Puzzled by puzzles

[+WattsThat]

So, my wife and I want to start trying to find some of the more difficult caches, but neither of us have ever seen puzzles like these before. Honestly we don't even know where to start. Here are a couple examples of our confoundery:

 

http://coord.info/GC1HCQX

What the heck? Am I supposed to find names for the symbols or something? The story doesn't even make sense. And why is there a huge block of symbols after the first string?

 

http://coord.info/GC51Q1H

Okay obviously this one's messed up because someone accidentally typed a long string of gibberish letters in a row and tried to cover it up with a photo of Einstein.

 

http://coord.info/GC220TW

All I see is a nifty story and a picture of a chessboard. Is there a clue or something somewhere? Have I lost my marbles?

 

http://coord.info/GC5T8X3

AM I TAKING CRAZY PILLS?!

 

Any direction would be greatly appreciated to alleviate our bafflement.

 

Sincerely,

Mr. WattsThat?

[+niraD]

According to section 2-D of the geocaching.com terms of use, "You agree not to: [...] xxiii. Publish on our websites the solutions, hints, spoilers, or any hidden coordinates for any geocache without consent from the geocache owner.” However, here are some general puzzle tips (based in part on a puzzle-solving class event presented by The Rat a while ago):

 

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, athletes’ jersey numbers, episode numbers, product codes, 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:

Puzzle Solving 101 Series (bookmark list)

Calgary Puzzle Solving 101 (bookmark list)

Puzzle Shortcuts Series (bookmark list)

Solving Puzzle Caches (online article)

How Do I Solve All These $@! Puzzle Caches? (tutorial-style puzzle cache)

Puzzle FUNdamentals (archived event cache) and the Puzzle FUNdamentals resources on the GeocacheAlaska! education page

The GBA's Puzzle Cache FAQ (for puzzle designers, but useful for understanding how puzzle caches work)

LANAKI's Classical Cryptography Course

How to Puzzle Cache (book)

[+WattsThat]

Well, this is exactly what we were looking for. Y'all have thought of everything. Thanks!

[+Touchstone]

It's not nitaD's first rodeo on the subject

[Pup Patrol]

So, my wife and I want to start trying to find some of the more difficult caches, but neither of us have ever seen puzzles like these before. Honestly we don't even know where to start.

 

The ones I looked at have high difficulty ratings. They are meant to be tough puzzles.

 

Have you tried contacting the cache owner(s) and asking for help or another hint?

 

B.

[+noncentric]

So, my wife and I want to start trying to find some of the more difficult caches, but neither of us have ever seen puzzles like these before. Honestly we don't even know where to start.

 

The ones I looked at have high difficulty ratings. They are meant to be tough puzzles.

 

Agreed, the puzzles posted by the OP have difficulty ratings of 4 and 5. Since the OP hasn't logged any mystery/puzzle caches yet, then it would be advisable to start with lower difficulty puzzles first. Solving some puzzles with lower difficulty ratings might make it easier to spot the solving method of the more difficult puzzles.

[+GrateBear]

Don't feel bad. I've solved a few that were semi-difficult, but for the most part just scratch my head and wonder what I'm supposed to solve. And, despite all the help links, I'm still lost. So, I skip them and move along

[+Path Pacer]

Puzzles aren't my thing either. Sometimes I can see where to go, but mostly I just go "huh?"

[+WattsThat]

Huge thanks to ePeterso2 for the Puzzle Solving 101 series - we worked through the first 5 sections and have already figured out how to solve a few puzzles near us. Very well written!