never reach players’ devices. In single-player your game can check codes itself; in Rush every check happens on the server, so nobody can peek at the answer.
- Ties go to whoever the server heard from first.
Speed is not everything
Each round scores the time remaining plus a bonus for the top three, and the match is decided by the total across all rounds. A player who is lightning-fast in some rounds but misses others can lose to a steadier one. Where the host allows the magnifier, it costs 30% of that round’s points, a genuine strategic choice.
Cameras, conversation and safety
One of the best parts is seeing your friends’ faces while they are stuck, so Rush supports camera and voice in every round. Safety comes first:
- video and audio are streamed live only and never recorded;
- you can switch your own camera or microphone off at any time, and mute or hide others on your side;
- block and report with one button; the team reviews every report;
- players under 20 start with camera and microphone off and can only join friends’ rooms.
Coins earned by skill
The winner of each round earns 10 coins for future rewards. We want coins to reward skill only, so they cannot be bought, transferred or earned by watching ads.
Get ready now
Rush uses the same mechanisms as the mansion, so practising in single-player and reading the puzzle guide is the best preparation. Verify your email in advance, as Rush requires a verified account. We will announce the launch here. See you on the leaderboard.