The Study Of Puzzles

[+Team Maccabee]

I find myself becoming more and more (and more) interested in the different types of puzzles and what makes a good puzzle cache (i.e. by general consensus). Blindleader and I had a good conversation about it yesterday at 1am, but I thought I would through it out to the wider NW community: what are the best puzzle caches out there and why are they good? What characteristics make otherwise merely good puzzle caches great? And who were/are the masters at creating puzzle caches?

 

I recognize that there is going to be radically different opinions on this, but bring it on... I'm interested in the variety of perspectives.

 

Team Maccabee

[+Prying Pandora]

I like puzzles that give you what you need on the cache page. Puzzles that can't be solved without shooting in the dark multiple times drive me nuts.

[+runhills]

I like puzzles that give you enough information to use logical thinking to arrive at the solution. I don't waste much time on puzzles that require "googling" to derive possibilities to try. These are not exercises in thinking but rather research. Maybe my atitude is why my career is engineering rather than history!

 

Also I need a means to know that my solution warrents a field search. I don't mind seaching one of four possible solutions but I have no interest in blind searches. To me it seems reasonable to get a solution confirmation from the hider if they feel hints will detract from the "Finders" fun.

 

Anybody can create a puzzle that can't be solved but it takes talent to create puzzles that are rewarding to solve followed by a fun hunt.

[+Wander Lost]

I like creating puzzles but am no good at solving them. That being said, I like the puzzle to be straight forward and of moderate difficulty. I like it when at the end of solving the puzzle and finding the cache I can see a relationship. Each part made the other part better.

 

The one thing I don't like is puzzles just for the sake of doing a puzzle. Those are the ones that in the end take you to an unremarkable spot for a typical hide that leaves you wondering why you spent so much time trying to solve the puzzle.

[+Lightning Jeff]

For me, it depends. It's generally easier to solve a puzzle if all of the required elements are available on the cache page, but that's not always the most satisfying. Of that variety, I particularly enjoy those that teach me something new (e.g., It's Not Polish! by BillP3rd) or introduce me to a useful resource (such as a mapping or coordinate translation site). The "Google it" ones can be fun too, if they lead me to learn about interesting things (e.g., Roundabout Snoqualmie Valley), or if the final has some connection to the puzzle topic (I have one very fun one in mind, but naming it would spoil the surprise).

 

Regardless of the type of puzzle, I think what I enjoy most about them is that they are a way to extend "caching". That is, if I can't go out caching, but have a half-hour to kill in the evening, I can work away at a puzzle. And if I've solved a puzzle, there's extra motivation to then go out and find the cache. In that sense, it doesn't really matter what kind of puzzle it is, as long as it's eventually solvable.

 

As far as masters, we seem to have a lot of genuine smarties around here, coming up with some pretty ingenius and enjoyable puzzles. I find Lahontan's puzzles to be very creative and fun (but haven't been able to solve too many of them!). But really, I haven't seen too many that I didn't see some value in.

[+fauxSteve]

I solve puzzles by just ignoring them. When a new puzzle appears it goes immediately on my ignore list. Caching is all about finding a box in the woods, and not sitting inside solving stupid puzzles.

 

Somebody had to say it, so it might as well be me!

[+Team Maccabee]

fauxSteve:

I solve puzzles by just ignoring them. When a new puzzle appears it goes immediately on my ignore list. Caching is all about finding a box in the woods, and not sitting inside solving stupid puzzles.

 

Somebody had to say it, so it might as well be me!

 

This from the man who hides hints in the source code of cache pages and devises puzzles that stall us from getting those boxes in the woods (usually the urban jungle)??? What did you do with the real fauxSteve?

 

Team Maccabee

 

 

edit: adding quote

Edited January 12, 2006 by Team Maccabee

[+WeightMan]

I am with WanderLost in that I really don't solve them well, but I do make up a few now and again. The ones that I really don't like are those where I have no clue how to proceed. I don't mind googling, but I think I should have a clue that I need to do that. I also like to have a puzzle that, when I finally do solve it, I know for sure that I have solved it. Now I'm not talking check sums or the like. The nature of the puzzle itself should tell me that I did it right. An example of that would be Minimalish where once you figure out the coordinates there is no doubt in your mind you did it right.

[nolenator]

I solve puzzles by just ignoring them. When a new puzzle appears it goes immediately on my ignore list. Caching is all about finding a box in the woods, and not sitting inside solving stupid puzzles.

 

Somebody had to say it, so it might as well be me!

I got to raise the big BS flag here. Faux you know you can't resist a puzzle no matter how obscure it is. I am the one who goes and finds the boxes in the woods. I think it was five last night after work with the WNW crew. I leave the puzzle solving to my friends then beg for hints. Peace, Nolenator

[+blindleader]

In the past year there have been more and more puzzle caches placed within the clity limits of Seattle. When puzzles were rare birds, the average quality tended to be high. The recent glut has greatly increased the proportion of (insert politely derogatory adjective here) puzzles. This has led to puzzle fatigue and angst among Seattle cachers.

 

I thought I'd submit my two cents worth in the form of a list rather than my opinions about the properties of good puzzles. This is no where near a comprehensive list, just a quick glance back over my three years of caching, picking out a few I thought were good.

 

I won't be providing a list of puzzles I thought were (see politely derogatory adjective again). You can make your own list of those.

 

For geometers:

GC2789 Flatland

GC6CBD Completing the Square

 

Fiddle with the text:

GCG8P4 Sabina's Cache by Rustynail

GCGYGQ Structuralist Geocache by Umbaba

GCPQ94 Far Flung Places by globalgirl

 

Hard, but Excellent:

GC284F The Contact Cache

GCHCH3 Minimalism by dayvi

GCHCJ5 1, 2, 3... ...GO! by fiendorfoe

 

Dealing with pictures:

GCKJW7 Spartan Scytale by MarcusArelius

GC284F The Contact Cache by fractal

GCD447 MisLED

GCMNTX Queen Anne Typo by markta

GCRB7G Alas! by markta

GCRCWK Boggle Academy by Fish Soup

 

Internet Research:

GCME8E Tango India Whiskey by Blue Heron

GCPQ11 Driving Across the U.S.A. by ohjoy!

GCRJF2 42 by Camp Latona

 

Humerous:

GCP7H4 Third base! by c0yote & co Third base! by c0yote & co

 

Puzzles in the field:

GCMJ6Q Thou Shalt NOT... by globalgirl

GCRWKJ Leggo of that cache! by markta

 

And my all time favorite:

GC284F The Contact Cache by fractal

[+OldBaldEagle]

I enjoy most puzzle caches. But for a couple of days I wasn't sure how to best answer TM's questions. Since then I've quickly solved one puzzle and struggled with another until I finally used the email resource to a past finder.

HE: "Well, it's this number and then do this and then that and there you are."

ME: "Oh, but how did you know to use 'that' number?

HE: "Because that's what works."

 

So, I think that the puzzles that we like are the ones we can look at, solve ingeniously in a couple of minutes with our first, second, or maybe third effort; and then head out to what we describe in the log as a clever, or tricky, or even evil hide, which took as long as maybe 5 minutes to locate.

 

We are most happy when we are successful, and least happy when frustrated.

 

Since all of us are different in our language and math and research and programming and common sense skills, no "one kind" of puzzle will appeal to everyone.

 

My least favorite puzzles are those that can only be discovered if one knows what the creator was thinking, and usually that can only be learned by asking, sometimes repeatedly, for hint of clues that could not be discovered otherwise.

Edited January 13, 2006 by OldBaldEagle

[+5winters]

We just solved 3 hard sudoku puzzles needed for a lampost micro cache. I was hoping for a better location or a full size cache at the end of a challenging puzzle. No offence meant to the cache placer. So my opinion is to be make sure hard puzzles have a equal reward IE: Location. Just my 2 cents.

[+The Jester]

We just solved 3 hard sudoku puzzles needed for a lampost micro cache. I was hoping for a better location or a full size cache at the end of a challenging puzzle. No offence meant to the cache placer. So my opinion is to be make sure hard puzzles have a equal reward IE: Location. Just my 2 cents.

Psst! Look at the cache size!

[+vds]

We just solved 3 hard sudoku puzzles needed for a lampost micro cache. I was hoping for a better location or a full size cache at the end of a challenging puzzle. No offence meant to the cache placer. So my opinion is to be make sure hard puzzles have a equal reward IE: Location. Just my 2 cents.

or just use google to find a quick automated suduko solver and they're all easy puzzles ?

[+fauxSteve]

We just solved 3 hard sudoku puzzles needed for a lampost micro cache.    I was hoping for a better location or a full size cache at the end of a challenging puzzle.  No offence meant to the cache placer.  So my opinion is to be make sure hard puzzles have a equal reward IE: Location. Just my 2 cents.

I don't really have a problem with a puzzle leading to a less-than-attractive final location. In fact, I would prefer a really good location to be a traditional cache so that more people can enjoy it. The truth is that puzzle caches and multi-caches get far fewer finds than traditionals, and I'd rather get my enjoyment from a puzzle that leads to a parking lot or a bus shelter or a newspaper stand than for a traditional to just be placed in those locations. Not every location is going to be the greatest, and in high density areas many of the best spots are already taken. I happily accept that.

 

However, I have to say that I prefer the variety of (politely derogatory adjective) puzzles we have here in Seattle to other parts of the States I've visited where there are frequently very few puzzles and caching just means driving from parking lot to parking lot and lifting lightpole skirts or opening newspaper stands in front of fast food restaurants. At least if a (see politely derogatory adjective again) puzzle leads me to that bus shelter I feel like I got something worthwhile from the "journey" (which, of course, begins with on the cache page).

 

(Off-topic alert:) Anyway, I'll just hold back my angst and need to complain for those people who still think that in/under/behind a garbage can is an appropriate place for a cache (it's not, unless it's properly tossed out inside). Urrggh!

[+fauxSteve]

Oh yeah, I agree with the Eagle. He said it really well!

[fishiam]

I don't really have a problem with a puzzle leading to a less-than-attractive final location. In fact, I would prefer a really good location to be a traditional cache so that more people can enjoy it. The truth is that puzzle caches and multi-caches get far fewer finds than traditionals, and I'd rather get my enjoyment from a puzzle that leads to a parking lot or a bus shelter or a newspaper stand than for a traditional to just be placed in those locations. Not every location is going to be the greatest, and in high density areas many of the best spots are already taken. I happily accept that.

 

However, I have to say that I prefer the variety of (politely derogatory adjective) puzzles we have here in Seattle to other parts of the States I've visited where there are frequently very few puzzles and caching just means driving from parking lot to parking lot and lifting lightpole skirts or opening newspaper stands in front of fast food restaurants. At least if a (see politely derogatory adjective again) puzzle leads me to that bus shelter I feel like I got something worthwhile from the "journey" (which, of course, begins with on the cache page).

 

(Off-topic alert:) Anyway, I'll just hold back my angst and need to complain for those people who still think that in/under/behind a garbage can is an appropriate place for a cache (it's not, unless it's properly tossed out inside). Urrggh!

All that education is really paying off o faux one - very well stated! I also (usually) enjoy (politely derogatory adjective) puzzles when I want to do a little armchair caching. It's at least a half hour drive for me to reach any cache from where I live. The (politely derogatory adjective) puzzles as well as the recognized excellent ones let me still play when I have a bit of spare time. Sure, like others I will get frustrated at a puzzle cache that offers no means of confirmation but most puzzle makers now provide that as well. No one has to work on (politely derogatory adjective) puzzles if they don't want to - me I'm happy to have them to play with. peace, fishiam