IdiomMaster

Idiom Master is a Chinese idiom crossword puzzle game. Players fill in missing Chinese characters (Hanzi) in idioms arranged on a grid board. Progress through levels to advance your character from a humble beggar to the legendary Lord Lao Zi (太上老君).

### 2. Core Gameplay

1. Board: The game board is a 9×9 grid. Idioms (4 characters each) are placed horizontally or vertically on the board.
2. Empty Cells & Shared Cells:
- Empty Cells: Some characters in each idiom are hidden and must be filled in by selecting from the candidate characters at the bottom of the screen.
- Shared Cells: When two idioms intersect, the overlapping cell is a shared cell — its character is already displayed and does not need to be filled.
3. Candidate Area: All missing characters appear shuffled at the bottom of the screen.
4. How to Play:
- Tap a candidate character at the bottom, then tap an empty cell on the board.
- Or tap an empty cell on the board directly (auto-selected), then choose a character from the bottom.
5. Auto-Navigation: After a correct fill, the selection automatically jumps to the next empty cell. An incorrect fill keeps the selection on the current cell with a shake animation.

### 3. Scoring & Validation

1. When all 4 cells of an idiom are filled, the system automatically checks the result:
- Correct: Cells turn green with a scale animation, and the idiom is marked as completed.
- Incorrect: Text turns orange with a shake animation.
2. Level Clear: A level is cleared when all idioms on the board are filled correctly.

### 4. Level System

- The game features a large number of levels arranged in increasing order.
- After clearing a level, the next level unlocks automatically.
- Level progress is saved locally on the device.

### 5. Stamina (HP) System

- Max Stamina: 5 HP
- Recovery Time: 1 HP regenerates every 20 minutes
- Each new level attempt consumes 1 HP
- When out of HP, players can earn extra stamina by sharing the game or watching ads

### 6. Role Progression System

Players start as a Beggar and can advance through 27 character ranks by clearing levels:

| Stage | Title (Selected) | Levels Required |
|-------|-----------------|----------------|
| Early | Beggar → Page → Pupil → Scholar → Master | 0 ~ 160 |
| Mid | Elite → Prodigy → Champion → Clerk → Deputy → ... → Premier | 160 ~ 820 |
| Late | Marquis → Duke → Archduke → Prince → Regent → Emperor | 880 ~ 1240 |
| Ultimate | Emperor → Overlord → Star God → Astro God → Dao Lord | 1240 ~ 1920 |

### 7. Building Progression System

Your residence evolves from a humble Hut through 26 building levels, progressing alongside your character rank:

| Stage | Building (Selected) | Levels Required |
|-------|--------------------|----------------|
| Early | Hut → Adobe → Brick → Tiled → House | 0 ~ 120 |
| Mid | Court → Lodge → Mansion → Villa → ... → Prime Hall | 180 ~ 840 |
| Late | Marquisate → Duchy → Prince Hall → Regent Hall → Palace | 900 ~ 1200 |
| Ultimate | Palace → Sky Palace → Star Palace → Cosmos Hall → Dao Palace | 1200 ~ 1880 |

### 8. Helper Features

1. Hint: Watch an advertisement to auto-fill the currently selected empty cell with the correct character.
2. Reload: Reset the current level and start over.
3. Explanation Panel: After clearing a level, view each idiom's pinyin (pronunciation), Chinese explanation, origin/source, with automatic English translation.
4. Share: Share the game to social platforms.
5. Sound Toggle: Enable or disable game sound effects from the main menu.

### 9. Economy System

- Starting Coins: 800
- Revive Limit: 2 times per level
- Revive Cost: 100 coins (1st time) / 300 coins (2nd time)
- Video Share Coin Reward: 800 coins