Field manual
How scoring works
01 // The mission
- Five questions every day: history, science, music, film, food, places.
- Tap the spot on the globe where you think the answer is.
- The closer your tap, the more points. Up to 100 per question.
- New questions drop every day at midnight Eastern Time.
- Everyone gets the same five, so scores are directly comparable.
- A perfect day is 100 + 100 + 200 + 300 + 300 = 1,000 points.
02 // Distance is the score
Base points depend only on miles from the answer. The curve is harsh close in and softens far out, so a continental miss is not a total wipeout.
| Miles off | City | Region | Landmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 100 | 91 | 95 | 66 |
| 250 | 83 | 83 | 51 |
| 500 | 73 | 71 | 39 |
| 1,000 | 59 | 56 | 26 |
| 2,000 | 43 | 38 | 15 |
| 4,000 | 25 | 20 | 7 |
| 8,000 | 10 | 7 | 2 |
03 // Not every target is the same size
Each question carries a target size. That sets the bullseye you have to land in for a perfect 100. A landmark pays for real precision; a country is won by knowing the country.
- Countryperfect within the countryAnywhere in the right country scores 100.
- Regionperfect within 75 miLand anywhere in the right region.
- Cityperfect within 15 miGet within 15 miles of the place.
- Landmarkperfect within 3 miPin the exact spot — within 3 miles.
04 // The clock helps, then it bites
- +5 speedAnswer within 10s for the full bonus. It fades to zero by 30s. Speed is a tiebreaker between people who both knew it, never a way to beat a better guess.
- free until 60sThinking costs nothing for a full minute.
- ×0.5 at 180sPast 60s the accuracy score shrinks, down to half at 3 minutes. That is not a hard question, that is a second tab.
- The clock runs on the server and starts when you reach a question, not while you read the previous answer.
05 // Multipliers and tiers
Stakes rise through the round: Q1 ×1, Q2 ×1, Q3 ×2, Q4 ×3, Q5 ×3.
- 100Perfect. Glows on results.
- 90–99Great
- 50–89Ballpark
- 1–49Miles off
- 0Antipodal
06 // The leaderboard
- Top 50 for the day. Your row is pinned even outside the top 50.
- Equal scores are split by total time: the faster round ranks higher.
- Pick any callsign up to 12 characters. Duplicates on a day get a number (frank, frank2).
- World board plus a board for your country. Browse 14 days back with the arrows.
- Scores are re-checked on the server from your raw taps. Nobody can post a fake 1,000.
07 // Streaks, stats, tips
- Your streak counts days in a row. Skip a day and it resets. Save your recovery code and it survives a lost phone; streak freezes are on the way.
- Mission log has your 14-day chart and where in the world you are strong.
- Drag to spin, pinch or scroll to zoom. One tap is your guess unless you turn on "Confirm before locking in".
- Changed your mind mid-tap? Drag a little before letting go; small movements are read as a swipe.
- Refresh mid-round if you need to. Progress is saved.
08 // Sources and thanks
Every coordinate is resolved against OpenStreetMap and every fact is written and checked by a person. Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics; borders and labels © OpenMapTiles and OpenStreetMap contributors. The daily-globe format was pioneered by MapTap. Go play it too.