What Is Buzz Off!?

Buzz Off! is a tool for determining who hit the button first. Originally for game show-style quizzes, Buzz Off! can also be used for classes, other games, and anything where the first one in matters.

How do I use Buzz Off!?

Go to the main page. There, you'll see a room name automatically generated for you. If you like that name, click it to enter the room. If you don't, you can refresh the page (F5) for a new one or type one into the text box yourself.

Once you're in a room, share the link with everyone you want to play with. They'll show up in the list of users. When everyone's in, you're ready to play!

Buzz Off! assumes everyone involved can communicate with each other. A voice call, text chat, or simply being in the same room all work fine, assuming everyone has a device that can get online.

A typical round beings with the host asking a question. Someone buzzes in. The host asks whoever buzzed in to give an answer.

If the answer was wrong, the host resets the room to let someone else buzz in. If correct, the host asks the next question, then resets the room.

Can I use Buzz Off! on a mobile device?

Sure! I suggest zooming all the way in on the Buzz! button so it's easier to hit.

What do the little icons around the user names mean?

🌟Room hostThe person in charge.
🐝Buzzed inThe player who hit the Buzz! button first.
πŸ₯‡/πŸ₯ˆ/πŸ₯‰First/Second/ThirdThe players who hit the Buzz! button first, second, and third in Top Three mode.
πŸ”’Locked outYou tried to buzz in while the room was prelocked.

What does it mean to be the room host?

The room host was the first person to join the room, or the person who had been in the room longest when the host left. The room host can change the game mode and has access to three extra buttons:

ResetClears everyone's locked and buzzed-in status so that you can ask another question.
PrelockPrelocks the room. Anyone buzzing in while the room is prelocked will be locked out until the room is reset.
UnlockUnlocks the room if it's prelocked. Players can buzz in normally after the room is unlocked.

The room host's name is always first in the user list and is flanked with 🌟stars🌟.

Something happened and now I'm not room host any more. What do I do?

You can either get everyone else to refresh the page, thus promoting you back to room owner, or move everyone to a new room. Even asking everyone to add "New" or something to the end of the URL will work, so long as you're the first one to do so.

What do "prelock" and "unlock" mean?

Prelocking is a way to punish players who buzz in while you're still asking the question. If someone tries to buzz in while the room is still prelocked, they'll be "locked out" and unable to buzz in until the room is reset.

You can tell if a room is locked if padlock icons flank the Buzz! button, like this: πŸ”’ Buzz! πŸ”’

Unlocking the room allows any non-locked out players to buzz in.

Resetting the room allows all locked out players to buzz in again, but does not undo the prelock. Only the Unlock button does that.

What if I'd rather just have the Buzz! button be disabled while I'm asking the question?

As the host, simply buzz in while you're asking the question, then reset the room when you're ready for someone else to buzz in.

What does "Game Mode" mean?

The host has access to two different game modes: First Past The Post and Top Three.

First Past The Post, the default, means only one player can be buzzed in at a time. A room in Top Three mode lets up to three players be buzzed in at once.

The host can switch between modes at any time. For example, if someone buzzed in and answered wrong, and you want to give someone else a chance, switch to Top Three mode to let someone else buzz in.

What does the "Color Blind?" checkbox do?

When in Top Three mode, the Color Blind checkbox replaces the gold, silver, and bronze medals with the easier-to-read 1️⃣, 2️⃣ and 3️⃣.

Are there keyboard shortcuts?

Yes! You can find these by hovering over the buttons and reading the tooltip, or in the table below:

Buzz!Space
ResetR
PrelockP or L
UnlockU

Do I have to have JavaScript enabled to use Buzz Off!?

Afraid so. Buzz Off! uses SignalR and WebSockets to work.

If it's any consolation, all the JavaScript used here is free and open source, and is the bare minimum needed to make Buzz Off! work. No tracking here!

See for yourself here and here.

What's with the buzzer sound?

When someone buzzes in, the buzzer plays for both the host and whoever buzzed in. If you don't like the sound, uncheck the Sound? checkbox at the bottom of the page.

If you'd like to use it for your own projects, it's available under the CC BY 3.0 license here: https://freesound.org/s/423219/.

Why do you spell Buzz Off! with the exclamation point like that?

I think it's fun!

I have a question, problem, or feature request.

Feel free to open a GitHub issue or email me at buzzoff at princess dot software!