I tried to add two dictionaries in addition to the "default" one in Crossfire, and it wouldn't accept the third one, saying it was out of memory. It's not my computer memory because I have 128GB of ram and most of it is free when I get this error. I'm guessing it's the software's database limitation but don't understand why.

The Crossfire default dictionary, together with my two dictionaries combined, has 979,211 words.

This got me thinking: I see that the more words you let a software work with, the more autofill options it finds. Too little a word list and the software will say "unfillable grid."

But if 979,211 words spit out a memory error, I would like to know how many words do you guys typically let a software work with? Run 3

In the case of word games or puzzle-solving software like Crossfire, the software needs to maintain a word list in memory to generate autofill options and verify word validity. The larger the word list, the more options the software can generate. However, a larger word list also requires more memory to store and process.

As of August 2021, the New York Times discontinued its PUZ archive, so obtaining PUZ files directly from them may not be possible.mapquest

Truthfully, Nero being claimed as a fiddling emperor is more like mythology and never was reality.

But I quite like this illusion.
Fun Games

The Search button is back. I can't remember why I removed it in the first place, must have been a reason. Hmmm. Anyway, it's back in the menu bar.

-Kevin

This site cruciverb.com has a similar feature (Puzzle Database). Here you can actually see the grids (not just a list of answers/clues). I believe you have to have a paid membership to use this, and it only covers a limited number of publishers and isn't always up to date.

I realize the post I'm replying to is more than four years sold, but here's my take:

1) The cruciverb database may not cover all publishers, but certainly more than one (vis-a-vis xwordinfo). They include NYT, LAT, WSJ, Washington Post, Universal, New Yorker, Crossword Nation and more.

2) The database may have had periods of being out-of-date years ago, but I have made sure it is updated on a very regular basis for some time now. Do a search and see for yourselves!

The cruciverb database search allows you to enter full or partial entries while specifying "Thematic Only", so it's fairly easy to see if your puzzle's theme has been done before (or recently) in the major publications.

-Kevin