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 Forum index » Diversions » Perplex City Puzzle Cards » PXC: Silver Puzzle Cards
[PUZZLE/META] Season 1 Silver summaries for slower starters
Moderators: AnthraX101, bagsbee, BrianEnigma, cassandra, Giskard, lhall, Mikeyj, myf, poozle, RobMagus, xnbomb
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Rand0m
Decorated


Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 271
Location: London

 		 [PUZZLE/META] Season 1 Silver summaries for slower starters
I'm in a position that I suspect a lot of other players are also in: I have a small pile of silvers collected off eBay and, while I'd like to solve them all by my lonesome self to prove that I can and to avoid leeching on other people's work, I know that for a lot of them I don't have an earthly chance.

But I also know that for some of them I probably could - I just don't know which ones until I've read the threads explaining how they were solved, by which time it's obviously too late. Two of the wave three silvers in particular are wonderfully elegant puzzles that I could quite happily have spent a weekend on if someone had hinted to me that I had a fighting chance of solving them. Instead, I read the answers Sad

So what I thought I'd do is compile a list of the ground rules for each silver. They're not solves - they're not even hints, mostly. What they are is a definition of the problem that needs to be solved, so players who've just got the card can make an informed decision whether or not to sink some time into working it out themselves.

Do people think this is something of value? I can see a range of possible reactions, from vilification for making everything too easy through to adding it to the wiki as a helpful resource. If it is thought to be helpful, could someone go through and add summaries for the cards I haven't yet solved? (And correct any misunderstandings I may have suffered from?)

That way I'll know which ones to work on out of my remaining silvers and which ones to wave the white flag at Smile

The spoiler tags hide explicit details of the silver cards - therefore, more so than usually, don't look if you are still working on one or otherwise don't want to see shortcuts!

Broadside
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Solved by guesswork, the flags have not been decoded. There is enough information on the card to link the illustration to a specific historic signal: the solve relates to this.


Instruction
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
The symbols are labanotation - decoding them produces a riddle, the solution to which is the solve.


NAND
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
The illustration is a network of NAND gates, with power flowing into the top and out on the right. The solution relates to the various different possible outputs.


Primer
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Use the "primer=" sum to establish how to translate the other three numbers to text via prime factorisation. The hidden message has not been decoded, but does not relate to the solve.


Ball Night
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Check the Academy site for details of Fellows, the solve page for durations, and do your best to work out the order of events: then you can use this grid to solve the logic problem. Remembering fire regulations helps, too. Credits: Rand0m / ManleyM / Ifurita


Eternally Grateful
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
One of the less complicated silvers: identify the source of each clause in the verse for a hint that leads to a rather literal answer to the card's question.


Cast Adrift 2
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
The solve page on the PXC site contains important clarifications for this card. Bear them in mind, arrange the map pieces correctly, and find the path.


Water Music
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Identify the source of the tune produced by 'playing' the glasses.


The Earth's Destiny
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Plot the modern-day locations of the stars to identify the mystical place. Credit: ManleyM / Rand0m


Mosaically Challenged
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A 2 part card - use the programming language Piet to gain a hint on how to use the smaller mosaics to get a scrambled message. Credit: ManleyM / Rand0m


Circuitous
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
The circuits depict a man's story - look at them but remember Von's hint to 'resist guessing'. A search on Wiki will help with this one. Credit: ManleyM


Swarms
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
The formation is important, look closely at similar formations from history and consider the question on the card which will lead you to the answer. Credit: domroberts


Roaming Identity
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A cryptic image. View the card horizontally and remember the words "As of March 2006". Concentrate on the long lines and think of what would make these sort of patterns. The solve page contains a big hint too! Credit: domroberts


Riemann *unsolved*
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Generally considered unsolveable, so focus your efforts elsewhere. As the card says, there is a $1m prize for producing the proof required by the game.


Persian
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Question witten by an old type of item of what we more commonly using today to type these letters, Once you have the question hunt for the answer. Credit: ManleyM


Elucidate
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
The shapes are the output of an analytical device: the solve is the precise subject of the analysis.


T-L-P
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A graphical representation of a logical proposition using Wittgenstein's notation, the solve requires restating the proposition using a different form of notation.


Ciphers Of History
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A playground message hastily (and therefore inaccurately) disguised with two levels of encoding. Convert the Hebrew symbols to numbers, then the numbers to letter pairs using the the XY=600 hint.


Shuffled *unsolved*
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Probably a message encoded using the solitaire cypher: read through the forum threads and get involved in finding the solve!


Syzygy Cube
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
No tricks here, although some observation and a certain amount of trial and error are needed to enter the answer correctly on the website.


Relativity
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Advanced physics question involving relativistic speeds - think of the headlight effect and you are well on your way. Credit: Agent Lex / ManleyM


Homage In Glass
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A clever puzzle using the letters around the picture to notate a piece of music. Identify the alphabet being used and subsequently how to use the pairs. Credit: Batgirl


Polar
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A trick question. Work out the rough GPS location and start thinking Christmas cracker answers.


Differently Lethal
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A crystallographic diffraction pattern - but of what substance?


The Angel's Key
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A neat puzzle unfortunately suffering from a guessable answer. The subject matter leads to a book, the symbolism to a part of the book, and the astronomy to the location of the answer.


Manouevres
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Chess opening moves have names - find them and you get to play with the beginning letters of those names. Credit: Cinana and UKver2.0


The Thirteenth Labour *unsolved*
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A complex cypher that will likely only give way to a brute force attack by all of us - head to http://www.13thlabour.tk/, download the client, and get stuck in...


C. 237.85, F. 460.13, Mind Candy correction: Name should be C. 277.85, F. 532.13,
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Card is based on a 16x16 puzzle grid - the words can be resolved into numbers to solve it. The existing bold numbers are of a specific group and a quarter of them have one thing in common. Credit: Cinana


Sightseeing
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
The numbers outside of brackets are Lego piece references, and the numbers inside are three-dimensional co-ordinates. Get building! Credit: Agent Lex


Escape
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Sneak through the guards Metal Gear Solid style. Remember, the quickest way may not be the most obvious, and you may have to wait around corners for guards to walk past. A basic Flash version of the game can be found here. Credit: Agent Lex


Clinical Explanation
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A tonal chart gives the language and some crucial absences highlight a particular character beloved of a poet, but from there you've still got a stiff challenge ahead.


Billion to One *unsolved*
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
A true-life test of six degrees of separation - we need to find this guy for real, wherever and whoever in the world he is. Ask your mates and tell them to go here if they know.


Edited by request to spoilerise each card individually.
Edited to add manleym's summary of The Earth's Destiny
Edited to add more summaries
Edited to add summary of Eternally Grateful
Edited to add Batgirl's summary of Homage in Glass
Edited to add AgentLex's summaries of Sightseeing and Escape
Edited to add more wave 4 hints from domroberts, Cinana and UKver2.0
Edited to add Persian (ManleyM) and Billion to One, and to mark Circuitous as solved.
Edited to add Circuitous (ManleyM) and C. 237.85, F. 460.13, (Cinana)
_________________
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PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 9:07 pm
Last edited by Rand0m on Mon Aug 14, 2006 4:57 pm; edited 16 times in total
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sackofpotatoes
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Joined: 07 Feb 2006
Posts: 86

 		I personally think this is a fabulous idea, and I thank you for your work. I'm not sure if it should be put on the wiki, but I think it's a very useful addition to this site. After racking my brain on Polar for far too long a few months ago, it's nice to have some sort of starting ground for these cards. I don't really have the time to explore all possibilities on Silvers, but I still enjoy solving them with some direction.

Thanks again.

PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 9:43 pm
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e_nygma
Decorated

Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 247
Location: Maryland, US

 		I like the idea, but if I may add a suggestion, you might want to spoilerize each card individually. That way, if I were a new player and I wanted to know about Thirteenth Labour, I would only have to look at that spoiler and thus leaving the rest in the dark.

Just a thought. And probably not the best one in the world.

PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 10:36 pm
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ambskunk
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Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 77
Location: Brisvegas, Australia

 		Great Idea Random. I'm pretty much in the boat that I'd like to work them out, but if I don't have half a hope in hell then I don't want to spend time going nowhere. I probably would also spend more time on some if I thought I was heading in the right direction.

I also second breaking up the spoilers into the individual cards.

PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 10:47 pm
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Rand0m
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Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 271
Location: London
e_nygma wrote:
I like the idea, but if I may add a suggestion, you might want to spoilerize each card individually.


ambskunk wrote:
I also second breaking up the spoilers into the individual cards.


Good idea!

Done.

Apart from the obvious benefits of doing this, it's also now clearer which ones still need summarising.
_________________
How the Cube was found - my Season One endgame microsite. Arrow

PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 3:41 am
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xardox
Boot


Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 17

 		GREAT!!
I love it. Finally those puzzles that are intended to be nearly impossible can be stripped away for new players, so they can get at the fun puzzles and walk away with some success and the resulting good feeling about the time spent.

This will make so many people happy thanks!

PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:08 pm
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kicktoria
Boot


Joined: 30 May 2006
Posts: 10

 		As someone that has been lurking for a week or so (only discovered perplex city about a month ago), this is a resource I'm sure I'll find useful. Thank you very much Rand0m.

PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 1:07 pm
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Ifurita
Boot

Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Posts: 51
Location: California, USA

 		Thanks for this. I have a solve for Ball Night, so I'll PM you a link to a blank logic grid for people to use. That way all of the clues are on the same post.

I like these clues, it'll help me get started on these cards without 1) reading through 40 pages of discussion and 2) inadvertantly seeing the answer.

PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 2:10 pm
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Rand0m
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Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 271
Location: London
Ifurita wrote:
Thanks for this. I have a solve for Ball Night, so I'll PM you a link to a blank logic grid for people to use.


Ta very much - that's the next card on my list to work on and I'm hopeful of cracking it alone (apart from such usefulness as a blank grid, of course...)
_________________
How the Cube was found - my Season One endgame microsite. Arrow

PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 2:19 pm
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Ifurita
Boot

Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Posts: 51
Location: California, USA

 		Maybe we (we meaning you) can tier the spoilers. For me, a general hint was all I needed for some cards and for others, the general hint got me started but needed a more specific hint to get myself unstuck.

Here's a blank logic grid for Ball Night, with the clues for #8 and #3 filled in to show my marking conventions.

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
http://www.kan.org/michael/Ball%20Night%20Logic%20Grid.xls


PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 3:09 pm
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Cinana
Boot

Joined: 02 Jun 2006
Posts: 62
Location: Washington State, USA

 		Can this be done...?
I really love the way you did this for the silver cards. I am curious if you would have the time and energy to do this for at least the black cards as well. I have noticed that I just need a website, or a "clue" to get me started, but when I look at the spoiler text it clearly states the answer, and then, well...whats the point in researching the answer when I can't get it out of my head?
I had already started #242, but would have never thought to go further with it. I then would have been stumped.

Thanks very much for what you have done. And many more thanks for the black cards in advance, if you are able to do it.

Worshippy

PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 3:00 am
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Agent Lex
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Joined: 11 May 2006
Posts: 1188
Location: No longer London, still in England

 		Re: [PUZZLE/META] Silver summaries for slower starters
Rand0m wrote:
Relativity
Could someone who's solved this card add a summary to the thread please?

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Exactly what it says on the ti- err, card. Advanced physics question involving relativistic speeds.


PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:23 am
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BBuck
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Joined: 13 Dec 2005
Posts: 184

 		This is an excellent idea - very nicely done.

Mods/Admin, could you consider making this topic Sticky?

PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 11:19 am
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Ifurita
Boot

Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Posts: 51
Location: California, USA

 		I'd be willing to see if I can get a similar thread going for the Black cards, as I'm beginning to work my way through a number of them.

PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 12:35 pm
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Rand0m
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Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 271
Location: London

 		Have added more summaries, thanks to all who contributed. Solved Ball Night unaided this evening!

I'm not sure about a second tier of hints, all I initially wanted to do was point people in the right direction. But I'll have a think about it, maybe it's a goer.

Happy to either do the blacks or assist Ifurita - I have solves for them all. Not all need explaining though, some are straightforward (not necessarily the same thing as easy).
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How the Cube was found - my Season One endgame microsite. Arrow

PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:24 pm
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