Show HN: Putt.day a daily mini golf game

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reception

  • Many found the game fun, cute, and “addictive,” especially for a quick daily play (Wordle-like).
  • Visuals and browser/mobile support are praised.
  • Several say it “could be something special” with more polish.

Difficulty, Par, and Shortcuts

  • Par 6 for the highlighted daily hole is widely viewed as unrealistic via the “intended” path; many report 12–20 strokes.
  • Multiple players demonstrate completions in 6, 4, 3, and even 2 strokes by exploiting shortcuts:
    • Bouncing off walls near the start to gain vertical lift and jump over walls/water.
    • Using the initial spinner as a teleporter by banking into the opposite wall.
  • Debate over whether these “cheese” routes are intentional; some find them satisfying, others think par is misleading.
  • One person notes you can edit localStorage to fake any score.

Physics and Controls

  • Common feedback: too much rolling resistance and overly damped bounces; ball stops too quickly.
  • Short putts are hard to control; “tap-ins” often overshoot and oscillate around the hole.
  • Some dislike the ramp that pushes the ball automatically.
  • Developer states physics and scoring are being actively tweaked.

Camera, UI, and Mobile UX

  • Auto camera orientation is often confusing or 180° off; users request:
    • Fixed or overhead camera.
    • Automatic but smarter alignment toward the next shot.
  • On mobile, aiming is difficult:
    • Thumb covers the ball and power indicator.
    • Ball-as-hit-target conflicts with panning.
  • Scorecard suggestions: show latest or best run, don’t truncate, and give richer “progress” feedback.

Multiplayer / Ghosts and Social Features

  • Visible flying balls/cursors are real-time ghosts of other players.
  • Some love the feeling of not playing alone and using ghosts for hints; others question the value vs. complexity.
  • Requests for multiplayer modes, private rooms, and series of holes with friends.

Performance, Bugs, and Compatibility

  • Reports of lag, blank screens, or failure to load on some devices.
  • WebGL-disabled case currently shows a blank page; users want an explicit error.
  • Mixed success on Firefox; some get WebGPU errors.
  • One daily hole was “bunk” (stuck at first ledge) due to a bad random seed; later fixed.
  • An instruction dialog can exceed screen height with no scroll, blocking progress.

Implementation and Comparisons

  • Implemented with three.js.
  • Compared to other mini-golf and golf-like games; some users prefer those, others enjoy this one’s daily format and feel.