Puzzle Solving Exercise Thread

tech4u2hire · Post by **tech4u2hire** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 4:02 am

super puzzle shifty......... bravo

acidfingers · Post by **acidfingers** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 6:19 am

Shifty, that was an awesome puzzle, I can tell a lot of thought went into preparing that one

Good job Belle too, you may be a noob at tetris but you're pretty pro at eSleuthing!

I'll take the notches down a couple and throw out a fairly easy one. Just to get some new puzzle solving methods in everyone's minds.

romanceismusic · Post by **romanceismusic** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 6:28 am

not gonna work on the puzzle right now, but i love your sig acid

deagol · Post by **deagol** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:20 pm

shifty wrote:My second puzzle! This one should be easier.. and hopefully funner than my last.. :
Code: Select all
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221
What row of numbers comes next?
When you believe you have the answer, perhaps it will redirect you somewhere?

PS. Dealing with Tachyon and her story all day highly influenced this... it wasn't really intentional!
PPS. No sharing answers!! However, it is ok to say the answer to the question on the "final" step. :]

Good one Shifty!
31131211131221

Well it doesn't help that it was posted at 2:51 am, my time
and it got solved at 4:24 am.

And Belle,

but you didn't follow the last instruction!

LOL I swear I didn't read your post

Ok acid, easy one?

must be some idiomatic expression I'm not familiar with or something...
but umm yea I need a clue...

GEN1:2-5? now what?
I just know this isn't the right path, but I'm lost.

shifty · Post by **shifty** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:23 pm

acidfingers wrote:Shifty, that was an awesome puzzle, I can tell a lot of thought went into preparing that one Good job Belle too, you may be a noob at tetris but you're pretty pro at eSleuthing!

I'll take the notches down a couple and throw out a fairly easy one. Just to get some new puzzle solving methods in everyone's minds.

I opened it in photoshop and added the "Find Edges" effect. Its still a bit difficult to make out, but I think it says:
"The OpAphid Puzzle Solving Crew."

M I RITE?

deagol · Post by **deagol** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:34 pm

deagol wrote:Ok acid, easy one?
must be some idiomatic expression I'm not familiar with or something...
but umm yea I need a clue...

GEN1:2-5? now what?
I just know this isn't the right path, but I'm lost.

Ok ok sorry for that, I think I'm on the right track now...

Out of the letters in 'DARKNESS' you can get ARES
Ares=Mars=March=spring=light (in the north pole at least lol)?

Still off I think, but it feels like that kind of puzzle.

deagol · Post by **deagol** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:47 pm

shifty wrote:
acidfingers wrote:Shifty, that was an awesome puzzle, I can tell a lot of thought went into preparing that one Good job Belle too, you may be a noob at tetris but you're pretty pro at eSleuthing!

I'll take the notches down a couple and throw out a fairly easy one. Just to get some new puzzle solving methods in everyone's minds.

I opened it in photoshop and added the "Find Edges" effect. Its still a bit difficult to make out, but I think it says:
"The OpAphid Puzzle Solving Crew."

M I RITE?

Ahh Shifty, nice catch, let me try that...

Ok brightness to 1% and contrast to 100%, here it is:

shifty · Post by **shifty** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:52 pm

Ahh there ya go. Good job deagol :]

deagol · Post by **deagol** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 1:11 am

So I was able to intercept this message (no screen cap cause I'm lazy).

From: OpAphid
Videos (12) | Favorites (10) | Friends (1)
Sent: December 07, 2006, 05:42 PM
Subject:Lost key
Message:
Oh Dear... how could you lose the key! Can't you do anything right?

It is critical that you carry out the mission specified in that message with urgency, as time is pressing. But most importantly, these communications require the utmost discretion to avoid alerting our enemies. Thus, now you will have to work harder to decode our orders.

So, here's the deal: I've multi-bagged it. First, I've jumbled the message using the reverse of a certain pattern that you'll have to learn back and forth, and then encoded that with the one word key that you forgot (how can you forget one word, you idiot!) resulting in this:

SEWODGXOZW ISX

Then it's been double-encoded using a second key, this time two very common words (but remove the space when applying it) which is an anagram of the one word key. Finally, I've reversed that result and unjumbled it using the same pattern as before (this time straightways).

SLGLDB SOURIFR

The permutation pattern is precisely the same required to turn the one word key into the two word anagram. Think of this orderly. Considering your limited capabilities I'll even give you a clue to that reordering: 17 c4n b3 r34d 45 2EATISG. Repeat the pattern over the length of the message when you're jumbling or unjumbling.

Hopefully if you've read carefully you'll remember that first key and be able to simply decode the original one I sent. If not, just work through all of this backwards. There's no more time for further communications, so be swift with your work and your contribution will more than compensate for your mistakes. Otherwise you will have failed us, and you will not escape the rewards of your inaction.

Do well, for the sake of us all.

warpylol wrote:

> I've lost the key...<br/>

[Edit: to give a clearer hint]

ladron121 · Post by **ladron121** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 2:58 pm

deagol wrote:So I was able to intercept this message (no screen cap cause I'm lazy).

From: OpAphid
Videos (12) | Favorites (10) | Friends (1)
Sent: December 07, 2006, 05:42 PM
Subject:Lost key
Message:
Oh Dear... how could you lose the key! Can't you do anything right?

It is critical that you carry out the mission specified in that message with urgency, as time is pressing. But most importantly, these communications require the utmost discretion to avoid alerting our enemies. Thus, now you will have to work harder to decode our orders.

So, here's the deal: I've multi-bagged it. First, I've jumbled the message using the reverse of a certain pattern that you'll have to learn back and forth, and then encoded that with the one word key that you forgot (how can you forget one word, you idiot!) resulting in this:

SEWODGXOZW ISX

Then it's been double-encoded using a second key, this time two very common words (but remove the space when applying it) which is an anagram of the one word key. Finally, I've reversed that result and unjumbled it using the same pattern as before (this time straightways).

SLGLDB SOURIFR

The permutation pattern is precisely the same required to turn the one word key into the two word anagram. Think of this orderly. Considering your limited capabilities I'll even give you a clue to that reordering: it can be read as 2EATISG. Repeat the pattern over the length of the message when you're jumbling or unjumbling.

Hopefully if you've read carefully you'll remember that first key and be able to simply decode the original one I sent. If not, just work through all of this backwards. There's no more time for further communications, so be swift with your work and your contribution will more than compensate for your mistakes. Otherwise you will have failed us, and you will not escape the rewards of your inaction.

Do well, for the sake of us all.

warpylol wrote:

> I've lost the key...<br/>

How the hell did you intercept this? That is AWSOME!

deagol · Post by **deagol** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 3:12 pm

ladron121 wrote:
How the hell did you intercept this? That is AWSOME!

Were you able to decode it? Is that what's awesome??

ladron121 · Post by **ladron121** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 3:14 pm

deagol wrote:
ladron121 wrote:
How the hell did you intercept this? That is AWSOME!
Were you able to decode it? Is that what's awesome??

oh hell no deagol. your first puzzle and shifty's "the beast jr." fried my brain. no more decoding for me for a while, I'm happy just running around California like a madman picking stuff up

Scalare · Post by **Scalare** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 8:31 pm

Okay, here goes for a craigslist style puzzle with a twist.
I should warn you to take a look at the source though

I am the shining star, but you're the nightly sky embracing me.
We're meant to be together, my feelings are pure, why can't you see?
But your feelings are mixed, and all you do is distrust and hate, I keep wondering why?
I Can't explain the reason for my love in a 4-line poem, but will you believe the starry sky?

XoXo, Oppy

Nieriel.Manwathiel · Post by **Nieriel.Manwathiel** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 10:04 pm

shifty wrote:My second puzzle! This one should be easier.. and hopefully funner than my last.. :
Code: Select all
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221
What row of numbers comes next?
When you believe you have the answer, perhaps it will redirect you somewhere?

PS. Dealing with Tachyon and her story all day highly influenced this... it wasn't really intentional!
PPS. No sharing answers!! However, it is ok to say the answer to the question on the "final" step. :]

o.....m......f.........g!!!!

THIS WAS WRITTEN IN A BATHROOM STALL ON MY CAMPUS! No joke! Well, it WAS a bathroom in the math building...

the solution was written in the next stall.

deagol · Post by **deagol** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 12:04 pm

Scalare wrote:Okay, here goes for a craigslist style puzzle with a twist.
I should warn you to take a look at the source though

I am the shining star, but you're the nightly sky embracing me.
We're meant to be together, my feelings are pure, why can't you see?
But your feelings are mixed, and all you do is distrust and hate, I keep wondering why?
I Can't explain the reason for my love in a 4-line poem, but will you believe the starry sky?

XoXo, Oppy

Ok Sca walked me through it... and I have to say mine seems much easier to me lol... maybe I suck at these less structured puzzles.

Should I post the solution?

Greedy Oppy