Why We Updated Judging (and What It Improves)
Over the past few months of demos and playtesting Are You Curiouser?, a pattern became impossible to ignore: People loved battling the AI models—but they (and we) didn’t love the feedback from the judges. The scores were helpful, yet the commentary rarely made anyone better.
What Wasn’t Working
Our original judging system asked three different AI models to explain their reasoning for each score. In practice, this led to consistent issues:
- Repetitive feedback—judges echoed each other with similar phrasing.
- Overly polite commentary—lots of compliments, few insights.
- Vague or misaligned suggestions—not especially actionable.
- Too much text—players felt like they were reading mini-essays after every question.
Players need clear guidance so they can improve faster. The previous approach simply drowned that clarity in volume.
Introducing AYC’s New Host: Hypandra
Instead of surfacing all three judges separately, we now route their scoring and notes through Hypandra, the host and guide of the game. Behind the scenes, Hypandra:
- Reads every judge’s evaluation.
- Identifies the sharpest, clearest explanations.
- Delivers actionable feedback focused on what mattered most (Clarity, Generativity, Novelty, etc.).
This shift makes feedback shorter, more targeted, more consistent, and easier to use. It also keeps the game moving.
Examples from Real Play
Old system: three judges would often produce variations on the same polite paragraph:
Your question is clear… but could be broadened.
I agree with the previous judge.
Consider reframing this as…
Minimal differentiation. Lots of filler.
New system: Hypandra distills what matters.
Clarity is low because ‘conscience’ and ‘feels like’ are vague. To improve clarity, pick one specific mental process rather than using a metaphor.
It’s direct, honest, and applicable to the next round.
Why This Improves the Game
This change aligns with what we’re building as a company:
- Curiosity first.
- Friction where it matters, not where it distracts.
- Feedback you can act on immediately.
Whether you’re fighting to climb the leaderboard or sharpening your questioning skills, Are You Curiouser? should feel fun, intuitive, and helpful. By shifting to a single, unified explanation we removed distraction from the mission and made the game feel cleaner and more natural.
We hope Hypandra’s voice helps every round feel like progress—and keeps you excited to ask the next question.