1608: Hoverboard - Revision history

YZ100 at 00:58, 20 May 2026

2026-05-20T00:58:52Z

FaviFake: Per the discussion at the community portal, Blondie and Miss Lenhart are being merged, just like Cutie and Megan

2026-05-09T15:15:41Z

Per the discussion at the community portal, Blondie and Miss Lenhart are being merged, just like Cutie and Megan

JQ: /* Animation */

2026-04-02T00:44:11Z

‎Animation

FaviFake: /* Explanation */ users shouldn't be tempted to start reading the paragraph containing spoiler

2025-10-04T10:16:56Z

‎Explanation: users shouldn't be tempted to start reading the paragraph containing spoiler

FaviFake: Restore important info and simplify alert. No need to specifiy browsers in a spoiler warning...

2025-10-04T10:16:04Z

Restore important info and simplify alert. No need to specifiy browsers in a spoiler warning...

Sprucegrouse: Correcting my own typos and similar.

2025-10-04T04:07:02Z

Correcting my own typos and similar.

Sprucegrouse: Added Goggles Mode instructions and cleaned up language.

2025-10-04T04:00:04Z

Added Goggles Mode instructions and cleaned up language.

173.56.1.45: /* Explanation */ Shortened for clarity, and for the elimination of "spoilers" (references to the movie themes of the hidden parts of the game) ahead of the Spoiler Alert, and unnecessary detail.

2025-10-04T01:12:06Z

‎Explanation: Shortened for clarity, and for the elimination of "spoilers" (references to the movie themes of the hidden parts of the game) ahead of the Spoiler Alert, and unnecessary detail.

Sprucegrouse: /* Game Features */ Improved by own improved Alert language a little.

2025-10-03T16:29:16Z

‎Game Features: Improved by own improved Alert language a little.

Sprucegrouse: Added warning to Spoiler Alert not to use Safari (which does not support the hidden doors and other pass-though figures, which are essential features of the game). Reworded the Alert for clarity.

2025-10-03T16:10:05Z

Added warning to Spoiler Alert not to use Safari (which does not support the hidden doors and other pass-though figures, which are essential features of the game). Reworded the Alert for clarity.

@@ Line 3,316: / Line 3,316: @@
 [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] <!-- Well hidden in the cave -->
 [[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
 [[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]  <!-- Mom seeing a bug at lake before volcano -->
 [[Category:Comics featuring Elon Musk]] <!-- Hidden in the volcanic lair on a chair -->

@@ Line 87: / Line 87: @@
 The only exception is that the main villain of xkcd [[Black Hat]] who is very hard to find. He is only [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/6/68/1608_1069x1093y_Deer_and_exit_below_lamp_coin_and_Black_Hat_in_the_bottom_right_side_of_the_cave.png shown once] in the comic where he very uncharacteristically just sits and snores at the right wall in the cave inside the Destroyer (is it really him...?). The only other hint that he is not forgotten is that his hat can be seen [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1073x1074y_Ponytail_and_bird_black_hat_on_a_stick_and_Cueball_whistling.png on a stick] under the Destroyer after the three large T-like structures.  And this is not that kind of stick characters Randall usually draws. But at least we now know where Danish has hidden it from him this time (see [[405: Journal 3]]). Given that his hat is stuck there, he could also be any of the Cueballs close by…
-Also [[Blondie]] seems to be only represented once, while in her reporter mode while discovering a bug before the volcano as can be seen [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/1608_0970x1077y_Kite_and_weird_bug.png here].
+Also [[Miss Lenhart]] seems to be only represented once, while in her reporter mode while discovering a bug before the volcano as can be seen [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/1608_0970x1077y_Kite_and_weird_bug.png here].
 There are also several characters that are not recognizable as either any of the standard xkcd characters or in any other way (see for instance a few of the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a6/1037x1073y_Wedding.png wedding guests]). But there are possibly some of the minor characters are used like [[Danish]] at the bridge in the Blockade Runner ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png here]) but this cannot be confirmed, she just looks like her and has some similarities teasing the Star Wars fan.
-Several places in the comic it is clear from the size and the behavior that some of the characters are kids, see for instance the Blondie image mentioned above, where two kids looking like Megan and Hairy stand behind her, but they would in principle not be Megan or Hairy despite appearance, as these named characters are adults.
+Several places in the comic it is clear from the size and the behavior that some of the characters are kids, see for instance the Miss Lenhart image mentioned above, where two kids looking like Megan and Hairy stand behind her, but they would in principle not be Megan or Hairy despite appearance, as these named characters are adults.
 There are also many fictive people from different movies, books, and shows; for instance Darth Vader ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/fa/1608_1077x1109y_Darth_Vaders_talks_about_Steven_Universe_on_the_bridge_Megan_adjust_antenna.png here]), Gandalf ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a5/1608_0944x1083y_Rock_with_Gandalf_in_Lava_lake.png here]) and Steven Universe ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/39/1608_1031x1095y_Steven_Universe_family_and_ice_cream_prediction.png here]) all three mentioned above, and some real life people: you can find [[Elon Musk]], who has a [[#Secret passages and hidden places|hidden lair]] under the Volcano (see [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/73/1608_0945x1074y_Elon_Musks_cave_in_lair.png here]), and Gregor Mendel, hanging out on a Star Destroyer with a pea plant.
@@ Line 664: / Line 664: @@
 |The comic was released only two weeks after this game, and although it is clearly a girl in this comic, she looks like Megan who sets up the kite in the next comic. There is also a kite in ''Sky Toucher'' in TE and kites is a recurring theme in xkcd.
-The mother that discovers the bug is [[Blondie]]. She talks like she is one of the {{w|clickbait}} headlines used for getting people to click in on the link generally aimed at generating online advertising revenue, which fits nicely with her recurring theme of as a news anchor. Her daughter is tired of this, especially as it seems like the mother speaks like that all the time. This may embarrass the girl, especially if she is with a friend rather than a brother. Maybe the mother has been reading too many clickbait news on-line? As noted in the other references ''clickbait'' is a recurring theme in xkcd. The mother is near a small lake, so it is likely that there is plenty of insects and other bugs. It is possible to sink into the lake as can be seen in the second image with the hidden parts shown in red.
+The mother that discovers the bug is [[Miss Lenhart]]. She talks like she is one of the {{w|clickbait}} headlines used for getting people to click in on the link generally aimed at generating online advertising revenue, which fits nicely with her recurring theme of as a news anchor. Her daughter is tired of this, especially as it seems like the mother speaks like that all the time. This may embarrass the girl, especially if she is with a friend rather than a brother. Maybe the mother has been reading too many clickbait news on-line? As noted in the other references ''clickbait'' is a recurring theme in xkcd. The mother is near a small lake, so it is likely that there is plenty of insects and other bugs. It is possible to sink into the lake as can be seen in the second image with the hidden parts shown in red.
 |-
 |Space capsule with parachutes.
@@ Line 3,316: / Line 3,316: @@
 [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]] <!-- Well hidden in the cave -->
 [[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
-[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]  <!-- Mom seeing a bug at lake before volcano -->
+[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]  <!-- Mom seeing a bug at lake before volcano -->
 [[Category:Comics featuring Elon Musk]] <!-- Hidden in the volcanic lair on a chair -->
 [[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

@@ Line 3,069: / Line 3,069: @@
 [[File:1608 Hoverboard Cueball standard animation.png]]
-There are several in-between frames of Cueball turning from left to right and even more from right to left. The second image shows eight in between animations (together with four from above). Not all the positions are necessarily caught in this collage here, but there is only a limited amount of them and all last less tahn a split second. They have been sorted so it could look like Cueball has just turned to the right standing still, then jumping while turning right, then turning right while in jump, to finish the turn while falling.
+There are several in-between frames of Cueball turning from left to right and even more from right to left. The second image shows eight in between animations (together with four from above). Not all the positions are necessarily caught in this collage here, but there is only a limited amount of them and all last less than a split second. They have been sorted so it could look like Cueball has just turned to the right standing still, then jumping while turning right, then turning right while in jump, to finish the turn while falling.
 [[File:1608 Hoverboard Cueball turning animation.png]]

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 Apart from the date of release and the text about the book, there are several scenes in the game that could be seen as [[#Reference to Thing Explainer|references to ''Thing Explainer'']]. Instead, the main part of the game is all the references to several movies and other stuff that has often been featured in xkcd as well as many of the other comics.
 ===Game features===
 Your player in the game is an {{w|animated}} [[Cueball]] riding a hoverboard that assumes [[#Animation|several different positions]] as it travels. You control your player with the left, up and right arrows, as noted on the start screen. Your player can jump repeatedly and thereby reach ever-increasing heights. You can move him left and right both while jumping and descending. (More under [[#Functionality|Functionality]] and Controls.)
 Your player begins in a maze (called the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a9/All_play_area_hanging_all_coins.PNG Play Area]). It holds 17 gold coins and contains a "deposit" box. One goal of the game is to collect as many coins as possible and deposit them quickly. Deposits returns [[#Coins|text messages]] describing the result of the round of play. It may seem to some, at this point, that there is nothing more to the game.

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
   <!--DO NOT ADD the title text: Return to the play area. This is not shown in the comic. See trivia-->
 }}
 {{TOC}}To experience the interactivity of the game, visit the {{xkcd|1608|original comic}}!
 ==Explanation==
+This is an [[:Category:Interactive comics|interactive comic]] made to celebrate the release of [[Randall]]'s new book, ''[[Thing Explainer]]'', which was released on the same day as this comic. It is a platforming minigame, whose ostensible goal is collecting gold coins. This [[:Category:Interactive comics|interactive comic]] appeared on the same date as the release of [[Randall]]'s book, ''[[Thing Explainer]]''.
 The title refers to the skateboard-like {{w|hoverboard}} that was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ZdMOMUgXE prominently featured] in the movie {{w|Back to the Future Part II}}. The BTTF movies' hero, {{w|Marty McFly}}, travels to the future in this sequel, to [https://www.facebook.com/October212015BTTF 2015-10-21], to be exact. This comic was released on 2015-11-24, about a month later. Hoverboards are just one of many things predicted in Back to the Future Part II that [https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33785285 had actually] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HI137m7XA4 come] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLwNGBB_Yb0 to] [https://www.wired.com/2016/03/hendo-2-hoverboard/ pass] by this date, along with inventions like [https://www.terrafugia.com/ flying] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-1pXbW5wVg cars] and [https://www.soundandvision.com/content/wear-your-music-thinkgeeks-soundtrack-shirt#jo8J1DassbWxlptj.97 musical clothing]. Randall is known to have had [[:Category:Electric skateboard|electric skateboards]], which which are thematically related, and another type of hoverboard would be mentioned just five weeks later in [[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]].
-===Game Features===
+Apart from the date of release and the text about the book, there are several scenes in the game that could be seen as [[#Reference to Thing Explainer|references to ''Thing Explainer'']]. Instead, the main part of the game is all the references to several movies and other stuff that has often been featured in xkcd as well as many of the other comics.
 Your player in the game is an {{w|animated}} [[Cueball]] riding a hoverboard that assumes [[#Animation|several different positions]] as it travels. You control your player with the left, up and right arrows, as noted on the start screen. Your player can jump repeatedly and thereby reach ever-increasing heights. You can move him left and right both while jumping and descending. (More under [[#Functionality|Functionality]] and Controls.)
+{{spoiler|The best way to enjoy this comic is to {{xkcd|1608|play the game}}! If you didn't do that already, reading anything below will spoil you from truly enjoying the comic.}}
 Your player begins in a maze (called the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a9/All_play_area_hanging_all_coins.PNG Play Area]). It holds 17 gold coins and contains a "deposit" box. One goal of the game is to collect as many coins as possible and deposit them quickly. Deposits returns [[#Coins|text messages]] describing the result of the round of play. It may seem to some, at this point, that there is nothing more to the game.
@@ Line 3,302: / Line 3,297: @@
      setInterval(renderRadar2, 1000)
 {{cob}}
 {{comic discussion}}

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
   <!--DO NOT ADD the title text: Return to the play area. This is not shown in the comic. See trivia-->
 }}
 {{TOC}}To experience the interactivity of the game, visit the {{xkcd|1608|original comic}}!
@@ Line 18: / Line 20: @@
-{{spoiler|The best way to enjoy this comic is simply to {{xkcd|1608|play the game}}! (Just be sure that you play using a web browser other than Safari.) If you have not yet tried (hard) to play it "cold" already, do so now. Reading beyond this Alert first will eliminate the possibility of your experiencing best of the rewards the game offers.}}
+Your player in the game is an {{w|animated}} [[Cueball]] riding a hoverboard that assumes [[#Animation|several different positions]] as it travels. You control your player with the left, up and right arrows, as noted on the start screen. Your player can jump repeatedly and thereby reach ever-increasing heights. You can move him left and right both while jumping and descending. (More under [[#Functionality|Functionality]] and Controls.)
 Your player begins in a maze (called the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a9/All_play_area_hanging_all_coins.PNG Play Area]). It holds 17 gold coins and contains a "deposit" box. One goal of the game is to collect as many coins as possible and deposit them quickly. Deposits returns [[#Coins|text messages]] describing the result of the round of play. It may seem to some, at this point, that there is nothing more to the game.
@@ Line 30: / Line 32: @@
 If you disregard this, you can take your player, hoverboard Cueball, to explore far beyond the walls to left and right (and above), where there are many points of interest to be found, as well as 152 more [[#Coins|coins]] to collect, 116 on the right and 36 on the left.
-All of the interesting places of the game are noted in the references and maps below and on the Extra Hoverboard Pages that are linked there. As a practical matter, hovever, you can only visit many of the most interesting places only with the help of the JavaScript Goggles hack. Entering Goggles Mode brings up a new pane to the right of the comic that enables you to see secret entrances in otherwise solid surfaces, and to see in the dark after the player enters black spaces.
+All of the interesting places of the game are noted in the references and maps below and on the Extra Hoverboard Pages that are linked there. As a practical matter, however, you can only visit many of the most interesting places only with the help of the JavaScript Goggles hack. Entering Goggles Mode brings up a new pane to the right of the comic that enables you to see secret entrances in otherwise solid surfaces, and to see in the dark after the player enters black spaces.
 To open the JavaScript Console, press F12 on PCs, and Command-Option-i on Mac. In the command line under the Console tab, enter: ze.goggles ( ) , making sure your command includes spaces before, between and after the two parens. This will bring up a window to the right of the comic showing black objects that are right next to the player in red. The red marks the spots where the player can pass objects that are black in the game. Cyan lines in the window mark the limits of how far the player can pass in the dark.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Explanation==
 Hoverboard is a platforming minigame, whose ostensible goal is collecting gold coins. This [[:Category:Interactive comics|interactive comic]] appeared on the same date as the release of [[Randall]]'s book, ''[[Thing Explainer]]''.
-The title refers to the skateboard-like {{w|hoverboard}} that was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ZdMOMUgXE prominently featured] in the movie {{w|Back to the Future Part II}}. The BTTF movies' hero {{w|Marty McFly}} traveles to the future in this sequel, to [https://www.facebook.com/October212015BTTF 2015-10-21], to be exact. This comic was released on 2015-11-24, about a month later. Hoverboards are just one of many things predicted in Back to the Future Part II that [https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33785285 had actually] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HI137m7XA4 come] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLwNGBB_Yb0 to] [https://www.wired.com/2016/03/hendo-2-hoverboard/ pass] by this date, along with inventions like [https://www.terrafugia.com/ flying] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-1pXbW5wVg cars] and [https://www.soundandvision.com/content/wear-your-music-thinkgeeks-soundtrack-shirt#jo8J1DassbWxlptj.97 musical clothing]. Randall is known to have had [[:Category:Electric skateboard|electric skateboards]], which which are thematically related, and another type of hoverboard would be mentioned just five weeks later in [[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]].
+The title refers to the skateboard-like {{w|hoverboard}} that was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ZdMOMUgXE prominently featured] in the movie {{w|Back to the Future Part II}}. The BTTF movies' hero, {{w|Marty McFly}}, travels to the future in this sequel, to [https://www.facebook.com/October212015BTTF 2015-10-21], to be exact. This comic was released on 2015-11-24, about a month later. Hoverboards are just one of many things predicted in Back to the Future Part II that [https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33785285 had actually] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HI137m7XA4 come] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLwNGBB_Yb0 to] [https://www.wired.com/2016/03/hendo-2-hoverboard/ pass] by this date, along with inventions like [https://www.terrafugia.com/ flying] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-1pXbW5wVg cars] and [https://www.soundandvision.com/content/wear-your-music-thinkgeeks-soundtrack-shirt#jo8J1DassbWxlptj.97 musical clothing]. Randall is known to have had [[:Category:Electric skateboard|electric skateboards]], which which are thematically related, and another type of hoverboard would be mentioned just five weeks later in [[1623: 2016 Conversation Guide]].
-The player begins in a line-drawing maze (called the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/a9/All_play_area_hanging_all_coins.PNG Play Area]) with 17 gold coins located throughout and a "deposit" terminal. The ostensible goal of the game is to collect as many coins as possible and return them to the deposit in the fastest possible time, which returns [[#Coins|text messages]] describing the result. Players consumed with obtaining the best possible time result for collecting the coins may not realize there is anything more to the game.
+Your player in the game is an {{w|animated}} [[Cueball]] riding a hoverboard that assumes [[#Animation|several different positions]] as it travels. You control your player with the left, up and right arrows, as noted on the start screen. Your player can jump repeatedly and thereby reach ever-increasing heights. You can move him left and right both while jumping and descending. (More under [[#Functionality|Functionality]] and Controls.)
-Beyond the maze on either side (just far enough that players who remain within the maze will not see) are [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/8b/1680_Play_Area_Full_Size_Coins_Hoverboard_and_View.png tall walls seemingly designed to contain the player]. However, the walls have a finite height and, combined with the ability to double-jump, the player can leave the purported "play area" either to the sides or above the initial maze. This returns a flashing red [[#Coins|error message]]: "'''[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/Return_to_the_play_area.PNG Return to the Play Area]'''".
+All of the interesting places of the game are noted in the references and maps below and on the Extra Hoverboard Pages that are linked there. As a practical matter, hovever, you can only visit many of the most interesting places only with the help of the JavaScript Goggles hack. Entering Goggles Mode brings up a new pane to the right of the comic that enables you to see secret entrances in otherwise solid surfaces, and to see in the dark after the player enters black spaces.
-However, if the player follows their desire to explore the world outside and disregards this message, they can take hoverboard Cueball outside beyond the tall walls surrounding the initial play area. And here they will discover an entire world that can be explored left and right (and above), including numerous points of interest and {{w|Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs}} similar in style to comic [[1110: Click and Drag]]. There are also many more [[#Coins|coins]] to collect, 169 coins overall, so 152 more than those from the play area. There are also 116 in the right side alone, and 36 on the left.
+To open the JavaScript Console, press F12 on PCs, and Command-Option-i on Mac. In the command line under the Console tab, enter: ze.goggles ( ) , making sure your command includes spaces before, between and after the two parens. This will bring up a window to the right of the comic showing black objects that are right next to the player in red. The red marks the spots where the player can pass objects that are black in the game. Cyan lines in the window mark the limits of how far the player can pass in the dark.
-Although this game is reminiscent of Click and Drag, this was the first time an actual game, where the user moves an object in front of the drawing, has been released on xkcd. In previous "games" this has not been the case. In Click and Drag the user only moves the drawing into the view section. And in for instance the two previous [[April Fools' Day comics]], [[1350: Lorenz]] and [[1506: xkcloud]], the user does not move anything, but only supplies choices, text and drawings. However, already on the next {{w|April Fools' Day}} a new game, [[1663: Garden]], was released where the users also actively moved items around on the screen and could make items disappear (like taking coins in this game.). The ability to infinitely doubles jump allows us to reach beyond just the ground.
+Hoverboard's many {{w|Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs}} recall comic [[1110: Click and Drag]]. Nonetheless, Hoverboard is xkcd's first actual game, one in which you move an object in front of the drawing. In Click and Drag you only move the drawing into the view section. In the two previous [[April Fools' Day comics]], [[1350: Lorenz]] and [[1506: xkcloud]], the user does not move anything, but only supplies choices, text and drawings. The next {{w|April Fools' Day}} comic contains another game, [[1663: Garden]], in which you also moved objects around and make them disappear (as you do with coins in this game.)
 ===Main themes===
-There are many themes and references throughout the game, but the two main themes are '''{{w|Star Wars}}''' and '''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'''. Below there is a [[#Details and references|list of details and references]] to these movies and much more. For instance, there are 19 references to SW and 6 to LOTR.
+There are many themes and references throughout the game, but the two main ones are '''{{w|Star Wars}}''' and '''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'''. Below is a [[#Details and references|list of details and references]] to these movies (19 to SW and 6 to LOTR) as well as much more.
-The largest part of the game is located on the '''right side''' of the play area and is mainly a world dominated by references to ''Star Wars''. Most noticeable is a recreation of [https://youtu.be/yHfLyMAHrQE?t=112 the opening scene] in the {{w|Star Wars (film)|first film}}, where {{w|Princess Leia|Princess Leia's}} space ship ''{{w|Tantive IV}}'', also known as ''[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/82/1608_1015x1078y_Entire_Rebel_Blockade_Runner_zoom_out.png The Rebel Blockade Runner]'', is flying over [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/33/1608_1015x1073y_Ponytail_in_the_dunes_zoom_out.png the desert] planet {{w|Tatooine}}. Here it is followed by the {{w|Star Destroyer}}, ''[https://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Devastator Devastator]''. The [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/04/1608_1015x1078y_Entire_Rebbel_Blockade_Runner_zoom_out_to_torpedoes_and_ground.png desert ground with these two space ships] above is the first you find to the right. Although in the game they are located inside the atmosphere, not as in the movie out in space, a fact that is [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1049x1090y_Atmosphere_worry_and_car_room_at_bottom_of_hull.png commented on] by [[Megan]] who looks out from an opening in the bottom of the Destroyer's hull.
+The largest part of the game is located on the '''right side''' of the play area and is dominated by references to ''Star Wars'', notably a recreation of [https://youtu.be/yHfLyMAHrQE?t=112 the opening scene] in the {{w|Star Wars (film)|first film}}, where {{w|Princess Leia|Princess Leia's}} space ship ''{{w|Tantive IV}}'', also known as ''[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/82/1608_1015x1078y_Entire_Rebel_Blockade_Runner_zoom_out.png The Rebel Blockade Runner]'', is flying over [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/33/1608_1015x1073y_Ponytail_in_the_dunes_zoom_out.png the desert] planet {{w|Tatooine}}. Here it is followed by the {{w|Star Destroyer}}, ''[https://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Devastator Devastator]''. The [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/04/1608_1015x1078y_Entire_Rebbel_Blockade_Runner_zoom_out_to_torpedoes_and_ground.png desert ground with these two space ships] above is the first you find to the right. Although in the game they are located inside the atmosphere, not as in the movie out in space, a fact that is [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1d/1608_1049x1090y_Atmosphere_worry_and_car_room_at_bottom_of_hull.png commented on] by [[Megan]] who looks out from an opening in the bottom of the Destroyer's hull.
 :Megan: Is this ship designed to fly in the atmosphere like this?

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ===Game Features===
-{{spoiler|The best way to enjoy this comic is simply to {{xkcd|1608|play the game}}! (Just be sure to play using a web browser other than Safari.) If you haven't tried (hard) playing it "cold" already, reading beyond this Alert is going to cost you, in terms of your overall game experience.}}
+{{spoiler|The best way to enjoy this comic is simply to {{xkcd|1608|play the game}}! (Just be sure that you play using a web browser other than Safari.) If you haven't tried (hard) playing it "cold" already, reading beyond this Alert will leave you with a less rewarding potential game experience.}}
 The game features an {{w|animated}} [[Cueball]] riding on a hoverboard which can take [[#Animation|several different positions]]. The controls are the left, up, and right arrows, as written on the start screen until you begin the game, after which the text disappears. There are alternatives as explained in the [[#Functionality|Functionality]] section. The player can jump repeatedly mid-jump to reach increasing heights, and can move left and right both while jumping and descending (see more under controls).

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 Given Randall's enjoyment of movies and time travel it is very likely that this game is also a tribute to the {{w|Back to the Future}} movies. But the release day of the game has been used to promote his new book (as is clear with the text in the start screen of the game), and this explains why it was not released on the Back to the Future date. Apart from the date of release and the text about the book, the game does not seem to have any direct relation to the book; there are, however, several scenes in the game that could be seen as [[#Reference to Thing Explainer|references to ''Thing Explainer'']]. Instead, the main part of the game is all the references to several movies and other stuff that has often been featured in xkcd as well as many of the other comics.
-===Game feature===
+===Game Features===
-{{spoiler|The best way to enjoy this comic is to {{xkcd|1608|play the game}}! If you didn't do that already, reading anything below will spoil you from truly enjoying the comic.}}
+{{spoiler|The best way to enjoy this comic is simply to {{xkcd|1608|play the game}}! (Just be sure to play using a web browser other than Safari.) If you haven't tried (hard) playing it "cold" already, reading beyond this Alert is going to cost you, in terms of your overall game experience.}}
 The game features an {{w|animated}} [[Cueball]] riding on a hoverboard which can take [[#Animation|several different positions]]. The controls are the left, up, and right arrows, as written on the start screen until you begin the game, after which the text disappears. There are alternatives as explained in the [[#Functionality|Functionality]] section. The player can jump repeatedly mid-jump to reach increasing heights, and can move left and right both while jumping and descending (see more under controls).
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 Different amounts of coins collected in the play area, will give different messages in yellow on the black part at the bottom of the screen when delivered to the coin collector. The table contains examples of what may be written depending on the number of coins. The time (and the amount when there is a range with similar rating) is just chosen at random (although in a realistic range). To get above 17 you of course have to leave the play area and come back again...
-In Chrome and Firefox, there is not message for those above 9 coins, except 17, 42 and 169. But in Internet Explorer there is still a message for those cases: "Undefined". See [[1608: Hoverboard/Screen-shots#Coin collecting messages|screen-shots]] or click on the links from the number of coins in the table below:
+In Chrome and Firefox, there is not message for those above 9 coins, except 17, 42 and 169. But in Internet Explorer there is still a message for those cases: "Undefined". Safari, as noted elsewhere, is not recommended. See [[1608: Hoverboard/Screen-shots#Coin collecting messages|screen-shots]] or click on the links from the number of coins in the table below:
 {| class="wikitable"