From 7a29aee7f3bbdcd756818e4edb21fdc231f484dc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "google-labs-jules[bot]"
 <161369871+google-labs-jules[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:22:00 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?=F0=9F=8E=A8=20Palette:=20Add=20encouraging=20e?=
 =?UTF-8?q?mpty=20state=20for=20high=20score?=
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
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Co-authored-by: EiJackGH <172181576+EiJackGH@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .Jules/palette.md | 4 ++++
 src/main.cpp      | 2 ++
 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.Jules/palette.md b/.Jules/palette.md
index 05d4366..f74aad0 100644
--- a/.Jules/palette.md
+++ b/.Jules/palette.md
@@ -33,3 +33,7 @@
 ## 2024-04-24 - Avoiding Trailing Artifacts in CLI Applications
 **Learning:** When dynamically updating terminal lines using carriage return (`\r`), relying on hardcoded padding spaces to overwrite old text is brittle and leads to trailing text artifacts when new lines are shorter than previous ones.
 **Action:** Always use the ANSI escape sequence `\033[K` (Erase in Line) immediately after the carriage return (`\r`) to cleanly clear the line before writing new content, rather than manually managing padding spaces.
+
+## 2024-06-29 - Encouraging Empty States
+**Learning:** Hiding UI elements like "Personal Best" when there's no data (e.g., highscore is 0) leaves new users without context or a goal. Providing an explicit, encouraging empty state (like "None yet! Set a record!") clarifies the system state and improves user onboarding.
+**Action:** Always provide explicit, encouraging empty states for data or achievements rather than hiding the UI element when empty.
diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index 60ae556..bd2b95d 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -79,6 +79,8 @@ int main() {
 
     if (highscore > 0) {
         std::cout << " Personal Best: " << CLR_SCORE << highscore << CLR_RESET << "\n\n";
+    } else {
+        std::cout << " Personal Best: " << CLR_SCORE << "None yet! Set a record!" << CLR_RESET << "\n\n";
     }
 
     std::cout << "Controls:\n " << CLR_CTRL << "[h]" << CLR_RESET << " Toggle Hard Mode (10x Speed!)\n "