Grok Pong

An original take on the classic paddle duel. Beat Grok at five levels from Cadet to Grandmaster, or play a friend on one keyboard.

How to play

1. Choose Vs Computer or 2 Players at the top.
2. Against Grok: pick a level, register a name once if you want your wins on the leaderboard, and press Start match.
3. Move your paddle with the buttons under the court, the keyboard, or by dragging (or moving the mouse) on the court.
4. Return the ball past your opponent. The first to the match length wins (7, 11 or 21, in Choices).

Rules

• The ball speeds up a little every time a paddle hits it.
• Where the ball meets the paddle sets its angle: the centre sends it back flat, the edges send it off steeply. Use the edges to put spin on your returns.
• After each point the ball is served toward the player who lost the point, after a short pause.

Levels

Grok watches the ball, works out where it will arrive and moves there, but each level reacts more slowly, guesses less accurately and moves its paddle more slowly than the next: Cadet, Pilot, Captain, Admiral and Grandmaster.

Scoring

A win over Grok scores the level weight (Cadet 1, Pilot 2, Captain 4, Admiral 7, Grandmaster 10) times 100, plus 10 for every point of your winning margin. Beating the Grandmaster 21 to 0 is worth 3100. Losses and two-player matches do not post scores.

Fair scores

When you play under a registered name the server picks the match's random seed, and the page records only your paddle controls and their timing. When you win, the server replays the whole match on its own copy of the game and posts the score it gets, so a score can't be typed in or edited. Each match can be posted once. Your name is protected by a key kept in this browser.

Leaderboards and chat

The High scores tab shows each player's best verified win, and Overall the site-wide totals. Grok Chat sits in the corner. Use Share on X at the top to tell your friends.

All graphics and sounds are drawn and synthesized in code for this game. Choices has two looks: Classic black and white, and Neon Starport.

Play at https://rtwl.fun/games/pong/

Made by Lawless Alien, built at the desk by Lawless and Grok. Watch Real Time With @LawlessAlien on YouTube.