Why do you need my real name, facebook profile picture, gender, networks, facebook user id, list of facebook friends, and birthday for me to play this game?
I guess the logic is to make it easy to connect with a list of friends and be able to play against 'real' people. I do think it makes sense to allow simple registration or anonymous type play, we'll probably add that as we get time.
does the birthday make it more awkward? We thought about removing that permission..
Why not create implicit temporary accounts (tied to some token in a cookie) that will automatically be make permanent when the user registers with email or Facebook? People can play the game and not lose their game history when they register.
Just give me a unique url I can send my friends. You can provide a link for me to send post it to Facebook without my having to log in.
As someone else pointed out, the HN crowd cares more about our privacy than the public at large. Respecting people's privacy isn't about how many people care about it.
does the birthday make it more awkward? We thought about removing that permission..