Headcount (FlightQ)

About Headcount (FlightQ)

Headcount shows the world at night, where every warm dot is people: cities blaze and deserts and oceans stay dark. Each round names a target number of people, and you draw one loop of any shape and size around the people you want: hug a coastline, ring a metro area or carve out part of a continent. Pan mode lets you zoom around, and you can drag your shape to move it before locking it in.

The game then counts the real population inside your loop, using the EC Joint Research Centre's GHS-POP data, and scores the round out of 100 on a ratio curve: 9.4 million against a 10 million target scores 97.3, while half or double the target scores 69.9. Five rounds make a total out of 500.

Every day has five new targets, the same for all players, and the day is numbered. Headcount is one of a group of FlightQ games about flights, airports and maps, and a premium option removes ads. It suits players who like map puzzles and estimating at once.

How to play Headcount (FlightQ)

1. Read the round's target, such as 1,250,000 people.
2. Use Pan to find a part of the map, then switch to Draw.
3. Trace a loop around the lights you think add up to the target; drag inside it to move it.
4. Lock it in to see the real count and your score, then play all five rounds for a total out of 500.

Tips

• For small targets, ring a single city of about the right size rather than a stretch of countryside.
• Large targets are easier in thinly populated regions, where a loose loop changes the count less.
• Half or double the target still scores about 70, so aim for the right order of magnitude first.

Questions