Paddle Duel
In Paddle Duel you keep the ball in play, beat the computer across a net. Free, no install, no sign-up. The ball speeds up the longer a rally lasts.
In Paddle Duel, two paddles, one ball, a net in the middle. Send the ball past the computer's paddle without letting it past yours, and the rally gets faster the longer it goes on.
about 16.1 KB
Works offline after the first visit. No install, no sign-up.
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How to play Paddle Duel
The whole game in one sentence
Move your paddle up and down to hit the ball back over the net. If the ball passes your paddle you lose the point, and if it passes the computer's you win it.
How to move
Slide your finger up and down on your half of the board, or use the up and down arrow keys. The paddle follows your finger rather than jumping to it, so small corrections stay possible.
Where you hit the ball matters
Hitting near the edge of the paddle sends the ball off at a sharper angle than a hit near the centre. The edges are how you aim the ball away from the computer, which is most of the skill in a rally.
The computer plays with the same rules
Its paddle moves at the same maximum speed as yours and it can only hit the ball the same way you can. It also misses — a paddle that never misses would take the game away from you rather than play it.
The rally speeds up
Every return makes the ball slightly quicker up to a fixed maximum, so short rallies stay manageable and long ones end. Past the maximum it stops accelerating, because a ball that kept speeding up would be impossible to follow rather than hard.
First to seven
Points are played to seven, with a point scored on every ball that gets past a paddle regardless of who served it. The score sits along the top so you always know how close the round is.
Paddle Duel Tips and Strategy
The edges are your only aim
The angle off your paddle is set purely by where the ball lands on it: a hit at the centre sends the ball flat and fast straight across, and a hit at either end sends it away at sixty degrees. Catch it off-centre whenever you want it to go somewhere rather than merely returning it.
Place the serve before you tap
When you win a point the ball waits on your paddle, and it leaves along whatever line your paddle is sitting on. After the computer wins, the ball waits at mid-height on its own side instead. Since the release happens wherever your paddle is, park it near the top or the bottom first and the first shot has its angle.
Where the paddle will be
While the ball is travelling away from it, the computer steers straight back to the ball's height rather than holding its own ground. Its paddle therefore finishes each exchange roughly where your last return was. Aim the next contact above or below that point, not at it, because a ball travelling flat arrives exactly where it is heading.
Paddle Duel — Frequently Asked Questions
Can the computer ever miss?
Yes. Its paddle has the same speed limit as yours and it aims for the ball rather than predicting it perfectly, so it overshoots on fast rallies and misses on sharp angles.
Is there an easy setting?
No difficulty setting in this version. The computer's speed is fixed and the rally speed is what changes, so the same opponent feels different depending on how long you keep the ball going.
How do I win a round?
Seven points first. A point is scored on any ball that gets past the opposing paddle.
Does it need installing or an account?
No. It runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer and works offline after the first visit.