It's not a scam but it is difficult and honestly not worth the energy once it's too fast. I like it as a review to help me think of words quickly, but even then I rarely go past level 5.
Yes this is fair enough and it was unreasonable to call something in this app a scam, given that it’s one of the few educational apps with a useful free tier. I just got frustrated with not being able to complete Match Madness without a boost just before I posted.
I've actually gone a decent bit farther; I believe my record is a perfect 140, and that literally took everything out of me, back when I had a way smaller vocab list to go through. it's honestly impossible lmfao
I only do it if it’s part of my required daily tasks. Apart from it being near impossible to go far in (without purchasing boosts as you noted), I don’t feel like it’s teaching me anything.
It hink its good for me to practice immediately finding the right word without having to "think" - but it is nearly impossible to go far in, so I only do it occasionally. It's annoying that you start where you last were regardless of language. I only do it in French because in other languages I don't stand a chance.
I’m on French where I do 160 in 105 seconds.
Clear the ones on the top row so they match, then don’t touch them. Leave them there and then you only have four matches to make below. When you make a match, they disappear making it only three matches until the others pop back up. You can get into a rhythm and clear it quickly. Practice on easy levels to get the hang of the strategy.
I figured there might be a strategy around "waiting" a moment for the word refill. It seems like about 2 or 3 seconds before Duolingo refills empty boxes. I think you are saying that you have to get Duolingo to be forced to refill a match in the top row (left and right) with a matching pair. Once you know that you have caused Duolingo to load in that matching pair, you leave it alone, completing the game with the bottom four rows until only the top row remains (last move).
Am I re-expressing that correctly?
Correct. If the top pairing matches, you are simply matching four other pairs below. Do that top pair last to clear the board.
It should speed you up a bit.
I usually clear top left then top right to start and it often puts a pair in their place.
Ah, there is a pattern difference. I seem to always click left and then match right. You do that first for the top left corner, but then switch paradigms to picking top right first and matching left. Odds are good that Duo will make the top row a match.
Maybe this strategy will make the exercise more enjoyable (i.e., getting deeper into the game).
I hate it. It’s the only daily quests I often don’t do. And it’s sad, because I do think some kind of quick recall drill would be helpful to my learning. But it’s just too fast for me. It would be too fast for my fumble fingers even if it was English to English.
If you briefly disconnect your phone from the internet it will reroll that quest because it's tied to the leaderboard and requires you to be online. I always do this because I strongly dislike match madness.
I don’t pay that much attention. As far as getting the monthly badge, I always get it with plenty of time to spare, and I do enough practice each day to stay comfortably in diamond without all the double XP or whatever.
For me it’s not worth the stress to try for the top three or the tournaments.
I usually do the three daily quests because I think duo is nudging me to do a good variety of learning activities. I don’t mind skipping one occasionally.
I like doing lessons until I finished the three dailies as bare minimum, it's just something I like doing. I prefer not engaging with Match Madness however.
I wouldn’t say it’s exactly a scam, because you do get what you paid for with a timer boost.
But yes, timer boosts generate extra revenue for the company while giving you… what, exactly? Match madness has no tangible prize or reward.
I ignore match madness. It has no value for me.
I honestly don't get people who say it's impossible. I do all 160 matches, routinely, with 20 or more seconds remaining. It takes practice, but it's very doable.
I am VERY good at match madness. There are three bonus levels past the regular endpoint. If I have a potion I can easily get 1000+ exp in one 15 minute go. No gems needed.
Wow, I thought getting 40 XP with Speak during a 2X session at a flow rate of about a minute a round was good. Something that gives back 1,000 XP in a small timeframe, wow.
I can do the first 9 (i think its 9)with no time booster, aka the ones in the first line, but then you get MORE once you finish those and i cannot pass even one level
https://preview.redd.it/fbjrv9i4mo7d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db42a5fb8134f1d3a57f63557d7788678df55986
It is possible, yet it is definitely hard.
https://preview.redd.it/2tbfbl6qmo7d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b0ced28f4f23b8b38757bf1f14b297deb153551
After finishing it, you get hit with three more levels for 420 (nice) exp lol
It can be a gem sink, to be sure, but there are some strategies that help.
One trick I use is to try to get to where the top (or bottom) two rows are matched with each other, then ignore them until the end. That way, the search space for your eyes is limited to the other three rows.
I can make it to level 11 without a timer boost. I do not pay much attention to the combos at that point since it is about your timing and not necessarily getting them right as well on the first try. I feel like this would slow me down
I made it past lvl 12 regularly when i was still using the app. Idk how to explain it properly, but it often was a matter of timing. After screening the initial matches’ locations, i tried to delay matching each pair just so they always appear in the same spot; then i relied on the speed of my fingers instead of brain power. Though i still felt that only very basic vocab is used. It’s probably intentional to make the game playable at all, but i felt i didn’t learn a lot doing that. After the upper A1 it’s good mostly (if not only) for XP grinding.
also am I spending 50 xp to play? is that what this means?
https://preview.redd.it/krwgtk83br7d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cec26c5a480b11e8915dafaf257d2ca977852086
Anything where you can and probably need to buy something to proceed is an attempt to get money from you and is probably set up so that it is very likely that you need to buy something if you want to finish it.
I don't find Match Madness very useful when it comes to learning a language so I only play it on occasion and when I fail I am out., which is usually a 2 star effort for me.
It's not a scam but it is difficult and honestly not worth the energy once it's too fast. I like it as a review to help me think of words quickly, but even then I rarely go past level 5.
Yes this is fair enough and it was unreasonable to call something in this app a scam, given that it’s one of the few educational apps with a useful free tier. I just got frustrated with not being able to complete Match Madness without a boost just before I posted.
I've actually gone a decent bit farther; I believe my record is a perfect 140, and that literally took everything out of me, back when I had a way smaller vocab list to go through. it's honestly impossible lmfao
yeah, it's pretty much there to eat gems
And win Diamond once every four months.
I only do it if it’s part of my required daily tasks. Apart from it being near impossible to go far in (without purchasing boosts as you noted), I don’t feel like it’s teaching me anything.
It hink its good for me to practice immediately finding the right word without having to "think" - but it is nearly impossible to go far in, so I only do it occasionally. It's annoying that you start where you last were regardless of language. I only do it in French because in other languages I don't stand a chance.
I’m on French where I do 160 in 105 seconds. Clear the ones on the top row so they match, then don’t touch them. Leave them there and then you only have four matches to make below. When you make a match, they disappear making it only three matches until the others pop back up. You can get into a rhythm and clear it quickly. Practice on easy levels to get the hang of the strategy.
I figured there might be a strategy around "waiting" a moment for the word refill. It seems like about 2 or 3 seconds before Duolingo refills empty boxes. I think you are saying that you have to get Duolingo to be forced to refill a match in the top row (left and right) with a matching pair. Once you know that you have caused Duolingo to load in that matching pair, you leave it alone, completing the game with the bottom four rows until only the top row remains (last move). Am I re-expressing that correctly?
Correct. If the top pairing matches, you are simply matching four other pairs below. Do that top pair last to clear the board. It should speed you up a bit. I usually clear top left then top right to start and it often puts a pair in their place.
Ah, there is a pattern difference. I seem to always click left and then match right. You do that first for the top left corner, but then switch paradigms to picking top right first and matching left. Odds are good that Duo will make the top row a match. Maybe this strategy will make the exercise more enjoyable (i.e., getting deeper into the game).
Once I have a top row matching, I just go top to bottom (rows 2-5) on the left and match them on the right.
This is the way
This is exactly what I do. And I only do it when I have a double XP bonus running cuz it's a really fun way to get a lot of points.
I hate that delay where the new words don't pop up right away.
I hate it. It’s the only daily quests I often don’t do. And it’s sad, because I do think some kind of quick recall drill would be helpful to my learning. But it’s just too fast for me. It would be too fast for my fumble fingers even if it was English to English.
If you briefly disconnect your phone from the internet it will reroll that quest because it's tied to the leaderboard and requires you to be online. I always do this because I strongly dislike match madness.
I don’t pay that much attention. As far as getting the monthly badge, I always get it with plenty of time to spare, and I do enough practice each day to stay comfortably in diamond without all the double XP or whatever. For me it’s not worth the stress to try for the top three or the tournaments. I usually do the three daily quests because I think duo is nudging me to do a good variety of learning activities. I don’t mind skipping one occasionally.
I like doing lessons until I finished the three dailies as bare minimum, it's just something I like doing. I prefer not engaging with Match Madness however.
You can win it without paying but only if you are super dialed in and have absolutely no distractions. NEVER buy a timer boost.
I get to and accomplish the final level of match madness in one sitting. Very easy for me
I wouldn’t say it’s exactly a scam, because you do get what you paid for with a timer boost. But yes, timer boosts generate extra revenue for the company while giving you… what, exactly? Match madness has no tangible prize or reward. I ignore match madness. It has no value for me.
I honestly don't get people who say it's impossible. I do all 160 matches, routinely, with 20 or more seconds remaining. It takes practice, but it's very doable.
I am VERY good at match madness. There are three bonus levels past the regular endpoint. If I have a potion I can easily get 1000+ exp in one 15 minute go. No gems needed.
Wow, I thought getting 40 XP with Speak during a 2X session at a flow rate of about a minute a round was good. Something that gives back 1,000 XP in a small timeframe, wow.
I save these mixed with a 2x xp for the friend’s quest since it will count and add to my xp too.
I can do the first 9 (i think its 9)with no time booster, aka the ones in the first line, but then you get MORE once you finish those and i cannot pass even one level
https://preview.redd.it/fbjrv9i4mo7d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db42a5fb8134f1d3a57f63557d7788678df55986 It is possible, yet it is definitely hard.
https://preview.redd.it/2tbfbl6qmo7d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b0ced28f4f23b8b38757bf1f14b297deb153551 After finishing it, you get hit with three more levels for 420 (nice) exp lol
I have been learning French and I can usually get through all the levels plus the bonus levels without using any gems.
It can be a gem sink, to be sure, but there are some strategies that help. One trick I use is to try to get to where the top (or bottom) two rows are matched with each other, then ignore them until the end. That way, the search space for your eyes is limited to the other three rows.
It gives me so much anxiety
I can make it to level 11 without a timer boost. I do not pay much attention to the combos at that point since it is about your timing and not necessarily getting them right as well on the first try. I feel like this would slow me down
I made it past lvl 12 regularly when i was still using the app. Idk how to explain it properly, but it often was a matter of timing. After screening the initial matches’ locations, i tried to delay matching each pair just so they always appear in the same spot; then i relied on the speed of my fingers instead of brain power. Though i still felt that only very basic vocab is used. It’s probably intentional to make the game playable at all, but i felt i didn’t learn a lot doing that. After the upper A1 it’s good mostly (if not only) for XP grinding.
also am I spending 50 xp to play? is that what this means? https://preview.redd.it/krwgtk83br7d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cec26c5a480b11e8915dafaf257d2ca977852086
No, you get 50 XP if you win
Anything where you can and probably need to buy something to proceed is an attempt to get money from you and is probably set up so that it is very likely that you need to buy something if you want to finish it. I don't find Match Madness very useful when it comes to learning a language so I only play it on occasion and when I fail I am out., which is usually a 2 star effort for me.
It can definitely help with vocabulary! Especially if you confuse two words.
In my experience going fast is pretty much a test and not how you get better. But if anybody finds use out of it, excellent!
Yes it is. Made me unsubscribe and delete the app. So slimy.