Grumpy Lot
Parking Jam Puzzle
About Grumpy Lot
Grumpy Lot is a parking jam puzzle with an attitude problem. The car park is full, nobody can get out, and every driver is in a mood about it. Find the order that lets them all leave.
Each car drives in a straight line, forwards or backwards, until it leaves or bumps into something. The puzzle is reading the lot: which car has a clear road, which one only looks clear, and which car is holding up six others. Most lots can’t be cleared by driving forwards alone, so watch the back bumpers too.
Get it wrong and the car rolls back while everyone honks. Retry is instant, so a wrong guess costs seconds.
Something new arrives every ten lots: trucks, kerbs that close the street, bollards and trees, cones, and buses three bays long. Every fifth lot is a breather and every tenth a Big lot. Clear one and a regular grumbles about it; meet all twelve in the Drivers gallery.
Come back each day for the Daily lot, one big car park for everyone, and share your time and streak.
How to play
- Swipe a car towards its headlights to drive forwards, or towards its tail to reverse. A tap drives forwards.
- A car keeps going until it leaves the car park or bumps into something in its lane.
- A bump changes nothing on the lot, but costs one patience face: 3 on small lots, 4 or 5 on busy ones.
- Out of patience? Retry is free and instant. Clear every car to finish the lot.
- Stuck? The Whistle points at a car that can leave. The Tow truck lifts one car away.
Controls
| Input | What it does |
|---|---|
| Touch | Swipe a car forwards or backwards; tap to drive it forwards |
| Mouse | Drag a car forwards or backwards; click to drive it forwards |
| Keyboard | Arrow keys or WASD pick a car; Enter drives forwards, Shift+Enter or Backspace reverses |
| Keyboard | H whistles, T calls the tow truck, R retries, P or Esc pauses, M mutes, F goes fullscreen |
| Gamepad | D-pad picks a car, A drives forwards, B reverses, Y whistles, X tows, Start pauses |
Tips
- Check both ends. A car boxed in at the front can often reverse out.
- Follow each lane all the way to the edge. A lane can look clear for a few bays and still end at a car.
- Striped kerbs close the street. A car facing one has to leave the other way.
- Start at the edges. Every car that leaves opens a lane for the ones behind it.
FAQ
Can every lot be solved?
Yes. A solver checks every lot before you see it, and a car that leaves never blocks another, so a lot can never reach a dead end.
What happens when I run out of patience?
Everyone fumes and you start the lot again with one tap on Retry. You never lose progress. After two failed tries the Tow truck is free once, and after three you can take a free guided attempt.
How do the boosters and ads work?
When an ad is ready you can watch a short one for a Whistle, a tow, or to calm the drivers when patience runs out. You never have to: the Whistle is free after 45 seconds on a lot and the tow after two tries. A short ad may play when you press Next lot, at most every other lot and 2.5 minutes apart. Never in your first 2 minutes or 3 lots, never during a lot, never after a retry or a booster ad, and never in the Daily.
How does the Daily lot work?
Everyone gets the same big lot each UTC day, with no patience limit and no boosters. Your score starts at 2,000; each second costs 1 point and each bump 150. Your first clear goes on the leaderboard. If you leave, the lot and clock pick up where you stopped. A Daily left unfinished at midnight can still be finished for your streak, unranked.
What does Share copy?
The Daily number, your time, bumps and streak, and a link. Never your name or any id.
Do I need an account?
No. Your lots, stars and drivers are saved in this browser. The leaderboard needs a connection.
Design notes
Parking jam apps are known for an ad after every level. We wanted short lots, instant retries and boosters that come free if you wait a little. Every car shows its front by headlights, windscreen and driver, never only by colour.
Changelog
- Released: 20 handmade lots then new lots without end, a Daily big lot, the Whistle and the Tow truck, and twelve regulars to meet.
