What obscurity measures
Every entry has a stored English Wikipedia pageview count. Within each category, the most-viewed entry scores 0% obscurity and the least-viewed entry scores 100%. The percentage comes from the place’s rank within its category. Equal pageview counts share the same rank; if every entry has the same count, they all score 50%.
This estimates attention in one language and one dataset. It does not measure a place’s importance, the number of people who know it, or how often players submit it. Each saved dig keeps its data version, so a later update does not change its questions or recorded result.
metres = 150 × r
What your answer earns
| Obscurity | Points | Metres |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | 100 | 0 |
| 50% | 550 | 75 |
| 90% | 910 | 135 |
| 100% | 1,000 | 150 |
| Skip or timeout | 0 | 0 |
Here, r runs from 0 to 1. The displayed percentage is rounded; points use the full value. A celebration at 90% does not add a separate score bonus.
One category, one comparison
A river is compared with rivers, a city with cities. A narrower prompt still uses the full category’s obscurity scale. Region and spelling conditions change which answers fit, not how an eligible answer scores.
The perfect expedition
Ten maximum-scoring answers total 10,000 points and 1,500 metres. A run does not need to be perfect to reach the deepest visual layers. Your final report shows each accepted answer, its obscurity and the points earned.
Try the river guide or city guide for examples computed from the same bank as the game.