From 729de2e8c191f538fdea29b1ca040f132d989c9e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "google-labs-jules[bot]"
 <161369871+google-labs-jules[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:10:22 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?=F0=9F=8E=A8=20Palette:=20Add=20explicit=20empt?=
 =?UTF-8?q?y=20state=20for=20highscore?=
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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..2e3a052 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.
+
+## 2026-05-24 - Encouraging Empty States in CLI
+**Learning:** When displaying achievements or data points that are initially zero or empty, leaving the UI blank or just showing '0' can feel unwelcoming. Providing an explicit, encouraging empty state (like "Let's set a record!") clarifies the system state and improves user onboarding by giving them a clear goal.
+**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..a4dfa13 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 << "0 (Let's set a record!)" << CLR_RESET << "\n\n";
     }
 
     std::cout << "Controls:\n " << CLR_CTRL << "[h]" << CLR_RESET << " Toggle Hard Mode (10x Speed!)\n "