Improved Letters game shuffle, board layout and minimum word length.

config/default.js

@@ -35,6 +35,6 @@ module.exports = {
 	},
 	letters: {
 		length: 9,
-		timeout: 30,
+		timeout: 60,
 	},
 };

src/games/letters.js

@@ -3,15 +3,18 @@
 const config = require('config');
 const timers = require('timers/promises');
 
-const shuffle = require('../utils/shuffle');
+const crypto = require('crypto');
 const style = require('../utils/style');
 const getLeaders = require('../utils/get-leaders');
 const getWordKey = require('../utils/get-word-key');
 const words = require('../../assets/mash-words.json');
 
-const availableVowels = ['a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u'];
+const availableLetters = {
-const availableConsonants = ['b', 'c', 'd', 'f', 'g', 'h', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z']; // Countdown regards y as a consonant
+	vowel: ['a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u'],
-const types = { v: 'vowels', c: 'consonants' };
+	consonant: ['b', 'c', 'd', 'f', 'g', 'h', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z'], // Countdown regards y as a consonant
+};
+
+const types = { v: 'vowel', c: 'consonant' };
 
 const settings = { ...config.letters };
 const games = new Map();
@@ -19,28 +22,18 @@ const games = new Map();
 function getBoard(context) {
 	const game = games.get(context.room.id);
 
-	return `${game.word.split('').map((letter) => `${style.grey('[')}${letter.toUpperCase()}${style.grey(']')}`).join('')}${`${style.silver('[')} ${style.silver(']')}`.repeat(config.letters.length - game.word.length)}`;
+	return `${style.grey('[')} ${game.word.split('').concat(Array.from({ length: config.letters.length - game.word.length })).map((letter) => letter?.toUpperCase() || ' ').join(style.grey(' | '))} ${style.grey(']')}`;
 }
 
 function countLetters(word) {
 	return word.split('').reduce((counts, letter) => ({ ...counts, [letter]: (counts[letter] || 0) + 1 }), {});
 }
 
-function shuffleLetters(letters, acc = []) {
-	const shuffled = shuffle(letters, config.letters.length);
-
-	if (acc.length + shuffled.length < config.letters.length) {
-		return shuffleLetters(letters, [...acc, ...shuffled, ...letters]);
-	}
-
-	return [...acc, ...shuffled].slice(0, config.letters.length);
-}
-
 function playWord(rawWord, context) {
 	const game = games.get(context.room.id);
 	const word = rawWord.trim().toLowerCase();
 
-	if (!word || word.length > game.word.length) {
+	if (!word || word.length < 3 || word.length > game.word.length) {
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -112,11 +105,11 @@ function pickLetters(type, context) {
 		return;
 	}
 
-	if (type === 'consonants' || type === 'vowels') {
+	if (type === 'consonant' || type === 'vowel') {
-		game.word = `${game.word}${game[type].pop()}`;
+		game.word = `${game.word}${availableLetters[type][crypto.randomInt(0, availableLetters[type].length)]}`;
 	} else {
 		type.toLowerCase().slice(0, config.letters.length - game.word.length).split('').forEach((typeKey) => {
-			game.word = `${game.word}${game[types[typeKey]].pop()}`;
+			game.word = `${game.word}${availableLetters[types[typeKey]][crypto.randomInt(0, availableLetters[types[typeKey]].length)]}`;
 		});
 	}
 
@@ -138,8 +131,6 @@ function start(context) {
 	games.set(context.room.id, {
 		state: 'letters',
 		word: '',
-		vowels: shuffleLetters(availableVowels),
-		consonants: shuffleLetters(availableConsonants),
 		played: new Set(),
 		points: {},
 		ac: new AbortController(), // eslint-disable-line no-undef
@@ -176,12 +167,12 @@ function onMessage(message, context) {
 		}
 
 		if (/(^|\b)cons?(onant)?($|\b)/i.test(message.body)) {
-			pickLetters('consonants', context);
+			pickLetters('consonant', context);
 			return;
 		}
 
 		if (/(^|\b)vow(el)?($|\b)/i.test(message.body)) {
-			pickLetters('vowels', context);
+			pickLetters('vowel', context);
 			return;
 		}
 	}