How do you solve....

[+BulldogBlitz]

I don't have a specific puzzle that I'd like to throw out there and get flamed for "asking for answers".

 

I wanna know some techniques, if at all possible. I like a good puzzle, but apparently I mean a traditional style puzzle. Something that requires math... or a word search... etc. When someone places a puzzle cache, and there is nothing but one giant red herring of a story on the cache page it leaves me scratching my head. Where is the puzzle? What the heck am I missing?

 

Clearly, I have a different idea of "puzzle". Is there some book i can pick up... like a "geocache puzzles for dummies" ???

 

[+Ike 13]

A good overview of some of the methods used is ePeterso2's series. A lot of puzzles require some prior knowledge of codes or some research. I'd suggest finding a book on codes and cyphers for extra reading.

[+Semper Questio]

There is far too much of a variety in puzzles to be able to give you a concise way to solve them. Each puzzle will have it's own quirks and solving techniques. Many times, the name of the cache is a hint (however obscure) to solving the puzzle. Always a good starting point. And never be shy about asking the owner for a nudge towards solving their puzzle. I've found that most are more than happy to help.

[+dfx]

sometimes there's numbers hidden in the story. take all the mentioned numbers and put them together and you get coordinates. or there could be something hidden in the HTML codes of the page.

 

in those cases, the puzzle is figuring out what you need to do and where you need to look.

Edited August 12, 2010 by dfx

[+BulldogBlitz]

There is far too much of a variety in puzzles to be able to give you a concise way to solve them. Each puzzle will have it's own quirks and solving techniques. Many times, the name of the cache is a hint (however obscure) to solving the puzzle. Always a good starting point. And never be shy about asking the owner for a nudge towards solving their puzzle. I've found that most are more than happy to help.

 

typically, what i find is better help outside the area.... you know as in, "hey, i'm dumb and i'm not going to be in north carolina maybe ever so can you explain your puzzle cache to me". seems that some things listed as puzzle are more about "let's see if you can figure out what is in my brain" with the obscure references.

[+Semper Questio]

...seems that some things listed as puzzle are more about "let's see if you can figure out what is in my brain" with the obscure references.

 

And you're not far wrong there in many cases since a lot of puzzles are, reasonably enough, based on the puzzle-makers best area of knowledge or a favorite passtime.

 

For instance, I have been in the IT industry for about 30 years so I have done a few puzzles based on the hexadecimal representation of EBCDIC and/or ASCII character codesets. A friend of mine is a musician so many of his puzzles are based on music theory, lyrics, melodies, chords, etc. Another is a math whiz so I just don't even look at them without asking him for help first.

[Dinoprophet]

Here's an old thread with a lot of good tips.

 

Here's another thread where I asked people to explain how to solve their puzzle caches. That should be helpful in understanding the puzzle hider mind as well.

[+Juicepig]

go to an event with the intention of kidnapping a puzzle master...

[+niraD]

A while back, The Rat offered a puzzle-solving class as an event cache. His slides are available here:

http://thegba.net/resources/general_information.php

 

Among the tips he offered:

 

Identify the theme. Check the cache title, the hint, the HTML source, the graphics (including names/URLs), any links (including URLs), whatever is at the posted coordinates, etc. If you can figure out the theme, then you should look for numbering systems that are associated with that theme (zip codes, area codes, telephone keypads, episode numbers, etc.).

 

Around here, coordinates will have 15 digits, and will look like "N 37° xx.xxx W 122° xx.xxx". So when I'm solving a nearby puzzle, I look for a group of 15 things, and then I look for ways to get the digits 37xxxxx122xxxxx from them. In general, I look for ways to get the number 37 (or the digits 3 and 7) from something near the beginning of the puzzle, and the number 122 (or the digits 1, 2, and 2) from something near the middle of the puzzle. (Of course, you'll need to adjust this for the coordinates near you.)

 

Other useful resources include the Puzzle Solving 101 Series

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...ef-901807ba9c98

and this "Solving Puzzle Caches" article

http://bcaching.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/puzzles-part-1/

[+BulldogBlitz]

A while back, The Rat offered a puzzle-solving class as an event cache. His slides are available here:

http://thegba.net/resources/general_information.php

 

Among the tips he offered:

 

Identify the theme. Check the cache title, the hint, the HTML source, the graphics (including names/URLs), any links (including URLs), whatever is at the posted coordinates, etc. If you can figure out the theme, then you should look for numbering systems that are associated with that theme (zip codes, area codes, telephone keypads, episode numbers, etc.).

 

Around here, coordinates will have 15 digits, and will look like "N 37° xx.xxx W 122° xx.xxx". So when I'm solving a nearby puzzle, I look for a group of 15 things, and then I look for ways to get the digits 37xxxxx122xxxxx from them. In general, I look for ways to get the number 37 (or the digits 3 and 7) from something near the beginning of the puzzle, and the number 122 (or the digits 1, 2, and 2) from something near the middle of the puzzle. (Of course, you'll need to adjust this for the coordinates near you.)

 

Other useful resources include the Puzzle Solving 101 Series

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...ef-901807ba9c98

and this "Solving Puzzle Caches" article

http://bcaching.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/puzzles-part-1/

 

ooooh... that's good stuff thanks!

 

it'll also help to figure out who the obtuse puzzle makers are and just ignore them as i don't really want to rack my brain trying to find logic in red herrings.

 

i think it was funny that there was a puzzle released a short time ago that had an error in it - as in you couldn't actually come up with the right coordinates as posted. someone figured it out anyway. sadly, i was looking at it too close and couldn't solve it (incorrectly)... with the correct bits posted though... it was easy.

[+t4e]

A while back, The Rat offered a puzzle-solving class as an event cache. His slides are available here:

http://thegba.net/resources/general_information.php

 

 

i don't agree with many of the points in "Advice For Making A Good Puzzle" and the last 3 in the "Avoiding common pitfalls"

 

we have difficulty ratings for a reason

not everyone MUST find every cache out there

Edited August 12, 2010 by t4e

[+NanCycle]

 

When someone places a puzzle cache, and there is nothing but one giant red herring of a story on the cache page it leaves me scratching my head. Where is the puzzle? What the heck am I missing?

 

 

You mean like this one? GC299TX

 

Sorry, I don't know how to make a link that works.

 

Nancy

[+niraD]

When someone places a puzzle cache, and there is nothing but one giant red herring of a story on the cache page it leaves me scratching my head. Where is the puzzle? What the heck am I missing?

Such puzzle caches are often based on some form of steganography, the art of hiding information in plain sight. Some of us enjoy that kind of puzzle very much.

[+power69]

I don't have a specific puzzle that I'd like to throw out there and get flamed for "asking for answers".

 

I wanna know some techniques, if at all possible. I like a good puzzle, but apparently I mean a traditional style puzzle. Something that requires math... or a word search... etc.

this one has it all and no red herrings and still some good prizes too

http://coord.info/gc20a37

[+Too Tall John]

If you know it is a cipher cache, check out the American Cryptogram Association's website. They've got lots of cipher types explained.

 

As far as other different kinds of puzzles goes, check out GC1Y6M5. There are several different puzzle puzzle methods employed there. . .

[+Walts Hunting]

Do a PQ for all puzzle caches within 500 miles of your home and read them. Nothing wrong with getting your ideas from previous ones.

[+Ain'tWastin'Time]

I found a puzzle cache that had the coordinates written in Braille. My first thought was a bunch of dominoes.

[+brodiebunch]

How do you solve....