Americas

North and South America

The Americas run from Toronto to Buenos Aires. The catch is that north and south often look alike in layout while sitting thousands of kilometres apart: getting the hemisphere wrong costs almost the whole round.

The Americas stretch from Vancouver to Mendoza — nearly fifteen thousand kilometres. The trap is that north and south sometimes look alike in layout: street grids, wide carriageways, single-storey buildings. Getting the hemisphere wrong costs almost the whole round.

How a game goes

1. Check the shadows

Do this first. In South America the sun sits to the north and shadows fall the other way — the cue works even in an empty frame.

2. Read the language on signs

Spanish, Portuguese and English separate at a glance. Portuguese means Brazil, and that is half of South America settled.

3. Look at markings and signs

The US and Canada use yellow centre lines, traffic lights on wires and kerbside hydrants. Latin America has yellow Mercosur plates, tall speed bumps and bundled cables.

How to play this mode

North America gives itself away with yellow centre lines, traffic lights on wires and hydrants; Latin America with yellow Mercosur plates, bundled cables and tall speed bumps. Shadow direction is the fastest check: in the south the sun sits to the north.

Tactics

Canada differs from the US in bilingual signage, green route markers with rounded corners and plate colour. In Quebec everything is in French, which settles it immediately.

Mexico reads as a combination: green-and-yellow taxis, very tall topes and mountains on the horizon almost everywhere — the capital sits at 2,240 metres.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the hemisphere check and landing in Chicago instead of Buenos Aires.
• Confusing Brazil with its Spanish-speaking neighbours — Portuguese shows in ã and ç.
• Treating a street grid as a US marker: Argentina's is just as strict.

Where you end up

Anchor points used by this mode:

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, Denver, Miami, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Mexico City, Guadalajara, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Santiago, Lima, Bogotá.

Country tells across the Americas

Yellow centre line	The US and Canada. Latin America more often uses white.
Traffic lights hung on wires	North America. Latin America mounts them on posts more often.
Hydrant at the kerb	The US and Canada, on almost every block.
Yellow Mercosur plates	Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, since 2016.
Black and white wave paving	Brazil, plus Portuguese with ã and ç on signage.
Very tall speed bumps	Mexico and the isthmus countries, noticeably higher than European ones.
Bilingual signage	Canada. Green shields with rounded corners separate it from the US.

Mode parameters

Rounds per game	5
Time limit	none
Camera restrictions	none
Anchor points	20
Available in duels	yes
Hints	yes

How scoring works

A direct hit is worth 5000 points per round, and the score falls off exponentially with distance. A five-round game is worth up to 25,000. Distances are measured on the server against its own copy of the locations, so a result cannot be forged from the browser.

What a miss costs

Miss	Points per round
direct hit	5,000
1 km	4,998
10 km	4,975
50 km	4,877
200 km	4,524
500 km	3,894
1,000 km	3,033
2,000 km	1,839
5,000 km	410
other hemisphere	34

Frequently asked

Is Central America included?

Yes, Mexico and the isthmus countries are in the pool.

How do I tell the US from Canada?

Bilingual signage, green route markers with rounded corners and plate colours.

How many locations are there?

Twenty anchor points from Vancouver to Mendoza.

Fastest way to tell the US from Canada?

Bilingual signage, sign shape and plate colour — all three read from a distance.

Other modes